Thursday, 08 May, 2008

- Reader Comments -

Following are comments in response to this item.
The most recent comment is at the bottom.

1. By . Comment posted 08-May-2008 @01:13pm:

   Congrats to your daughter. Those pictures were great.
2. By . Comment posted 08-May-2008 @01:16pm:

   440,279.
3. By Sheldon. Comment posted 08-May-2008 @01:32pm:

   I assume that's gin in those 2 glasses?
4. By . Comment posted 08-May-2008 @02:00pm:

   Seen one ditch, seen 'em all.
5. By wally the duck. Comment posted 08-May-2008 @02:26pm:

   I like Irfanview a lot.
   
   One nice thing about the Grand Canyon is that there is no way our concerned government can remove the risk... too many miles to fence. The sense of awe is greatly enhanced by knowing that you could easily trip and fall a mile to your death.
6. By . Comment posted 08-May-2008 @02:31pm:

   I agree, duck. The lack of fences and guard rails at the Grand Canyon is what impressed me the most. People are free to act stupid and kill themselves -- and that's the way it should be. So far, more than 700 people have exercised that freedom.
7. By Banjo Brad. Comment posted 08-May-2008 @02:52pm:

   Great shots, J-Walk!
   
   You were fortunate to have the overcast for most of the shots - really helped the colors to show. I have tons of slides taken over the years, but most were on sunny days, which tends to wash everything out.
8. By Carol. Comment posted 08-May-2008 @02:59pm:

   Irfanview is great! I use it mostly to make favicons, but I guess I should try it for other stuff too. Nice pics!
9. By Average Jane. Comment posted 08-May-2008 @03:12pm:

   Beautiful photo, but it gives me twinges of acrophobia even though I'm safely sitting at my desk.
10. By . Comment posted 08-May-2008 @03:53pm:

    Great Shots. I particularly like seeing you and members of your family (I am assuming) since it helps me connect to you and your blog material.
    
    I find it frustrating that no matter how beautiful the pictures seem, they never capture the grandeur of the Grand Canyon. I think whoever took the photos, did a great job.
    
    [ Jeff ]
11. By . Comment posted 08-May-2008 @04:13pm:

    I remember the same (or a very similar) spot from my first visit to The Canyon at age 17 on July 21, 1969 (yes, I remember the exact date, because it was the day after the first moon landing). The shirtless buddies I was with climbed down and out onto the point while I remained above, unwilling to test my foolishness and natural-substance-enhanced sure-footedness (or corresponding lack thereof). As I awaited their return and enjoyed the view while watching the soaring of hawks on the incredible air currents, a pair of extremely lovely young ladies from Arkansas and their chaperone arrived, stunning me by asking, "If we take off our shirts, can we be hippies too?" Before I could formulate a reply, the chaperone whisked them away, leaving me with an unverifiable story for my friends, and wonderfully fond memories.
12. By Mister E.B.. Comment posted 08-May-2008 @04:34pm:

    Lots of great shots there. Saved a bunch.
    
    Photo above gives me a wave of vertigo every time I look at it (yup, did it again) and then the urge to jump. There must be a scientific name for the urge to jump.
    
    Cardinal rule while taking acid in yonder decades. Stay on flat ground where the urge to...fly won't kill you.
13. By Mean Jean. Comment posted 08-May-2008 @04:52pm:

    Scientific name for urge to jump: Insanity.
14. By Bryan. Comment posted 08-May-2008 @05:25pm:

    Great Shots John!! I went to the G.C. about 8 years ago and it was a great vacation. I remember my wife and I hiked down to the plateau - fine going down but coming back up was hard - I was never so tired in my life.
15. By Andie. Comment posted 08-May-2008 @05:28pm:

    Wow! Excellent photos.
16. By John Wilson. Comment posted 08-May-2008 @08:07pm:

    12 July 21, 1969 I remember that date very well too (actually the evening before). Watching that moon landing on TV after doing psilocybin for the first (and fortunately only) time in my life. What a cool TV show that was. I'm still not sure if it was real or not.
17. By . Comment posted 08-May-2008 @09:36pm:

    I agree with Duck about the safety measurers. We are leaving on Saturday for Yellowstone and the first time I was there (1955)there were no safety measurers, no guardrails, no "this water is hot" signs - it was left up to us to use common sense. Now I understand that there are "do this, don't do that" signs all over the place so I guess the average American tourist has gotten dumber. It will be interesting to see how many people get out of their cars and try to feed the Disney bears.
18. By Sheldon. Comment posted 09-May-2008 @06:46am:

    Darwin award loser at The Grand Canyon:
    Check out these pictures!
    They made me so dizzy I gotta go lay down...
    
    http://officespam.chattablogs.com/archives/043596.html
19. By Mister E.B.. Comment posted 09-May-2008 @07:58am:

    Holy cow, Sheldon. Talk about courting oblivion. Flip-flops? That's what my stomach did.
    
    Looks like Average Jane had the word in comment above, MJ. Apparently, acrophobia--the fear of heights--also includes the urge to jump as one of its symptoms. I'm not especially afraid of heights. It's more like an acute fear of hitting the ground at some velocity.
20. By Howlin' Hobbit. Comment posted 09-May-2008 @08:00am:

    LOL@RobertSeattle
    
    The first time I saw the Grand Canyon was with my Grandma and Grandpa when I was about twelve (1970). We were heading back to South Dakota for a big family reunion.
    
    We pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. Grandpa says, "OK. Where's the ditch?"