Yellowstone Part 4: Realizations

I've not stayed in a log of log cabins, but this is absolutely my favorite one.

The last day and a half was honestly the longest and quickest time I have experienced. But I think that sort of thing happens to time passing when it's during a vacation or leisure filled excursion.

I could already feel a bit of melancholy about that creeping into my head, but I held it off, because there was still a lot I wanted to do and see before getting back on a plane to head back home.

The higher altitude lent a crisp fall feel to the air that morning.

There was a moment after waking and leaving the cabin that the presence of my surroundings really overcame my senses all at once. 

Having grown up with a military family, and been a Boy Scout, travel is nothing new to me, but there are moments when I feel like I see or experience things that will stay with me. Not the over the top moments necessarily, but more like this.

Just waking up on a mountainside, and for a few moments, feeling the weight of all my problems disappear as I live in that moment as fully as I can. That's something that I've become more aware of trying to do with my life. When I travel, when I have any sort of experiences, just so that later, as I am doing now in writing this, I have a good grasp of what I felt like. I soaked it in, and then snapped this photo of the clouds overhead.

Pahaska Tepee was down the road from where the cabins were located.

Pahaska Tepee is William "Buffalo Bill" Cody's old hunting lodge and hotel in the U.S. state of Wyoming. It's located about 50 miles west of the town of Cody, and two miles from the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park, which is great if you want to fuel up before entering the park.

It had no internet access (which was weird, because the cabins had internet and satellite tv), a pretty robust gift shop, and evidently a great restaurant in it (didn't eat there, I can't hike and drive on a full stomach).

I often wonder if the animals don't just troll us humans from a distance... it takes just one car stopping and the first person swearing they saw SOMETHING like a bear/bison/wolf/duck/jackalope and you have this happen.

There's a lot I want to say about the rest of the time spent there, but I feel that some of the photos may do just as well of a job. Not because I don't know what to say, but because I honestly find it hard to put into words just how compelling, impactive, and regenerating the whole experience had been up to this point, and how there were moments to come that would drive it home even harder for me.

I'm not a religious man, but if nature is a form of faith, something in me rekindled itself, in a way I'd not felt since I was hiking the trails of Philmont Scout reservations when I was sixteen years old. 

The more you take your time to look and explore, the more alive the park becomes.

No photo, no video, no memory will ever take the place of witnessing and being there in these moments. I felt more alive than I had for a very long time.

This was my antithesis to the urban lifestyle so centralized in many of our lives, through corporate jobs, blocked by cubicle views, and pined over when we are beckoned back to "the real world" of repeated actions and mundane tasks. 

This small crossing was off the roadway, down in a small valley. Easily overlooked by 90% of drivers by my guess.

The National Park system allows for so many areas to remain protected for appreciation by us now, and hopefully for future generations to come. 

I know that not everyone who came through enjoyed their visit as much as some others might, and that's alright. The outdoors is not for everyone. 

I lost track of how many waterfalls I saw...

I had been suffering from an intense amount of artist's creative block. For those of you who are not in the creative endeavors, to go through a block so severe that you end up questioning if you want to keep moving forward creating,... can be devastating. Emotionally. Spiritually. 

I had the chance to sit and think, to note, to be in the moment, and twice, meditate for a short while at a few places, to ask myself some honest and scary questions about my life lived, and where I wanted to go next.

and where exactly I saw them.

New and unfamiliar surroundings can be the perfect catalyst to get your thinking going in the right direction. It may not be the EASIEST direction, but for me, it was the pathway of thought I had to traverse.

This little tool has become a daily carry now, for hiking or art shows. I'll review it later in-depth.

Sometimes you witness life through the eyes of your fellow travelers. The good or the bad, and in some instances, both.

Near the rest area where I took the photo of the eating tool kit above, there was a gift shop. I noticed an older woman in distress who was standing by her dog, that was laying on the ground. 

Long story short, it was having issues breathing. It wasn't tired, it was labored breathing, the kind when someone is possibly at the end of life.

I asked if there was anything I could do, the woman who was by the time I'd walked over, now accompanied by another lady, said through teary eyes, "No, he's... I think it's his time, he's quite old. 17. I could not bear to not come here without him, he's always traveled with me. But now..."

At that moment, I felt that I should not have walked over, as I could not hold back my own tears. Another fellow was walking over quickly at that moment. I didn't know what to say in response, what DOES someone say in that moment? "I'm sorry" doesn't seem to carry the truth of heart sentiment I wanted to say.

