Tied to the Post

Through the Kokopelli doors

It was the summer of 1989, Twin Rocks Trading Post was set to open soon, and the time had come to carve the front doors. Several months earlier I had grown tired of trying to convince the Salt Lake City law firms I would be a good addition to their team and decided to come to Bluff for some honest...

The Valley of the Gods

We routinely tell visitors to Twin Rocks Trading Post about the abundance of fascinating locations within 50 miles of Bluff. One of our most highly-recommended places is located just 22 miles south and west on Highway 163. That place is the Valley of the Gods, and few locations on earth are more...

Thought, speech, and Mother Earth

It is true that I typically cannot distinguish noun from pronoun, verb from adverb, or preposition from proposition, so when Rick suggested I read Language and Art in the Navajo Universe by Gary Witherspoon, I was uninspired. Most often English feels like a second language to me, and Priscilla has...

One piece at a time

Lately, I know I am feeling my age because all I talk about is how the world has changed and how I am unprepared for the “new normal.” Every day I find myself humming 1970s songs from Linda Ronstadt, Poco, and the Eagles. When I speak with my siblings, they are struggling with the same issues....

An offering of COVID kindness

High temperatures typically don’t affect me, but last week it was hot, and I mean hot, even for this small desert community. Heat stroke has never been one of my ambitions, so I knew I had to be careful. As a result, I waited until almost 7 p.m. to get on the bicycle. By that time the sun was...

Our new normal

“Normal” is a relative term, especially in a place as independent and contrary as Bluff. Like everyone else, we have been adjusting to the new reality caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Early into the crisis, the town council of Bluff declared that all commercial operations, including restaurants,...

A name with a historical connection

Recently one of our loyal readers asked Rick how “Tied to the Post” got its name. Rick had never actually considered the question, so he didn’t have an adequate response. As Napoleon Bonaparte suggested, “History is the version of past events that people decide to agree upon.” At Twin Rocks...

That, as they say, is a fair trade

There are times when I confuse my wife, my kids, my coworkers, and even myself. It is, however, relatively rare that I confound all of us at the same time. That, however, was the case several years ago when I bought a 1936 Chevy Sedan Delivery. Having come of age during the muscle car era of the...

We must keep the art in rock art

Yesterday, Susie and I drove the 75 miles north of Bluff to an area called Indian Creek Corridor on route to Canyonlands National Park. Our purpose was to re-visit a famous archaeological site known as Newspaper Rock, located in what currently remains of the Bears Ears National Monument. While...

Parallels between the bike and me

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a few months ago I decided to get back in shape. That crisis seemed a good reason for me to also shed a few unwanted pounds. Unfortunately, I started to look a little like Mr. Potato Head, just not as handsome. Mrs. Potato Head began to take notice. One of...