Tango and I are in the auto shop waiting room. Everyone who comes in – parts folks, customers – loves Tango. Pat, pat, scratch, scratch. As usual, he gets all the attention. I am just the one who holds his leash. The van is in good hands here, and they will get me on the…
The past 2 weeks I read The Yellowstone Story (Vols 1, 2). I also read the daily news: conservation and environmental stories in particular. When I line up the Yellowstone Story next to the current public lands crisis (e.g., rescinding National Monument status of public lands), I find a remarkable parallel in the story lines. The…
By returning to Spokane I completed the circle that I began last August–a long journey that changed me from the inside out. Or, maybe, it laid me bare by peeling off, from the outside in, the layers that accumulated over the decades. Maybe both. Either way, I am glad for it. The best part of…
Overall, my first week has been great. The learning curve is steep and, already, I have learned much. Here are a few of the most important lessons so far: Bison are rude Every few days, 3 bull bison wander into my campsite. I call them Larry, Curly, and Mo. They are simply grazing, but they…
There is a delight in the hardy life of the open. There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy and its charm. The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation…
Just this morning I was bragging about this easy, low-stress job.Then, a few hours later, one of our campers goes missing. I met him and his wife on my rounds last night. They sleep in a tent, and I estimate their age at around mid-80s. Anyway, they drove up to a trailhead above us…