October 13, 2024

Well, it appears that the U.S. Government, in it’s infinite wisdom, has again gotten itself locked into a party battle which totally has lost focus on the larger interests of the nation. And while I am well aware that this has major implications for many in some most serious ways – well, it’s also managing to mess up my vacation plans. Time to be FLEXIBLE.

Part of the adventure of travel is dealing with the unexpected. But on my current road trip through the West and Southwest I had no idea the unexpected would be the party battle in Washington! But who knows. Seems that the shut down means that the National Parks will close today. And national parks “are” or I guess now “were?” – a prime focus of my intinerary. Yesterday and today I am at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. But alas, they are letting no new visitors in. And they won’t let me stay tonight. So when I leave – I’m out. And my next destinations were to be Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Parks. I hear it is the same with them. No new customers.

Bad for me and my plans. And then there are the other wonderful visitors here – some of whom I’ve met. They come from all over – Italy, France, Great Briton, and many of the Asian nations as well. Now if this shut down has been bad for my trip plans – well just think about those folks. And then of course there are the employees of the parks, etc. The list of impact goes on and on. Not good for our international image, not good for the local economy, and not good for my vacation plans! (And of course – there are the larger issues underlying this impasse in DC. But really – those guys need to quit playing games and just be realistic and take care of business. Their inaction / refusal to work realistically with each other creates a great show of their self-percieved respective moral superiorities – but does so at the expense of the American Citizens.The sad reality seems to be that none of the politicals will suffer in the least while they do things (or don’t) but that this inactivity will have very real negative impact on others.

Do I digress? Of course I do – all the time. So back to my travel related point. When traveling, it’s best to be prepared to deal with the unforeseen. S**t happens – and you just need to deal with it. That’s my challenge for the day. Time will tell what how well I deal with it.

S**t Happens ……….. Enjoy The Adventure!
Dr.B, The Photo Trekker

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