Changes

The First and scond photos are taken with the same camera, same lens, in the same month and in virtually the same postion just two years apart.

I was sorry to find the Grotto park area remodeled when we went this past Easter weekend. Instead of having a nice open area to run, throw the football, and gather in( as picnic areas are ment for) it was roped off into small single table units with gravel paths. The larger parts left to let the grass grow and little signs said "give plants a chance." Where we could once move the tables around to accommidate our large extended family, they had cemented the tables in so it is only useful to a group of eight or smaller. Where we have had our egg rolls, they had flattened out the ground and put logs to discourage explorers.

I love nature. I believe in engaging with the landscape. As a child we would play in the water, squish mud between our toes, slip down moss covered rock waterfalls, climb bloulders and play in the gorgous red dirt. It makes me unhappy when I see that only the wealthy (you can take a car in if you stay at the pricey lodge) or childless people are able to enjoy the park like i remember enjoying it. It is a hassle getting into the park because of the trams. They simple don't accommodate demand. they are either empty or packed and you wait forever in both cases. Zion is my park and I have an intimate opinion about how they manage and run it. You might too. They need feedback! Go here and write a quick comment.

But like I said in a previous post about how curves were thrown in. Federal management aside, God made Zion and they did not ruin the splendor and magnificence of the cliffs or the spiritual nature of being in a certain place at a certain time. To have beautiful monuments named after people and things in the gospel adds another layer of meaning to the expirience. There is no place like it.