All around us, others not aware of this sad moment unwinding in a small area of the parking lot, were heading into the shop, and talking and milling about. I chose to head inside to the gift shop. I don't know if it was because of the weight of what I just was part of, but then I realized I also needed my wallet, which in my haste, I had left in the car. 

As it turns out, I saw the woman from just moments ago, carrying her dog, and the man I'd seen quickly running up to them was talking to her about something and she had a look of what I took to be relief on her face. The dog's tail was wagging, and he looked far more alert. They were standing near where I had parked and the man as it turns out was a vet or a vet tech of some sort. Regardless, he was telling her that the higher altitude was hard on the elderly from an oxygen and hydration standpoint, that domestic animals especially were no exception, being smaller than us.

He assured her that so long as she didn't go hiking or do anything strenuous with the old pooch that he should be fine.

I'd really like to think that if the dog did pass, that it was back home, and that his loving owner would have gotten one more finished adventure with her companion. I guess I was in the mood to believe in the idea that good things could happen.

I know people rely on phones to get places, but I will always prefer my GPS, and not just because I can make my car look like an X-Wing fighter on screen.

For some reason, I had totally missed the fact that there was a lake in Yellowstone. A massive lake complete with one or two little islands that looked like they wanted no visitors on. 

This areas was a bit creepy to drive through as there had been a fire a while back, and the still standing burned out, bleached remains of the trees looked a bit alien.

There was an overlook along the main driving route that the phone navigation app had noted "If you've got time, you might want to take a moment to stop and appreciate the majesty of the lake from this point just off the roadway. You might even get to see some of Yellowstone's more rare residents, if they don't see you first!"

I am a sucker for wildflowers.

I'm glad there's an app for that. And "that", would be seeing something once again, that I've only seen a few times before, but each time is memorable beyond belief for me.

This is what could be seen from the side roadway...

I think I held my breath and rubbed my eyes when I saw what was down below in the valley.

And this was through a HUGE CAMERA LENS...a Mama bear and cub sharing a moment.

As this moment went on, more people quietly came up the road and saw the pair below, and so many various camera lenses and tripods came out to silently chronicle and observe these two majestic creatures playing, interacting, and eating on what was left of a deer carcass, all the while very much aware of the line of humans watching from a short distance away.

So, SO aware... that there were some people up above on the ridge overlooking them.

I saw my first bear when I was in a tent, in a bleary eyed zoned out moment that I barely remember because I was so exhausted from hiking at Philmont in New Mexico, that was a black bear that had some into our campsite looking for things we'd left out and about.

The second one I saw, was in Colorado when I went looking for a spare tire that... it's a long story for another time... got violently ripped off my trailer by the wind, and bounced a LONG distance at high speed down into a streambed. I managed to find the wheel, but forgetting that I was in a pretty remote area of Colorado, I also found a bear. I didn't look at it long and thankfully, it wasn't interested in me.

It's moments like this, that will live in my head forever.

This now third time, fully seeing TWO bears, was emotional. In all the best ways. I didn't want this to end. I would have sat there just watching them for hours if I could have.

I'm sure more than a few of the others did, especially the one fellow I saw pull out a Hasselblad 100 Megapixel camera. It was his moment, and judging by others that knew what his camera was, they gave him a choice spot.

Seriously, go look that camera up. I'm not even a decent amateur photographer, and I would die to have a chance to use a Hasselblad for just one day. I can only imagine the images he got with that thing.

If this photo was any more "American West", Sam Elliot would be standing in it

So as the day went on, and the sun finally started to set. I felt that pang of this all closing up as an experience. or so I thought. I mean life is what we make of it, even the muted moments right?

Another late day bear in a far off corner of the park.

So I'm not lying when I say that there was no way in heck I thought another bear sighting would be lined up in the evening hours. This one was just off by itself in another remote area of the park.

Take your time looking around...

After getting back in town, I noticed this building off over to the side of the main roadway, and that it had an information display in front of it.

Some great overlooked things are hiding in plain sight.

This was the only US mail carrier post in this area. I don't know how much of it is original, when you take away the rest of the town that is around it, you really can get a scope of how remote it must have been living and working out of this cabin so many years ago.

An evening meal.

Dinner in Cody can be found at a few different places, and this buffalo burger was one heck of a way to end a day's wandering around. I don't always like to post food pictures, but this was part of the experience, so here it is. 

