“I did more with my church because we had a great youth group,” Skinner said.
That church, Belmont United Methodist, took the members of the youth group on travel camp excursions each summer in places nearby or far from home, including Canada and Mexico.
“I did a little camping with my parents and went to Florida and North Carolina but other than that, pretty much camped locally,” Skinner said.
Her exposure to different places ended up inspiring her love of all-things out of doors.
She decided she wanted to become a park ranger at a national park.
Skinner enrolled in Sinclair Community College and got a job working in downtown Dayton. In 1978, she saw a notice about state and national parks, including the Grand Canyon, about needed employees to work in varying jobs at the parks.
“I took my lunch hour, went over and interviewed and got hired as a dishwasher and room cleaner,” Skinner said.
This adventure marked her first time visiting the Grand Canyon and she went with two other friends. She fell in love with it.
“The first time I worked at the Grand Canyon for two months and ended up meeting my now ex-husband,” Skinner said. “We then moved to Tennessee and Mississippi, but I missed working at the Grand Canyon and applied to go back.”
She worked in concessions at the park for six years and her then husband went with her, working as a bartender while she cleaned rooms, worked in reservations and accounts payable and concessions in the kitchen. Her son Joe was born in Flagstaff, Arizona during that time.
“I would have been happy to stay there for the rest of my life,” Skinner said. “But we moved to Phoenix and then Tucson for work and I had my daughter Gina.”
After a year, life changed again for Skinner and her family when they returned to Kettering, a place her husband had never lived. She worked for a mortgage company then applied for a Department of Defense job with Defense Contract Management. This became a steady job for her for the remainder of her career, including a stint with the company in Florida, Arizona and Indianapolis.
During that time, she was divorced and, when her kids were grown, she returned home to Ohio.
“When I was in Indianapolis, I deployed to Iraq twice as a civilian,” Skinner said. “Lots of adventures until I retired in 2022.”
After years of moving around and seeing the world for work, Skinner knew she didn’t want to go back to work after that. And she hasn’t. Instead, she started volunteering with Five Rivers Metroparks in 2016 at the horse stable in at Carriage Hill Metropark and at Cox Arboretum and the Second Street Market. And today, Skinner seizes every opportunity she can to travel, especially to explore the national parks across the country.
“Our national parks are the legacy to the world that keep on giving,” Skinner said.
In addition to the parks, she has taken advantage of travel programs offered by the nonprofit organization, Road Scholar — her favorite so far being the White Stallion Dude Ranch near Tucson. She also has travelled on her own to popular places, including Savannah, Ga. and Charleston, S.C. Last year she visited Mackinac Island in Michigan for the first time and loved it.
“I like active trips especially,” Skinner said. “I love horses, so trips involving riding are also favorites.”
Skinner has only just scratched the surface of international travel, visiting Canada and Costa Rica, and loves learning about other people and cultures, saying it opens her eyes to how others live.
“Ultimately everyone pretty much wants the same things,” Skinner said. “A roof over their head and to be able to take care of their families and to live their lives. I learned that especially over in Iraq.”
Though Skinner said she isn’t necessarily a history buff, she loves learning about the history of the places she visits. And travelling solo has been a joy that she continues to experience over and over.
“For people who are hesitant to travel alone, yes it can be intimidating,” she said. “Group travel is a great way to start, and you can look for others who have similar interests. It’s a great way to meet friends and see the world.”
To contact this contributing writer, email banspachwriter@gmail.com.
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