Day Three:

As we are winding down in Chinle, Arizona, we are reflecting on our day in the Acoma Pueblo nation. Today we went to Sky City, which is the oldest inhabited pueblo in the US. We learned many things about the different clans comprising the Acoma tribe including the hardships they endured in adjusting to their new life. The group was amazed at the San Esteban del rey Mission which has been in existence for nearly 2000 years. Inside the mission were photos that have stood the test of time but are starting to show their age. Outside the mission was the burial ground, the Acoma men built a wall around the top corner of the mesa and the women carried buckets of dirt from the valley floor until they had enough dirt for burial. As the need for more space arose the Acoma carried more dirt to start another layer. In total 4 layers were established as the final result of the burial grounds as they reached the level of the church. After the tour and the arduous hike down from the mesa, we all loaded back into the van and started on our 4 hour trip to Chinle, Arizona. We are tired and anticipating our big hike tomorrow.

Day Two:

Well here we go on our 2nd Day … Being in a twelve passenger van with 11 people, 22 bags of luggage, and 3 to a seat brings a new meaning to “ Love your neighbor!!!” This is our 31st hour of driving and we are just arriving to Albuquerque, New Mexico (YAY). Our bodies are now feeling excitement even with the cramps in our muscles. However, this experience with each other has been … priceless!!!!
We went through Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico today and the sights were beautiful. Being able to watch the land transform was amazing. We started with an area filled with trees and ended up with open space and flat land.
Even though we made a few stops, most of our time was spent in the van. Thanks to Ms. Brannon we were brought back to our childhood with Mad-Libs and I (Liz) introduced the “ABC Celebrity-Music Game” and “I Never.” Along with laughing and playing games, Lucy has put a new meaning to taking a nap, but who made the rule that a nap couldn’t last for two days :)
Being able to get to know everyone so far has been the best part and it is just the beginning. Please stay tuned to day to day updates with our journey to the Southwest!!!

South Western Trip 2008

Our First Night:

My name is Tina and I am one of the students who were chosen to experience life through the eyes of the Native Americans. This is the first blog of the trip, hopefully I will be able to post a new one every night so you will be able to feel as if you are here experiencing this trip with us.


So here we go, Ms. Brannon, Mr. Bryson, Crystal, Derek, Liz, Lena, Lucy, Patty, Robert, and (myself) Tina. (Tim is on his way and will meet up with us tomorrow) After half an hour of trying to figure out how we all can fit into the 12 passenger van we get on the road at 5:30 am May 3rd. For the next two weeks we will be traveling all around the SW. The plan is to travel 16 hours the first day and 12 hours the next. Together we will all learn about the Natives of this country and see how their life styles were over 10,000 years ago and they are living life today.

It is now 11:42 pm, we finally got to Clarksville, AR around 8:00pm. It was a fun ride where we all got to participate in fun games and learn new songs (thanks to Derek and Patty). Tomorrow we wake at 5:00am to finish our trip to Albuquerque, NM but not before we make a stop in TX where we will see some amazing art from a local artist.

In Conclusion...

AMANDA HIGGINS - HICKORY, NC - The fact that this is our final blog post has become somewhat bittersweet to me. Although there were nights when all I wanted was to forget about it, the blog became another one of our traveling companions. At times, it stayed in better touch than we did. Claudia Eller told me on the trip that when she hadn't had cell phone service, her kids looked at the blog and knew she, and husband Richard, were okay. When I stepped off the van, a few people told me that it was nice to keep up with their loved one, and the blog had become part of their daily routine, too. I like to think maybe all our hard work put a few less miles between people who love one another. I know that thousands of miles in a van created a whole new world for those of us who had the privilege to participate in this year's Southwest Adventure.



JOSH BOONE - This trip was a giant step in the right direction for CVCC. It is priceless to be able to experience such beauty and culture through a class. To me this trip was a life-changing experience in that I was able to see first hand what it was like for the Natives of the area and to hear their stories of life in the southwest. The transition for me was hiking through Canyon de Chelly. It was so peaceful, it was a paradise in the middle of the desert. Through this trip I have new respect for the Earth we live on, my family, and the Natives I met along the way. This was an awesome group of people and the food was delectable. Watching the sunset in the Grand Canyon allowed me to see what a beautiful place in which we live and what a wonderful work of art the southwest is.


