Magnificent Mesa Moments

“Capitol Reef is filled with geology that takes shape, color, and dimension to a level beyond comprehension.” (Stefanie Payne, A Year in the National Parks: The Greatest American Road Trip)

Upon leaving snowy Steamboat Springs as week three of our roadtrip began, Ruth and I veered southwest into the barren canyon lands of Southern Utah. While the village of Moab would have made an ideal location off the Interstate Highway to plan suitable hikes in popular Arches- Canyonlands National Park, we instead opted for a high desert path along smaller roads for a two day stay in tiny Torrey, the gateway town for Capitol Reef National Park- Goblin Valley State Park further west. Amidst this visually captivating land of towering cliffs, massive domes/arches and twisting canyons, an amazing showcase of photographic images would soon unfold from our motel location and on day hike adventures.

Stepping out into the frigid, 27 degrees air, to begin our 1st day explorations, a massive line of red rock mesas gained my immediate attention. Crossing the street for breakfast, a pair of wooly llamas invited me closer for a friendly pet on the neck.

Entering the west entrance to Capitol Reef National Park, the aptly named attractions of Chimney/Cathedral Rocks soon caught our attention.

At the Castle landmark, Ruth and I climbed a steep hill for a panoramic view of our rugged surrounding. At the top, we posed proudly by a lonely tree stump.

Entering the long abandoned village of Fruita, restored remnants of an 1880s Mormon Community living there along the Fremont River remained at the one room schoolhouse and Gifford House store.

Further east, intricate petroglyph carvings of ancient Indian settlements along steep canyon walls caught our attention. Opposite these cliffs, a herd of mule deer grazed cautiously nearby our human presence.

In the 1st day afternoon, an eight mile scenic drive offered a breathtaking backcountry view of the park. Alongside this well appreciated paved road, multilayered walls surrounding us drew eerily closer. At Capitol Gorge, we then envisioned how the original pioneers in the late 1800s crossed through these narrows under more austere conditions.

On day two of our southern Utah visit, Goblin Valley State Park provided a strange encounter with mushroom gnome, rock formations providing visions of a childish playground in this harsh desert environment.

Having fun here would not happen easily here,however, as we hiked the Carmel Canyon Trail, a steeply narrow maze of directional confusion for our east coast, “life of ease” mindset.

April 2, 2019 9

Savoring Steamboat Silence

“ The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” (Ram Dass)

The experience of inner silence can be a difficult concept to grasp when you live a continually busy life in South Florida as we do. Fortunately, Ruth and I have long found remote Steamboat Springs, Colorado, nestled quietly amidst the Rocky Mountains, to be an ideal vacation respite for calming our most active minds. On our late March visit to Steamboat on days 17-20 of our road trip, we particularly savored a much needed slowdown here from our challengingly long days of driving. Being inspired at first by the the utter stillness of winter here outside our motel window, we proceeded to find additional opportunities on this visit to “zone in” quietly. In observing the following photographs, you thus might imagine the meditative silence we experienced on this visit.

After settling in at our favorite motel, Steamboat Mountain Lodge, our room offered stunning views of a mountainside, winter wonderland. Opening the window, a meditating calmness of steadily dripping icicles and crackling snow dampened our urge to turn on the television then. Additional calmness settled in as we listened to the shrill whistle of approaching trains and the frantic calls of migrating Sandhill Cranes.

On our second morning we took a leisurely walk along the Yampa River Core Trail. Following a winding trail lined with towering snowpacks, our senses embraced nature’s slowdown in the dead silence of winter. Taking a closer look for subtle signs of springtime awakening, steady river flows and occasional bird sightings would further relax our mind.

Looking for a suitable excursion, the next day we would drive a lonely county road north to Steamboat Lake Park. Along the way, we noted the welcoming appearance of snow whitened farm houses/adjacent pastures, and slow oozing brooks reminiscent of a seasonal Hallmark Holiday card. Even the cows hovering contentedly in the fields seemed unaffected by the perpetual cold.

At Steamboat Park, we then found snowshoeing to be a relaxing way to spend our second morning. By observing my breath rise and fall as I walked slowly alongside my wife on the snow packed path, such meditative calmness helped me to more confidently keep my balance as needed. For a fittingly serene encore, we then enjoyed stunning panoramas of the mountains over lunch from rocking chairs at the park visitor center.

As an isolated western town, Steamboat Springs seems surprisingly cosmopolitan in cultural awareness. Thus the Steamboat Library’s weekly film showing, “Mantra: Sounds Into Silence “ on day three of our visit would offer us an engaging look at Buddhistic chanting as a new way to find “inner peace and enhance our yoga practice meditation in the future.

March 28, 2019 9

Great Plains Obstacle Therapy

“Then I discovered the prairie, and a slow healing began.”(Stephen R. Jones, The Last Prairie , 2000)

As we crossed the Great Plains of Nebraska and N.E. Colorado on days 13-15 of our road trip, I envisioned those hardships faced by west seeking pioneers crossing the Oregon Trail by foot and wagon during the mid 19th century. The seemingly endless void of grassy flatlands here seemingly offered little relief from the boredom experienced by the monotonous dust filled paths ahead. Extreme winter chills, hostile Indian raids and treacherous river crossings further dampened their spirits then. Yet clearly they must have enjoyed a strong sense of adventure in traversing the Great Plains environs. These wide open spaces no doubt “cleansed the soul” as well for many at times as they pondered life’s unknowns under such hazardous conditions.

