Bryce Canyon National Park took my breath away. The stars are the hoodoos (odd-shaped pillars of rock left standing from the forces of erosion), and from the first time I saw photographs of the terrain many years ago, I knew I wanted to visit. It is a stunning landscape. But at an altitude of 9100 feet, I was not functioning at my best (point of reference – a mile is 5280 feet). Lansing is 820 feet, Madison is 741 feet! The thin air caught both of us just trying to catch our breath a bit, Continue Reading
Wrapped in Rock – Zion National Park
As soon as we entered the park, I felt her reach out to me as if to say welcome; strong and chiseled, but softened by time and weather. For twelve miles, we navigated the narrow road, with switchbacks and tunnels, but she was never far from my side. At times, I could reach out the window and almost scrape my knuckles, she was that close. This was Zion National Park, and I felt as if I was wrapped in rock, in a gentle, caressing kind of way.Zion is an interactive Continue Reading
America the Beautiful – The Grand Canyon / Arizona
First my right eye, then my left. Despite what I wanted, I had to open my eyes; I'd paid too much for this flight to keep them closed. Our pilot, Craig, had asked if we were ready and I'd given him a hearty thumbs up, but when we left the soft visual cushion of junipers and ponderosa pines, my stomach wasn't ready to have the floor pulled out from under me as we hovered over the Grand Canyon. Wow. An experience like none other.I'd visited the Grand Canyon before on a long day trip from Las Continue Reading
My Momma Was a Liar, But I Loved Her Anyway
Have you ever had two totally random experiences or thoughts converge in your head and the resulting crash was something you just had to write about? Ok, maybe not, but I’ve had a lot of idle thinking time of late.Experience one: Through Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, we listened to a lot of country western music. This confirmed the conclusion that I drew this summer as I found myself listening to a local radio station at the cottage that cranked out one hit after another by Continue Reading