A Southern Arkansas sunrise provides a magical moment to all within its view. -- Photo by Pat Bean
“Each day I live in a glass room unless I break it with the thrusting of my senses and pass through the splintered walls to the great landscape.” Mervyn Peake
Travels With Maggie
I’ve seen hundreds of awesome landscapes since I began living and traveling in my RV, Gypsy Lee, seven years ago.
Whenever I visit an area, I take time to search out historic sites, lakes, parks and all the fantastic landmarks someone found important enough to write about in some guidebook.
What’s amazed me is that I find locals who have never taken the time to visit the places travelers come hundreds of miles to see.
“Always been meaning to go see that waterfall,” said an Oregon waitress when I was telling her about my morning visit to Multnomah Falls just east of her Portland home.
Pink life springs from beneath a carpet of dead leaves. -- Photo by Pat Bean
Then there was the Amarillo, Texas, grocery clerk who noted my Palo Duro Canyon T-shirt and asked me if the place was worth visiting?
“Lived here all my life and never seem to get the time to visit,” she said of the spectacular gorge that lay hidden only 30 miles away.
“Have you ever visited Yellowstone National Park,” I asked.
“Marvelous place.” She beamed as she chatted about seeing Old Faithful with her husband and two children.
I find it strange that people feel a sight isn’t worth seeing unless it’s hundreds of miles away. When I lived in Utah and work kept me close to home most of the year, weekends would often find me out exploring nearby landscapes.
Yellow pansies soaked with morning dew. -- Photo by Pat Bean
One Saturday it might just be a 20-mile journey on an unpaved canyon road to view “Tea Kettle” rock. Or on a Sunday, I would take a 150-mile round trip drive to board the old Heber Creeper train for the half-day ride through incredible scenery to Bridal Veil Waterfalls up Provo Canyon.
But while I’m addicted to the travel and the wonder that goes with it, I still know that most days all I need to do is step out my door to see something magical.
Yesterday it was a colorful sky with rays of sunlight streaming down toward earth. Today, as I walked Maggie, it was the magic of pink flowers poking up through a bed of last fall’s leaves.
Pat Bean's blog 
Wonderful post, Pat. 🙂
I’ve noticed the same thing. Maybe it’s because my husband and I have moved around a lot, but we are always exploring where we live, yet have friends who have lived here (wherever here happens to be) all their lives and haven’t seen a lot of the sights in their own backyard. I use the category “Local Tourists” when I blog about our adventures at nearby places.
Great post with lovely pictures. Are you the photographer? Your observations reminded me of something my daughter just said about wanting to go to the lake. I said, “Hmm, we live on the most beautiful lake for miles around!” Her excuse was that it doesn’t have a beach. Something wrong with this picture!
I’m always amazed at how many people don’t know what’s in their own backyards- we’ve lived in a few different places in Canada and upon telling lifelong residents of an area about some of our discoveries, they’ve often commented on how they’d never been there but had heard about it. Seems strange to me but then my husband and I are both inquisitive types and can’t imagine not exploring our surrroundings.
Love the sunrise picture Pat.
Thanks.
Pat, you are so right about visiting places far away. I used to feel I wasn’t traveling if it was near me, when I had the Chance to take a photo workshop in Maine, near me at the time, or in Sante Fe, I choose the latter. Now that I moved far away from Maine, I will visit Acadia the next chance I get. Lovely post and photos. Thanks for sharing your insight, always worth reading.
It is truly the little things that nspire me the most…
and just seeing the flowers you describe, are monumental
to us all.
Thanks, Pat!
I love your sunrise picture. Just this weekend, I took several photos of sunsets near my home. While I love to explore new places, I very much appreciate the beauty, tranquility and wonder of home as well.