The Grand Canyon is carven deep by the master hand; it is the gulf of silence, widened in the desert; it is all time inscribing the naked rock; it is the book of earth.

I worked Four days in the Canyon, as an instructor for the Grand Canyon Field Institute. Time in the canyon gives one new perspective on life as it is in 2020.

It was so nice to get away from the toxic politics and negative covid culture our country is suffering.

We had eight really great people and all went very well in spite of the heat and water challenges. Everyone made it out very happy with the experience.

The pipeline was broke again and there was limited water at Phantom. Toilets had to be flushed with buckets of water taken from Bright Angel Creek.

It was 98 at the Ranch, plenty of time in the cold Bright Angel Creek as well as a side trip to Phantom Creek.

We treated a young man that was close to heat stroke until the rangers from Phantom could come. He and his fireman brother headed down the Kaibab in the heat of the day with little water, not knowing there was NO water on the trail. When they ran out they started back went about a mile and then turned around and headed back down desperate for water. They both had vomitted twice. We found them at the river beach, one was slurring his words with a pulse going all over the place while his brother tried to get water at the ranch. This scenario is all too familiar. Young dudes that should have known better. The positive is if we had not come upon them to assist, the one would have probably died.

I slept under the thousands of stars, many bats were in the air ....it was soooo tranquil, nite sights for the soul. We had a ringtail cat sneaking around, and several deer would wander by.

At Phantom, I had take out hikers stew one night and steak the next.

This was all a big deal for me, my first since a new hip. I didn't think I would work for the field institute again but when they asked me to do this trip, I didn't hesitate. My trainng was not adequate due to the heat, a lot of cross training but nothing of industrial strength necessary to do a trip like this...but I got er done and the clients were kept safe and happy.

 Eugene is located in western Oregon, approximately 278 billion miles from anything. 

-- Dave Barry

Howaya?

I hope this report finds you happy and healthy.  We have been very fortunate to stay healthy during the pandemic while traveling to Poland, Tahoe and Oregon. We follow all protocols and would like to think that we take “prudent risk”  We are not interested in being white birds in a golden cage getting old.

We had to escape the pleasant record days of  temperatures over 110, so we decided to hit the coast of Oregon and other great locations recommended by our good friend Bob Shea from Bend. We flew into Eugene and stayed at a really nice B & B-The Campbell House. 

Our fun two weeks of  activities included  a whole lot of hiking, and enjoying the “GREEN” Oregon countryside.  We were able to share time with friends Gary and Mary Beth Elam in Eugene, and Rollie and Erica Woodcock in Newport. 

We spent a week at the small, cool, coastal town of Yachats. Temperatures were in the low 60s….only 50 degrees cooler than Scottsdale.  The hike on the Amanda trail to Cape Perpetua was outstanding! We woke up every morning to a brilliant view of the sea and observed several whales while we were there. Our favorite restaurant was “Luna Sea”  We enjoyed their fabulous scallops two nights in a row. We loved having lunch with Rollie and Erica at the Clearwater restaurant in Newport on a deck above many incessant, loud barking, growling and grunting sea lions establishing territory. 

Just outside quaint Silverton we stayed at “Oregon Garden” resort that had a fantastic happy hour. Two buck tacos and three buck margaritas. The Oregon Garden is an 80-acre  botanical garden , It is home to over 20 gardens. 

Close by is Silver Falls State Park, the “crown jewel” of Oregon state parks. We hiked the 7 mile loop that passes a series of breath taking waterfalls along a rocky canyon that descends to a winding creek at the forest floor.  We passed behind South Falls, a 177 foot waterfall.

Time was spent poking around in Silverton, a charming small town.

Gerry drove to Hood River, another charming small town on the Columbia River Gorge. Here we relaxed, hiked, and went to several wineries that had awe inspiring double views of Mt. Hood and Mount Adams. 

We tried a tray of different ciders, a new experience for both of us.

We returned to Eugene and again hooked up with Gary and Mary Beth. I have loved “TRACK TOWN” for many years.

Our boys competed for several years in the AAU on the storied old Hayward Field. It has now been replaced by a modern marvel of a stadium. I  miss the old Hayward Field. 

Gary and Beth graciously took us for the “Animal House” tour on the campus and pointed out several structures where memorable scenes were filmed. 

This was really as nice a trip as any of our many foreign travels and we hope to return next summer. We were sad to have missed Linda and Greg and Bob and Peggy in Bend due to the virus. Another good reason to return as well as the Olympic trials and world track trials.