Like any tourist area, try to get to dinner early, and beat the crowds as best you can.

After dinner, it was back to the hotel, to get an early rise to get maybe a few more things seen before heading home.

Museum find: The Railroad Museum

I love anytime I can find a museum. The fact is that the United States has them all over the place, museums about the Old West, Military History, Toys, Art, Technology, I mean you name it, it's out there. 

When I was young, I became obsessed with them, because I tend to have a penchant for hyper fixation on things, so finding a museum that has catered and ordered sections of information and physical presentation of things, is a literal nirvana of the mind for me.

Having some time before the flight and finding a niche railroad and movie history museum was so great!

This museum had one very informative fellow explaining all sorts of great things about the history of the local railways. But it also had two other sections included. A small film history section upstairs, and traveling temporary exhibit dealing with animal herd migration, history, and preservation efforts across Yellowstone.

The last part was a nice little quick injection of Yellowstone before heading off to the airport.

I took SO many photos. Reference like this isn't always easy to come by!

Finally, it was time to head to the airport. I learned two things on the two flights home. I hate flying in the tail of the plane. And next time if it kills me, I WILL sit in first class. Evidently those are the only seats sized for humans.

At least the inflight movie on the second flight was more than great. I love The Last Crusade!

So you know that feeling after a vacation, or after attending/working a comic convention?

FULL ON POST AWESOME TIME BLUES were happening.

Pretty sure these people felt the same way.

Coming home means more than just that late night drive back to the house, means more than sitting down in my office chair and greeting my animals and being happy to be home. 

It means time to reflect, time to enjoy what I saw, what I experienced, and what I will miss.

Yellowstone is a geographical and historical icon, of immeasurable environmental wealth. It is a location that resides in a particular area in the map, but moves into that part of your heart filled with adventure, amazement, love, and appreciation for the natural world. 

I went from being someone who never thought they'd ever get to go to Yellowstone, to someone who can't imagine what it would have been like to have missed out on it.

The first road picture at a stop in the park, and the last one I took before leaving the park.

Will I go back? I can't predict the future, but if I had my way, I'd have already gone back. There is still a lot more to see. It got me to pick up my spirit from a pretty low place, and see the sun in a new way.

Even if I never make it back to this park, there are a lot of others, and my sense of adventure really ignited again in ways I never expected, and to be honest, never had thought would have happened as they did. 

It reminded me of how important it is to stop and focus on where one is in life, to take the moments to breathe in, to observe exactly where you are, and to want more out of life. 

It did make me realize that I waited too long to want to see more of the world, and frankly, even if I had 300 years of life, I'd probably never see all of the world. 

But I'm sure as hell going to try.

Until next time, support artists and local businesses! Always take the path less traveled. We all may live in times uncertain, but kindness, understanding, and believing in the good that is in most each and every one of us is what can bring about better days! Keep being awesome you glorious people.

- Mario, the Artisan Rogue
Illustrator, Voice Actor, Writer, Animal Rights Activist

www.theartisanrogue.com

Yellowstone Part 2: Happiness

The Roosevelt Arch is located at the north entrance of Yellowstone, in Gardiner, Montana.

I don't even remember what hour I got up, I think around 5:30 am or so, to get out before the crowds would start to gather. A lot of the businesses don't open until 9am, and most people get started around 9:30. So if there's any advice here to be had, get up. Early. And you'll have a much more full day and more things done before noon than you can shake a stick at.

The first bit of historical coolness that was on the way into the park, was the Roosevelt Arch. The arch was constructed after Theodore Roosevelt laid down the cornerstone, in 1903. There's a quote at the top of it, that is from the Organic Act of 1872, that reads, "For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People".

If you've never been to Yellowstone, just about every aspect is large and expansive, so this arch was a nice preview metaphor for the day to follow.

The first place I started warming up my camera finger at was Mammoth Springs' Hot Springs area. At first, it looks a bit odd, bleached white, a little unfriendly, and not seemingly too photogenic. Even the warnings which are in a few languages, but rounded out by the international language of surrealist tinged artwork meant to serve as a warning, but is absolutely meme worthy fodder, were weird.

I love that NO ONE in the background is reacting to this bizarre tragedy in the foreground.

The springs are very alien in appearance to me. Maybe this is from years of science fiction, but each in my head, especially as I filmed them, felt like I was on a locations scouting hike for the next Star Wars movie.

