I love national parks!  I feel almost giddy each time I get to cross a new park boundary.  I have a passport book that I stamp each time we go to a new visitor center. The green ranger suits and the round hats are a familiar and comforting presence.  I know that I am getting ready to either learn something I didn’t know before or to see some incredible sites.

Today was no different. We watched the short video on the bluff and the thousands of people who crossed through on the way to California, Oregon, and Utah.  Then we walked the trail.  We felt the wagon ruts.  Sure, the” lookout for rattlesnakes” signs took a little more of my focus than I would have liked, but after awhile my hyper alert state of being faded to a more appropriate, “scan the trail ahead and move on”, routine.

The rising bluffs were fascinating and awe inspiring.  After a mile hike and lots of photos, we drove to the summit, passing through three tunnels along the way.   At the top, two additional hikes took us to the four corners of the bluff.  Majestic vistas in every direction.  Peacefulness in a hectic and strange world.  A little further on, someone had left a water bottle on the scenic overlook wall.  Apparently they hadn’t heard “Pack out what you pack in”, so I packed it out for them.  A few paces more and we ran into a few other retired couples who wanted to talk about how they afford retirement. Since I come to the parks to escape the craziness of life not to be sucked into tedious conversations, we politely said our goodbyes and walked on.

The rest of the day passed in a blur.  We had a picnic at a small zoo. Peacocks and children were everywhere, screaming for attention. The animals were all taking a nap and the temperature was rising, so we decided to visit the local pool.  Feeling like a 6^th grader, I suited up and put on my waterproof armband.  I grabbed an inner tube and hit the lazy river.  It would have been lazy, except there were three different water features that dropped really cold water on my head.  The sun disappeared and the wind kicked up.  Suddenly, not feeling so lazy we raced to the pool to immerse ourselves in the slightly less cold water.  At least the deeper water shielded us from the ever increasing wind.

We left at the mandatory clear the pool break. I had forgotten about those breaks since I hadn’t experienced one since junior high. It was too cold to stand on the side of the pool during the wait to get back in, so we dressed and looked for adventure elsewhere. After a quick visit to an overpriced antique store and a visit back to RV to regroup, we headed to town to see a bluegrass band.  The band turned out to be two guys with guitars in a park.  Their sound system left a little to be desired, but they were decent musicians. So we ended our day in the park, amidst a bicycle convention, listening to two guys with no shoes play their guitars.

Life is much like this day.  You start out with excitement, mingled with caution and uncertainty.  You are inspired only to be confronted with the mundane and thoughtless actions of others. So, you get another great idea and set off to try the new thing which is largely great and a little underwhelming all at the same time.  So you try the next new adventure only to have cold water thrown in your face, but you find a way to make the best of it until you can no longer endure the cold water, then you move on and find things you love. They turn out to be too expensive so you rest and end up  enjoying the silly and the simple things with the one you love  while singing and sitting in  a “Shady Grove”.

Shady Grove, my little love,
Shady grove I say.
Shady Grove, my little love,
I’m a-bound to go away.
……………………..
I wish I had a glass of wine
And bread and meat for two;
I’d set it all on a golden plate
And give it all to you.