Wondering in the Wilderness

Wonder, is the best word I can come up with for this day. Tofu was in no way impressed, dogs being more scent oriented than us. But Zion National Park is a wonder to be beheld for the likes of me. Moses found God in the desert. The burning bush called and Moses said, “I must turn aside and see this great site.” The God of the wilderness says and does a lot of the same things as the God of the mountain. For me the God of the mountain is more accessible. The God of the wilderness has me Wondering “What makes this place sacred?” But there are no such questions for me when the desert erupts into multi colored mountains. I’m wonder struck. No doubt; This is Sacred Ground. I’m a believer; I don’t even need any help with my unbelief today.

There were thousands in the park with. Many were there to hike. Many, like Tofu and me were just driving through. We stopped a lot. I would jump out of the van and just stare. Wonderful. What hath God wrought? Wonderful?! Well yes, God hath wrought the whole thing, even goats head burrs like the ones Tofu got stuck in her paw today.

We kept going east, thanks to my almost sister-in-law, Beth. One night a few weeks ago Beth hauled out a wonderful map showing the heights of Utah, down through the Grand Canyon. She hooked me on this “Must see!” Adventure. So we drove along the Vermillion cliffs. We saw the staircase. And I spent the day gawking at the splendor. Tofu wearied of me jumping in and out of the car. There was never any of her preferred grass sniffing ritual. Just not the right smells at all.

There were some bison! There was a raven. But mostly vistas. Oh, and dinosaur bones!

I think that’s a coal plant in the middle of the scenery.

Eventually we headed South. We crossed a river, which I guess was the Colorado. There was a sign naming the bridge. There were cars parked all over the place, with people taking photos of the dam, the bridge, the deep canyon headed southwest, but I Don’t know as I was dodging traffic and getting the heck out of Dodge… literally.

The plan had become a night in the tent at Cameron, Arizona. Then we would head west to the GC. The landscape kept shifting. We were in Navaho country now. We got to Cameron about 3:30, which would have been perfect, but it wasn’t. There were no (as advertised) tent sites. Cameron isn’t really a town at all. A place called the Cameron Trading Post, has a monopoly on housing. No motel room with a vacancy. No hotel vacancy. No nothing. A nice First Nation motel maid told me there is a festival going on. So I checked other towns in the vicinity; all booked. So we got some Trading Post gas and drove to Flagstaff. When the rain started I became resolved to skip the tent. We landed in a Motel 6 on the west side of town. Both Tofu and I are pleased to be indoors tonight. Tomorrow the Grand Canyon, and then…

I could now begin a long rumination regarding Lynnie as a traveler. But instead I’ll write on that topic another night. All is well with these wanderers. I’ve almost been blinded by the wonders I’ve seen today. I think I better rest my eyes before tomorrow. Forecast is no more rain.

Peace and Blessings all you wonderful people.