Week 15 - Crossing Nations

This week has been filled with plenty of travel, lots of good stories, and unfortunately bitterly cold weather which we can not seem to escape. We began the week in Denver, Colorado where we had our first real bit of substantial bus maintenance to tackle. We could tell from our front right tire (which had been wearing away a little too fast on the edge) that our bus was out of alignment. To heal this ailment we knew we wouldn't be able to use any of the remedies in our wheelhouse, but instead would have to make an appointment with a professional - mechanic that is. The treatment called for two new front tires along with the alignment, which for a bus is like shopping for shoes but only being allowed to shop in the Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Yeezy sections. I make the point that tires for a school bus are a very pretty penny only to highlight how thankful we are to all of you. Because of all of the generous support we have received we were in the position to buy new tires and not try to stretch the old ones until it’s too late. Through your support you are allowing us to keep rolling and keeping us safe, so sincerely and wholeheartedly from Davis, Josh, and myself THANK YOU! 

She’s Naked!

With our little bit of time in Denver the timing also lined up for us to see many friends both new and old - local and from afar. We finished the day sharing supper with Nicole (Josh’s sister) and her family and I am overjoyed to say little Poppy has officially started referring to Davis and I as her Uncles. Getting to see so many loved ones from so many different walks of life all in one day was a blessing and absolutely one of the highlights of the week.

Gibby must be telling an awesome story here

Nicole and her crew!

Poppy showing us her “Uncles” Christmas card

On Tuesday we spent a half day helping out with Movement 5280 a group in Denver that, “provides a family of support to homeless youth who have aged out of foster care and other at risk young people lacking guidance as they transition to adulthood”. Our task was reorganizing the storage area of their facility as they prepare to transition to a larger space that they desperately need. To learn more about this fast growing organization and see how you could support click here.

Davis’s tongue is out so you KNOW he is in organization mode

The “After” shot

With business wrapped up in Denver we began the trek down to New Mexico. In our way stood the Raton Pass. We charged up I-25 with our new tires and a mountain of confidence, and as we began to summit the Pass a rather substantial snow storm blew in. A white out ensued but our confidence was only slightly shaken. The LOST Bus held strong and we burst out of the storm and onto the New Mexico side of the Raton Pass where, in the wake of the snowstorm, we were rewarded with stretching views of mountains, valleys, and a distant ridge over the plains. The setting sun was casting long shadows and the remaining light playfully bounced off the clouds and snow. The effect was a dropped jaw. In a daze we soaked in the best views we have seen on the bus so far.

On Wednesday we rolled into Santa Fe where I desperately wanted to see the famous Loretto Chapel staircase - probably the finest piece of carpentry in America and arguably one of the greatest wonders in the world. I highly encourage you to look up the unbelievable story or just call me because I quite enjoy nerding out about it.

I can not express enough how happy this staircase made me

The MAN Richard had all the insights AND sent me a paper he wrote

Additionally, while in Santa Fe for the day, we had a chance to try something new. We were going to split up and each take a solo day. You see, since departing on the bus in early October Davis, Josh, and I have spent most every waking - and sleeping - moment together and this was our first good opportunity to break away and do our own thing for a bit. And before anyone jumps to any conclusions we did not NEED the time away from each other - life on the road has been blissfully pleasant with Davis and Josh, but as Josh put it, “Best to drink water before you are thirsty”. Besides, it was amusingly exhilarating to break off on my own. I have grown so accustomed to the other guy’s presence that once alone I felt like a kid biking out his neighborhood unchaperoned for the first time - no parents around and a new world to explore.

It was a delightful feeling to wander aimlessly around town, looking for nothing, going wherever the slightest inkling of your gut led you, and not seeking memories, but instead allowing them to come to you. And boy they came. Right away Josh by happenstance ends up meeting the former governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson - who these days looks like a cool retired fighter pilot with his grown out wavy hair and leather Jacket.

Men of power and influance

Later on in the day I ended up at a local watering hole recommended to me by a local statue artist. As I am ordering at the bar I noticed the man next to me was sketching something in his notepad. I asked, 

“Are you drawing for pleasure or for work?” 

“Both actually”

With that he had me intrigued so I sat down next to him and said, 

“Not too many folks have figured that one out”.

For the length of my beer the stranger and I began talking about life. I asked him all about his life and what he has learned; His name is Ricardo Caté, he is a Native man who grew up on the reservation, has two kids he raised alone, and was working as a black jack dealer at a casino until his 40’s to get by. One day mid-deal he paused and thought to himself, “what am I doing? A monkey could do this”. In that brief  moment he decided he wanted more out of life and re-enrolled into school to get a degree… in his 40’s. He did what he set out to do and along the way the right people took notice of his “for fun drawings”. Now he is a prominent cartoonist with published books of his works. As we talked I had not noticed but Ricardo had discreetly stopped what he was working on and started drawing a new cartoon - one of our conversation. He gave it to me as a gift and then left the bar, on his way out telling me about a comedy open mic night that would be going on later. After Ricardo was gone the bartender took a look at his drawing and told me, “You need to frame that as soon as you can. It is worth a few thousand dollars”.