NICOLE WHITENER - When people of past trips have said that this trip is life-altering, they weren't lying. After seeing the now dilapidated structures that were once thriving cities with hundreds , sometimes thousands of people in them, living and surviving off the land, realize that some of the Native Americans still partially live this way. Some still don't have running water. I will never forget this trip. Lessons I have learned on this trip can't be learned in a classroom. This was an amazing opportunity and I thank all of the instructors that helped us on this journey, all the people back home that supported us, and all the amazing friends I have made along the way.



JOHN SETZLER - What an amazing experience this has been... A group of fourteen people, ten students and four instructors, piled into a van and took off across the country into an existence of which few were familiar. The objective of this trip was to put places and faces with concepts we had studied in class. The lecture portions of "Native American History" and "Race and Ethnic Relations" were just a drop in the bucket compared with the learning experience of traveling to the southwestern United States to visit the places on our agenda. My original impression was that the learning experience would end when we arrived back in Hickory, but I was wrong. For me, the learning experience is just beginning on these subjects. I'm looking forward to pursuing a few goals I have set for myself based on these experiences I had with this group.




CHRIS REIDEL - To talk about my experiences on this trip would take a page and five lines (trust me!) if I were to talk in detail. All I can really say, though, is that my perception has changed. I greater appreciate the Native Americans, and believe that I have lost at least some of my very wrong assumptions of them. So this trip has done exactly what it was intended to do. I have learned, and changed, and would do it again in a heartbeat.



CHRISTY PEREZ - I am incredibly grateful to have been a part of this experience. I have learned a great deal about a part of history that is largely ignored by most people today, and I have seen first-hand the effects this forgotten period have had on the Native American way of life. Most importantly, this trip has allowed all of us to strip away the concerns of modern society and focus on the things that truly matter: family, community, the environment, and finding peace in everything we do. To be able to experience all of this in some of the most beautiful places on earth was a gift I would not trade for anything. When I return home, I plan to follow the advice of Mr. Chee, a history teacher at the Navajo Prep School we visited. He urged us all to live for a purpose greater than ourselves. The Southwest Adventure was the first step in a new direction for me; from now on I will strive to fill my life with beauty in my surroundings, respect for everyone I encounter, and harmony in every day that passes.


MARK HUFFMAN - Right now we are riding through the long state of Tennessee and we have been asked to make a personal statement about this trip for the blog. With 14 people and our bags in a 15 passenger fan at this point being crammed in like sardines, it's funny to me the thoughts that are in my head. I admit that I am a home body. This has been the longest time away from my family and friends. Then it dawned on me that we had formed our own special family on this trip. We have laughed, cut up, had a great time, and yes, I will admit we even got on each other's nerves like a real family. As a group, we have experienced a once in a lifetime trip. I was truly overwhelmed by all that I saw, but if I had to choose one place as my favorite site it would have to be the Loretto Chapel. Being in the beautiful chapel, for me, was truly a spiritual moment in my life. I can honestly say that I made friends for life.


AMANDA HIGGINS - Well, karma and the cosmos aligned on this one. The classroom portion of this experience has been the most educational and open that I have ever had in a formal setting. We all felt encouraged to be very respectful, but also honest with ourselves and others. We took all of that with us into the desert, and I think we were better for it. Then there's the trip itself. What a bold master of disguise. Hidden behind tales of visiting other places, is the secret that everyone finds part of themselves on this adventure.



DALE HAMILTON - Taking this course was my first step in learning a little about a nation of people I had only heard of. As it turned out, I learned a lot. Learning about the history and culture of the Southwest was fascinating, but what was even more fascinating was to experience it... the food, the culture's traditions, and most of all, the people. Listening to the guides continue their oral tradition of telling the story of their ancestors' journey, their fight for survival, and other stories of their perspective of the world, showed me how proud they are as a people; the deep respect they have for the earth, life and each other; and finally how much I, as a Jamaican, have in common with them. From interacting with the children at the Navajo Prep School, to touring Sky City at Acoma, to hiking 4 hours through Canyon de Chelly, I have come to the realization that there is much more to these Native Americans that I actually knew. This has been a wonderful learning experience that I will forever cherish.


GARY "BEAR" EKLUND - 11 days in a 15 passenger van with 14 people and 20 people's worth of luggage... Throwing into the mix is a racing towards 70 senior... could I survive? This was the most magical part of the traveling scholarship. Everyone who has been total strangers a few weeks before became kind, considerate friends. For me, this was the highlight of the adventure.


