So much has happened!

Since I've blogged last, a lot has happened! I think I will make this a picture blog, and write what is going on underneath the pictures that need explanation.

Here are some pictures that Karen took of me teaching the station called "Rocks, Rocks and More Rocks!" We do an activity where the kids pair off and one is blindfolded, and they have to guess which rock belongs to them based on weight and texture.

These next pictures are from the main attraction at Arches- The Fiery Furnace! Visitors pay a fee of $10 to go on this climbing tour. Here are my pictures! It was SO fun.

 This is me... CONTRA DANCING!!!

 Whitewater River Rafting on the Colorado with Todd, Chris, Dana, Lindsay and others from Arches

Todd's first swim in the Colorado ^

 We spotted a bald eagle! ^

 The water was FREEZING cold! ^

 Then, we spotted a peregrine falcon! ^

Last week, we found Broken Arch, Skyline Arch, and Sand Dune Arch. See them all below!

Skyline Arch

Park Avenue

 The Three Gossips

 Sand Dune Arch

Broken Arch

Broken Arch

Skyline Arch

Stay tuned... soon I'll post pictures of the famous Delicate Arch!

Well...

I have been so busy lately! The wireless internet at the Visitor's Center still has not been fixed, and sitting for hours at a time at the local McDonald's can take a toll on your back. So much has happened last week and this week that I just don't have enough time to write about it all! When it takes 10+ minutes here to upload a single picture, it can get a little frustrating. I apologize for the lack of quality of my blogs, but when you have limited resources you try to make due with what you have.


I mean, I'm in the desert! :)


I am having SO much fun teaching the second graders. I will share with you something that happened that makes me believe I'm doing a great job.


So today, at the end of the field trip, one of the second grade girls runs up to me, throws her arms around my legs to hug me, and says "Miss Kaferen, I wish we were sisters."


It is such an amazing feeling and blessing to be able to feel like God has placed you where you belong. That's how I feel when I'm teaching these precious children about their environment and how to care of it.


Anyway, the blog might have to be put on hold while I apply for graduate school! The time is here!

My Moab Address

I mean, since my birthday is coming up... and it'd be nice to get mail... :)

Katherine Johnson

Arches National Park

C/O Heidi Wainer

P.O. Box 846

Moab, Utah

84532

:)

Canyonlands National Park

On Monday, Danielle and I left at 7 am to travel to Canyonlands. It's about 45 minutes away, so we got an early start and were the only ones hiking there for a long time in the morning. There are several districts of Canyonlands: Needles, Island in the Sky, and the Maze. We went to Island in the Sky and saw part of Needles, but you have to have a high clearance 4 WD vehicle to access a lot of parts of the park. 

We hiked to Upheaval Dome and I have never heard such quiet as I did standing on the trail. The debate is a hot one... was this caused by a meteorite or a salt dome?

After we hiked Upheaval Dome, we went to Aztec Butte. You can't tell how high up we are in the picture, unfortunately. There we got to see some granaries.

We then made it to the Grand Viewpoint for Island in the Sky.

We got hungry so we decided to listen to a Park Ranger give a talk over the geology of the area while we ate our lunch.

Then, it was off to find the Mesa Arch in the Park. Mesa Arch is made from a different kind of stone than the arches at Arches National Park, which makes it really interesting.

That's all I have for Canyonlands! Stay tuned for my next blog about my adventure in the Fiery Furnace...