The Drive Home and Some Final Thoughts
Some housekeeping issues -
I'm providing the link here to my pictures. They are on Shutterfly and you may need to register to view them. They are pretty much in the order the blog is written. Click on this link to view them:
http://myjourneytothebestfriendsanimals.shutterfly.com/How did I remember everything so well you may ask? Well, I did keep a journal while I was there. Not something I normally do, but I knew it was the only way I would be able to remember everything. I also took pictures of all the dog's pictures that are hung on their pens. They have their picture and name on each pen. Otherwise, I'm not so sure I would have been able to remember all their names. Also, the scenic pictures (particularly the ones of Zion), do not do it justice at all. If you haven't been there, you will never get how jaw-droppingly beautiful it is by the pictures. What you see in the pictures is all around you. You're surrounded by beauty.
If I could have done one thing different on this trip, I would have spent the last morning at the Sanctuary. I gave myself way too much time to drive back to Vegas, even with going through Zion National Park. I also would have taken a dog for one more overnight the night before. On the way out of Kanab, we took one more drive through the canyon at BF. We just couldn't resist. I had to hold back tears. We saw the last of the turkeys, and 2 of them had their wings open. We said our goodbyes to each area as we drove through.
We drove through Zion, which was absolutely spectacular. There is one section of the park that you can drive through. You have to take shuttle buses through the rest of the park. I just really did not want to spend my time on a bus with a bunch of strangers,and not be able to stop when I wanted to. So we took a pass on that. It's $25.00 per car to drive through the park (and that includes taking the shuttle buses). When we got to St. George we had lunch at the Outback. We took our time driving back and at the spur of the moment took a drive through the Valley of Fire. It was very pretty. We were going to try for Lake Mead, but we couldn't be sure of how far it was. We also hit our first and only rain of the week. And it was raining in the desert. We still had tons of time to kill at the airport. We were even too early to check our luggage. Oh well, live and learn. Now I'll know for the next time.
Next time? Oh yes. Like most who have journeyed to Best Friends, I will most definitely be returning. This place has now become a part of me. I have even contemplated moving there. Surprisingly, Kanab has a very high cost of living and I'm not sure how I could do it. I keep looking at the available jobs and real estate on the web so, who knows, maybe someday. In the meantime, I will continue returning there regularly. And I will go for longer next time. A minimum of 10 days to 2 weeks. What did I love so much about it? It's hard to explain it all in words. It's a feeling and a sense of peace. The sense of peace comes from the location itself. I never knew a place could hold so much beauty, open space, and quiet. It was completely relaxing.
The fact that a small group of people could create such an incredible place that has saved SO many lives is nothing short of a miracle. What's that quote? "Never underestimate the power of a small group of dedicated people to change the world". They certainly have changed the animal world. They have mostly passed on the reigns to a new, younger generation that has kept the same mission of the original founders. The people here are truly amazing. They are completely dedicated to the cause of all the animals they care for, and then some. Not only that, but they are kind and respectful to all who pass through. And they are so grateful to the volunteers. I can think of nothing negative to say about anyone I met while there. It was inspiring to say the least.
And then there are the animals. All the animals at the Sanctuary are special. Every single one of them deserves a home. How anyone could abuse, neglect or throw an animal away is beyond me. Everyone of these animals touched me in some way. I so wanted to take them home with me. But, I left knowing that they were as well taken care of in the Sanctuary, as anywhere else they could be. And, allowing volunteers to take the dogs out for outings and overnights not only helps to socialize them, but gives them a soft place to lay their head at night. It also gives us the opportunity to pass the word about this wonderful place and let others know, who might be interested in adopting, what wonderful animals reside there. Hopefully, one day, all shelters will take note and begin to run their own in a similar manner as BF.
So, if you think by volunteering at Best Friends that you are not making a difference, you are very, very wrong.
Until next time.....