Picto Diary - 22, 23 May 2022 - Out and about on the Duc with Mr. Z3 (Part One)

Above: Pine Valley Church. Pine Valley, UT. 22 May 2022.

Out and about on the Duc with Mr. Z3 with Mr. Z3.

Linda, Church docent and Mr. Z3 pose on Church balcony.

Pine Valley Chapel is the oldest LDS chapel in use today. Linda noted the sorrow of the membership in anticipation of a new LDS chapel to be constructed six miles away. The old chapel seen here will be converted to a musem and no longer used for church services.

Above: Granny brushes Freddie. Ivins, UT. 22 May 2022.

Above: Pipe Spring National Monument, Arizona. 23 May 2022.Out and about on the Duc with Mr. Z3. I hadn't been to Pipe Spring for twenty years. I was intrigued by the National Parks Service (NPS) spin difference in the description of Pipe Spring from one period to the other. In 2002 the main message was, "this place is where Brigham Young kept his cattle herds during the winter. The grass, fragile in this desert ecosystem, could not withstand the annual visit of the cattle. Within ten years the grass was replaced by sage brush." Twenty years later, todays NPS spin was, "land hungry Mormons, intent on creating a world empire, displaced the poor Piute Indians whose only desire was to continue to live in peace."

Above: Bishop and Mr. Z3 at Bright Angel Point, North Rim, Grand Canyon, Arizona. 23 May 2022. Out and about on the Duc with Mr. Z3. Here we chatted with a young, female, NPS ranger, Smokey hat and all. I said that Mr. Z3 and Mwah (sic) had, ten years ago, paid a motorcycle visit to the Havasupai Indian Grand Canyon overlook platform on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, north of Kingman, Arizona. I said that I was taken with the resourcefulness of the Indians who owned/managed the facility. They had their hand out every step of the way: pay for parking; pay for entry; pay to store camera; pay to buy pictures only taken by the owners; pay to be with the Indian Chief on the platform; pay for the helicopter ride, etc. The young ranger said, "Well, I'm happy that the Indians got a lot of money out of you. They deserved it. We white people really screwed the Indians over when we took their land." Later in the conversation, we learned that the young lady was from Florida. She worked half the year at Grand Canyon National Park and the other half of the year at Everglades National Park. I asked her if the NPS was having a hard time, like everyone else, attracting new hires. She said NPS had embarked on a diversity hiring program. The biggest problem, she said, was not finding the people, but finding housing. At both Pipe Spring and the Grand Canyon, the themes of America's bad history with the Indians and the need for diversity in hiring appear to have penetrated deeply into the psyche of the NPS.

Above: Vermillion Cliffs Scenic Highway (US 89A). Arizona, 23 May 2022. Mr. Z3 stands in front of his 2007 BMW K1200 GT motorcycle. At left, my 2021 Ducati Multistrada V4. The stunning vista (looking ENE towards Page, AZ) seen here appears suddenly after having ridden through miles of curvy forest road.

Above: Wild horses. Lees Ferry, Arizona. 23 May 2022. Telephoto image of hoses across the river from the Lee's Ferry Colorado River boat launch for trips through the Grand Canyon. After visiting Lee's Ferry, we rode circa fifty miles to Page, Arizona where we spent the night at the "View of the Lake" Best Western. From our 2nd floor room, we could just see a sliver of the lake as reservoir level is down from peak capacity by some ninety feet. We transacted at gas stations, convenience stores, hotel check-in and a restaurant. All of the employees were young Navajos. I'll make a generalization here. Most were enthusiastic, polite, hardworking but poorly trained. One girl didn't know the wine list, but she found someone who did. Lingo at the fine dining restaurant was, "what can I get you guys?" The good news was their cheerful attitudes and seeming willingness to please. You can train people easily. But you can't imbue all with a cheerful attitude and willingness to work. I was impressed with these kids and thought, "what a great opportunity for them to get out of the rez and into a world where they can learn skills and move forward economically, where still, in America... at least certain parts of it, anyway... you can get ahead by working hard.