THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS
Other Wonders Too
a gentle melt so far
.. We visited early. The official opening is at 8:00 AM. We pretended it was that time as we 'administratived' our way through the new west entrance station. You'll see the relocated canopy and particle board kiosks soon enough. One kiosk was fully functional. The other was a "cash only" situation. They'll get it figured out... For us it was the rivers. Those wet arteries of life that hold a vast array of unseen and mysterious life - fish too.
.. For others it was the enormous black grizzly just below Black Sand Basin - we snapped a few. For many it was the Bison, or Elk, or Eagles, or Swans, or Mallards,
or Golden Eyes - we got those too... Some paused for ground squirrels, others watched the Canada Geese. Many cars parked and enjoyed the scenery - did some of that too.
.. For us, however, it was the water. The rivers on the west side of the park are near full, flowing clear, and darkly inviting. The snow is confined to the edges of the valley floor, (mostly.)
.. The first bison calves attracted lots of attention - and ours. But, we watched the eddies and riffles. Dipper Cliff held a few rising trout - what were they eating? There were rises at Elk Island. Hidden Pond is full. We're full of anticipation.
.. The Madison River is dark and mercuric, The Fire Hole River is animated, The Gibbon River is a bit sleepy, and Nez Perce Creek is as mysterious as ever. We anticipate a congenial reacquantanceship soon.
.. For those of us that prowl the nooks and crannies of the smaller and lesser fished waters things look good; so far. We took some time to enjoy the sights that we often take for granted. The sights and sounds that we frequently rush past on our way upstream were easy to enjoy this morning. It was a gentle morning. It was soft, gray, and a bit foreboding. There's weather coming.
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We even made a video.
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