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The Daily Cartoonist is on hiatus

Perhaps you’ve noticed the site has not been updated for awhile now. I certainly didn’t intend to go this long without mentioning something, but since several individuals have contacted me asking if I was okay or what was going on with the blog, I’m long overdue for some level of public explanation.

The Daily Cartoonist had 10+ year run. That’s not a declaration that I’m hanging up the blog or lost interest in comic art. But it is saying that the near-term outlook points to an hiatus of undetermined length. While I value and appreciate the friendships that have resulted from running this blog, my life has made several dramatic turns in the last two years resulting in a change of priority and focus. Let me share a little what’s going on in my world today.

Caylee, Dylan, Emily and Fox

The Gardner Kids: Fox, Caylee, Dylan, Emily

I count these four humans my favorite people. Yes, I’m biased. I imagined the teen years were supposed to be awful and hellish. Watching these four learn discover who they are, what they value and what excites them has been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable periods of my life – and I’m loving every moment of it. Sure, we have our occasional teen moments, but those moments are infrequent compared to the rest. I can’t speak highly enough of my kids.

The National Parks Challenge

Photos of the different National Parks my family has visited

The spring after my divorce I announced to the kids that we were going to visit all five Utah National Parks in one summer. Instead of whining they were excited and we had a grand time. In fact that summer we hit two additional parks parks because all five Utah parks are hot desert climates in the summer – so we went north to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. With seven parks checked off the list, the goal expanded all 59 U.S. National Parks. Our count as of today is 13. If they had it their way the next two parks would be Haleakala and Hawaii Volcanoes National Parks. We’ll get there, I’m sure.

One of the parks I explored was Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Unlike other parks where geological features are the purpose of their preservation, Mesa Verde is centered on the ruins of the indigenous Ancestral Puebloans (AKA Anasazi). As someone who enjoys history, I’ve always been jealous of Europe where you can’t walk three feet without tripping over something historical dating back thousands of years. I was ignorant of the rich history in my own backyard and subscribed to the notion that history in North America started with the Pilgrims and the American Revolution. Mesa Verde kindled a interest in Southwest history and the Anasazi. Since my trip to Mesa Verde NP, Southern Utah has become an itch needing to be frequently scratched to explore abandoned ruins and artifacts.

Spruce House – Mesa Verde National Park

Moon House ruins in Cedar Mesa Utah

Public land issues

My trips to Mesa Verde and Southern Utah has spawned a huge interest in protecting public lands and safeguarding them from concerted efforts by short-sided, special-interest funded politicans intent to ‘take back’ public land and sell them off to private industry. I’ll spare you an earful and hope you’ll read this short response to many of the arguments to take away your land and give it to the states (who will invariably sell it to private interests).

The great outdoors

One of the many trails minutes from my home

The trips have also inspired me to do a LOT more hiking, camping and being outdoors. I now regulary run during the week and take in a hike on most weekends. I have two major hikes scheduled – Pikes Peak, CO in May and Grand Canyon Rim to Rim in June. Beyond that, I have two trips with my kids this summer: a Grand Teton backcountry hike (and white-water rafting) and a paddle/kayak trip to Lake Powell in southern Utah. Last week I adopted a Heeler/Border Collie dog named Gracie – a hearty, active breed to go along with our adventures. I’m looking forward to enjoying as much time in the great outdoors as I can this summer and fall.

My Refugee family

Last year I volunteered with a program in Salt Lake City that paired me with wonderful refugee family from Burma. I serve as a mentor helping them navigate the ins and outs of a lot of things we take for granted as Americans. The Salt Lake Tribune did a nice write-up of the program featuring me and the family. It’s been a rewarding experience and I hope it will be a life-long connection. And yes, I’ve already taken them to a national park. :)

Photo by: Steve Griffin/Salt Lake Tribune

Summary

So where does that leave us? For the forseable feature, The Daily Cartoonist is on hiatus. I’m unsure when, but I’m confident the news will start flowing again. It took Berkeley Breathed 27 years to return to Bloom County. It definitely won’t be that long. I will keep the site up as a historical record of the news and comments of our community.

Until the blog relaunches/resumes if you’d like to keep in touch, you can follow me on my personal Twitter account or if you’ve met me personally send a friend request on Facebook or Instagram.

If you’d like to be notified when the blog becomes active, please make sure you follow @dailycartoonist on Twitter, enter your name/email on this list or email me.

All my best,

Alan

P.S. And I should mention, if you live near a National Park, I am heading in your direction. I would love to meet up with you and take in the sights and hike some trails. Drop me an email if that interests you.

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