Symbol of Place
Women's Wilderness Retreat on the San Juan River
Thursday-Sunday
May 19-23, 2010
“’Now, where exactly were you?’ I have been trying to honor this question knowing that ‘exactly where we were’ defies an answer. For me, our days on the river transcended and continue to transcend time, place and, yes, words. With gratitude in my heart for a gift that I be unwrapping for some time to come, thank you all.”
Charis Caldwell, 2009 “Symbol of Place”
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"Symbol of Place" trip, 2008
Photo by Margaret L. Turner.
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Bluff,
Utah
, which borders the north end of the Four Corners Navajo reservation, is one of my favorite tiny river towns in the West. It’s roughly 3 hours from G.J. and the only place I’ve ever read poetry to 130 people (I highly recommend the free, amazing Bluff arts festival in November). The Recapture Lodge, in Bluff, where owners know every inch of the surrounding washes & ancient Anasazi villages, has been a legend for almost 50 years
Highly experienced river guides Dennis Meyers and Andrea Tanner and I are thrilled to offer a “Symbol of Place” expedition putting in and camping overnight on Navajo land, west of Bluff, and taking out at the Recapture Lodge. The marvellous Martha McCoy and Suzi Potratz will join us again to teach painting & yoga, with great joy.
This will be a slow trip, with plenty of time, in two full river days, to float and swim and kayak on a beautiful ten-mile stretch thick with wildlife. We’ll stop to paint and write under cottonwoods, and to hike into grottos and windswept side canyons with wildflowers, petroglyphs and ruins, especially the Seven Room Ruin.
Cost: $385, plus $50 cash for guide tips, and some meals and camping/lodging fees. This also includes an excellent travel insurance policy for the group.
Schedule:
Wednesday night:
7:30 p.m.
First group meeting at Recapture Lodge,
220 Main St
. (You may choose to stay at the lodge Wed/Fri/Sat nights or at the lovely little
Sand
Island
campground on the river. Group room rate $68 for two, with two double beds. For reservations, call Recapture: 435.672-2281. Yes, there’s a hot tub and pool.)
Thursday-Friday: Two full days on the
San Juan
, with three rafts and several kayaks available. Choose to paddle or just float! Friday grilled dinner on the river or on another designated site in Bluff.
Saturday: Hiking in
Butler
Wash
(five minutes from Bluff) to Anasazi villages, where we’ll write and paint. Final group dinner at Bluff restaurant.
Sunday: Breakfast, art show, readings, goodbyes at
Sand
Island
campground.
We will supply all equipment, food for the river days and the lunch for the hike, guides & boats & kayaks, wetbags & lifejackets. You’ll need your own sleeping bag and tent (we may have a few extra bags & tents to share). A packing list will be emailed to you after registration.
Limited to 15. RESERVE EARLY!
To register, fill out a waiver and a registration form, and mail with a $150 deposit made out to me, at
2529 Grand Overlook Drive
, G.J., Co 81507.
Final payment due April 23rd.
Late registration up to May 15: $425
Trip or writing questions?
sandydorr@bresnan.net or (970) 257-1498.
Yoga questions?
create_suzi@yahoo.com or (970) 623-3913
Art questions?
marthamccoy@bresnan.net or (970) 241-1609.
Art & Writing Supplies – notes from Martha McCoy
Preference for painting at the retreat will be watercolor, pastel, colored pencils, markers, or watercolor pencils. These are easy to pack and use, and are less messy. We will experiment with the desert colors, and work with composing expressive pieces, and any of these media will work.
For Watercolor:
You will need something that is easy to pack, so a small set of pan (not tube) watercolors, a brush, a cup for water, a small 7” x 10” watercolor sketchbook, a2B or HB pencil, and an erasure.
Bring whatever you have that’s easy to pack. Suggestions below: (you can find these online at Utrechtart.com or local art supply/craft stores:
Cottman Pocket Plus portable watercolor paint set: includes 12 colors, bursh and palette: $16.99 (Item #31360)
Arches, acid free, 15 sheet, 140 lb. wire sketchbook $25.99 (Item #37938)
For Pastel: (pretty simple)
Again, easy to pack supplies are:
Acid Free Sketchbook, oatmeal $9.99 (Item #52530)
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