Earth Smells Good

The weather for the past 2 weeks has been beautiful. We have been able to accomplish several tasks at the museum we weren't really expecting to because the weather has been so great. I know the snow will get here soon enough, so I'm not complaining a bit! Kaitlin, my coworker, told me that by this time last year, they already had 1.5 ft of snow on the ground. I took the opportunity this afternoon to go be outside, and drove out to Hebgen Lake and Earthquake Lake. 

I took a mini-hike for a couple hundred yards up a trail to get a great view of Hebgen Lake and the mountains surrounding it. It was such a nice day, I decided to just sit there for awhile and enjoy the sunshine. I ended up sitting there for almost an hour and didn't want to leave. I will remember this day all winter, especially when the snow reaches my rooftop.

Work will be busy again this week...Kaitlin and I are going to Billings for a meeting about next summer's exhibit commemorating the Yellow Bus, and then we have Executive Committee meetings at the end of the week. Things are never boring around here, that's for sure. 

Sanctuary of Peace

As a millennial, one of the increasing social pressures is to find the perfect caption and hashtag for posting pictures to social media. I usually tweak (briefly) the first thing that pops in my head and then move on to accomplishing other things. I captioned one of my recent pictures "Sanctuary of Peace" to describe a short hike into the backcountry in the park. I was close enough to see the parking lot off in the distance and not worry about getting surprised by any wild animals (I was prepared with my bear spray) but far enough away to go over a rise and turn my back on the cares of the modern world. On the other side of this rise, all I could hear was silence. And yes, it is possible to hear silence. A nice breeze was blowing and off in the distance was a herd of about 60 bison. There was no sound of cars driving on the road or people talking. Absolute stillness and peace. I wish I could have spent all afternoon sitting right there. I will definitely be going back to my accurately named Sanctuary of Peace. 

Needless to say, I am quite pleased with the caption I created. :) 

One of my fellow interns from years ago at the Buffalo Bill came to visit, and we went to Idaho Falls, mostly to get Chickfila, but also to explore and have an adventure. After a long week of cool and wet weather, it was really nice to have a blue sky day.

People tend to forget that mountain ranges have two sides, and that a famous mountain range and vista has a reverse viewpoint to people who live on the other side. While the most famous view of the Tetons is from Jackson and the National Park side in Wyoming, they are just as beautiful looking east from Idaho. Tourism has not made the view such a big deal from this angle, and houses do not cost multi-millions. Farmland has preserved the iconic image and prevented developers from building too close. With far fewer people to compete with looking, it is a great experience to see them from "the back side."

The Light of the World

Last night I met some friends from Cody in the Park for supper and left early enough that I could stop and see things if I wanted to. Fall is definitely out in full force here, with 3 colors being prominent. The grass has turned quite brown by this point in the season. Most trees are lodgepole pine, and stay green. The bright colors come from the aspen trees which turn a brilliant yellow. At their peak, they almost hurt your eyes to look at because they are so bright. On my drive, I noticed a couple places where there was one, solitary aspen tree in the middle of the hillside. Those single trees looked so beautiful and strong and courageous despite their aloneness and lack of forest companions. They fight  against snow, ice, wind, and cold temperatures in the winter time to survive. The struggle for life in their natural habitat is fierce and life is hard. The longer I looked at them, the more poignant the verses became that urge us to let our lights shine. I choose to shine God's light whether I stand alone or have a forest around me. Be the light.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth." Ephesians 5:5-9

Other pictures from my trip through the Park yesterday...

The Next Adventure

Grad school is now over and I have moved on into the real world starting with a membership to Costco. I think that is my sign of true adulthood! I do not have internet set up yet, which is in itself quite the ordeal, so I am saving major updates for later once I can write from the comfort of my couch. I am currently sitting outside my office building (for the wifi) on a concrete block and getting whacked in the face with paper napkins flying around in the wind. I facetime'd Mike, Lesley, and Lily and hoped they didn't see the flying napkins. Mike finally asked me if I got hit in the face with a napkin. Yes. Yes I did. Someone else has my keys to the building, so I'm unable to go inside where it's warm and cozy. So major updates will wait until next time.

On Friday this past week, I took a trip into Yellowstone after work and saw an enormous grizzly bear chowing down on some grubs. I was about 100 yards from it, and mostly saw its backside, but it was one of the biggest grizzlies I've ever seen. I saw a couple elk harems and lots of animal watchers congregating to see them.

The harvest moon was beautiful. In this particular spot, the moon rose over the river and reflected off of the sparkling water and illuminated some of the boulders. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I don't think I'll get back while this moon is full, but hopefully I can catch the next one. 

I have a couple of friends from Cody coming to visit next weekend. I'm pretty excited to see some familiar faces and explore this side of the park or some of the national forest around here with them. Many thanks to all of you who have supported my ongoing adventures, love of the West, and search for a job. For now, those seem to have come together in West Yellowstone, Montana.


This post has been cut short due to swirling napkins and an oncoming rain shower. More to come soon.