Grandiose scenery is cheapened by the grotesque names tourists give it.

Evidence

Then through a gate of huge red rocks, we passed into the valley, called fantastically, Garden of the Gods, in which, were I a divinity, I certainly would not choose to dwell. Many places in this neighborhood are also vulgarized by grotesque names. From this we passed into a ravine, down which the Fountain River rushed, and there I left my friends with regret, and rode into this chill and solemn gorge, from which the mountains, reddening in the sunset, are only seen afar off. — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 175

Categorization

• SEED: An essay on place-naming: how booster-era superlatives (‘Garden of the Gods’) annex and tame landscapes they claim to celebrate.
• APHORISMS: Her aside that she would not choose to dwell in a “Garden of the Gods” is a wry, durable bit of travel wisdom.