Shutter at the Thought

Meridian Hill Park

2009-03-08T12:30:00.002-04:00

Caving

2008-10-04T14:43:00.000-04:00

Straight to the Point

2008-10-04T14:33:00.000-04:00

Close Encounter of Another Kind

2008-10-04T14:06:00.000-04:00

A Monumental City

2008-09-21T20:42:00.000-04:00

Yellowstone National Park

2008-06-23T02:19:00.000-04:00

Boiling Ground

2008-06-23T01:40:00.000-04:00

Falling for Yellowstone

2008-06-23T01:04:00.000-04:00

Birds of Yellowstone

2008-05-18T11:13:00.000-04:00

2008-05-18T10:56:00.000-04:00

Bears!!!

2008-05-18T10:22:00.000-04:00

Furry Little Friends of Yellowstone

2008-05-15T22:51:00.000-04:00

They were Grand

2008-05-14T20:36:00.000-04:00

Little Bighorm Battlefield National Monument

2008-05-14T01:17:00.000-04:00

The Museum of The Rockies

2008-05-14T00:34:00.000-04:00

The Museum of the Rockies is said to be the best museum in this area of the country, with that said I think it gives museums in New York and DC a run for the money. I think it has the best Dinosaurs exhibit that I have ever seen. You have "Big Mike" outside the entrance welcoming everyone inside, the layout and flow is great and it gives you the opportunity you see more then the norm dino bone fossils. The museum had a beautiful jem collection of huge specimens. Also the vehicle collection was very nice as well. Who knew Montana had such a nice museum on the campus of Montana State University (MSU)? I sure didn't... I only had time for a quick look and was only able to view these exhibits, but the museum has much more to offer, maybe on another trip.

Gallitin National Forest

2008-05-13T23:34:00.000-04:00

Yellowstone National Park is surrounded by the Gallatin National Forrest. While driving to and from Yellowstone the forest was completely blanketed with fresh mountain snow. So many people are in such a rush to get to their final destination, they miss the ride. The way to Yellowstone was as beautiful as scenes in the park.

Babies in the Park

2008-05-13T21:22:00.000-04:00

The Theodore Roosevelt newborn class of 2008. Spring is finally here!!! Things are starting to green up a bit, and the prairie babies are up and walking around. I saw my first bison calf last week and it was just born earlier that day. Someone said to me, "Mary... when did you become such a bison expert! How can you tell that baby was born today?" and I replied "Well I can still see the afterbirth hanging out of the mother's Orpheus." The one particular herd of bison took a liking to having their calves in the picnic area, I’m sure it’s safe to say that it isn't appetizing for the picnickers.
Other park babies are right outside my front door in the Badlands buttes, there are two Great Horned Owl chicks flopping around exercising their wings before they take flight. Also I have been watching the Golden Eagles nest in the park since I got here and it was the first time I saw the young ones. Because of my only 3X zoom I can't take any recognizable pictures of the baby birds.

Birds Gone Wild

2008-05-04T13:48:00.000-04:00

Up at dawn to see what Spring Beakers are stopping in the park as they continue to migrate north. To my disappointment I mainly saw birds that live in the park year round such as the Flicker (photo 1), Chickadee (photo 3), Spotted Towhees (photo 4), and the Western Meadowlark (photo 5). However I did see some first comers (which weren't easy to photograph with my crappy zoom) such as the Cedar Waxwing (photo 2), various kinds of Sparrows, Kinglets, the Yellow-rumped, and the Black and White Warblers: which are the front runners in the Warbler migration. This only means it’s just the beginning of the movement, so I guess I will have to be out @ 5AM next weekend and do it all over again. I missed the Sandhill Cranes already; I'm not going to miss the migratory birds!

Cotton in the Sky

2008-05-04T13:16:00.000-04:00

My walk along the Little Missouri right after sunrise resulted in some beautiful pictures. Of course I didn't see much wildlife along the way... only some noisy Canada geese, Wood ducks, and some Mallards. After the 1/2 inch of rain we had this week really helped the LMRiver, it was starting to look like a puddle, but now its high enough to canoe in, flowing steadily along and carry a lot of sediment. The Little Missouri even today continues to change the landscape of the North Dakota Badlands.

Finally Whitetails!!!

