With National Park week here, I made every effort to put together a post of the national parks I love and instead I walked away from the computer, overwhelmed.   I love them all for what makes them unique, but my thoughts kept jumping back to Yellowstone.  It was not the first park I visited, and maybe not even my favorite, but it was the one where I lived for two years.   A place I also call home.

Welcome to my garden, compliments of Mother Nature. IMG_2173.JPG

While awe-inspiring, to live here brings an entirely different perspective. We know the animals, their habits, and we never tell.  Not really, but we have gained a sense of protection for the animals and knowledge that the most dangerous animals in the park are actually humans.  DSC_0132.JPG

We know the best coffee spots.  The hillside above Prismatic Hot Springs is a short hike and a scurry up a hill for exactly that, or a sunrise/sunset moment.  DSC_0768.JPG

We know the predictability of geo-thermal features and their uniqueness.  At West Thumb Geyser Basin, the heat collides with frigid, Lake Yellowstone, changing both it’s picturesque shoreline and the ecosystems nearby.  Plant life is abundant, and fish have adapted over centuries of change. The lakeside eruptions, stir up aquatic life, resulting in a smorgasbord,  appropriately named the Trout Jacuzzi by the locals.DSC_0667.JPG

And we know how to relax.  Evenings along the Madison River teaches us to simply  watch  the day pass by. DSC_0065

We call it nature’s laboratory and are convinced it defines nature in it’s most spectacular showing.  Today, in the spirit of National Park Week, let me bestow upon the you beauty and eloquence of all 59 parks through the eyes of National Geographic. Enjoy.

Fun Facts About All 59 U.S. National Parks

Enjoy our stories…here

Donna

Bestow