About This BlogThis blog is meant to encourage awareness and thoughtfulness about the Grand Canyon, one of our most precious resources. . It is not merely a story of what happens or has happened here, not a cookbook for what you should make of it yourself, but more an example of the many-faceted inspiration the Canyon nurtures in an artist, perhaps in you. Indeed, inspiration may be the Canyon’s greatest resource. . These words are sincere, my own take on this world, deliberately non-academic and directed toward users of social media. In no way does it represent the policies or opinions of the National Park Service, although it is done under the auspices of that entity, but is offered in gratitude, with my respect and admiration for these soldiers of conservation. George H. Jacobi 2016 One Day in the Very Old Forest
September 06, 2018
At the Grand Canyon (and elsewhere) trees have jobs. Today when the sun rises over the Echo Cliffs far to the east, the Forests of each rim will go to work. Their job is to breathe, to regulate oxygen by moving water from earth to sky, keeping the planet’s atmosphere in the magic zone conducive to life. In the City That Never Sleeps
April 21, 2018
Grasshopper Mouse will howl like a wolf. She is a member of the toughest mouse family that lives. She is a carnivorous creature, fast and sure enough to kill and eat giant centipedes and scorpions, immune to their terrible venom. Birthday Greetings
February 25, 2018
On February 26, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson signed a Presidential Proclamation to establish Grand Canyon and Lafayette (now Acadia) as national parks. We celebrate the concurrent birthdays of two places that unite America, and the vision of her leaders ninety-nine years ago. Consumers of Wonder
January 10, 2018
"The signing was January 11th, 1908, but the news of the Executive Order designating the cañón a National Monument would take days to arrive at this outpost by telegraph, due to several stately Ponderosa Pines falling across the railroad spur line and bringing down the adjacent wires." - Alexander Von Bingham, 1908. The Point
September 11, 2017
Unlike the dozens of named Points on the Park Map frequented by those thousands of chattering camera-centric humans, this site with its 280 degree view makes us want to whisper to each other, even to wish we came alone. Some Final Thoughts on the 2016 NPS Centennial
December 31, 2016
Gifford Pinchot, Teddy Roosevelt, and Aldo Leopold, some of the ‘saints’ of the conservation movement, made errors and changed directions during their lives. And we respect them more because of it. I may enlist John Muir and Ed Abbey for inspiration and solace. Some invoke Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez. Others revere the ancient pueblos and petroglyphs from their own history. There is room for all in the National Park Service. Cranky on the Grand Staircase
December 31, 2016
LOVED TO DEATH is not a cliché when it comes to our National Parks. Looking for an intimate connection to the most sublime landscapes in the country is not easy when they’re overcrowded. if you can find a quiet spot where you and the park can communicate, perhaps the secret spirit of the Earth will meet your soul one on one. An Extra Helping of Grand Canyon Information
December 30, 2016
Despite the efforts of the national park's staff to explain the canyon and environs in detail, much of the true nature of this place remains untold. In that vein, I offer the modern visitor some of the lessons learned during my three month stay here at the South Rim - geographic, geologic, and biological. Oh, yes – and meteorological. Grand Canyon - Some Thoughts on Death
December 23, 2016
I’m right on the edge, staring over the rim at a mile of air. This colorful canyon before me engenders many meditations, and one of them involves that D word. I suspect I’m not the only one. Rockfalls and Rain, Risk and Randomness
November 20, 2016
Stand in one place and you can pick out hundreds of rocks that are ready to let go and fall into Grand Canyon. Some are mere pebbles, some are the size of apartment buildings. Does one have YOUR name on it? The Shopping Species
November 20, 2016
What does a souvenir do for us? In fairness, I think we mostly want to feel again the freedom and adventurousness that came along with a vacation in an awesome place. Condor Success Story
October 19, 2016
2016 – As many as six pairs of Condors nest in the Grand Canyon, and more across the Vermilion Cliffs. The empty expanses of high desert and the canyons of the Colorado River drainage have proved suitable habitat. NORTH RIM - FIRE AND WATER
October 04, 2016
The Fuller Fire, on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, burned 14,541 acres this summer. When precipitation follows fire, the results are complex and dramatic. CANYON OF CONTRASTS
