Unita Mountains

After our first night in the tent, we woke to the sun and song of a crane. I managed to not desire the toilet in the night, much to my surprise. Perhaps the dreams of falling ladders and mama bears with cubs scared the pee out of me.

Coffee and Black Beans

I would rate the tent’s comfort level a 6 out of 10. Firm mattress, stiff pillow. But hopefully, more slumbers will ease that problem away.

AM coffee was weak but sweet, which paired well with black beans, hash, and a dash of hot sauce. Rex and I took our morning hours with ease, enjoying our first sunrise.

Bald Mountain was the first stop and second plein air location. Parking along a pullout just before the pass, we scouted the area and found scene after scene—all inspiring and incredible. Rex set up, while I pulled out my Rite in the Rain journal and found my thoughts.

Industrial recreation

With the road just over my shoulder, the sound of vehicles zooming by reminded me of a conversation I had with Judy, who attended the educational event. She talked about industrial recreation. Sometimes when land is designated as a national park or monument, the landscape morphs into open space for tour buses and overpriced hotels. With destination comes more tourists, and with more visitors comes destruction and waste.

But if these spaces were not put on the map, would society even consider them worthy of protecting?

Connecting Through Experience

Rob, another participant, believes that in order to truly care about public lands, a person must have a reference point. He said that pictures evoke nothing, and only experience can fully engage and connect a person to a landscape.