When I was a kid the US population was around 186 million. When we camped in the Smokies & Ozarks we were frequently the only people in the campgronds.
When I did most of my rambling in the early & mid 70s the population had climbed to just over 200 million. Still, I had many places - some of the most popular national parks - to myself.
And even in the 90s when I did a lot of partnering work with a division of IBM that was HQd in Boulder I could go up to Brainard Lake for a nice, evening walk and I wouldn't see many other people.
Now I see this - https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10087515 - you actually have to get tickets to get a parking slot at the Brainard trailheads.
Puts me in mind of the old Hollies song (which I'm sure Ron will appreciate):
There's a story that I read about in books
About the bad times that people had
That's how He planned it
You can't do naught about it
Too many people
The black plague came along and wiped out quite a few
The rats came with the graves, that's how we knew
That's how He planned it
You can't do naught about it
Too many people
This ain't no story
No fairy tale
These things have happened once before
Ask yourself the question
When will it end?
There ain't no foolin' death
So you just gotta sit and wait
Too many people
Too many people
This ain't no story
No fairy tale
These things have happened once before
Ask yourself the question
When will it end?
There ain't no foolin' death
So you just gotta sit and wait
A million people died
In great wars that we know
They sacrificed their lives
Just goes to show
That's how He planned it
You can't do naught about it
Too many people (There's too many people)
Too many people
Too many people
Too many people, oh, yeah
When I did most of my rambling in the early & mid 70s the population had climbed to just over 200 million. Still, I had many places - some of the most popular national parks - to myself.
And even in the 90s when I did a lot of partnering work with a division of IBM that was HQd in Boulder I could go up to Brainard Lake for a nice, evening walk and I wouldn't see many other people.
Now I see this - https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10087515 - you actually have to get tickets to get a parking slot at the Brainard trailheads.
Puts me in mind of the old Hollies song (which I'm sure Ron will appreciate):
There's a story that I read about in books
About the bad times that people had
That's how He planned it
You can't do naught about it
Too many people
The black plague came along and wiped out quite a few
The rats came with the graves, that's how we knew
That's how He planned it
You can't do naught about it
Too many people
This ain't no story
No fairy tale
These things have happened once before
Ask yourself the question
When will it end?
There ain't no foolin' death
So you just gotta sit and wait
Too many people
Too many people
This ain't no story
No fairy tale
These things have happened once before
Ask yourself the question
When will it end?
There ain't no foolin' death
So you just gotta sit and wait
A million people died
In great wars that we know
They sacrificed their lives
Just goes to show
That's how He planned it
You can't do naught about it
Too many people (There's too many people)
Too many people
Too many people
Too many people, oh, yeah