The Route
Follow our route (in yellow) on this map as we travel across the country July 9-30.
Moving your mouse over the places we have visited (the connected red dots) will give you a brief glimpse of what we've done at each location. Clicking near a dot will make the description remain visible while you mouse over others, or click on the included links for more a more detailed view.
July 9 - Harrisonburg, VA
Photos: Shenandoah National Park
Writings: Preparation
Prepare for the trip: go on a camping overnight to Shenandoah National Park, outfit the bus in the days before departure, and attend a few meetings along the way, to find out what we're getting into.
July 9 - St. Louis, MO
Photos: St. Louis
Writings: St. Louis
Drive from Harrisonburg, VA to St. Louis, MO to begin our journey. Eat supper and visit the Gateway Arch. Sleep at local Mennonite Church.
July 10 - Wilson, KS
Photos: Kansas
Writings: Agriculture
Sunrise on ancient Monk's Mound at Cahokia Mounds Historic Site. Drive to the Land Institute in Salina, Kansas and discuss agricultural issues in the US. Sleep in State Park.
July 11 - Boulder, CO
Photos: Kansas, Colorado
Writings: Faith, The Built Environment
Drive to a Kansas wheat farm and talk to Ron Shilling about conventional farming in the prairie. Continue on to Boulder, Colorado and stay in a local Mennonite church, which takes its call to Creation care seriously by adopting sustainable practices. Talk with church leaders about their beliefs and practices.
July 12 - Moab, UT
Photos: Colorado
Writings: Biodiversity, Climate, Ethics
Drive to Rocky Mountain National Park and see the headwaters of the Colorado River. Hike with Ranger Barb and learn about high altitude ecosystems. Drive to Grand Junction, Colorado in preparation for our rafting experience.
July 13 - Colorado River
Photos: Utah: Rafting & Arches NP
Writings: Rafting
Rafting on the Colorado River through Westwater Canyon over 13 rapids, mostly classes 3 and 4. The red and black canyon walls are composed of Windgate Sandstone and Gneiss Schist, some of the oldest and youngest rock in the world, respectively.
July 14 - Arches National Park
Photos: Utah: Rafting & Arches NP
Writings: Rafting
Continue rafting on the mighty Colorado. Take out and drive to Arches National Park, where we set up camp under the stars and get an informal astronomy lesson.
July 15 - Antelope Island State Park, Great Salt Lake, UT
Photos: Utah: Rafting & Arches NP
Writings: none, yet.
Wake up at Arches NP, go on a ranger-led hike through the Fiery Furnace and spend some time reflecting on the biblical theme of wilderness. After eating lunch at the park, we board the bus again, this time heading toward Salt Lake City.
July 16 - Sacramento, CA
Photos: Utah: Arches NP & Rafting, Davis
Writings: The Built Environment
After waking up on an island in the middle of the Great Salt Lake and a leisurely morning at camp, we spend all day on the road between Salt Lake City and Sacramento.
July 17 - Davis, CA
Photos: Davis
Writings: The Built Environment
In Sacramento and Davis, we begin our energy unit and visit a hydrogen fuel cell re-fueling station, a wind turbine, and bike around the community of Davis, talking with professors at UC-Davis about local zero-energy housing developments. Sleep on campus at UC-Davis.
July 18 - Redwood National Park, CA
Photos: Redwood N&SP
Writings: National Parks
After breakfast, we drive north toward Redwood National Park, stopping along the way to swim in the Pacific Ocean. Beneath centuries-old redwood trees, we talk about "living in the middle of the timeline."
July 19 - Portland, OR
Photos: Redwood N&SP, Portland
Writings: Transportation
Spend much of the day on the road north from Redwood NP to Portland, Oregon. When we arrive in Portland, we split into groups for a "sustainability scavenger hunt" and supper on the town. Sleep in a local Mennonite church.
July 20 - Toppenish, WA
Photos: Portland, Washington
Writings: none, yet.
After a quick, warm breakfast, we leave Portland Mennonite Church by public transportation in family groups on an "urban sustainability scavenger hunt" in the downtown and riverfront districts of Portland. Leaving the city by mid-morning, we drive to the Bonneville Dam by lunch, where we are given a tour of Powerhouse 2 and where we speak with a fisheries expert about the dam and the salmon. Driving on to Toppenish in the Yakima Nation, we eat supper, play ultimate, and speak with Carol Craig, a Yakima "elder-in-training," about the Yakima perspective on salmon and the land. Bed is preceded by a night swim at the tribe-owned campground.
