Back From Nature

I am back from a lovely camping trip in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a warm, if windy, night and in the early morning, I went on a two hour horseback ride with Stacey, my mum, and my sister-in-law, Jenn. We had lots of fun (despite Mum's substandard saddle) and saw elk herds quite close up. One studly buck had a harem of at least 20 females.
When I got back, I put on the TV in the background as I checked my online connections and coincidentally, I am now watching Ken Burn's latest series on PBS about the creation of the National Parks System. It is wonderfully moving, especially for those, like me, who love to see and experience wilderness. John Muir was a great man who saved this nation's wildest places from those who could not see anything beyond the immediate desire for cash. Without his and other's efforts, I'd probably have camped on a private campsite that would probably be surrounded by other campsites, not by unoccupied wilderness. (An example of what might have been is the commercialism of Niagra Falls. In fact, according to the documentary, it was used, even back then as a cautionary tale.)
Thank you, John Muir! Thank you, General Sheridan! Thank you, all who understood that those of us in the future who love the wild would need your help and foresight.