Yellowstone

Just got back from a couple of days in the nation's first national park, Yellowstone. We go there every year, and have really started to notice the subtle things that change. First of all, it has been a real wet year and the park was as green as it normally is in May/June. That led us to notice that all the animals looked as healthy as ever. We had never been to the park at this exact time, so we got to see the bison being very frisky as the females started to go into estrous. Several of the young bulls were butting heads in an attempt to land the holy grail of mating with a female. Another noticable visual was the higher level of activity in all of the geysers in the western half of the park, while Mammoth Hot Springs in the north was visibly dryer in most areas. Finally, it was very apparent that the park was full and that there were no available campsites to be had. People are definitely taking to driving again amidst $3 a gallon gasoline. While it was a little bothersome to have that many people piled up on the roads in the park, I was pleased that so many folks were able to enjoy a true wonder of this world.