If you’ve never been there, you definitely want to go.
For me, it was an emotional reminder of the things I work for everyday. Just one week before out trip, the Department of Interior began a review of 23 national monuments under the presumption that some monuments need to be eliminated or reduced. Dinosaur is not on that list of monuments, but you better believe there are people out there who would like to see the area’s protections removed.
But it was the next generation that made our trip so special. My friends’ children reminded me that it’s my responsibility to pass places like our national monuments on to the next generation. And that doesn’t come easy. As we’ve all seen, there are powerful politicians who prioritize patronage over the next generation. This isn’t a conflict of policy ideas. It’s a fundamental disagreement of what it means to be American.
We negotiated rapids with the calm and deference of seasoned river rats. We set up tents, kitchens and groovers. We pointed out flora and fauna. We reveled in the quiet, the solitude and the moment. During this eloquent, and sometimes contentious process, we were passing on the knowledge, values and attitudes to the next generation. In 20 to 30 years, they will do the same — in the very same place.