Definitions: Pandemic: “Epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region.” Endemic. “The infection neither dies out nor does the number of infected people increase exponentially—a steady state.”
Mary & I, exhausted by Covid-19 isolation, feel the situation worldwide is becoming more endemic than pandemic. We are choosing, therefore, to maintain distancing/washing/masking while beginning to return to travel—slowly perhaps but steadily until conditions might suggest otherwise.
Grand Teton and Yellowstone
The Tetons . . . rise from nowhere,
The rock half the age of the Earth.
Yellowstone . . . core to surface,
Gave national parks their birth!
© Forrest W. Heaton March 2022
Having spent the last two years essentially at home due to Covid-19 concerns plus recovering from a couple of medical issues, Mary & I have recently resumed national park visitations. This makes us VERY happy to write this! We are aware conditions could change causing revisions in our plans, but that’s where we stand as of this writing.
As to which parks we might have considered, some look to the more scenic national parks: Rocky Mountain NP CO, Yellowstone and Grand Teton NPs WY, Arches NP UT, Grand Canyon NP AZ, Death Valley NP CA, Yosemite NP CA, Olympic NP WA. For this trip, we chose Grand Teton and Yellowstone, both parks well known to us.
Our plan was gathering as many as possible of Mary’s three kids, five grandkids, spouses, Mary & me to CELEBRATE a significant birthday for Mary for ten days 25Jun – 3Jul. We ended up with eleven of us including all three of Mary’s kids. Mary made cabin reservations at Colter Bay, Grand Teton NP a year ago and sketched out our plans for Grand Teton and also for Yellowstone just a half-hour north. We had to adjust our Yellowstone plans due to the partial closing due to flooding.
We have visited both Grand Teton and Yellowstone a number of times previously and reported a couple of those visits on our website maryandforrestheatonpublications. We invite you to visit the website and read up on those explorations. They might give you some ideas when you’re planning your own visits to those or other national parks.
Pandemic or post-Covid isolation can cause stresses negatively affecting mental and/or physical health. Getting out and traveling can have positive affects on both. Traveling to new and/or stimulating places helps release often held-onto stresses. The same goes for reconnecting in person with family members and close friends excluded from your life for the last couple of years due to Covid concerns. For some, these stresses have become chronic. New experiences as well as realized desired experiences are beneficial for improved brain function resulting in improved health. We wish for you safe and fun travels!
