Meet Road Scholar participant
Trudy Murray
Avid outdoorswoman Trudy Murray has been a devotee of Road Scholar since her very first program. Find out below what drives her love of Road Scholar and the great outdoors.
Q: Why do you choose to learn with Road Scholar?
A:
I like to learn with Road Scholar because of the great variety of well-planned programs, the top-rate educators, the interesting people you meet and the reasonable costs.
Q: What was your first Road Scholar program?
A:
My first Road Scholar program was a Grand Canyon backpacking program with my husband in 1997. It was a monumental experience that I will remember always. We have
maintained two friendships from that program. After that program I was sold on Road Scholar.
Q: We offer 6,500 learning adventures in all 50 states and 150 countries around the world. If you could pick just one of those programs, what would it be? Why that one? Why does that program speak to you?
A:
I always turn to the Outdoor Adventures section of the catalog and read through the entire contents. For this
fall I am looking at Program #4880, Exploring the Archaeology of Chaco Canyon. We've visited before on
our own, but I want to learn much more about this mysterious place, hike ancient trails and look up at night
and see millions of stars.
Q: Describe your favorite memory from a Road Scholar program.
A:
One memory that stays with me is from Program #2268, In Wildness: Green River Canoe Adventure. I woke up and
got out of the tent and looked up at the sky around 3 a.m. and saw more stars than I had ever seen. It was
the Milky Way!
Q: What's the most interesting thing you've learned on a Road Scholar program?
A:
Everything I learned on Program #7346,
Migration
of the Sandhill Cranes: A World-Class Experience, was wonderful
and interesting because going into it we knew so little about birds. We had classes on birds and hands-on
experiences with bird banding, and we viewed the cranes in the early morning and evening. There were many
ery experienced birders on this trip and we learned from them and from the wonderful Ruth Greene, our
unforgettable instructor.
Q: Outside of Road Scholar programs, how do you like to challenge your mind?
A:
My husband and I love learning. We listen to Great Courses from the Teaching Company, we
attend public lectures on astronomy, physics, law and music at the University of Toledo and sessions on art and
archaeology at the Toledo Museum of Art, and we read books and magazines like Science News, Scientific American,
Discovery and Smithsonian