Dec 24, 25
Zion National Park, UT.
Hiking up the Observation Point trail I came across another refugee from christmas: Allen from Phoenix. We hiked together for awhile, until we reached a junction at about 6,000 ft elevation. He said the other trail led to a remote and spectacular place called Hidden Canyon which was too rugged and difficult for him to attempt. I wished him a happy new year, and off I went in search of Hidden Canyon. It was just what the doctor ordered: Lot’s of hiking the sandy stream bed combined with scrambling and climbing over huge rock formations through a narrow canyon with sheer walls 500 ft high.
That night I got my christmas wish of peace, solitude, and a star-filled sky sans holiday lighting. It was a lonely and serene christmas eve celebrated with a dinner of dehydrated lasagne and hot cocoa prepared on my MSR Whisperlite backpack stove. I thought about all the friends and loved ones I miss and vowed to once again renew my relations with all in the coming year. Then I settled in for a windy and chilly (22 degrees) night inside of my sleeping bag inside of my tent. Christmas night was equally filled with quiet and solitude, inspiring me to further reflect on christmases past and the people who’ve made my life richer. I like it here and will definitely return (next christmas?).
The whole region of Southern Utah/Northern Arizona is incredibly beautiful. Some people call it “God’s Country”. Now I wonder which god they’re referring to. Sounds like a marketing slogan to me; do you suppose they pay a royalty to use the name?
Dec 26
Hurricane, UT.
Hurricane, Utah? So named because some guy named Erasmus had his buggy top blown off 150 years ago.
Ad on the radio suggested I get over to Circuit City immediately to buy myself “the gift I really wanted” for christmas. Ah, the spirit of giving...
I did indeed see a beautiful christmas gift for me along the road in Valle, UT.; in an old junkyard full of "used" cars for sale mostly from the 50's. - a rusty yet beautiful 1958 Dodge. well maybe next year...
Got back in range of mobile phone network, and had christmas messages from friends in the US, Japan, Spain, and the Czech Republic. Nice.
Also in range of Las Vegas radio stations. They issued a traffic alert for a 27 mile backup on HWY 15 to LA; thousands of people ostensibly returning from a weekend of seeking the true meaning of Xmas in Vegas?
Wow, really fierce desert winds blowing today; I was literally dodging tumbleweeds in Brownie.
Mesquite, NV.
The gas pump at Terrible’s Shell Gas & Mini Mart in Mesquite played an electronic rendition of Jingle Bells. Since then I’ve been pondering the concept of xmas music. After 1,000 miles listening to a steady diet of xmas music on the truck radio across 4 states, I’ve heard all the usual retreads, in all the usual radio formats (how many versions of “Feliz Navidad” are there?). I even heard my all-time favorite: “Christmas Time is Here” by The Chipmunks. I wonder is there a music format that doesn’t have christmas songs? Did Nine Inch Nails or 50 Cent release xmas songs this year?
Christmas
Speaking of christmas, what a great holiday for nuclear families with disposable income. I know because I happily grew up in one (albeit a large one). We staged our own front-yard family nativity scene at christmas which was a big local hit. My dad once somehow assembled and delivered 8 bicycles to our garage on christmas eve. At age 11 I had a newspaper route and my family would wait to open gifts christmas morning until I returned from my route. It was all good. We never quite connected santa with jesus, but no matter, we got lots of presents and that’s what counted. Kids and christmas: a match made in heaven. What joy! What happiness! What great early training in overconsumption?
Religion
I first began to question my catholic faith at age 12; by age 16 I had totally rejected it. Growing up a catholic seemed normal as being one of 12 kids. We ate fish fry or tuna casserole every friday, I attended good catholic schools (till they finally threw me out), and was even an altar boy. (Sometimes just to horrify my mom, I tell her yes, as a young boy, I spent a lot of time alone with priests) As I read more books and learned scientific principles, I wondered how you could ignore simple logic in favor of unfettered faith. It was mostly out of fear and guilt that I toed the dogmatic religious line. The more I could think for myself, the more I thought it wasn’t for me. So I left the church; no hard feelings, it just isn’t for me...
Now I intend not to offend anyone or their faith, but rather to question the dominant paradigm and perhaps create some dialogue.
Why do christians keep telling me that I somehow lack something in my life, and I’m continually searching for it; the inference being that it’s faith in god that I lack, causing me unhappiness. Indeed. I could no more believe in the characters and myths of an old book titled “The Bible” than I could a book titled “The Koran“ or “The Wizard of Oz”. What’s more I certainly couldn’t structure my life and belief system around it. (Follow the yellow brick road, watch out for the evil witch, and you’ll meet the wizard at the Emerald City; just ignore that man behind the curtain). You go ahead and believe what you will; please try not to tread on me thanks.
Christians always seem to want to reduce everything to a battle of good vs. evil, which to me is just an easy answer to life’s diificult questions (don’t even start with me on ID). Too easy, and far too trite. What’s more, IMO they’re overly rigid, insisting that they’re right, and everyone is lost and/or searching. Or wrong. Or evil.
Then they’re appalled at the fervor of muslims, who to me are just the other side of the same coin. Religion has probably killed more humans over time than all diseases & disasters combined. Perhaps some day all these gods and their disciples can get together and decide to live in peace and harmony. Imagine...
Just got a $39 non-smoking room at the Casablanca Hotel & Casino. I haven’t slept in a bed for nearly a week, and I’m way overdue for a shower, so it’s welcome back to civilization! And hey, hey: the coffee shop has WIFI!!! I’m off to improve my personal hygiene.