Through the lens of the camera phone, all of the springs looked like something out of an alien landscape.

What you're seeing in these photos came into existence over thousands of years. When hot water from the spring outlets would cool and leave deposits of calcium carbonate (it's also called travertine, which is a form of limestone), they form these fibrous looking wild patterns in the rocks. It's an amazing observational study of erosion, additive sediment action, and geothermal process, unlike anything I'd ever seen before.

Geologically, interesting and beautiful, from an art influence perspective, incredibly inspiring!

Terrace Mountain in particular is the largest of these sort of spring carved natural formations, followed by Minerva, which from what I understand, was rendered dry because of some minor earthquake activity. 

Evidently, earthquake activity is per the norm, as a LOT of geological activity is consistently hashing out it's earthly issues, far below.

[Left] Liberty Cap. [Right] An accidental shot of my shadow as I tried to photograph Liberty Cap.

Liberty Cap is an odd relic, with a colorful history. So it stands at around 37 feet tall, marks the norther portion of Mammoth Springs, and got it's name in 1871, by the Hayden Survey group, because it resembled the peaked caps worn during the French Revolution.

The spring that created it was pretty consistent when it was flowing, and what you see is a few hundred years of deposit formation. It's pretty unique in that it just sticks out distinctly. I always try to fathom what was going through the minds of the first European based travelers as they came across not only Liberty Cap, but the springs in general.

The mineral deposit colors from the overflows and run offs are so stark!

After spending a few hours walking and appreciating the springs, I wanted to get out of the sun, and see what sort of little collectibles I could find for myself. Yeah, I'm totally that guy, not the one that always gets the t-shirts anymore, but I have my own physical earmarks of memorabilia I like to look for and discover. 

 

Hobbies of any kind can be a wonderful ice breaker. While at a park gift store, I discovered National Park tokens (which are collected in folios similar to pressed pennies, but with no pressing involved), and as I spoke to the lady at the register, it only took a few "testing the geek waters of conversation" and it led to full on conversations about comic conventions, the 501st stormtroopers group (she was an Imperial Officer cosplayer), and random comments about what fandoms and hobbies we liked. All in like a 4 minute window of conversation, that ended in both of us agreeing we missed attending comic conventions something terrible!

Pressed Penny collecting addiction.

Onwards into mid day, a road side rest stop that brought out the kid in me was this area of large climbing rocks. Now under the best of circumstances, I'm not always a fan of heights, but I was a kid that would climb some trees, and always crawled around and under big rocks. I think it's why I love canyons so much when I can get a chance to go to them.

The weather was very windy, but warm. One thing I didn't realize at that time was that although I knew enough that air gets a bit thinner at higher altitudes, I wasn't keeping as well hydrated as I should have been.

An area by the wayside of the road that's handy for climbing...

Getting a chance to just be out and look around and feel like I was a little kid again, was priceless. I didn't think about the extra little exertion I was doing in climbing in and around, because I got a pretty good dosage of happiness that washed over me like a fond memory.

Yellowstone was beginning to let me lose a lot of my own self doubt, worry, and pulled me into focusing the living world around me. How far this was from a corporate cubicle. How rough and varied the textures of the surroundings were around me. For a lot of years, this was something I knew from my years camping, and just being in Boy Scouts. 

...but also for crawling around underneath within the shady large rocks.

Running my hand over the rough bark, lines of sticky sap, now across my palm. The cool shaded areas underneath the larger rocks... feeling the wind blow hard around me, made me think of a lot of the parts of myself I'd locked away, if only because I didn't feel a connection to those times as strongly as I once did. 

But right there, I did. It was gottdamn wonderful.

Bison are everywhere. LITERALLY. EVERYWHERE. I half expected to find one in the men's room at the hotel.

I remember thinking, I wonder how many bison I'd see. If you have not been to Yellowstone, and you will be there for more than a day, put that worry to rest. They are there. They are there so often, you'd think they were there to talk to you about a limited time offer to extend your car's warranty.

All kidding aside, if time had been on my side, I would have sat and watched, sketched and just chilled out at a "park recommended safety distance, because in NO reality can you hope to outrun a bison", and been freaking happy. 

What's not to love about these guys?! They are big and hairy, have legit beards, horns, and they grunt a lot.

