One cannot simply walk out the front door, head outside, venture into the great out of doors. These are acts for which we now require preparation. The first of the day’s SPF 50 must be applied. A large-brim hat must be donned. Water bottles filled. Snacks selected. Protective eye wear put on. Hypoallergenic, natural bug repellant applied to all exposed skin and clothing, but not too close to the eyes.
For we must never brave the forces of the natural world without adequate safety precautions.
My family has just returned from an adventure in the natural world, bookended at the beginning and end of each day by very comfortable lodging and delicious food. We saw streams, mountain wildflowers, waterfalls, glacial ice, old growth cedars, skies and clouds and vistas that make you realize the human psyche can hold only so much beauty before it quietly nestles off to sleep while your body is still clambering up a trail described as a slow, easy ascent which is, in fact, neither. Each few steps would reveal a new, even more beautiful sight. You’d think there’s a limit to how many times a person can exclaim in awe, but perhaps its more like waking up, over and over again, to something just a bit more extraordinary, unexpected, and stunning. The natural world, dangerous as it is, holds endless wonders.
On our drive home, we were stopped at a stoplight in a small town. The kind of town that has, on one corner, a homemade pie place, and across the street a less-than-shiny bar and lounge. An antique store, which probably doesn’t sell antiques but the yard sale overage of the small town’s inhabitants which, to city dwellers and out-of-town tourists, may yet exude a kind of charm. My eye was caught by a man and woman getting on their Harleys. No weekend riders these – their bikes were worn, their leather clothes brushed matte. Nothing shiny or new. They’ve been riding for years. A big, burly man with the requisite shaggy long beard sat down atop his big, burly, dusty, bike. He adjusted his helmet. His female companion, with blondish hair pulled back in pig tails that hung over her broad, burly back, stood beside him, and sprayed the back of his neck before putting on her own helmet and climbing atop her brawny mount.
Yes, the biker woman applied sunscreen to the back of her biker guy’s neck, the part that would be exposed to the sun and wind, just above his biker vest, and below the hairline showing under his helmet. For as much as they love adventure, need the feel of wind and heat and power as they traverse the world on the back of their massive choppers, vibrating with the natural world they are riding through, risking permanent hearing loss and road burns, they are concerned with sun exposure.
Biker chicks applying sunscreen to their biker dudes. The natural world does indeed hold endless wonders.