Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Finding peace in the Southwest and within




















I found a roadside Zen art installation in Hanksville, Utah and was really drawn in by it.  It was immensely intriguing and I spent more time there than I thought I would.  It was comprised mostly of metal work.  A conglomeration of animals and such made out of various pieces of scrap metal, old machinery and bicycle parts.  Inspirational quotes and sayings were peppered throughout on little signs.  After spending way more time there than I thought I would, I left with a very deep sense of calm and peace. 




















The rest of the day was awesome.  I did some exploring via Jeep through jaw-droppingly beautiful terrain and did an amazing 10 mile hike in Upper Muley Twist Canyon of Capitol Reef National Park.  The hike started out hot and sunny but later on experienced thunderstorms and rain.  I sat under a pinyon pine and watched temporary waterfalls cascade down the canyon walls opposite from me.  



















After the storm passed the air was extremely calm.  On the return hike the only sounds were the gentle babbling of running water from the storm, my footsteps and the songs of canyon wrens which seemed to be everywhere.  That evening I found a sweet campsite on BLM land on a cedar mesa just west of Capitol Reef.  I slept like a baby that night in my Jeep mobile home.



















The next morning I sat in my camp chair after eating breakfast and birds were calling everywhere all around me.  The sun felt absolutely amazing.  I could hear jets fly overhead every few minutes which conjured memories of past trips to California.  And I realized how thankful I was to be right where I was at that point in time.  There was no place else I would rather be.  

A couple of passages that have been floating around in my mind since seeing them on the side of the road in Utah:

"To invite is to receive; to receive is to know; to know is to be."

"You will perceive only what you believe."



























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