From the desk of: Cathy Coloff
Subject: Vacation Memories
Our National Park Service was established in the 1800s and has expanded over the years to include over 400 natural, historical, recreational, and cultural areas throughout the United States and its territories. Like many, I've had the pleasure of visiting quite a few. If asked, I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite, but I'll share some memories through the years.
While I lived in New Mexico until I was five, it wasn't until my early thirties when I got back to that area to enjoy the Grand Canyon. Once I finally got there, I wanted to make sure it wasn't an experience like Chevy Chase in the classic movie, Vacation. Like the Griswold family, we stood on the edge overlooking the canyon, did a little head bob, and snapped some photos. But, we also hiked down into the canyon, enjoyed a helicopter ride over the canyon as well as drove alongside for a few days. Back in those days, we planned our vacation using maps and travel guides. Now, it's easy to Google local attractions, see hotel and restaurant ratings and the like. In some ways, the Internet and the information it offers, has eliminated the sense of adventure when planning these trips.
On the flip side, when we went to the Grand Tetons last summer, I was happy to easily reserve our rafting trip down the Snake River online and skip the whole paperwork thing when we got there. While we were in the area, we visited Granite Hot Springs which was in the middle of a vast wilderness area that is part of Teton National Forest. There was no one for miles and definitely no Internet or cellular service. It was nice to unplug and just enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Where will your summer travels take you? Perhaps you'll check out one of our national parks and create some wonderful memories of your own.
First published in our July 2018 IT Radix Resource newsletter
