I feel far removed from the fervor of Friday, and I see that as a good thing. Despite the crowds, of which I contribute to, I feel immersed in a foreign land.

I’ve joked to our family that our daughter will have a completely warped sense of the Earth. No dear child, most of the planet’s surface is not covered in volcanic activity, with bison and elk and bears roaming around. This is a special place indeed.

It’s felt so special that I’ve been reluctant to try to capture and summarize my sensations throughout each day here. Simply put, there’s nowhere else on Earth like it.

If we can give in to the natural beauty afforded to us on this planet, if we can let go and see just a little bit further to the horizon… There are no naysayers here, at the pinnacle of national parks, some of the last protected spaces. Tourists and sunscreen diehards like myself can’t preclude any other reaction but awe.