Flowers, Food and Farewell
 The next couple of days I spent hiking about the canyon and learning as much as I could about its history and evolution. Certainly, life has been here for many years, coming and going, changing and adapting...but the canyon remains very much as it has been for milleniums. So I wondered just how the current "life" has adapted and how it finds a place in which to dwell. Here I found a brilliantly colored flower alongside one of the many trails, down which, I had the privilege to journey. As if to say, "I am here amongst the beauty of this canyon but for a short time, so enjoy me while you can".
The desert is a most harsh place for most living things and it takes an extraordinary type of life to actually prosper. So when I took a closer look at the sandstone and rocks, I was surprised to see colonies of lichen here and there. Far less ostentatious than the flowers or even the wild turkeys, this humble little plant clings tenaciously to stone, especially in the shaded moist areas. No two are exactly alike and they often form tiny designs or patterns. Squeezing the tiniest amounts of moisture out of the air, these living creatures have adapted very well to the climate into which they find themselves.They, like the rocks, are steadfast witnesses to time and change.
Back at my inn and near the end of my adventure here, I sat back and enjoyed a wonderful catered meal by the staff of the facility. Who would have believed that I would have to travel 500 miles, into the desert, to experience the best seared ahi I have yet eaten? The fresh, steamed sidedish vegetables and creamy, allspiced yams were "manna" here on earth. All accompanied by a delightful white wine, it was perhaps one of the finest meals I have ever had. My compliments to the chef as well as the serving staff did not go unsaid. And although I am not a very big "sweets" eater, I did take this opportunity to indulge in the triple, chocolate fudge cake which was offered. Would you refuse? The perfect ending to the perfect meal.
It was with great saddness that I had to leave this place for I had seen and experienced a true wonderland here during my short stay. I took away with me many memories, thoughts and beautiful photos with which I could always remember this tranquil sanctuary. That last night, I stared up at the deep and black sky, shrouded with a million diamonds twinkling all about and watched the moon rise over Zion. How wonderful is this place and how lucky I was to experience its peace and serenity. So the next time I am feeling a bit hagared or stressed, when I feel as if my world is not going quite the way I wish it to, I will remember this "sanctuary", this place of beauty, this...Zion.
Today's Quote:
The lichen on the rocks is a rude and simple shield which beginning and imperfect Nature suspended there. Still hangs her wrinkled trophy.-Henry David Thoreau
8:34:57 PM 
|
|
