Easter In The Park

WET AND WILD

Wind, Rain, Snow

a wet wonderland

WELCOMING COMMITTEE

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.. Such a magnificent three days in Yellowstone National Park. All the splendid vistas and all the quixotic presentations of weather have been on display. It's presenting us with a soft drizzle at the moment.
.. Of course the casual visitor wants it to be bright sunshine and no breeze with billowing clouds in blue skies. That happens.

MYSTERIOUSLY SOFT AND GRAY

.. The majesty of the place is however, in fact, it's diversity from minute to minute and, place to place and, day to day and, season to season. To be able to experience rain and snow and sun in the same day is a wonder in itself.
.. The neighbors appreciate this. They revel in it. They giggle at the idealizations of the casual visitor. They wonder at the foreign thought and superficial attitudes that decry an overcast sky or a bit of precipitation. My my.

THE WAY IT SHOULD BE ?

.. There is still snow on the ground. FOR SHAME! How could they!
.. There is bison shit smeared all over the wet roads. You think that 'they' would do something about that.
.. The damp and wet conditions have stifled visitation at the North Entrance. There is even some mud on the roads and Parade Ground Trails, [see it here.]
.. Heaven forbid that shoes should get dirty on the way to the wet picnic benches. OOPS - forgot the poncho and drop cloth.

LIGHT GREEN NOW

.. It's not too surprising that the ungulates find the wet meadows where green is ready to eat. Some find them sooner than others.
.. Wet feet do not seem to be a hindrance. Ah, diverse meadows.
.. Not all the roads are open right now [LINK-R] but they will be - more or less.
.. The park's roads meander through a wide range of elevations. They are built on a wide range of substrates. They follow a wide range of game trails and early stagecoach routes.

FOOD FOR SOME

.. The freeze/thaw cycles throughout the year cause upheavals and down-warping. Potholes, rips, tears, lumps, bumps, humps and breaks propagate throughout the year.
.. Road construction is a given. Just another thing to whine about for the perfect world folks.
.. Where there is no grass there is still food for some critters. It's fact of life that death occurs in Yellowstone National Park.
.. People die. Animals die. Plants die. The death feeds the life. The sun and, the snow and, the rain all feed the life. Such a wonderful place - rain or shine.

OLD FAITHFUL CABIN

.. The park concessionaires and NPS personnel are busy getting rid of the many  'inconveniences' in preparation for the onslaught of visitors that will come to "do the park." Ought to be able to see it all in a day or two.
.. Golly gee wiz. The damn roads and, construction and, crowds and, critters and, trees in the road cause slow travel; sometimes even delays.
.. Of course there was never a plan to get out of the car, (SUV, MOBILE CONDO, CAMPER VAN, etc.) A leisure pace seems foreign to the mentality of the casual visitor to the park.
.. One thing is certain - this park, (despite concepts to the contrary,) is not your typical city park. A day in the park can turn into a lifetime - and never experience it all or, even1/2 or, less.

QUIET FOR NOW ON OPENING DAY

.. The rivers and streams between the West Entrance and both Mammoth and Old Faithful are clear cold and at bank level.
.. Color is just beginning to creep in, [ MADISON, FIREHOLE.]
.. The Madison River at Cameron is setting new records every day [CAMERON.]

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WALLPAPER:   SOME PINK GOOP ON THE DONUTS