2008-05-04T12:41:00.000-04:00

Well it only took me a little over three weeks, but I finally saw some familiar faces... the White-tailed Deer. Everyone has been telling me they hangout down by the campground and picnic areas, because it is more wooded than anywhere else in the park. After hearing this for three weeks and not seeing one, I thought the White-tailed Deer of TR are mythical creatures that really don’t exist. But this morning I finally found them and plenty of evidence that they hang out there often. Two species of deer live in the park... the more common Mule Deer can be seen all over the park, they are less afraid of people, have bigger ears, and a black tip on their tails.

Snowy Fridays

2008-05-04T12:16:00.000-04:00

For the past two Fridays it has snowed, and of course both Fridays I was working all day in the Visitor Center. These pictures and the only ones I could take on my way to work... The first one is the view from my front porch, the next is a shot of the road entering the park, and the last one is Theodore Roosevelt's cabin that was on the Maltese Cross Ranch.

Happy Arbor Day!!!

2008-04-25T19:17:00.000-04:00

This is my tribute to the tree! Ok don't worry I haven't turned into a Tree Hugger or anything. Here is a selection of my favorite tree pictures during my travels. The first picture is my favorite tree in Gettysburg, along cemetery ridge. I took this picture while I lived there the year after I graduated from college. The next tree I found along the James River, while visiting plantation in Virginia. On my trip to the Bahamas I visited a National Park there and took this picture of this tree while in a cave, and like the lighting effect in this one. Of course I had to include the old white oak tree at Rock Creek. And the last one is an example of the trees that I see around here; well not really... this is an old Juniper tree on a butte's North Slope that was a result of fire many years ago. Ok now go plant a tree, or at least appreciate their beauty.

Thats just Bullshit.... NO its not

2008-04-25T00:22:00.000-04:00

The Dogs of the Prairie

2008-04-24T23:50:00.000-04:00

Painted Canyon

2008-04-16T15:36:00.000-04:00

This is the view from the overlook at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center for TRNP, and guess what the overlook overlooks Painted Canyon. This visitor center is located right of off I94, but people really think of it as a rest area. But the colors are beautiful and they differentiate between the areas with sunlight and the areas subjected to cloud cover. This is the area where you can find elk at dawn and dusk.

Spring Time in TRNP

2008-04-16T00:13:00.000-04:00

Well apparently this little flower, something like a prairie crocus, marks the coming of spring. Also snakes have come out now as well, there have been two Bull Snake sightings, and of course after hiking I found the season’s first tick crawling up my leg. The beloved Canada geese have returned and sit in the badland formations right outside my apartment, they make so much noise and every time someone leaves the park housing they do a fly by right over your head. The winter has been very dry so everything is pretty brown, but as soon as the rain comes the park will turn completely green and people say it resembles Ireland. But I would have no idea, because I have never been to Ireland before anyways. I am looking forward to seeing the park with a little green pigment... but I have enjoyed the colors of winter, time to make way for spring!!!

A North Dakota Sun Set

2008-04-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

I enjoyed this beautiful Sunday North Dakota sunset on a quick trip to Knife River. Knife River is a historical site were Lewis and Clark picked up their famous guide Sakakawea on their exposition out to the Pacific Ocean. We arrived at the visitor center after hours, so I know I will be venturing back to this park site to learn as much as I can. Knife River Indian Villages is one of the three park sites in North Dakota, and all the parks work closely together. There have been talks that seasonals get to go on work time fieldtrips to the North Unit of TRNP, Fort Union Trading Post, and Knife River, so I'm really looking forward to seeing if that truly happens!!!

Fire in the Park..... AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

2008-04-14T23:20:00.000-04:00

Oh give me a Home, Where the Buffalo roam...

2008-04-11T19:38:00.000-04:00

Well I made it to my final destination, well at least for the next 5 months, but I think my adventures have only just begun. I decided to take a look around the new park I will now be working at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. I was not driving for ten minutes and I came around a bend to see a wild horse prancing down the road. As I approached he exited and allowed me to pass, but not without posing for a picture. The bison at Custer don't even hold a candle to the bison (buffalo) here. The Roosevelt bison are larger and the coloring is different, but in a good way. I really don't know whats going on with this Mule Deer walking up this cliff... it looks like she got a hair cut by Edward Scissorhands . And of course my little friend the Prairie Dog who lives so very close to the road, but he or she wasn't afraid of me at all... by the way how can you tell the difference between a male and female Prairie Dog, without getting your nose bitten off??? I guess that’s a question for someone in the Natural Resource department.

