Park service gift stores no longer stock film and flashbulbs or prephotographed slides or View Master reels of scenic wonders, and their postcard collection is hidden in a corner. How long has it been since you have sent or received one? I think I still have a lot of 20 cent postcard stamps somewhere (it now costs 32 cents to mail one, which is just about what they cost to buy). So in lieu of postcards, here are some pictures we took a couple of days ago at Yellowstone National Park. You have seen thousands of photos like these before, and so have we; we’ve even seen some of this in an Imax theater; but it doesn’t compare to the real thing.
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The park suffered from a devastating fire in 1988 which burned a good portion of the pine trees. In keeping with their spirit, the Park Service pretty much let it burn, and has taken no steps to alter the course of nature; and nature has responded with a good growth of new forest where the old trees were. Sometimes the trees are the same species, sometimes they’re different. Towering over the new forest are occasional reminders of what was there 24 years ago; in some cases, there are tiny spots of green growth high up an otherwise dead tree. It’s weird.
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The viewing gallery around the Old Faithful geyser can probably hold over a thousand ogling visitors; the next eruption was scheduled for 3:59 p.m. The crowd assembled, and when nothing had happened by 3:05, several people started grumbling and looking at their watches. “Hey, you’re on vacation,” I wanted to say. After a couple of false starts, the geyser geysed, but because of the wind blowing the water and steam away from us it wasn’t quite as awesome as some of the ViewMaster reels I remember. We followed in the middle of post-eruption bumper to bumper traffic all the way back to Jackson.
Great job Steve – beautiful pictures to share. Love that place. Looks like you two had great fun and am so glad.Bob and Rena
Great job Steve. Look’s like you two are haveing to much fun… Hi… ttul
Don