No matter what that Pennsylvania groundhog had to say a few weeks ago, winter is not ready to let up here in the Rockies. And so it's time to take a break, get out on the road, stretch my legs and brain, and sample the national park product.
    Specifically, I'm heading down to Arches, Canyonlands and Natural Bridges National Monument. The weather should prove warmer, and possibly drier, and the red-rock landscape will be much welcomed. And, really, a road trip right now couldn't be a better suggestion, what with all the hoopla, uproar, and uncertainty over the president's budget proposal for the Park Service and the National Park Centennial Challenge.   
    In fact, maybe what needs to be done to get Congress to appropriately fund the Park Service is to bring all 535 members to Yellowstone or Yosemite or the Grand Canyon or Shenandoah and get them out into the landscape. Let them clear their minds, drink in all the scenery, and vote with what their hearts tell them to do in those spectacular settings.
    Anyway, just because I'm gone doesn't mean there won't be some new posts on the Traveler, so feel free to check in while I'm on the road.