Well the badlands here are very interesting compared to the ones in South Dakota. They have more ground vegetation living on them, which I think makes it more habitable for small and large cliff dwelling animals. As I was driving along I saw chipmunks and rabbits hopping in and out of cracks and holes looking for the perfect home for them.

Well my new home is definitely where the buffalos roam, and the deer and the antelope play.... among with a hundred other species. I just pray I don't wake up one morning with a Prairie Dog in my bed.

The Brazell Family Park Service Tradition

2008-04-11T19:29:00.001-04:00

Apparently I descend from a famous Park Service linage.... Who Knew???

I saw this display at Wind Cave while waiting for the tour to begin. Esther Brazell was the first female park ranger for the National Park Service and she worked at Wind Cave, she later married the superintendent of the park and died just a few years ago... maybe my last name might help me get some jobs in the future!

Wind Cave National Park

2008-04-11T18:58:00.000-04:00

Wind Cave was the first National Park to protect a cave in 1903, I think. It is the fourth longest cave in the world at 127 miles and the cave holds 90% of the worlds Boxwork which is a limestone formation, pictured above. Wind Cave got its name due to the extreme pressure changes that makes the cave inhale and exhale at the cave's natural entrance. This was my first cave tour so I was pretty excited, but my flash for whatever reason didn't work down in the cave, so please forgive the crudeness of the picture quality. But the ranger talked mostly about the history of people exploring Wind Cave. He wanted to show us how the first explorers saw the cave, so he turned off all the cave lights and then this kid freaked out because how dark it was. At lest when I gave a planetarium program I gave everyone a heads up and even then it wasn't completely pitch black. But the most interesting formations in the cave was the boxwork, and cave popcorn. Wind Cave is different from any other cave and we have the Black Hills to thank for that, so the lack of variety of formations, gives way to the abundance of Limestone Boxwork. But Wind Cave above ground is just as pretty as below. The National Park Service has to protect the conditions above ground to preserve the cave below. Change in vegetation for example would alter the amount of water entering into the cave, and the same formations would not occur.

The next day however I was very disappointed with Jewel Cave the second largest cave in the world. I drove all the way there and arrived at 10AM and there wasn't a cave tour until 2PM. I was going to wait around but the ranger said they won’t give the tour unless there are two visitors to go on it, so I left. I was disappointed because the cave has beautiful rare formations, oh well I guess I'll just have to go back another time.

Custer State Park Wildlife encounters

2008-04-11T18:09:00.000-04:00

As I said earlier the wildlife in Custer was amazing, and all of these pictures were taken from my driver’s seat. I encountered most of the wildlife along the Wildlife Loop... go figure. But I saw lots of other animals mostly birds that aren't posted. I saw herds, not flocks, herds of Wild Turkeys, but every time I tried to take their snapshot they bolted. Flocks of Dark-eyed Juncos littered the sides of the road and would fly on in front of you as you drove.

I saw White-tailed deer in the Black Hills portion of the park, and the Mule Deer with their larger ears and black dipped tip tail live mostly on the prairie. The Pronghorn is the smaller animal that is photographed; I really know little about this animal but hope to learn more at Roosevelt NPS. But now the crème-de-la-crème the American Bison, I was so ready to see one you these amazing creatures, but you never see just one of them. I saw hundreds and of course they were in the middle of the street blocking the way. They won’t move for anything, I had to drive around them. This one Bison just stared at me, and he is the one pictured above, and of course not being around people for awhile I talked to him, and I said "you looking at me" in a Deniro type accent. Of course he just stood there the whole time and I had to wait until he moved slightly so I could finally continue on my way.

Custer State Park

2008-04-11T17:32:00.001-04:00

Well Custer State Park beat out all the National Park sites for my favorite places I visited while on my road trip. Because it was still considered the "Winter Season" some roads were closed, along with ranger stations. So I didn't know where to pick up any hiking trails or even get a park map, so I just winged it and it was a blast. I didn't get a chance to see the famous Black Hills "Needle Eye" or visit some of the parks beautiful lakes, but now that gives me the reason to go back in the summer months and maybe drag someone along with me.

