Photographer's Paradise

Yellowstone is a great place for visitors who want to capture all of
the park's natural flora and fauna through the lens. All along the
trails you see the photographers with their super sure shot cameras
and fancy focus lenses. Their big bundled backpacks and tremendously
tall tripods make them easy to spot.

Here we see a youthful and vivacious pictureman. Honing the art and
learning the craft. Relatively new to the hobby he strives to bring
energy and life to the objects he "paints." Displaying a cunning sense
for what is and isn't there, he should develop into a celebrated
historical documentarian.

Owen Wilson

He's pictured here disguised as a knowledgeable park ranger. No
kidding, the guy looked, talked, and sounded exactly like the actor.
The park ranger character could definitely be the focus of a hilarious
comedy. The possibilities are endless.

See, all of these rangers end each of their informational talks with
closing remarks of their personal outlook on life. Sometimes
appreciated, always unsolicited, these idealists offer their kindly
advice about spending time in the park and conservation in general.
Listen carefully, it could be a famous quote or even a philosophical
proverb. But no matter what you hear you can always count on these
words to be wise indeed.

The geyser in the background is the tallest in the world...when it
goes off. Not today.

A Day At The Geysers

We took a few hikes around Mammoth Hot Springs and the Norris Geyser
Basin today. The photo here is of the Artists Paintpots, which
displayed a particularly unique creamy looking bubbling feature. They
were my favorite.

Wanted

A haircut. Looks like he hasn't taken a shower in two weeks.

The story behind his disheveled state stems from his 3 AM wake up call. Assuradly contributing to his demise was Wake's rough defeat to the Midshipmen AT HOME. Additionally, at around 4 AM on his way from Winston Salem to Asheville he was pulled over by a state trooper for driving with his brights on.

The officer even called for back up once he realized the potential danger this rascally miscreant presented at first glimpse.

However, he was able to prove to the officer that he wasn't drunk (the assumed reason for being stopped). If the officer had seen him in his current state he probably would not be in Yellowstone today.

Yellowstone River

Following it into the northern entrance of the park. We'll be staying
at Mammoth Hot Springs tonight.

Custard

This morning I woke up right under Devils Tower and after doing a short hike there I did the long drive up to the Little Bighorn Battlefield Site. I have to admit while I spent a good amount of time at the site, my head wasn't totally in it. Preoccupying my mind were all the various baseball games on XM that had playoff implications. Congrats Phillies. For the record I am rooting for Minnesota, Milwaukee, Tampa Bay, and the Dodgers.

It was about 5 PM when I left and decided it didn't make much sense to drive back through the Bighorn Canyon and the Bighorn Mountains. Although the drive is supposedly one of the best out here I had to say enough is enough for now and decided to get to Billings a little early. I'll have to come back.

Western Towns

While I was in the Badlands I stopped in Wall to take care of some
essentials. The side trip also gave me the opportunity to check out
what the Wall Drug hype was all about. You start seeing these crazy billboards (by the hundreds) in Minnesota and they intensify as you get closer to this bustling metropolis. It's a lot like South of the Border, another "must see". Obviously Wall Drug is terribly overated
and just another place to shop... for junk. In fact I was so turned off that I refused to accept the free ice water.

One thing I did like were the signs on the highway, especially the one
Kevin Millar clearly stole the saying "cowboy up" from. But the signs
aren't quite as clever as I'd like them to be such as the old Burma Shave signs our parents remember. I did read that people have hanged signs "to Wall Drug" all over the world, which is pretty cool.

My other point about these Western towns is that they don't feel all that authentically Western. Some places seem to overdo the Western theme and in doing so cheapen the appeal. Deadwood was a tourist destination done up with modern chain hotels and casinos, Sheridan was more upscale shopping and empty promises. And then I
can't tell you how many gunslinging shootout reenactments there are. What ever happened to the real thing?

I want an actual corral, at least two watering holes with the small wooden swinging doors, precisely one Sheriff in town, a train OR bank robbery taking place, and tons of fresh horse manure out on a DIRT road.

Rushmore

Caught up with the "Senior Circuit" at Mt. Rushmore on Friday
afternoon. Tourists pack the place even in the offseason.

I spent a good six hours here. While I plan on seeing and doing a lot of different things on this trip I figure I'm not going to get to everything I want to. So the plan so far has been to invest serious time into each park/monument/tour/city/ball game/hike/dining experience/etc. and to enjoy its full experience. Otherwise I could spend my time doing a checklist, see it all, and not take anything with me.

Custer State Park

Clearly the bison are not endangered anymore. Several were on the roads on Friday morning on my way down to Wind Cave NP. It's ridiculous how much wildlife you see out
here. Then again there's also little human activity.

So far I've seen:

Prairie Dogs - all over the place on their little farms
Mule and Whitetail Deer - right up in my grill on several occasions
Bison aka the Buffalo
Bighorn Sheep
Porcupine - not as roadkill
Raccoon - going through a trash can at the camp site outside Devils Tower
Pronghorn antelope
Wild horses - on the Crow Reservation near Battle of Lil' Bighorn
Do cattle count?

Interesting story about some "road" cattle I encountered: I was driving down a dirt road in the Badlands along the rim where the prairie meets the cliffs and after I saw what I wanted to see I was ready to turn back and have dinner while the sun was setting. I had a hankering for some red beans and rice and wanted to get a good glimpse of the sun against the side of the cliffs and knew of a good spot. Unfortunately, on my way back about 30 of these beasts had decided to mosey out onto the road and chill for a lil. I thought they would move so I waited for a bit. Some gave me a solid stare down and some appeared motionless engrossed in what seemed to be... nothing. So I realized that there was no way all 30 were going to suddenly decide to move in the same direction, away from where I needed to pass, and so I was the bigger man and turned around and found a new spot and a new way out.

What Happened To This Cow?

I didn't do it.

I actually circled back around to get this shot. Just for you.