The artist and his work

Ricardo’s brief mention of the open mic night comedy scene gave me direction for the night and Davis and Josh were easy enough to convince. Davis in particular because once we arrived a regular by the name of “Lawless” convinced Davis to sign up and perform 5 minutes of comedy and in return he would make a $17 donation to the LOST Bus. Davis climbed on stage with no notes or preparation and absolutely crushed it for 5 straight minutes. People were on the edge of their seats holding onto every word as Davis shared his story. And when the punch lines hit - im talking belly laughs all through the crowd. He surprised all the regulars with his talent, surprised Josh and me too, heck I think he even surprised himself.

On Thursday, while in the area, we made sure to get some turns in at Taos. Luckily the mountain had just received an overabundance of snow so we gleefully bounced through knee deep powder for half a day. The rest of the day we drove West to our next destination - Tse Bonito.

Hiking to get to the primo snow

Tse Bonito isn't quite a town. More accurately it is the last couple buildings in New Mexico before crossing over into Arizona, and also marks the border of the Navajo Nation. In Tse Bonito you can find the appropriately named, "Across Nations" organization. A group that has spent the past 120 years striving to serve and equip the people of the Navajo nation. Our main connection to Across Nations is Chuck Harper, a soft spoken and easy going man who has completely given his life away to serving the Navajo people - just like his father and grandfather before him. Across Nations has gone about serving their Navajo neighbors in many different ways over the decades. Back in 1906 Chuck’s grandfather launched a “disciple making effort” and helped some of the first Christian churches on the reservation grow. Today, Across Nations manages a radio station that many reservation dwelling Navajos rely on for basic information like weather, school cancellations, and election results. The station broadcasts out in both English and Diné Bizaad (the Native Navajo language) which allows multiple generations to listen in their preferred vernacular. In addition to the radio, Across Nations also operates a marvelous school (Chuck’s wife Cindy is currently serving as the principal), provides valuable church development, and leads the charge in all sorts of community development - everything from youth development to addiction recovery and counseling.

Josh enjoying lunch with the kiddos at the school

We jumped in with Across Nations and began helping with the ongoing construction of their new radio station (the current one has certainly seen its better days and is currently falling apart on them). Working with us was Kevin McCarthy, a New York native who married a Navajo Native and is as in tune with the complicated social issues surrounding the Navajo Nation as anyone else. As we worked we began to learn more about the Navajo and their struggles. We learned that the Navajo Reservation is technically its own nation within the United States - covering an area the size of West Virginia. They have their own police force, their own laws, and their own president. Unfortunately the reservation resembles a third world country more than it resembles America. Over 40% of the 200,000 residents living on the reservation don’t have electricity or running water and it is normal for folks to go cold and hungry in the harsh winter months. We also learned first hand that things just take longer on the reservation (in part due to the additional government). The new radio station we were working on has been under construction for the last 5 years, and the mask mandate in the Navajo Nation was lifted while we were there - Friday January 20th, 2023.  

The carpet king

POW POW

Incredible camera work

(Kevin looks a lot like Joe from Impractical Jokers)

We were told that If you set up a business off reservation and it took 3 months to get operating then you should expect that same business model to take about three years to begin operations on reservation. Because of these obstacles most of the Navajo youth with ambition and drive end up taking their talents elsewhere and unfortunately what's left on the reservation are far too many people content with handouts and sedentary lifestyles which only compounds the alcoholism issue that in turn contributes to the high domestic violence and suicide rates. These issues are obviously much easier to identify than to solve, heck Chuck and his family have been here for 120 years trying to help solve some of the problems. Still, I am grateful to at least be made aware of these people and their struggles - to allow my heart to break with theirs over the daily sufferings endured, and hope with them for a brighter future. This is better than living in ignorance of this Nation within our Nation. 

I don’t mean to harp on just the problems the Navajo nation faces. There is plenty to celebrate here too like the Navajo Code talkers that helped America win WWII, and also basketball. On Saturday afternoon Chuck invited us to go to the local highschool (Window Rock) basketball game. We learned on the way that he was actually broadcasting commentary on the games over the radio so we not only watched the boys varsity game but also the girls varsity, boys  JV, and we caught the tail end of the girls JV. As it turns out basketball is the mecca of all sports for the Navajo people. This was only confirmed when we saw Window Rocks basketball arena (yes arena) which can seat up to 7,500 people (Keep in mind that only 600 students attend window rock). We couldn't believe our eyes. 

Keeping the listeners happy

Got to meet Ms. Navajo there too!

On Sunday we went to Community Bible Church, right next to the school and radio station at Across Nations where throughout the service they constantly switch back and forth from English to Diné Bizaad. As I listened to a congregation full of Navajo people sing out “Holy Holy Holy” in their native tongue I contemplated the irony of how this “dead language” so eloquently highlighted the beautiful culture that is still very much alive here. 

Next week we will continue to hang in and around the reservation before heading towards Phoenix and hopefully, finally, some warmer weather.