Custer State park encompasses portions of the Black Hills and then prairie habitat as well. It was ever changing from habitat to habitat, and even climate to climate. Higher altitudes were colder with snow, and the flatlands were breezy, pleasant, and snow free. The amount of wildlife I saw was unreal and it was all visible from my car. But since there was a lot of wildlife there also are a lot of the substances that come from wildlife, that’s right there was a lot of shit. You didn't have to worry about road kill at Custer State Park, you had to worry about terd kill. Its like the animals purposely crap in the middle of the street. It’s like the circus came to town and the clowns forgot the pooper scooper. I really wanted to see my first American Bison (aka Buffalo) in the wild, and I was getting pretty mad that I didn't see one at any of the other parks yet. But when I came to Custer I saw Buffalo chips (buffalo shit) everywhere, so I knew they were there, but where.... finally towards the end of my journey I started seeing herds and herds of them and it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, but it wasn't the most pleasant smelling thing in the world.

Black Hills National Forest

2008-04-11T16:15:00.000-04:00

When I entered into the Black Hills in the morning they weren’t black at all, I wanted to call them the White Hills because the ground, rocks, and pine trees were covered with a fresh blanket of snow. The snow did not make it easy to drive among the hills which were really like mountains. They truly were a beautiful sight to see. As the day went on the snow melted away to revile the 2.5-billion-year-old blackish Precambrian granite. But due to the winter conditions I couldn’t access many of the roads that took you to the locations of the well know Black Hills Needles and the higher elevated scenic areas.

The Black Hills just look like massive rocks in a sea of pines, but if you take a closer look at them you can see the variation of colors due to the life that the rocks support. It is an amazing ecosystem that supports a variety of living things. But the Black Hills aren’t just known for their beauty above ground, below ground you can explore many of the caves in the area as well.

Another neat thing about the Black Hills was how many movies were shot around the area. There were signs that stated which movies were filmed where, like North by Northwest with Cary Grant. And I know what your thinking... I did not see Nick Cage looking for the City of Gold.

Its Just Crazy...

2008-04-11T15:11:00.000-04:00

Well the only crazy thing about the Crazy Horse Monument site is the people that actually think that it will be completed some day. When it is completed it will be the largest sculpture of all time, big than Mount Rushmore, the Washington Monument, and even the Great Pyramids. Mount Rushmore can actually fit where Crazy Horse's head is. He is pointing to where is people are buried and where their land was. Other then the unfinished monument there was many buildings that housed native American artifacts and displays about their culture. Also I took a picture of the model of what the sculpture will look like, with the actual monument in the background. While I was there I did here blasting, so they were working on it, but I really don't see an end in sight for this project.

The Four Big Stone Heads

2008-04-11T12:27:00.000-04:00

Ok so Mount Rushmore isn't just four stone heads, it is a monument to four great leaders that helped shape our country. Ok for everyone that doesn't know their American Presidents... from left to right: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and last but not least Abraham Lincoln. This monument represents the birth, growth, development, and the preservation of our country. Mount Rushmore is located in the Black Hills in South Dakota among beautiful scenery.

The visitor center was very nice, and looked newly remodeled. Two films were shown about the creation of the monument and the other about the natural resources in the park. The exhibits displayed information about all four Presidents, tools used to create Mount Rushmore, and information about the sculptor Gutzon Borglum. Interesting facts... 90% of Mount Rushmore was sculpted by dynamite and you can still see the ruble on the hillside today, it took 17 years to complete the sculpture, but the sculptor Gutzon Borglum never saw it completed, his son Lincoln finished the project after his death.

When I arrived at the monument in the morning it was covered with a blanket of snow and the landscape of the park was white. As the day progresses the temperature rose and melted the snow and added some color differences between the wet and dry stone. As I was leaving the fog was rolling in and you could barely see the monument, I guess my timing was perfect. I was disappointed however in the lack of hiking trails; I wanted to get some different angle shots of the monument. I did however hike the Presidential Loop which gave me the great "up the noses" shot. But all in all I had a great time at the famous American Landmark.

The Beautifulands

2008-04-11T01:29:00.000-04:00

When I entered the Badlands National Park in South Dakota, I decided to make a congressional decision and change the name to the Beautifulands National Park. I realize the historical significance to the name “Badlands”, but I truly think the park is negatively associated due to the word “Bad” in the title. Would you honestly visit a place called “Crappyland”…? NO WAY.

But this park is truly beautiful and very mysterious. I was lucky to be there to witness a weather change and how it impacts the change in color of the Badlands. As I was hiking in a T-shirt early in the morning with a blue sky and a light breeze the layers in the Badlands weren’t as evident as it was when a storm came through, it dropped 20 degrees, and began to snow. I was completely amazed by this park, I have never seen anything like it in my life it was like I was in another country. Any photograph I took couldn’t do the landscape justice.

