I glanced down at my cheap Casio watch as Bobbie and I approached the Green River Overlook. It read 3:18. Under an over-zealous sun, we had pedaled away from camp for over three hours; this might be a good place to think about turning around.
As sure as I am from Arizona, Utah is from Mars. You can't prepare your mind for canyon-scapes so boundless, sweeping—vast; so Martian, so mind boggling, so surreal. Indeed, Toto, "we're not in Kansas anymore." I felt like ripping the arbitrary, shortsighted Casio from my wrist and heaving it into the abyss.
When I gape into geologic wonders of our four corner states, I come away feeling infinitesimal and insignificant... like some waste by-product from the bowels of greater purpose. Best case scenario, we are but a crop of obscure, self perpetuating fertilizer... on an obscure speck... in the darkest corner of the universe, one that's not bound by artificial constrains of time, space and dimension, because, unlike "fertilizer," there is no beginning to it, there is no end to it.
If you want to understand your true value and place in the grand scheme of Totality, stand on the rim of any grand canyon and take note of the eons in the layers that make up its depth. Try to comprehend how a sluggish trickle at the bottom etched its way through sold rock, and carried away a mile deep by a mile wide's worth of spoil. Casio based minds tell us it took billions of years. The universe says, it happened when you blinked.
I feel so small and powerless among Utah's canyons. It's like wading into the Pacific, with a paddle and canoe, bound for Australia.
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| No one captured the Grand Canyon's moods better than Thomas Moran |
Now for a few "on the way" pics I can't load in camp because Verizon's supply is not keeping up with demand!!!!!
You have described the 4-corners landscape very well. It is mind boggling. Looks like you're off to a good start. Keep em coming.
ReplyDeleteAAH!! Such beauty.
ReplyDeleteWe have stood in the exact places you took some of those stunning photos. For my mom's 80th birthday 2-1/2 years ago, she wanted to hike the Utah national parks. We spent three weeks doing just that. Marvelous memories.
ReplyDeleteI have some surreal photos of Green River Overlook at sunset with long shadows being cut by mesas far below the overlook.
At the end of our trip, I made a PowerPoint presentation with photos and text of our trip. I took the PowerPoint file to OfficeMax and had a number of spiral-bound books made on glossy paper. What a great gift for Mom, my sister and I to remember the trip.
Wish we could be there with you, but we have another trip in the offing.
TravelBug-Susan
Goldie looking good- be sure to fill us in on her performance while on the road! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteIs that the Schafer trail road going down to the Green River? Took a rental car down that road several years ago and had a blast. Your are correct, it's difficult to wrap your mind around a time line and depth of what you are looking at.
ReplyDeleteGaelyn,
ReplyDeleteThank you... I will keep them coming, as long as Verizon does their part. It's not the signal... I have two to three bars... it's the lack of bandwidth (ability to handle all the smart phones downloading photos, streaming video, etc..) Anyway... thanks.
Jim and Sandie,
Stay tuned, you ain't seen nothing yet :))
Travel Bug.
If your mom is till hiking, wow... good on her!
And we'll cross paths eventually. Anybody with a handle like Travel Bug is good company, I'm sure of it :)) Thanks.
Walden Steve,
She performs like a champ... I guess you missed that post :((
John Q,
Yep, you got it. Shaffer trail is such a neat road... but I wouldn't tell the rental car agency you drover their car on it :)). Thanks for chiming in,
mark
I recognized Shafer Trail as well! We have great memories as well from our jeep ride down, I'll be getting to a post on that someday soon. I really liked the cowboy shot, great feeling to it.
ReplyDeletePam and Wayne,
ReplyDeleteWe've mountain biked he Shafer Trail loop both directions... down and up... several times. God! It leads to the White Rim Trail, which is a jeep road that goes along the white rimmed canyon in the lead photo. It's 100 miles to do that loop by jeep... three days on bike. But it gives the most dramatic up close views of canyon lands, by far.
And thanks, I like the cowboy shot too. You can see his lariat loop... cool.
Thanks, as always, for your comments.
mark
Mark,
ReplyDeleteWe road the entire White Rim Trail a few years back, what a trip. Ahh, the Schafer Trail, even more fun than it could looks.
Also, riding out past the Potash ponds was a great trail.
Dick
Dick,
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking in and commenting. We loved biking the White Rim, too...
My boss back in Ouray biked it in one day... all 100 miles.
thanks
Mark,
ReplyDeleteI've done it twice, first time in one day, (one long day), and the climb out was memorable due to fatigue.
The second time we did it in three days camping in park along the way. We had to reserve the campsites well ahead of time.
Just for a different type of adventure I am preparing to sail the Northwest Passage next year.
Time is more precious when there is less of it to waste...
Dick
Have fun,
Dick