Ruth and I too sought ways to pass the time positively along this vast prairie on these long days of travel. Yet our late March visit happened as winter’s snow thaw brought serious flooding adjacent to the North Platte River. Resultant interstate highway closures and mud filled side roads required finding alternatives routes to reach our intended destinations while far and fewer rest stops meant gauging our driving times more mindfully. Feeling thus much like that modern day pioneer in such times of crisis, the Great Plains provided a similar incentive to seek self enlightening therapy in this region to fill our inner souls.

Birdwatching brought captivating moments on our spring visit as flying sandhill cranes and other avian species flocked to watersheds in Central Nebraska then.

A college baseball game slowed our busy minds on a frigid night as we conversed happily with close friends.

An interesting exhibit, “Prairies To Peaks”, at the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska exhilarated our emotions as we observed colorful landscape paintings of a local artist in residence, Erin Jones Graf.

As our arduous path of the prairie ended at Fort Collins, Colorado, we experienced a new sense of adventure at a first sighting of the Rocky Mountains in the distance.

March 26, 2019 2

“EPCOT” Energy Endures

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” (Audrey Hepburn)

For over 35 years, Ruth and I have embraced EPCOT as our favorite Disney Park. Strolling freely through its imaginatively themed pavilions of “Future World”, we’ve often found creative ideas to use as classroom teachers. In addition, by circling the diverse parade of nations at World Showcase, new places to explore in travel have vividly piqued our interest. This year, the “International Flower and Garden Festival” inspired an early March visit to EPCOT on day three of our U.S. road trip. I thus present below my favorite photographic images from this most recent tour.

As we entered EPCOT a springtime explosion of floral blooms and smells greeted each new visitor.

A colorful patchwork of flowers lined the circular lake to capture Monet-like impressions along the surrounding waters.

Topiary gardens throughout the park revealed detailed images of popular Disney character.

At the canopied Butterfly House, these beautifully winged insects blended in nicely with the surrounding foliage.

To conclude our visit, leader singer, Jon Anderson of “Yes” performed a free concert of greatest hits from this famed English band at the Concert Pavilion.

March 13, 2019 9

Ready-Set-Road Trip

“The freedom of the open road is seductive, serendipitous and absolutely liberating.” (Aaron Lauritsen, 100 Days Drive: The Great North American Road Trip)

Excitement rises again as Ruth and I make plans for our spring 2019 road trip across America from our Fort Lauderdale, Fla. home beginning on March 10. Choosing a more challenging, counterclockwise route, we will meander through cooler mountainous regions of Arkansas, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and California for much of our March/April driving time. On our similarly demanding, easterly return home in May/early June, we traverse the vast distances of Texas, a long, northerly jaunt to the Midwest, and a winding path through the rugged Appalachian Mountain region. With added storage space and impressive safety features in our recently purchased 2018 Honda CRV, however, we feel confident that a relaxing vacation can be consistently attained throughout this three month journey.

For the past two months, we have organized diligently for our latest cross-country adventure. In particular,we 1) screened Air B&B for exclusively “Super Host” room bookings of multiple day stays, (2) downloaded offline map updates for key destinations using travel apps Triposo and Maps.me, 3) refined our collapsible storage bag system into both short/long term need categories to more efficiently access our possessions, 4) envisioned additional cargo storage space using our CRV hatchback feature capacity and 5) reconfirmed planned visits to family/friends to avoid anticipated host emergencies and resultant situational conflict.

For my featured picture preceding this blog, I’ve presented a detailed map overview of our 2019 planned itinerary. As I anticipate composing new blog entries 2-3 times each week. in conjunction with key destinations visited, twenty topic questions of “word worthy” blog interest stand out below.

(1) How has “Epcot” in Orlando changed in the 20 years since my last visit?

(2) What memories can we share in Atlanta, Ga. with former college roommates about the University of South Florida 1970s past?

(3) What new directions in overcoming racism and prejudice today exist at the Birmingham Ala. Civil Rights Institute?

(4) What does it feel like to bathe in a thermal pool in Hot Springs, Ark.?

(5) What soldier survival stories to inspire world peace now exist at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri?

(6) When and where will “Progressive” marches take place in Colorado, California and Washington D.C?

(7) How can we best embrace the “college town” experience in Boise, Idaho, San Luis Obispo, Calif. and Flagstaff, Ariz?

(8) How might our attendance at my cousin’s wedding in Asheville, North Carolina rekindle mutual efforts to “stay in touch” more?

(9) What innovative buildings of interest are being built in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, Nevada?

(10) What new opportunities exist to improve our spiritual enlightenment in Sedona, Arizona?

(11) Will the Cleveland Indians perform well in home games against rival Minnesota Twins during our June stadium visit?

(12) Does Pagosa Springs Colorado offer a viable place for an extended stay?

(13) What volunteer opportunities exist during our ten-day stay in Morro Bay California region?

(14) What natural wonders near Moab, Utah will attract our walking interest?

(15) Has the Pacific Coast Highway in California been opened for the entire north-south distance to vehicular traffic?

(16) To what extent do extreme weather conditions in the Rockies/Appalachians alter our planned dates and destinations of travel?

(17) What town visits will best provide glimpses of authentic “antebellum” traditions along the southerly shores of the Mississippi River?

(18) Does 2020 elections bode well for Democrats or Republicans based on informal conversation with local residents in key states visited?

(19) How can we best manage weight gain issues to counteract our daily sedentary driving?

(20) How can we make best use of public transportation to visit Washington D.C?

February 18, 2019 8