As for wildlife at the park I saw it mostly at a great distance. The park has a vast amount of land designated as wilderness, and I unfortunately didn’t have the time to venture through it. Hey if you were an animal would you be in a location where annoying people (like me) were driving around trying to take pictures of me. Not really. However I did see a lot of western birds that I haven’t seen before such as the Mountain Bluebird, Western Meadowlark, and the Magpie. But my favorite encounter by far was with my new favorite animal, the Prairie Dog. I say that now, but I’m sure when I leave Theodore Roosevelt National Park I will think of them like squirrels. But they really are a funny little animal. As I drove along the grassland portion of the badlands all you could see is little mounds at a distance, as you approached closer you heard the funniest sound that sounded like a bird screaming, and then you saw the little animals scrambling around to get to their home, and as you continue on you can see them poke the head out of the ground to sound the alarm that it’s all clear.

Roadside Americana

2008-04-11T00:57:00.000-04:00

While driving along highway 90 during the very very flat and boring portion of South Dakota there really isn’t much to look at. But other than the flat land that was treeless it had another feature decorating it… the very cleaver advertising form the billboard. The sign for the famous Wall Drug (as seen on the Today Show, in Newsweek, Time,…) began 300 miles away. This American institution is proof if you put up signs and advertise free ice water tourists will come. This little drug store has since tripled in size and is visited by millions each year. Signs were placed announcing the distance from the store all over the world, GIs from WWII helped out with that, but due Lady Byrd most of the signs in this country were taken down. I really can’t believe there used to be even more signs than the ones that remain today. When you get to Wall Drug you can still get your free ice water, a 5 cent cup of coffee, and see the old “Jackalope”, but all it really is a tourist trap with a history.

Another intriguing sign was the sign for the Corn Palace. If you see a sign for the world’s only palace made of corn you pull over for the hell of it. So I pulled over to Mitchell, SD to see the famous World’s only Corn Palace, but it wasn’t completely made out of corn. But the designs and murals were made with multicolored corn cobs. The funniest thing though was the fact that it shared the building with city hall.

It is truly only in America the only place you can see the world’s largest prairie dog, skeleton man walking a skeleton T Rex, and the Corn Palace. I am disappointed however I missed the world’s largest pheasant, but I saw enough crazy ones running across the road. The joke should go “why did the pheasant cross the road…” not chicken.

Effigy Mounds National Monument

2008-04-10T23:45:00.000-04:00

The Effigy Mounds National Monument is located in Iowa on limestone bluffs of the Mississippi River. This was my first stop on my trip and the first time I saw the mighty Mississippi River. The monument consists of land along the Mississippi River were Native American mounds are located. These mounds are formed in many different shapes such as circular, hawk, and bear shaped mounds. The mounds' shapes aren't truly visible from ground level. An aerial view is needed to see the forms at their best. It is believed that Effigy mounds were found throughout the Mid-West but were destroyed due to the development of cities and the creation of farmsteads. Many different hypotheses have been made about who made them, when, and why. Due to archeological studies it is now known that they aren't all burial mounds, and other hypotheses arouse of the other mounds used for ceremonies to gods.

The park site not only holds cultural resources, but natural ones as well. The Mississippi supports many different species of wildlife. As I reached one of the park trail's overlooks of the Mississippi, I saw a Bald Eagle soaring boldly overhead in the strong wind gusts. While hiking along the wooded portion of the trail I heard and saw many different species of birds like Black capped Chickadees, woodpeckers, and Nuthatches.

I arrived at the park when the weather was beautiful and sunny, and of course when I left the park visitor center a storm front was moving over the Mississippi. Due to the weather the pictures aren't the greatest, but common it’s the Mississippi, just to see it is all there is to me!

Gone Fishin

2008-03-02T23:16:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok, otay... yes I shelled out the 20 some dollars to visit the Shed (pun intended). It is by far my favorite fake under the sea adventure. Being able to see our water's beautiful creatures without getting wet is ok by me. Well I must admit I had a few photo shoots with some of my fine finned friends, but really the only look I could get outta them was a fish face.

The Windy City

2008-03-02T20:13:00.000-05:00

I made my billionth trip to Chicago last weekend... But I took some new comers along for the ride, so of course the touristo stops were a must. When you say Chicago what comes to mind... Sears Tower, pizza, wind, great architecture, the bulls, bears or cubs, museums, and I'm sure much more. Well we covered as much as we could in two days.... and of course being slightly hung over each day.