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Show THE Page 8 OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume XII Issue X June 15, 2005 A Picnic on the Rim of the Grand Canyon By Drienie Hattingh “A picnic on the rim of the Grand Canyon ” My Mother said in awe as her eyes took in the spectacular, mind-blowing view in front of her. Mother and I sat under a tree on a rugged bench about fifieen feet from the abyss. There view or pro- sa us if we should venture too close to the chasm. walk to this bench wasn’t far but for Mother, who cannot walk te well anymore, it was an enormous achievement. And for someone who suffers from a fear of heights—it wasn’t the perfect place for me to be. I suggested that we just view the Grand Canyon’s wonders from the car with our special “‘accessibility permit” that I requested for my mother and which was now visibly propped up on the dashboard. But no, Ralie Naude—better known around our Valley as Drienie’s mother—did not want to come all the way from Africa to Western America without seeing the 7"? natural wonder of the world close up! So she tucked her disabilities and her fear of heights way back in her conscious mind and took my arm while we walked right up to the rim of the Grand Canyon. She drew in her breath iin awe asshe held onto me. you Just have to experience it for yourself’ She said in a shaky voice then hugged me, thanking me for bringing her on this trip. It was lunch time so we decided to bring sandwiches and a flask of tea along; I right tl f the majestic Grand Cany on. It wasn’t my fink visit to the Grand Canyon but, as usual, being there I could feel the beauty and the awesomeness of it infiltrating my whole being. I took a deep breath drinking it all in; it was food for my soul. And this time I could share it all with mother. “T will always remember this Mammie,” I said to my mother while I sipped my tea. “Me too, —— . always,” she answered with her eyes on the distant horizon. As I sat there having this once-in-a-lifetime picnic with my mother, I reflected on the last month. It has been incredible to have my mother with Johan and me in our house in i Eden—our Valley. I’ pots of tea (using my fi f , fe in al th ve lived in the Valley. I’ve introduced Mother to my friends and she’s now and honorary member of the Knit Wit Knitting Circle. So far my Mother has knitted four little sweaters for the Guidepost Knitting Project and a beautiful, soft green sweater for me! And she’s had many cups of English Breakfast Tea at the Eden Coffee and Cocoa Company where the owner has reserved a special chair for my mother. And we’ve had breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the General Store, and we’ve had Christy’s Lamb Chops (with a hint of mint) three times at the Hungry Wolf. I took my Mother up to Ogden Ranger District Travel Plan Revision Update Snowbasin to show her where the Olympics were andu Powder Mountain where the snow was still covering ihe slopes. We also spent time at the peacefull Monastery in Huntsville. And my daughter Brenda came home from Los Angeles to spend time with her Ouma. We three spent silly and wonderful times together—a grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter. And for the first time in 18 years I had my mone with ms on Mother’s Day. Before we left for church, fri wishing us a Happy Mother’s Day, and presenting ae of us with a lovely orchid. Mother and I wore it for the rest of the day. Our daughter Yolandi also came home from a business trip to visit. “T want to go and show Mother the Grand Canyon!” I told Johan on a lovely Friday Valley day. He disappeared into his study and an hour later emerged with hotel bookings and maps of how to get from Eden to Las Vegas, then to Hoover Dam, and from there to the Grand Canyon; and for our return trip . . . from the Grand Canyon to Monument Valley, and on to Moab, and from Moab to Eden. Mother and I looked at Johan in awe. Our road trip was all planned; all we had to do was pack! During our trip Mother called Johan at every new wondrous place that she encountered. “Thank you Johan! It is amazing. I won’t be able to describe it to anyone!” After Grand Canyon we were off to Monument Valley. We stopped often and gazed at the unusual red dirt landscape, looking up at the towering rocks and thet weird forms. With the roads goingi mother did not have to walk; the sites were all right there—in our faces, so to speak—in plain view. Later we had wonderful Navajo stew with Indian fried bread at Gouldings Restaurant overlooking Monument