Talkin' Shit About A Pretty Sunset

I'm leaving today for our annual trip to northern Michigan --- an hour west of Traverse City. If I can raise myself from my vacation-induced stupor, I'll blog something. But don't expect much.

I love Michiganers' desire to get outside and DO something that doesn't involve sitting behind a glowing screen. It makes me feel better about the current dismal state of Americans' enthusiasm for the outdoors. The Economist reports that "... the number of visitors to national parks and historic sites peaked in 1987". If it weren't for foreigners taking advantage of our weak dollar, our national parks would be nearly devoid of people.

Ok, so like any real American, I'm supposed to blame someone or something for this. Hmm, who should I go after for this unfortunate reality ...

My one friend lays blame for most of the world's problems at the doorstep of the Federal Reserve and Dick Cheney, so how about them? Here goes: The Fed's insistence on keeping low interest rates is causing more foreigners to visit our parks. Therefore, the parks are now full of camera-snappers with weird accents which turns off Americans because they want something more rustic and down-home. And Dick Cheney, gosh dammit!! Out there shooting up big city lawyers trying to enjoy the wilderness. All the city-dwellers are afraid of out-of-control hunters.

There. Figured it out.