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Show THE ZEPHYR DECEMBER 1993 PAGE 30 Feedback The readers respond Dear Stiles... when I should have been listening! Well, I've done it again-talk- ed y visitor center was broached, I argued against When the plan for building die all die reasons why it should not be built on the prime piece of real estate on Moab' s Main Street It would, I argued, lure visitors to downtown Moab and prevent it from becoming a ghost area, which happened in many dties, Salt Lake City, Provo, Phoenix, Grand Junction, to name a few. It all sounded great, an inviting cod, shaded, green landscape with tables and benches properly spaced where tired travelers could seek refuge from the hot summer sun, where they could sit a spell in comfort and enjoy the scenic background while they read information pamphlets. Alas, the site is far from inviting. The landscape theme appears to be "native vegetation," which in a domestic environment is commonly known as weeds. I did do a little investigating and was told more than once that the landscaping is not finished, that I should give it time. However, there will be no green grass, and a weed by any other name is still just a weed. I suppose having no grass to mow is an attempt at economy. Thinking changes, though, when vacant lots are covered with "native vegetation, the city has the plots cleaned up and the owners billed for the service, on the basis of preventing eyesores and fire hazards. One thing I've learned, the next time a project is broached in Moab, I'll climb on die silent majority's bandstand and let the rest of the people do the promoting. A steady diet of crow is hard to eat multi-agenc- A concerned citizen, Maxine Newell Dear Jim: Regarding Robert Fulghum's article about changing Moab's name, I get a feeling of Fantasy Land when I am in Moab and suggest that might be a better name than Moab. This name would bring better luck or the name might be Happy Land, where one can make money, a place to draw people to where they would like to be, friendly and humble, that would be the impression newcomers would see, they would be happy here. Whatever the character of all the houses and buildings put together that one sees around the town, energy is what makes the place alive and this energy must flow through the town and to all the areas. The Fantasy Land name or Happy Land name is our sensitivity to the universal energy that flows on this planet and effects everyone the same way. The grand entrance is the Colorado River to the north and I have never been to the south, so I suppose all this energy flows south through the town. Thcrp is nothing here to stop this energy flow. The town seems strongly supported by the cliffs cm both sides. It would be interesting if Dhan-Tun- g Hsu, a Seattle feng shui master, would be invited here for a few days to discuss file appearance of Moab from the feng shui point of view and make the people more aware of these practitioners, who don't possess any special mysterious knowledge, but observe how energy manifests, and how it affects us. Certainly a name change to greater things, larger meanings would release more energy here. That would be reason enough. Another name just came to mind. Sensitivity, Utah, that would be a complete change, probably far too much to swallow, but I like the meaning. Sincerely, I Ierbert Steiner Seattle, WA We hiked to that holy landmark before sunset to experience it during the glorious sunset and full moonrise. Upon arriving we sat with the crowd of about 100 , admiring the to Ed Abbey from postcard view of Delicate Arch. My partner likened it to a "natural monument the waist down." The chatty, wnHai nature of the crowd spurred me to seek a more visceral, tactile arch where exchange with the arch. Seeing no "KEEP OFF" sign I walked over to the base of the After I was asked to stand back by me European tourist so he could take photos. waiting file and to arch the I into while few he for a light experience minutes finished, stepped patiently and to be dements these sound qualities of this shrine. Finding dynamic I complex powerful sat down and soaked it in. I sat there 5 or 10 minutes, engaged in a private revelry with nature, trying to ignore the large crowd across the way. Then someone in the crowd shouted, "Please leave file arch." So I albeit reluctantly. Upon returning to my partner in the crowd, die informed me that the man next to her called me an idiot (for standing in the arch). I did not hear him; my partner did. So much for communing with the powerful spirits of nature. So much for world peace and harmony. A bit peeved, and feeling the hurt my friend had suffered, I confronted file rude European, "Where docs it say keep away from the arch. Am I an idiot for responding to the request to leave?" or something to that effect (A big part of the problem here is that I could not hear the first requests to leave the arch. Only after someone shouted did I hear.) "You had your time there. Then you were asked to leave. All these people want to take pictures." As the exchange grew a bit more heated (my emotional self wanted to flatten him, my said be calm), other visitors asked that we respect the holy place we were in. I self higher apologized for my lade of spiritual calm and agreed that fids would be the best for all of us. "Peace," I said. Peace is our only hope. But what is the proper etiquette for spiritually charged natural meccas? Does the arch have to be fenced off and protected by "keep off signs? Goddess (sic), I hope not. Do we take a number and que up to spend our minute in the arch? Are photos more important than human experience? Is there something wrong with having people in your photos? Will tourism destroy the spiritually that still resides in our much abused earth? Would it be better if cameras were banned there? I am sorry to have had any part in this inddent, on that could have become very nasty had anyone really lost their cool. But the questions of how to love and appreciate popular spiritual places in nature remains. Perhaps we need to establish a dialogue about the etiquette for appreciating nature's glory. Could someone tell me (nicely) if I was wrong? Bob Lorentzen Mendocino, CA The answers to your questions are: Yes, probably, not yet but soon, no, yes, yes, yes...JS. Editor's note: Recently, the Poplar Place received the following letter from a former customer. Who says honesty is dead? Folks, On Aug 8, 1993, my friend and I were at your restaurant and took two copies of the "Zephyr." It was later we realized that these were not free. So I am sending $1.50 to cover it Thanks, Meyers A1 In Dear Stiles & lovers of Delicate Arch, We spent a few glorious days visiting your Grand country in late September. Having been bom in Salt Lake and having graduated from a Utah high school (Clearfield) before 1 fled to the wilds of far Northern California, I was heartened and amazed to find a small Utah community with all my requirements for quality living: surrounding wilderness and natural beauty, a vibrant alternative newspaper, a great bookstore, a fine microbrewery, a healthy gang of dedicated environmentalists, a growing cultural scene, and affordable land. Please sign up my subscription so I can keep up on Moab reality while I ponder whether I can leave the wild Pacific here on the edge of the continent for desert life. Having said that, let me stress that I'm actually writing to talk about an unpleasant experience we had at Delicate Arch, and the potential for international incidents there versus the desired harmony of the desert land. keeping with the SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS Look for our very special RESTAURANT AND INN Open at 6 am 1075 S. Hwy.191 REINDEER 259-83- ROAPKILL Ron & Joyce Robertson, 52 owners BE KIND TO OLD SANTA. K7V MOVNT-A-I- 391 S . MAIN ST. I IVA-f- c 151 N 259-74- 23 featuring: KE TOUR or 800-451-11- 33 SALSA - SLINGSHOT - BONTRAGER FAT CHANCE - TREK - SCOTT MACHO WINTER BIKERS STILL RUNNING AMUCK IN MOAB. |