Then I put the camera away, and opened my mind to the beauty in front of me. Indescribable. As a kid in junior high and high school, our family took annual vacations in the car. The first was two weeks to British Columbia, and included my first views of the Rocky Mountains, and the western coastline. '75 was the east coast and DC, just before the Bicentennial. Another year was the canyon country of the southwest. They are highlights of my youth. Invaluable gifts my father gave us, by showing us the amazing beauty and wondrous landscapes beyond our backyard. Without saying as much, he showed me that all you had to do was go. He planted in me the love of travel, and appreciation for the miracles found in God's creation. And he was with me there in Yosemite as I shed tears, silently thanking him for that gift.