Valley. While in Arizona we immensely enjoyed the feel of being in “Indian Country” and meeting the Navajo people wherever we went and slept and ate. While driving for hundreds of miles through this awesome land, mother and I talked, laughed, and listened to favorite Afrikaans and American Country CD’s. Mother told me all about our extended family—things that had happened since I’d left— things both happy and sad. We reminisced about days when we all still lived at home, and about family seaside and farm vacations. As we entered Utah again, my heart swelled with pride sharing the extensive, beautiful Utah National Parks with Mother— parks like Arches National Park and Dead Horse Point. When we covered the last stretch of road (before Provo), we marveled at the seemingly never- vending forest covered Wasatch Mountains and fields of spring flow Crossing Trapper’s Loop and seeing the Valley far down below with the full-to-the-brim, shimmering aquamarine Pineview Reservoir, I got that wonderful feeling that I always get; I was home. Next to me mother drew in her breath at the view. We both agreed, the brite is. just as beautiful as the places we’d encountered on our road tri It has been a year since our last Travel Plan Revision —— was issued. The comment period for the Draft Enviro Impact Statement (DEIS) has passed, and we have been tee o x r t who wanted far letters from individuals concerned about OHV (off highway vehicle) impacts on private land, wildlife and fisheries habitat, roadless areas, soil, and water. Others voiced concern over the lack of quantity and quality motorizedopportunities. Still, others wanted more proof or ee to conclusions made. We are currently in the process of preparing written responses to each one of the comments. These responses will be alee in the final EIS. Once we complete the process of responding to the comments, we will meet as an interdisciplinary team to formulate a final decision that considers the thorough analysis we have completed and the ideas, issues, and information gathered during the review of the DEIS. Once the final decision is formulized, we will complete a mixed use analysis to determine on which roads it is appropriate to mix licensed vehicles like cars and trucks with unlicensed vehicles like four wheelers and most dirt bike-type motorcycles. Once completed, we will release a Record of — (ROD), and a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEI It is our hope to fase the ROD and FEIS completed by early July. Once it is published in the Federal Register, it is then subject to a 45 day administrative review period. If there is no appeal, we can expect to implement the decision 15 business days following the close of the administrative review period. If, on the other hand, our decision is affirmed then an additional 15 business days are required before it can be implemented. If it is remanded then it will be returned to the ranger district for additional wone In summary, the timeline for having a decision to implement is ROD and FEIS Administrative oe Appeal Review Per Implement Decision. Period July 1 August 15 tober | October 21 What we know now is that if there is no) appeal, we will be able to implement the new 1. If, however, there is an appeal, it will be difficult to implement the decision this field season. Consequently, we would be forced to operate under the existing Ogden Travel Plan for the entire 2005 field season. Once again, we want to thank you for taking the time to become involved in the process. While the formal comment t period has ended, , you are _ welvisitto di \ e old plan since we may be using it for a while longer — office number i isar 625-5112. Ask for Rick Vallejos or Chip Sibbem The original scoping document and maps are sil available on the web at: |_plan/scoping.shtml P I Wolf Mountain Ski Resort & Wolf Creek Resort Recreation Center Two Family Fun Places One Fun Family Pass Your Wolf Pass gives you access fo.... Year-round access to the fitness center and summer-long pool access at the Wolf Creek Resort Recreation Facility Unlimited day or night winter skiing at Wolf Mountain 10% off all food items purchased at Greteles or | 3900 N Wolf Creek Drive Eden, UT 84310 For sign-up information call Heather Elm (sO DTA toe Tcl Ml (em IC) hcampbell@wolfcreekresort.com Asi eetazim CLi i valuable and we appreciate the time you took to comment. Over the course of the 75 day review period, we received 125 letters. Imbedded ments, aS youwould expect, the comments ranged from those wanting more I. A, |
