Not A Promise, But a Pretty Good Time

About ten years ago in the summer, I was driving from Maryland to the West to visit family, and as we crossed eastern Utah there was a sign along the highway. It was one of those triangular yellow caution signs and it had a silhouette of a large bird with wings outstretched, and the words, "Caution: bald eagles on road." Well, needless to say, I was thrilled and kept my eyes peeled for them. Eventually, there was a rest stop where we pulled in to "rest" and then I asked the woman who was at an information booth there about the eagles. I complained that I didn't see any, and she laughed. "I hear that complaint often---it isn't a promise, it's a caution." It seemed that in the winter, there is a fair amount of roadkill along that hilly stretch and the eagles come to scavenge some dinner. Because of the limited views, vehicles would come upon a group unexpectedly and there were a series of collisions with the big birds as they were hunkered over the carcasses. No one wants to kill a bald eagle, because they are protected and the national symbol. Also, they are quite large and could cause some damage to a smaller car, not to mention the possibility of a wreck as the driver tries to avoid the collision in a panic. Hence....the warning signs.

Well, I experienced another "not a promise" event this week as we traveled out to the desert to watch the meteor shower. We decided to head west toward Death Valley to find the dark night sky. There is a small town (well...that's a stretch--there are a few buildings) called Tecopa with a natural hot springs and cozy cabins you can rent. We've stayed there before. The mineral springs are very lovely, and in the winter, the place is filled with tourists (mostly geezers) who come from many nations to soak. It is also very, very dark at night. We arrived after dark. We set up our chairs in the courtyard and looked at the sky. It was stunning! I forget how many stars are up there because in the city (especially this one) most of the night sky is obscured by the lights from below. We saw the Milky Way and several constellations: Scorpio, Perseus and naturally, the Big Dipper. We could even find the Little Dipper. By midnight a few shooting stars had begun. We saw several long-tailed meteorites strike a glowing path across the sky. But, despite our staying up till nearly 2:00 A.M. we didn't experience the meteor "shower" that was heralded.

Another part of our journey toward the desert wasteland was this sign:

 

To get out of Las Vegas driving west, you pass through a National Recreation Area called Red Rocks. It is a marvel of nature, just over the hill from the Marvel of Hedonism. It is also, allegedly,  home to wild burros. Hence, the caution sign. They randomly roam all over and are known to cross the road in their leisurely amble. However, in my many trips out to this beautiful natural site, I've never seen a wild burro. I'd love to see wild burros!  In fitting tribute to our "almost" meteor shower, I actually saw one wild burro on this journey! I almost missed him, but there he was, all alone, grazing about halfway up the hill as we rounded a curve.

I guess, the moral to my story is to realize that life is filled with "not a promise" events. However, you should still enjoy the journey and find things to delight in, nevertheless. Tomorrow I'll tell you about the quiet.