JESSICA CHILDERS - This trip has been on of the best experiences of my life. I learned so much about myself, and everything I discovered will help me through the rest of my life. I was able to share this (epic) journey with some amazing people, and I think we will all be able to learn something about the world around us.




Thanks to everyone who contributed to this blog and made it worthwhile by reading it.
Good luck to next year's Southwest Adventure!

Home Sweet Home

Amanda Higgins--Hickory, North Carolina

I must say that is very nice to be making this post from the comfort of home after spending countless hours working from hotels (or not working when the "free internet access" at our hotels was worth what we paid).

We woke up early this morning and left Clarkesville, Arkansas at 5:30 a.m. We got a few hours and a few hundered miles behind us before stopping for breakfast. After eleven days on the road, everyone was anxious to get home and the consensus was to keep stops to a minimum the rest of the day.

We finally made it back into Hickory, North Carolina and into CVCC's parking lot tonight around 8:45. We were all met by our loved ones and friends, who were as happy to see us as we were to see them. Then, we all took our final right of passage for the SouthWest Adventure...we unpacked the van one last time and threw away all the trash.

Eleven days ago we started on an incredible journey and even though we're all back home, it's not over for any of us. We have another class on Friday, final presentations, and we all have a new list of phone numbers and e-mail addresses of people we call friends.

As for this blog, John Setzler and I asked everyone to write something for our final post. Although we plan on wrapping most of it up by Monday, this has truly been an experience to last a lifetime.

Santa Fe

Amanda Higgins & John M. Setzler, Jr. - Albuquerque, New Mexico

We are having continued problems with internet access in our hotel in Albuquerque. The hotel claims to have wireless internet access, but the only place it seems to work is in the hotel lobby.

On Sunday, which is our final day of this adventure, we traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico for the day. Our primary stop in Santa Fe was the Loretto Chapel, where we viewed the Miraculous Staircase, which appears to have been constructed with no visible support underneath. The rest of the history of this chapel will come after we arrive back in Hickory. John Setzler is writing a research paper on that subject, which will be posted here.

The Miraculous Staircase in Loretto Chapel...

The Altar at Loretto Chapel...

Local street performer "Johnny" entertains the crowd in downtown Santa Fe while our own Chris Reidel and Dale Hamilton accompany with the tambourine and dance...


Fred Bryson and Bobbie Brannon enjoy lunch on Sunday at The Burrito Cafe in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico.

After our visit to Loretto Chapel, we took the rest of the day off to have lunch and shop in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico.

We have an 800-mile journey back to Clarksville, Arkansas tomorrow morning, so we must get packed and get up for our 5:30 a.m. departure time. We won't be posting a blog entry from Clarksville, but we will make a final post for this project once we arrive back in Hickory.

ADDENDUM - Loretto Chapel

The Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, was commissioned in 1872 by Jean Baptiste Lamy. Lamy was the Bishop of the Santa Fe Archdiocese at this time. Originally, the Loretto Chapel was to be named “Our Lady of Light Chapel” and would be maintained by the Sisters of Loretto. The Sisters of Loretto established themselves in Santa Fe in 1853 by opening the Academy of Our Lady of Light. In a very short time, this school grew to an attendance of over 300 students. The school covered one city block and consisted of ten buildings.

Jean Baptiste Lamy had hired architect Antoine Mouly and his son from Paris to be the architect and builders for the St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe. During the 10-year construction period of this cathedral, Lamy convinced the Sisters of Loretto to take advantage of the Mouly father and son architect and construction team to design and build a chapel companion to the Academy of Our Lady of Light. The Sisters decided that the school needed a chapel and raised $30,000 on their own to begin construction of the Gothic chapel in 1873. The stones for the chapel were quarried from areas around Santa Fe. The stained glass was purchase from Paris and sent to Santa Fe via ship, paddle boat, and covered wagon. The original construction of the chapel was completed in 1878.

During the construction of the Loretto Chapel, Antoine Mouly died suddenly. Only after much of the chapel construction was complete, the builders discovered that there was no staircase available to the choir loft. The small size of the chapel did not lend itself to the construction of a standard staircase, and the Sisters of Loretto did not feel comfortable with a ladder to the loft. The construction of the staircase to the loft in Loretto Chapel creates a mystery that lives to this day, and the staircase in the Loretto Chapel is still referred to as “The Miraculous Staircase.”