July 21 - Glacier National Park, MT
Photos: Glacier NP
Writings: Climate, Projects
Leaving Toppenish, Washington at 8:00, we make the full-day journey to Glacier NP in Montana. On the way, we introduce our next unit on climate change, watching An Inconvenient Truth and having wide-ranging group discussions. We arrive at our campground east of the park around 8 pm, set up camp, eat supper, and sing hymns as a group.
July 22 - Glacier National Park, MT
Photos: Glacier NP
Writings: Climate, Projects
Waking early, we eat breakfast and pack lunches for a hike to one of the largest glaciers in the park, the Grinnell Glacier. We return mid-afternoon for a relaxing time at camp, supper, and a time of scripture, singing, reflection, and discussion.
July 23 - Yellowstone National Park, WY
Photos: Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP
Writings: Climate, Projects, Megafauna
Rolling out of the campground at 8 am, we proceed on toward Yellowstone National Park, spending the day on the road, working on climate projects in groups, and transitioning into our next unit on megafauna management.
July 24 - Yellowstone National Park, WY
Photos: Yellowstone NP
Writings: Megafauna
After breakfast at camp, we visit with the Buffalo Field Campaign who are staunch advocates for the bison. Following our visit, we eat lunch in Yellowstone and see the famous Old Faithful area. We then meet with the park's head bison researcher to learn about the park's efforts at maintaining the flagging bison herd. Supper at camp ends our day.
July 25 - Devils Tower National Monument, WY
Photos: Devils Tower
Writings: none, yet.
Waking after a night of light rain, we board the coach and drive on toward Devils Tower National Monument. On the way, we bring closure to our unit on megafauna issues by creating megafauna management plans for the Yellowstone bison, based on what we've learned. Segueing into our next day at Devils Tower, we speak with Julia, a Lakota-Souix elder, about her native tradition and perspective on Devils Tower, and with Lester Zook about some final details and his thoughts about climbing.
July 26 - Mountain Lake, MI
Photos: Devils Tower & Mt. Rushmore
Writings: none, yet.
Waking up to rain, the plans to climb the tower are scrapped, and we break camp for Mountain Lake, MN earlier than expected. En route, we fortune to stop at Mount Rushmore, which prompts some discussion as we compare the significance of the massive sculpture to that of the igneous plug which we had just left.
July 27 - Baraboo, WI
Photos: Devils Tower & Mt. Rushmore,
Aldo Leopold Foundation
Writings: Aldo Leopold
Drive from Bethel MC in Mountain Lake to the Aldo Leopold Foundation just outside Baraboo, Wisconsin. Talk with staff of the Foundation about how they are continuing Leopold's philosophy through the preservation of his original shack, and in the construction of their new LEED-Platinum Legacy Center. Camp at a near-by state park with a little lake, and plenty of room for ultimate frisbee.
July 28 - Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center, IN
Photos: Aldo Leopold Foundation & Merry Lea
Writings: Community
Begin the day at the Aldo Leopold Foundation, learning about local plants, their land restoration projects, and helping by collecting seed to be planted at the new Legacy Center. Leave shortly before noon for Goshen, Indiana. Supper is provided by Goshen College admissions, and after tours, we head out to the Merry Lea campus, where we settle in for the weekend.
July 29 - Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center, IN
Photos: Culmination
Writings: Community
After a breakfast of homemade cinnamon rolls baked by Kate's grandparents, we open the day with worship - singing, scripture, and a sermon from Luke Gascho of Merry Lea, who then guided us through a morning searching for an Anabaptist perspective on Creation care. The afternoon is largely open for free time on the Merry Lea acreage, and after a supper of foil dinners, we bring closure to our three-week journey with a time of group reflection, singing, and brainstorming (what do we do now?).
July 30 - Harrisonburg, VA
Photos: Culmination
Writings: Community
Waking with the sun, we board the bus for our last day's journey. We return home, eager to see our families and friends and full with many rich memories, clear challenges, and honest ambitions for ourselves and our community.