The last few years I have watched myself become indifferent to "spectacular" red rock tourist scenery and desert scenery of the type that northern snowbirds coo over. In contrast I have become intensely appreciative of clouds, rain, soil, grasslands, and trees with leaves.
This is reassuring. We could think of our ageing-selves as large and old trees, with only a thin layer on the outer diameter made of living cells. The vast interior is just "dead wood." But we still have the living cells!
All of this is a preamble to today's post. Driving south and east in Idaho I revisited a favorite canyon -- favorite because it is a Vermont wannabee.
People who don't live in the intermountain West probably don't realize how appreciative you can become of real trees, rather than the monotonous bark-and-needle type.
Elk season starts in a couple days. The deer can still afford to be brave:
We are on the northern edge of red rock Utah. A delicious storm blew through. Soon there will be many canyons to admire:
Comments