Crater Lake and beyond

I did not even know I was close to Crater Lake, but I am glad I found it. There was a guy there, and he and I were, it seems, the only ones in the park, cooking breakfast at the lake rim overlook. I asked him to take a photo, and was hoping he would offer the breakfast stew he described as chorizo, eggs, peppers and potatoes. He did not.

There 3 things I wanted to be growing up. 1. A railroad engineer (especially I wanted to ride in the caboose) 2. a pro baseball player (and except for talent I would have made it) 3. a park ranger. When I was in college I was very interested in the American Conservation Movement and spent my senior year project writing about (badly I am sure. the movement. It started in earnest in the early 20th century with Gifford Pinchot (who was also a governor of PA) and under Teddy Roosevelt (which is why, I am certain, his mugshot is on Rushmore). When I realized rangers spend a lot, too much, time away from people I turned to studying, and then, with some mediocrity, teaching history. The part of being a dad, which in the end is the best, was not one of the thinking options. (of course now I have my two best adult friends in the world in Robert and Mary, so all good there).

Anyway, Crater Lake and the surrounding parks are spectacular, and while I sometimes wonder about the real logic of all of these parks, given that I live in a very congested part of the world in Swissvale, I guess I am glad TR closed all of this land.

I learned another thing over the last two days. For me, God has two voices: one is silence and the other is classical music. The radio is full of news (good, bad, dramatic) and sports talk both of which get very repetitive day after day. I am not really a cd or Ipod guy (though Mary gave me one for father's day and I am trying to learn to use it). I think silence is the best companion (an idea shared with me by a dear and wise friend) and the classical music seems to fit the park/forest scenery.

That's what I think anyway.