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This weekend, I came down with a big case of foot in the mouth disease!  As you drive into the valley in which Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is located,  you are greeted by the idyllic vista of a charming valley and it’s buildings.  Driving in I could not help but reflect on what a great place this would be to work as a ranger in the State Parks Department.  When I arrived at the “toll booth” to pay my entrance fee, I found that the park was free for Veteran’s Day but they were collecting donations for the American Red Cross - naturally my $5 use fee was diverted into the collection jar.  As I made the deposit, I looked up at the Ranger and said, “how do I get a job like yours?”

 Immediately I sensed something was wrong – finally she blurted out that she didn’t have a job.  It turned out that the Director of the Parks department had just arrived to inform her that she had been laid off – a victim of the state’s economy.  I had swallowed my foot up to the ankle and I felt terrible; but as insensitive as I had accidentally been, I couldn’t help but be offended by the state issuing lay-off notices at 9:00, Sunday morning – that’s ugly!

 On a brighter note, I met some interesting folks under the bridge.  The day’s ugly start had me “rev’d” and as I made my way along the creek bottom I didn’t slow down and take my amateur photographer’s time, lingering along the trail as I usually do.  Just after reaching the bridge with it’s very slick boulders, I overtook two couples who were carefully picking their way over the varnished rocks.  I probably appeared impatient to get by because one of them said, “Let him pass, he looks like he knows what he is doing.”  To which I replied, “No he doesn’t, he’s fallen once already today!”, and indeed I had.

 That broke the ice and soon we were discussing digital cameras.  I often find that my camera attracts attention along the trail and people frequently want to know more about digital photography when they find out that it is digital.  Which is like asking for directions from the blind – I’m just having fun and I still have a lot to learn.  Then out of the blue, one of the women asked me if I wanted to take her picture – something I actually try to avoid.  So in an effort to find an amusing way of saying NO, I told her that if I did, she would have to sign a release because I would put it “on the internet”.  I figured that would close the discussion – wrong!  Quick as whistle, she asked me if that meant she would have to take her shirt off.  I was flustered – I mumbled something about it being a family site – we all laughed as I slinked away before someone could say something else to make me blush.

 As the day progressed we kept crossing each other’s paths, and eventually I decided to part from tradition by taking the women’s pictures and to posting them on the site.  When I finally caught up and took her picture, she laughed and said she’d sign my waiver – she and her friends are good sports.  People like these certainly add to the fun and enjoyment of my treks.  (No, I didn’t have a form with me for her to sign.)  If more people ask to be photographed, I may have to start a new page - a "Rogues Gallery".

 Trekker