The day would now lead into going to see more springs and mini fountains. One thing that is a reason to get up early, is that parking can be highly challenging to get into, especially during the peak hours of human interaction and mobility, which in this park is from the hours of 9am till 4pm. The park does not close, so it always got to me that people were not more spread out in how they went to see things.

Onto the Norris Geyser Basin area. It's a massive area of walkways that encompasses the Back and Porcelain Basins. From a geothermal aspect, the area has been active for well over 100,000 years.

Two things I should note, there are walkways. Do NOT leave them, and don't bring your pets. Seriously.

Oh an one more additional thing, if you have a hat. Tie it down, or put in in your pocket. Seeing a hat half submerged in a spring is both depressing, and just annoying. The rangers and caretakers of this park have enough to worry about in a pretty unique and fragile ecosystem.

I am a sucker for informational kiosks. Because I know some graphic designer and copywriter somewhere spent TIME on this. A lot of time.

So this cool informational area is the entrance to the Norris Geyser Basin walkway. It's the last bit of shade you will feel for a while if you take the long walk across the boardwalks.

Something that I can't state enough is how varied the areas of Yellowstone really are. You can go from lush grassy areas, to burned out forests, to wide plains, to partially barren hot springs and everything in between.

It's a good idea to bring some bottled water with you. I, did not. The boardwalk views are great, and it is something to see, just how many and how big the area is. Compared to other places in Yellowstone, it's not the most traditionally scenic area to be in, but bear in mind, you won't see places like this anywhere else in the United States.

I'm glad it was breezy, because it was warming up fast this day.

Evidently because areas like this were so isolated when westward expansion was happening, many early settlers regarded most of Yellowstone to be mythic or rumor at best. Areas like this were described as being not unlike a version of hell, with brimstone and steam inspiration coloring the tales.

The walk is over quite a long distance, make sure you've got good shoes.

As the day went on, I started to wear out. It was a combination of the hiking, the lack of prep on my part to stay effectively hydrated. Another bit of advice? If you are planning on going somewhere like this, start working on your walking and hiking game.  

Sunset on the second day at Yellowstone.

I had to call it for an early night, I was pretty sure between a headache and some muscle soreness, I had a bit of heat exhaustion. There were still some days to go, so drinking a bunch of gatorade and water and getting to bed right around 7pm was all I could muster. I still had some days to go, so I wanted to get better quick!

Even though I was not feeling that great, I still had happiness in me. Join me next week, when I'll be back with part 3!

Until next time, remember to support artists and local businesses. Be kind to your fellow beings and always take the path less traveled. We all may live in times uncertain, but kindness, understanding, and believing in the good that is in most each and every one of us is what can bring about better days!

- Mario, the Artisan Rogue
Illustrator, Voice Actor, Writer, Animal Rights Activist

www.theartisanrogue.com

Yellowstone Part 1: the Discovery

My initial impression of Ranger and Bear interactions were WAY off thanks to this cartoon.

When I was a kid, I loved the adventures of Yogi Bear, and the park of Jellystone. I had no clue that it was based on the real park of Yellowstone. (Come to find out that there in fact multiple real world "Jellystone" parks people can go to, but that's a future adventure). 

It was when I was later in Boy Scouts, that the subject of Yellowstone came up from conversations of others in my troop. This was around the time we were all preparing to go to Philmont (a high adventure base in New Mexico). The talks of Old Faithful, the wildlife, and the immense size of the park, all piqued my interest. And come to find out, one thing that was shared between Philmont and Yellowstone was that each had sizeable herds of bison that roamed freely. I remember that at some point, it was mentioned that perhaps Yellowstone could be a Scouting trip in the next few years. But, within a year of coming back from Philmont, our troop merged with another local troop. Another year went by and after achieving my Eagle Scout rank, I left my Boy Scout troop and any chance to go to Yellowstone.

Quite a few years later, the chance to go to Yellowstone finally came along, but I found myself being a bit hesitant to want to go. Being a freelancer, and still working to get aspects of my business up and running, I was nervous, if not reluctant. Going on a trip with family to Yellowstone of course seemed fun, but I still had my misgivings about going. Thankfully, I came to my senses and within a few weeks, found myself sitting in the KCI terminal waiting for my flight, starting up a new sketchbook.

(Left) Sketching other people around me in quick ink pen renders. (Right) Standard "out the window iPhone not really Instagram worthy" picture.