October 03, 2016
From Point Imperial on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, we can see pretty much the whole 235 miles we drove to get here, a great semicircle of the Southwest. It’s hard to exaggerate the astounding variety of geology and biology, climate and history, this overlook encompasses. Watching the Watchtower 2081
September 23, 2016
The demonstration starts, lightning flashes, time appears to stand still. Grand Canyon - Some Thoughts on Time (and Space) Part 2
September 20, 2016
Time, I think, is a real thing, not a mirage created by the human mind. You tell time by motion, the motion of space, of the universe. Grand Canyon - Some Thoughts on Time (and Space) Part 1
September 19, 2016
Stare into the ancient abyss by yourself for a while –come on, give it a shot. You have time, don't you? Sound Effect
September 13, 2016
Just leave me alone; it's bad enough already - being a squirrel here. Please? An Expanse of Intimate Spaces
September 13, 2016
At Grand Canyon, we come face to face with grandeur every day. It doesn’t wear off, but as time passes we begin to see the more intimate parts of this world, each one a functioning ecosystem in itself. If I Could Sing Like A Canyon Wren
September 09, 2016
A poetic response to this tiny avian songster, the canyon wren. STILL HERE IN SPIRIT A Centennial Ghost Story
September 06, 2016
My spirit – my spirit seems to want to hang around the El Tovar, where it finally lost its tenuous grip on the reality you all still enjoy. I can’t seem to get out of there. Can you see me? Can you help me? Billions of Gallons
August 31, 2016
A proposition to decommission Glen Canyon Dam, leave it in place, but let the river run free through it, then capture it downstream in Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam, is being debated. People
August 31, 2016
They crowd the trails and the buses from dawn till after sunset. They swarm the overlooks and the Visitor Center. Listen and you’ll hear languages from all over Europe and East Asia, voices from the Middle East, central Asia, South America, some from Africa and Australia. They all have something in common, though, the impulse that drew them here. VOLUNTEERS – The Art of Giving, in a Green Shirt
August 29, 2016
They come in all sizes and colors, and they come from all around the country. Some are still in High School, and some are long retired. Volunteers - at the Grand Canyon and the other parks - are crucial now to the success of the National Park system. Grand Canyon – Some Thoughts on Color and Light
August 11, 2016
This Canyon gives us that example every day, all day, from before dawn to after sunset, and though we stare and stare, and click shutters endlessly, and marvel at the changing and deepening hues, we usually look without full awareness. Dark Park, Shooting Stars
August 08, 2016
This Thursday night, August 11th-12th, the Perseid meteor shower will be at its peak. Canyon Voices: Past And Present
August 04, 2016
The 100 year history of Grand Canyon is rich with wild characters. Living History Week included Mary Colter, Blanche Kolb, and John Hance coming to life in individual performances, and many more in 3 performances of “Echoes of the Canyon.” Smart and Safe: Summer Visitor Skills
August 03, 2016
It’s YOUR vacation; and you came a heck of a long way. We at the Grand Canyon want everything to go well on your visit. Grand Canyon: Some Thoughts On Music
August 01, 2016
Try as you might, you won’t hear it. It’s going on all the time, though, and has been for billions of years. Ferde Grofe tried to catch some of it when he wrote his “Grand Canyon Suite”. Juniper Years
July 28, 2016
What events in the future of this planet will this Juniper see? - if it survives. Iconic Invasives
July 22, 2016
Most visitors to Grand Canyon National Park won’t even get to the South Rim before they encounter an elk, usually browsing right alongside the road. A Thunderous Voice
July 04, 2016
The earth is speaking to us all the time. Are you listening to what the Grand Canyon is saying to you? Centennial Stories
February 26, 2016
Three short stories written last winter that illustrate my own enthusiasm for the opportunity to be here again at the Grand Canyon. Heat Advisory
July 15, 2016
When I realized that the canyon was spinning, I knew I had to get some help. But by then it was too late. Sad Anniversary
July 06, 2016
Sixty years ago this past June 30th, TWA #2 and United #718 both plummeted into the Grand Canyon with no survivors 07/01/16 South Rim
July 01, 2016
So pick the longest trail between overlooks, ditch the phone, and walk. The cacophony of bus chatter disappears; the silence comes on slowly, like a fog, until there is only the crunch of your own footsteps. |
Last updated: September 13, 2016