Northern Utah. How long has it been since experiencing a violent thunderstorm? I was unwilling to go to bed until the wind relaxed a bit. The lightning seemed to attack me. My goodness, no wonder a book on comparative religions would mention several storm gods. The next morning I saw the mud, debris, and rocks strewn over the paved entry road to this area.
But it was worth it to put up with Thor's temper tantrum. All of nature had gone through a catharsis, Aristotle's "violent expurgation of the soul." The Utah desert smelled good, the air was clean, and the ground was damp. The temperatures are no longer summer-like.
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| Before the storm |
It is easy to have mixed feelings, after returning to red rocks, mesas, and canyons. The good news is that it only takes small rocky features to please me.
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| Good home for a mountain lion? |
I get easier to please every year. Just think of the practical advantages of being able to enjoy places unpestered by tourists or van-nomads. And my little dog gets to run off-leash more on this kind of land, since I can keep an eye on her. (And her bell helps.)
Once again, I am thinking and talking boldly as winter approaches. The meme videos of 'man and dog surviving winter storm in homemade cabin' have as much appeal as ever. Will I ever follow through on camping in cold, rather than merely cool, locations through the winter? It is the only way to escape the overcrowding of Southwestern winter camping.
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| A neighbor before the storm. And he is at the right distance from me. |
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