Forty-four — When thinking of baseball, there’s none greater than ‘Hammerin Hank’ Aaron. It was on this day (September 29, 1973) Fifty years ago today that the ‘Hammer’ hit his 713th Home Run. One shy of trying the great Babe Ruth, at 714. He would have to wait for the following season to first tie, and then on April 8, 1974 … Brave’s announcer Milo Hamilton describes it this way, “Henry Aaron, in the second inning walked and scored. He's sittin' on 714. Here's the pitch by Downing. Swinging. There's a drive into left-center field. That ball is gonna be-eee... Outta here! It's gone! It's 715! There's a new home run champion of all time, and it's Henry Aaron! The fireworks are going. Henry Aaron is coming around third. His teammates are at home plate. And listen to this crowd!”
And now … that number ‘forty-four’ … plays a totally different significance. That is … Forty-four years years ago today … Miss Karen and I made vows to become husband & wife. And what are two sixty something folks to do in order to commemorate that special time? Well … a three-week motorcycle adventure … of course 🤠🏍
Typically there would be significant planning involved. But, with two previous trips, only weeks apart, the thought was to “Wing it”, on the Goldwing. Ha! That should not be a problem! Kids in school, and being Fall. So you could imagine the surprise when I decided to at least make a little bit of preparation, a week before our trip. I came to discover that literally, the rest of the world had the same plan. Only ~ they had made reservations :)
Picture by:Jessica Goehring
Scurrying to catch up, I determined to make some reservations. In the process, I discovered higher prices than imagined, and a couple particulars in regards to entrance into some National Parks. Arches, for example, did you know that they require a ‘Timed Entry Permit’? Yeah, well, I did not have a clue! The NPS had determined that they had to attempt to reduce the congestion after visitation has nearly doubled in the decade from 2011-2021. Their trial solution is to offer a $2 entry ticket. Apparently other knuckleheads are aware of this :( And they obtained their tickets within the three months window. And now, all that is available are those at the 3pm time. The good news … the NPS has provided two other options for those who lacked planning, such as ‘moi’. One, you can arrive before 7am or after 7pm. Or two, go onto their website at 6pm the night prior to your arrival, and wala … they have set some aside (up to 100 tickets) for those of us who were clueless. Thank you very much!
All this to say … from here out … known to be a ‘planner’ … will definitely be a tad more mindful with such adventures in the future.
And for now … Happy Anniversary to my bride of Forty-Four years! I love you dearly Miss Karen! Let us go visit ‘Zion’ …..
How do you obtain your ‘Timed Entry Permit’? First, you’ll need to have a NPS account. Go onto https://www.recreation.gov/ within three months from your date of arrival. If you've missed that window (as I did), then likewise go to their site at 6pm MST the day prior to your “Planned” entry. Click onto ‘Tickets and Tours’ — Select the location. For mine, I clicked onto, ‘Arches National Park Timed Entry’ and chose the ‘personal vehicle or motorcycle’, the date, and the desired entry window. I suggest you be prompt. I’ve tested this operation three different nights. The tickets are limited from 73-99 for the various time slots. They will go quickly.
