Take Time to Smell the Trees

Have you ever smelled a pine tree? When you visit the Grand Canyon, make some time to seek out a stately Ponderosa Pine. They are tall, elegant pine trees with long needles, small cones, and a reddish, rough bark. Walk up to one of these trees, and bury your nose in any cleft in the bark. That's right! You'll discover the rich scent of vanilla when you get close enough. The scent is even more pronounced on a warm summer day. We always urged tourists to stop and smell the trees during their visit. Some thought we were crazy, but when they discovered the smell, they thought otherwise. To this day, I can't open a bottle of rich-scented vanilla without closing my eyes and thinking of Ponderosa pines.