Legend has it that the nuns prayed for nine consecutive days for a solution to the staircase problem in the chapel. After their nine days of prayer ended, a stranger arrived at the academy. This stranger offered to build a staircase to the loft in the chapel, but he would require total privacy in order to complete the task. The stranger locked himself in the chapel for three months with nothing but primitive tools while he built a spiral staircase. Another oddity of this staircase construction is that the carpenter is not known. As soon as the construction was complete, the carpenter vanished without a trace. Another oddity of this staircase is that it was constructed without the use of nails and there is no central support. A third oddity of this construction project is that all of the wood use to build the staircase is non-native wood, and there were no witnesses to the delivery of the wood or the actual construction of the staircase. The carpenter left the site before he could be paid for the work. The Sisters of Loretto offered a reward for the identity of the carpenter, but no one ever stepped forward or provided information leading to the identity of the stranger.

The legend of the Miraculous Staircase of Loretto Chapel lives to this day, but the chapel no longer serves as a church. The chapel does allow wedding ceremonies to be performed when those arrangements are requested.

Canyon de Chelly

** Due to internet problems in the Hotel in Albuquerque, we will be revising this post on Sunday night...

AMANDA HIGGINS-ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO- Yesterday was a long day at the Grand Canyon and John Setzler and I didn't get the the blog finished until late last night. That put us not getting in the bed until about 2 a.m., and then we had to leave our hotel at 6:15 this morning. Running on about three hours of sleep, we loaded up and headed to Canyon de Chelly in Chinle, Arizona. After a four hour van ride, we got there about 10:30 a.m. We were met by Irene, a native of the canyon who now gives guided tours with her husband, Perry.

Before we hiked through Canyon de Chelly, Irene took us to a hogan and told us more about life in the canyon. As a young girl, she had lived in a similar dirt floor hogan and slept on sheepskin most of her life. Her upbringing was very traditional and she did not learn to speak English until she attended school. She also told us about the roles of men and women in the traditional community and how they have changed in her lifetime.

About noon, her husband Perry returned from his morning tour to guide us back down the canyon. We started with a 600 feet descent to the canyon floor. There, Perry showed us what is known as White House Ruins. These ancient cave dwellings got their name from the white wash used on their exteriors. Midway through the 5 and a half mile hike, we stopped to rest. Irene brought us some fresh, cold water and told us more about the history of the canyon.

Canyon de Chelly was once home to Hopi, Zuni, and Navajo tribes after a severe drought forced them to migrate from their previous homes. Spaniards moved into Mexico and then New Mexico and Arizona encountering the ancient people. The Spanish kidnapped many Native American women and used them as slaves. In addition, they burned the natives' hogans and corn fields.

In 1805, Navajo women, children, and elders were hiding in the canyon while the young males were hunting. As the Spaniards passed the hidden Navajos, one woman who had been held captive and escaped could not contain herself. She yelled at the intruders in Spanish, giving away the whereabouts of her people. The result was pure carnage, but in the chaos a grandfather placed his small grandson in a crevice and covered him with a dead body. That child was the only survivor of the massacre and was able to pass along the story.

By the late 1800s, the United States had set up territories throughout the southwest and was forcing the native peoples off their land. Over 9,000 Navajos were relocated to Fort Defiance, Fort Wingate, and Fort Sumter, where they relied upon the government for food and support. By 1861, the United States was engaged in a Civil War and no longer able to send supplies to the captives. In 1868, the government signed a treaty with the Navajos and released them back to their homelands, including Canyon de Chelly.

After resting for a few minutes and hearing Irene's stories, we headed back through the canyon. Within a few minutes, we had reached the riverbed. We all took off our socks and shoes, and enjoyed the feel of the cool water and mud for about a mile. Then, it was time to put our shoes back on and make the 250 feet ascent back up the canyon. That last leg was the toughest and victory was sweet when we finally reached the top. After over five hours of hiking, we were actually glad to all pile back into the van.

The day was far from over, after a quick dinner in Chinle, Arizona, we had a three hour drive to Albuquerque that turned into four hours due to a traffic accident on the highway. We finally reached our hotel about midnight tonight.

Tomorrow marks another long day. We are going to Santa Fe to visit Glorieta Pass, Bandalier, and Loretto Chapel. The rest of the day is ours and we plan to shop until we drop.