I visited the web-site Nancy Snider sent to me, and I answered those questions:
Have you seen a Kansas sunset? Have you seen an Arizona rain? I answer 'yes' to both. The sunset blazing as it sets in Nevada? Aha - and how; today it was just that, and I've lived in Nevada for 8 years now.
Have you drifted down a bayou down Louisiana way? Yes, I have. Have you seen the fog in San Francisco Bay - many times. Have you heard the bird calling in the Carolinas? You betcha - both in North and South!
Have you heard the call of the Niagara Falls? More than once - and splashed with its cold mist; amazed at its power! What about that Massachusetts shore? More than once; dining on huge deep-fried clams; walking around Boston, and noticing Plymouth Rock didn't seem to be all that big.
I saw New York - more than once; amazed at the beauty of the many who co-exist in this place where Lady Liberty stands guard.
I've seen the Mississippi more than once; crossed her many times. I was born in Michigan; from the upper peninsula to the lower, I've toured every county - loved seeing Lake Huron; Ontario, Michigan - Erie, and Superior.
Going through the Rockies; driving 2630 miles from Ohio to Seattle in 3 days - I could not believe my eyes as I passed through the Dakotas; into Montana - Wyoming, then the desert of Spokane. I was relocating to marry a new husband; short of cash, and had to drive 'straight through' - 3 hours of sleep (average) each night (at a rest-stop). The good part of it all, with all the overwhelming beauty of nature along the way, it wasn't that tough to stay awake....
I drove there 3 days after Mt. St. Helens 'erupted' - I dealt with high gas prices; long distances between stops for food and gas, and had to wear a mask over my face to keep out the ash that piled like snow-drifts on the side of the roads as I neared Yakima.
I hear my heart sing - it doesn't cry out; it simply knows why I love my country so much.
Thank you to John Mitchum who reads this beautiful text; to Nancy Snider for sending me the link. It was a wonderful 4th of July - 2008
Before you 'read on', read these words spoken by John F. Kennedy, Jr. - I love them still.
Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.
Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms, and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.
Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors.
Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce.
Today after losing another dear friend, Jean Kreutz, I made a memory page for those we've recently lost. If you've lost a loved one, we know your pain as well. On this blog, there's spiritual music designed to comfort you; do visit it if you feel a need to find solace. http://thoseweremember.blogspot.com
From the RIM OF THE WORLD down to PALM DESERT - 226 & 300 miles respectively, from where we live.
A tree that produces blue flowers; a huge pine tree that drops cones that are 7 inches in diameter, and about 10 to 12 inches long - we can make it to both 'locations' in an hour's drive.
The San Bernardino Mountains are 'never-ending' for a day's experience;
or camping for 2 weeks at least!
The Mormon Rocks are beds of pinkish sandstone. Cajon Pass is part of our 'trip' to get to Palm Desert. You 'whiz' down the highway; cutting through the Pass as if you're on a galloping horse, and see the beauty surround you. Cajon Pass Overlook is a pass that was once the conduit for the Old Spanish Trail and the Santa Fe/Salt Lake Trail.
On route #138, we climb up past California junipers to Silverwood Lake
Overlook - about 6 miles from the Cajon Pass. The lake is both a
recreational site and reservoir for southern California farms where there are
many horse-farms that enjoy cool temperatures in the summer months.
We enjoy the vast San Bernardino Mountains; the Santa Ana Mountains rise to the southwest and the San Jacintos to the southeast.
We love Lake Arrowhead - it is a private lake; lots of
white first; sugar pines, and dogwoods edge the shores. We've spent many
years camping in the San Bernarino National Forest - and enjoy the Heaps Peak
Arboretum.
You can go to the Keller Peak Fire Lookout during the summer months; you can bear witness to the 1970 fire that destroyed 53,000 acres. Just this past year in October, we were caught in the California fires; as we attempted to leave for home, we went through ash; smoke, and barely got past a fire that was burning up in the Cajon Pass - we saw beautiful pines turned into torches; I cried as I drove through this - it's hard to see what carelessness with a match or cigarette can do - moreover, what arsons (who started some of the fires) will do to nature, and you wonder why.
We love Big Bear Dam - and Big Bear Lake that once dried up almost
completely back in the 1980's.
There is a Solar Observation center that's open in July - you can visit the Big Bear Ranger Station - they have a number of pamphlets with maps that make your visit much easier.
You can follow Mill Creek Canyon - it descends into chaparral country;
it lies on the North Branch of the San Andreas Fault.
Plan on a spectacular time - you'll breathe fresh air; smell pines, and hear hundreds of birds 'chatting' as they fill the trees!
1 comment:
Interesting post and video is superb. Thanks for sharing this article and now i am going to bookmark this blog.
Post a Comment