Later,
Hank :-)
Zion National Park, UT.
Hiking up the Observation Point trail I came across another refugee from christmas: Allen from Phoenix. We hiked together for awhile, until we reached a junction at about 6,000 ft elevation. He said the other trail led to a remote and spectacular place called Hidden Canyon which was too rugged and difficult for him to attempt. I wished him a happy new year, and off I went in search of Hidden Canyon. It was just what the doctor ordered: Lot’s of hiking the sandy stream bed combined with scrambling and climbing over huge rock formations through a narrow canyon with sheer walls 500 ft high.
That night I got my christmas wish of peace, solitude, and a star-filled sky sans holiday lighting. It was a lonely and serene christmas eve celebrated with a dinner of dehydrated lasagne and hot cocoa prepared on my MSR Whisperlite backpack stove. I thought about all the friends and loved ones I miss and vowed to once again renew my relations with all in the coming year. Then I settled in for a windy and chilly (22 degrees) night inside of my sleeping bag inside of my tent. Christmas night was equally filled with quiet and solitude, inspiring me to further reflect on christmases past and the people who’ve made my life richer. I like it here and will definitely return (next christmas?).
The whole region of Southern Utah/Northern Arizona is incredibly beautiful. Some people call it “God’s Country”. Now I wonder which god they’re referring to. Sounds like a marketing slogan to me; do you suppose they pay a royalty to use the name?
Dec 26
Hurricane, UT.
Hurricane, Utah? So named because some guy named Erasmus had his buggy top blown off 150 years ago.
Ad on the radio suggested I get over to Circuit City immediately to buy myself “the gift I really wanted” for christmas. Ah, the spirit of giving...
I did indeed see a beautiful christmas gift for me along the road in Valle, UT.; in an old junkyard full of "used" cars for sale mostly from the 50's. - a rusty yet beautiful 1958 Dodge. well maybe next year...
Got back in range of mobile phone network, and had christmas messages from friends in the US, Japan, Spain, and the Czech Republic. Nice.
Also in range of Las Vegas radio stations. They issued a traffic alert for a 27 mile backup on HWY 15 to LA; thousands of people ostensibly returning from a weekend of seeking the true meaning of Xmas in Vegas?
Wow, really fierce desert winds blowing today; I was literally dodging tumbleweeds in Brownie.
Mesquite, NV.
The gas pump at Terrible’s Shell Gas & Mini Mart in Mesquite played an electronic rendition of Jingle Bells. Since then I’ve been pondering the concept of xmas music. After 1,000 miles listening to a steady diet of xmas music on the truck radio across 4 states, I’ve heard all the usual retreads, in all the usual radio formats (how many versions of “Feliz Navidad” are there?). I even heard my all-time favorite: “Christmas Time is Here” by The Chipmunks. I wonder is there a music format that doesn’t have christmas songs? Did Nine Inch Nails or 50 Cent release xmas songs this year?
Christmas
Speaking of christmas, what a great holiday for nuclear families with disposable income. I know because I happily grew up in one (albeit a large one). We staged our own front-yard family nativity scene at christmas which was a big local hit. My dad once somehow assembled and delivered 8 bicycles to our garage on christmas eve. At age 11 I had a newspaper route and my family would wait to open gifts christmas morning until I returned from my route. It was all good. We never quite connected santa with jesus, but no matter, we got lots of presents and that’s what counted. Kids and christmas: a match made in heaven. What joy! What happiness! What great early training in overconsumption?
Religion
I first began to question my catholic faith at age 12; by age 16 I had totally rejected it. Growing up a catholic seemed normal as being one of 12 kids. We ate fish fry or tuna casserole every friday, I attended good catholic schools (till they finally threw me out), and was even an altar boy. (Sometimes just to horrify my mom, I tell her yes, as a young boy, I spent a lot of time alone with priests) As I read more books and learned scientific principles, I wondered how you could ignore simple logic in favor of unfettered faith. It was mostly out of fear and guilt that I toed the dogmatic religious line. The more I could think for myself, the more I thought it wasn’t for me. So I left the church; no hard feelings, it just isn’t for me...
Now I intend not to offend anyone or their faith, but rather to question the dominant paradigm and perhaps create some dialogue.
Why do christians keep telling me that I somehow lack something in my life, and I’m continually searching for it; the inference being that it’s faith in god that I lack, causing me unhappiness. Indeed. I could no more believe in the characters and myths of an old book titled “The Bible” than I could a book titled “The Koran“ or “The Wizard of Oz”. What’s more I certainly couldn’t structure my life and belief system around it. (Follow the yellow brick road, watch out for the evil witch, and you’ll meet the wizard at the Emerald City; just ignore that man behind the curtain). You go ahead and believe what you will; please try not to tread on me thanks.
Christians always seem to want to reduce everything to a battle of good vs. evil, which to me is just an easy answer to life’s diificult questions (don’t even start with me on ID). Too easy, and far too trite. What’s more, IMO they’re overly rigid, insisting that they’re right, and everyone is lost and/or searching. Or wrong. Or evil.
Then they’re appalled at the fervor of muslims, who to me are just the other side of the same coin. Religion has probably killed more humans over time than all diseases & disasters combined. Perhaps some day all these gods and their disciples can get together and decide to live in peace and harmony. Imagine...
Just got a $39 non-smoking room at the Casablanca Hotel & Casino. I haven’t slept in a bed for nearly a week, and I’m way overdue for a shower, so it’s welcome back to civilization! And hey, hey: the coffee shop has WIFI!!! I’m off to improve my personal hygiene.
Later,
Hank :-)
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