I had debated on what to take with me, what if any art supplies, whether or not to take my journal, things like that. I finally settled on a small sketchbook, some watercolour supplies (which did not get used), and none of my larger camera equipment, opting just to stick with my phone to record video clips, audio notes and take pictures.

A restoration of a 1918 Curtiss Jenny JN-4D - used often as a trainer for pilots in WW1, the first plane to fly airmail, and was also the mainstay of the U.S. Signal Corps.

The flight from KC to Denver wasn't too bad. There were some cool museum like displays about aviation at the airport that helped pass the time while waiting to board for the second flight to land in Bozeman, Montana. I wish more places would have things like this up for people to learn from and see. I mean history is literally around us all the time, but at times it takes a slight nudge to remind people that it's there.

The second flight wasn't as comfortable, in fact, I am here to tell you, riding the next to the last row of seats during turbulence is as claustrophobic and annoying as it sounds. BUT, at the end of the flight, I was not only beyond elated to get off the plane, but was eager to see what Yellowstone would be like.

I felt like I was on the set of every nature documentary made for the Discovery Channel that featured waterfalls, trees, and bears.

I want to start off with saying that no photo, no video, will prepare you for just how massive, how sense encompassing, and majestic Yellowstone actually is. Before you even get to the entry point in Mammoth Springs, the imposing mountain range, and the seemingly even more massive skyline, began to set a sense of ease and peace for me.

After checking out the town of Mammoth Springs for a bit, Lamar Valley was where it was decided to try and see some of the wildlife in the area. The drive out to the valley is some of the most gorgeous tree lined areas I've ever driven, and the winding roads can take a while to get around, but all are well maintained and have pull off areas in the event anyone felt like taking photos or stopping just to sight see.

Lamar Valley has seemingly endless low mountains and hills, and wide grassland areas with bison and as a few had seen, some coyotes (possibly wolves) lurking on the other side of the herd that was grazing at sunset.

From the Yellowstone Facebook groups as well as advice from the rangers in the park, the best times to not only see most of the park but also the most plentiful amounts of wildlife were either early in the morning or anytime from dusk till sunset (that's because the animals are out, and not a lot of humans are, I'm not kidding, the park becomes barren of people right around 4pm and onwards). I quickly learned that it was easy to see where a bear or wolf sighting was happening, because without exception groups of people would start to park in the pull off areas to get photos or just watch with binoculars.

Having grown up watching westerns with my parents, I kept thinking I'd see cowboys near the horizon.

Spending time watching the sun set, the bison herd graze, I had memories of the bison herds from Philmont and how much time had passed between then and this moment. No lie, it was a bit surreal, and I felt a bit of melancholy mix in with the wonder and happiness I had sitting there as cooler temperatures rolled in. 

Some of it may have been because of the time that had passed, but I reminded myself of some of the stuff I'd been working with my therapist on. To be in the moment, to appreciate where I was, and what was happening. On the way back to the hotel, there was a small road that was pretty easy to pass by, but at the end of that small drive was a very cool geological relic.

This lone Petrified Tree is the lone survivor of an Eocene era eruption, around 30 million years ago. There had others that had stood near this one, but relic collectors and vandals had managed to destroy those (hence the reason this one was fenced in). So this stone giant stands as the sole memory of a more turbulent geological time in Yellowstone.

There are a few different phone apps that provide information and guided GPS navigation voiced tours, but even those do not cover all of the minutia and out of the way things to see in the park. I can't stress enough that the more time you take to explore, the more you'll discover.

After checking out the Petrified Tree, it was time to head back to the hotel. On the drive back, we all noticed that it was about 10:30 pm, and though the forested areas were very dark, the sun did not seem to have set. No kidding, the sky was still a very faint light blue and not until about 11:15 pm did the sky actually darken up like a normal night sky. I'm not sure why but I have a feeling it had to do with the elevation and the refractive lighting from the other sides of the mountain range.

Futurama is always a welcome way to end any day of hiking and nature appreciation.

The next day would be starting out around 7am, to get out before the crowds would be crazy. Come back for the second part of my time at Yellowstone.

Until next time, remember to support artists and local businesses. Be kind to your fellow beings and always take the path less traveled. We all may live in times uncertain, but kindness, understanding, and believing in the good that is in most each and every one of us is what can bring about better days!

- Mario, the Artisan Rogue
Illustrator, Voice Actor, Writer, Animal Rights Activist

www.theartisanrogue.com