Mesa Verde - on many summer vacation trips throughout the Southwest as a young girl with my family, we would pass the signs for Mesa Verde. Our family would joke that it was a "Mess of Vertie" - my mother's name. For any number of reasons, we never stopped to tour the site. Years later, with a grown child of my own, my husband and I made the trip. Today, we hiked 3 miles into the canyon on the Petroglyph Trail. Breathtaking scenery and a rigorous rock climb. Reminded me of the movie "Last of the Mohicans" as we climbed and climbed. Living in the city, working hard every day, and rarely getting a glimpse of nature much less revel in it, my very spirit soared with every step that I took. As we walked the trail and appreciated the painstaking details that the park rangers had taken to ensure a safe journey, I silently `hoped that visitors from other countries would visit our national parks. They are truly examples of what our country has done right to preserve and protect such beautiful sites for generations to come. My husband summed it up nicely - "Just think. When we retire, we'll be seeing sights like this all the time." Trouble is - if you wait to retire until you visit these places, you'll never be able to climb the trails like we did today. Visit now, visit often. Restore your soul. Be a better person. Thank God for the opportunity to walk, to see, and to experience what nature has to offer us. An older gentleman at dinner last night at the Far View Terrace had a perfect ending, "This is how God intended for us to live."