about the Needles District in Canyonlands National Park.
For over a quarter of a century, (that makes me feel old) I've been exploring and loving this isolated segment of grandeur. It's a destination park. There are no through roads. Heck! The pavement ends there 50 miles from the nearest highway. A potential visitor has to make a time and gas money effort to arrive within its boundaries.
For me, it's a No-Brainer. Where else can I hike to the merger of two rivers, mosey along interconnecting canyons, see the Milky Way in all its intergalactic splendor, or savor the library "Shhh!" silence that abounds here? Not many places.
Unfortunately, there are now multitudes of national and international guests willing to venture west off of U.S. Highway 191.
Yesterday, I counted over 100 hikers along the 11.5 mile Chesler Park circuit. The languages heard were a virtual Tower of Babel. Many years ago, a chance encounter of another human was equivalent to observing Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster.
In the past, securing a campsite was just a matter of showing up. Now the campground fills quickly after the sun rises. Luckily, there's a private campground nearby that has hot water and showers! (You are right. It doesn't take much to excite me.)
As Yogi Berra (may he RIP) would say, "The Future ain't what it used to be."
For those 15-20 devout blog fans I have, (OY! Are my pageviews down!) you can see a common thread to my posts. The times they are a changing and not for the better.
With all that said, being here sure beats a lot of alternatives. Work is definitely one of them.
On my way to the Maze!
Cheers!
Jeff
