We went to do one of our often repeated walks at John Boyd Thacher State Park today. We first went to this part of the park back on Day 101 and have been there many times since including with most of our visitors. We had a great walk today - I only had to carry E5N1 for two short stretches - apart from that, he walked, stomped and ran with the best of us.
As we were leaving, there were no parking spaces available and a steady stream of soon-to-be disappointed drivers were arriving. The scenes at the overlook were unlike any we had ever seen (with the possible exception of firework-time on the Fourth of July) with cars parked in every possible place.
Great though it was to see such crowds enjoying the simple outdoor pleasures of the area that we so love, the reasons are not so happy. The park will close tonight. The governor has proposed cuts to the park budget that requires the closure of several state parks including this one. The legislature has passed a bill to hold-back this particular drop in the budget deficit ocean, but has so far failed to pass a budget, so the closures go ahead as planned.
We can only hope that this situation is very short-lived especially if this weekend's frenetic activity on the Helderberg Escarpment has reawakened people's love of the great outdoors.
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