A Trip from Reality

     Every October, Utah schools are out for a four-day weekend. It is UEA weekend, when the teachers are supposed to go to the Utah Education Association convention. Many families head down to Disneyland.  Disneyland even has this factored in when vast amounts of Utahns show up.

    I don't want to spend my time in a convention. I have been teaching for nearly 30 years, and I want this weekend to myself.  My goal was to go down to the Moab area in the southeast section of Utah.
Moab is situated between two national parks, various state parks, and other recreational sites.  I wanted to go hiking at Arches National Park.

 

 Moab - A World of Its Own  

 

 

         Moab is a town of about 5,000 or so people.  It was settled in the 1850s by Mormon Pioneers. There is a dispute as to whether name refers to the Moab in the Old Testament (which is located in modern day Jordan), or to the Native American word, Moapa which means "mosquito".

 

          After the uranium boom of the 1950s, the town settled down to become a vacation mecca for those who like to hike, jeep, bike, and ride white water rapids. The place is a draw for tourists from around the world.  There are numerous, hotels, B&Bs, campsites, etc.  The town is also located is some of Utah's harshest wilderness.  One needs to be a hardy person to live in this area.

 

The Idiots in Washington

 

         About two week before my trip, the Government Shutdown of 2013 started.  This shutdown every national park in the United States.

 

Tourists shut out of Zion National Park. She is making the "thumbs down" sign. 

 

 

         Southern Utah is very dependent on tourist dollars as its main source of income.  We have people from all over the world coming here. Angry tourists were diverted to state parks as much as possible, but there was a lot of anger from tourists and residents alike over the national park shutdown.  Utah's own Sen. Mike Lee suggested a compromise: defund the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), and the national parks could be opened.  Lee is an idiot supreme and may not get re-elected after that move.  Southern Utah commissioners and sheriffs decided to take matters in their own hands and open up some of the roads in the national parks in defiance of the Congress. Utah Governor Gary Herbert got involved.  Along with the governors of California, Arizona, and Colorado, a deal was struck with Congress that each state would pay the federal government a few million bucks and our parks could be reopened in each of those states.  The states would easily recoup the money from tourists. Also, the rangers would be back on the job to help with anyone who may need assistance.

 

         Knowing there were many state parks to choose from, I never cancelled my plans.  I was very happy that Gov. Herbert got our national parks opened.  So, my original plans were back on track.