Our activities for the remainder of the year will be mostly limited to biking, walking and hiking. We do have a trip planned for Oaxaca Mexico in December, don’t know if that one will happen.

I am working my first trip as an instructor for the Grand Canyon Field Institute  since my hip replacement in December. 

It is scheduled in October so I have 2 months to train which is a challenge in this heat. Wish me luck!

Please stay safe!

 "It has been said that Poland is dead, exhausted, enslved, but here is the proof of her life and triumph.”

Poland was torn apart by the Nazi and Soviet occupations.  Three million Jews were murdered during WW II.  Warsaw was mostly destroyed. Shamefully,the allies failed to act. The Polish resistance was heroic, gathering evidence  with an underground army that warned the west about the jewish extermination before all was lost. Warsaw is a gateway city between east and west with a tormented tragic history.

Note: The movie "Schindler’s List"  was filmed in Krakow. The “Pianist" was filmed in Warsaw.

93% of the Polish population are identified as Catholics. Fewer than 15,000 Jews  live in Poland, a country once known as the center of European Jewish life. On the eve of the Second World War, Poland was home to over three millionJews, making it the second-largest community in the world.

Warsaw has been totally rebuilt using old photos. Today, the proud Poles enjoy a vibrant country, beautiful rebuilt cities that are culturally rich.  Our trip was one of eye opening historical discoveries and the company of good friends.

Brutal travel……

Going...24 hours door to door…. Phoenix, Denver, London, plane changes to Warsaw

Lodz, Pozan, Wroclaw, Opole, Czestochowa, Auschwitz/Birkenau, Krakow, back to Warsaw……836 miles by bus

Return...22 hours door to door….Warsaw, Frankfurt, Denver, Phoenix-

Who is crazy enough to leave mid 70s weather and spring training to travel to a frigid European country while the corona- virus is being transmitted world wide?  Don’t answer that!  Poland must be too cold to spread bacteria!! There were no cases of the disease while we were in Poland!

The food was great!! Pierogi,(Polish dumplings)  Polskie Nalesniki (Polish pancakes) Paczki (Polish Pastry)

The people were fun, kind and personable. The hotels and service were superb. 

NOTE: Normally when we travel we take in the culture of the cities and the best that nature has to offer. This trip was entirely devoted to the cities and history. We did not get a chance to explore the Polish Tatra Mountains, lying on the border between Poland and Slovakia.

Highlights:

-WARSAW…..The incredible JEWISH MUSEUM, the medieval Stare Miast (Old Quarter) with its market square and 14th century Cathedral of St. John, the "wedding cake” Palace of Culture and Science, the neoclassical Lazienki Palace, and the remnants of the Jewish ghetto.

-LODZ-POZNAN….Pozanski Palace, Old Market Square, Town Hall and the baroque ST. PETER AND PAUL CATHEDRAL

-WROCLAW…This impressive city belonged to Bohemia, Austria, Prussia, Germany and Poland. (after 1945)

Impressive Cathedral, and MARKET SQUARE with its fine patrician houses.

OPOLE-One of the oldest cities in Poland 

CZESTOCHOWA-JASNA GORA monastery where the BLACK MADONNA  is located…the country’s national symbol.

BIRKENAU-AUSCHWITZ- notorious WW II CONCENTRATION CAMPS…….chilling reminders of the Holocaust. Eight years ago we had visited Theresienstadt in the Czech Republic, it  served as a waystation to Auschwitz.  It was primarily populated with children and their color drawings left us in tears. The Nazis brought in media photographers depicting the kids having a good time at a “summer camp”  Our consciousness will never allow us to forget the atrocities and appreciate the sacrifices of the allies to drive out the Nazis and later capturing many that had fled to South America and were put on trial.

KRAKOW- Great city- historic jewish center, the KAZIMIERZ Quarter with its quaint art cafes, and galleries. REMUH SYNAGOGUE AND 14TH CENTURY ST. MARY’S CHURCH WITH ITS UNEVEN TOWERS. We really enjoyed seeing and hearing a bugler play on the hour from the windows of the tower. He waved at us down below. 

 The WIEICZKA salt mines were absolutely incredible and  featured  underground cathedrals. There are only two of these underground salt mine cathedral locations  on the planet. The other is just outside of Bogota Colombia. We visited there four years ago and it was equally  fabulous.

I am now reading “the Volunteer” a true story of a resistance hero who infiltrated Auschwitz.

Poland and its tenacious, resilient people will forever be in our minds.

Arbeit macht frei (Latin-work makes you free) signs over the entrance of many concentration camps