A Tentative First Step

Tonight is my first post for the Carbon Canyon Chronicle blog. I've lived in the canyon for four years and find living here to be a great experience overall. Living three miles from the nearest stoplight, store, tract home and other "conveniences" of modern suburban life is a great appeal. I am intrigued by the history of the canyon from what must have been Indian trails from the coast to inland regions, to early Spanish and Mexican travel through the canyon, to American-era use and settlement. I also enjoy the great diversity of people and homes found within the canyon, as well as the rugged canyon walls, density of trees and plants, and the occasional deer, coyote, and mountain lion. At the same time, other consequences of these "conveniences" find their way in, mainly in the form of proposed residential tracts, increased traffic, more reckless driving, fire hazards, and other threats to the well-being of this special place. This blog proposes to discuss it all, the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, the timelessness and the signs of "progress." It will be greatly appreciated if those of you who stop by leave a comment or two about the canyon. The hope is simple: learn, appreciate, and, perhaps, take that knowledge and appreciation and take concrete action if your views and concerns, like mine, lead you to want to anything, however small it might appear, to help keep the canyon a special place for all who live in it, drive through it, and use it in whatever way they do.