I have the impression that many of your poems involve food. I think some statistical analysis into the poetry corner is in order.

I’m sure it’s much worse than back in Abbey’s day. The park had 135,000 visitors in 1968, and almost 1.7 million in 2019. I’ve been to the park three times now (1991, 2017, 2021), and it’s worse each time. It’s the first time I’ve been there with a car, and I felt guilty about it. I wonder if they won’t go the route of Zion some day, introduce busses, and block the cars at the entrance gate.

One day it's Arches, the next it's Fisher Towers,
Both created by nature's erosive powers,
The birthday girl looks on,
To these rocks she was drawn,
It's a finer gift than a bouquet of flowers.

(Happy Belated Birthday, Rocky.)

I happen to be re-reading Desert Solitaire just now! It's 1968, and Edward Abbey is railing against the increase of road traffic into Arches. It sounds much worse now.

Pizza!

Thanks. The carrot cake was great but I just had water but I had some great pizza before.

Happy Birthday Rachael! Enjoy the carrot cake and hopefully a suitable beverage to go with it.

Happy birthday, Rachael! What was for dinner, besides carrot cake?

Sculptures that seem oh so ghoulish
Magnificent! Better than cool-ish!
On the Primitive Trail
We eat ham and kale
And the dropoffs make us feel a bit drool-ish.

It was an incredible hike. Knowing what we know now, it doesn’t seem all that scary in retrospect. I’d do it again, but of course it would never have the same magic as the first time.

Me too. It would really have spoiled Rocky’s birthday.

Amazing place and great reporting about it. I'm glad you didn't stumble.

This looks like an incredibly fun and challenging hike. The arches, particularly Landscape Arch, is fascinating.

Thanks!

Today's video was beautiful and meditative .. thank you! Soothing music, stunning scenery, relative absence of motor vehicles, and the little clouds!