Buddy and I are traveling in the Southwest and have virtually no internet connection tonight, so a letter isn’t going to happen. But I’m going to try to post a picture of some of what we’ve been seeing. This image is from yesterday, near Zion National Park in Utah.
Great shot; great place. I visited it in 1978 with my family when I was 18 and we were camping our way across the American West (we lived in North Carolina and had never visited the West before). We were all just kind of wandering through the woods on the canyon floor when an adult doe walked up to my then-10-year-old sister, sniffed her, and then walked off as if nothing had happened. We were all just blown away.
Enjoy your travels through the Southwest Heather and Buddy. Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands and Arches are some of the most beautiful and spiritual places I have ever been to.
Welcome to my world. I grew up footloose and free in the SW National Parks in the early 1950s. My dad was the chief NPS photographer for the southwest region. I lived for months at a time at Grand Canyon, Chaco, Bryce, Mesa Verde … and Arches and Monument Valley, which were not yet parks in those days. I was Huck Finn with red dirt instead of water. Free to wander from dawn to dusk in the world’s most beautiful country. I was born in Santa Fe, and that was home when we weren’t in a park. It’s still my spiritual home. It’s God’s Country.
Now I’m an old man living in Portland (the one in Oregon) and read your letter every day. You’re one of the voices keeping me sane. Keep it up. Historians can save us.
Last time I was at Zion, was after ski season in Sun Valley, Idaho where I worked on the Pro Ski Patrol, taught Italian, French ( to Margot Hemingway), and guitar and put up a house on 280 acres and we had horses.Three of us took off for Mexico in a VW bus with a stop at Zion. We hung out in Nogales for a bit and one day a Mexican put a gun to our heads (thanks to Nixon's "Operation Intercept" program) and before we knew it we were in prison with rapists, counterfeiters, murderers and drug dealers, everyone shooting heroin in our cell. Some years later I became a tennis pro on Cape Cod and bought an ancient 40 acre farm in Maine with its own cemetery. My oh my, how time rolls on.
Keep an eye out for the condors. They are magnificent! Enjoy your trip. You certainly deserve some time for your self. Thank you for all you do to keep us informed and inspired. Barbara from Wyoming
I’m a fan of your writing. And live in UT, in Cottonwood Hts. Zion is amazing as is much of UT. Politics here mostly as red as red rock country, sadly. Working to change that but it’s a long haul.
You picked a good time to leave Maine. We’re getting hit tonite by icy rain that’s especially bad along the Midcoast. CMP will have their work cut out for them when the sun rises.
If you get a chance, stop by Kodachrome Basin State Park in Utah. The scenery is colored so vividly that I regretted traveling there alone -- many times there I wish there was someone I could turn to and say, "Do you see that, too?" Almost hallucinatory...
Great shot; great place. I visited it in 1978 with my family when I was 18 and we were camping our way across the American West (we lived in North Carolina and had never visited the West before). We were all just kind of wandering through the woods on the canyon floor when an adult doe walked up to my then-10-year-old sister, sniffed her, and then walked off as if nothing had happened. We were all just blown away.
Spectacular! Enjoy the scenery, the hikes, the fresh air, the company and being disconnected from the rest of the world for a bit!
If you’re heading to Sedona, AZ let us know. You have a ton of fans here who will help you explore the red rocks! Democrats of the Red Rocks
Enjoy your travels through the Southwest Heather and Buddy. Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands and Arches are some of the most beautiful and spiritual places I have ever been to.
Welcome to my world. I grew up footloose and free in the SW National Parks in the early 1950s. My dad was the chief NPS photographer for the southwest region. I lived for months at a time at Grand Canyon, Chaco, Bryce, Mesa Verde … and Arches and Monument Valley, which were not yet parks in those days. I was Huck Finn with red dirt instead of water. Free to wander from dawn to dusk in the world’s most beautiful country. I was born in Santa Fe, and that was home when we weren’t in a park. It’s still my spiritual home. It’s God’s Country.
Now I’m an old man living in Portland (the one in Oregon) and read your letter every day. You’re one of the voices keeping me sane. Keep it up. Historians can save us.
Last time I was at Zion, was after ski season in Sun Valley, Idaho where I worked on the Pro Ski Patrol, taught Italian, French ( to Margot Hemingway), and guitar and put up a house on 280 acres and we had horses.Three of us took off for Mexico in a VW bus with a stop at Zion. We hung out in Nogales for a bit and one day a Mexican put a gun to our heads (thanks to Nixon's "Operation Intercept" program) and before we knew it we were in prison with rapists, counterfeiters, murderers and drug dealers, everyone shooting heroin in our cell. Some years later I became a tennis pro on Cape Cod and bought an ancient 40 acre farm in Maine with its own cemetery. My oh my, how time rolls on.
Keep an eye out for the condors. They are magnificent! Enjoy your trip. You certainly deserve some time for your self. Thank you for all you do to keep us informed and inspired. Barbara from Wyoming
Great place! Try to see Bryce Canyon, if you haven’t been there.
It is almost other worldly.
I’m a fan of your writing. And live in UT, in Cottonwood Hts. Zion is amazing as is much of UT. Politics here mostly as red as red rock country, sadly. Working to change that but it’s a long haul.
Must be great to see the world through Buddy’s eyes.
Safe and happy travels.
A favorite place! Enjoy the beauty.
So awesome. The colors and the majesty. So humbling. 😌
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park near the Utah +Arizona Border ,.. Painted by the steady wind.
You picked a good time to leave Maine. We’re getting hit tonite by icy rain that’s especially bad along the Midcoast. CMP will have their work cut out for them when the sun rises.
If you get a chance, stop by Kodachrome Basin State Park in Utah. The scenery is colored so vividly that I regretted traveling there alone -- many times there I wish there was someone I could turn to and say, "Do you see that, too?" Almost hallucinatory...