• Avian,  National Parks,  Yellowstone National Park

    A Day in Yellowstone Park

    Bald Eagle in Lamar Valley

    Monday was a 12 hour day spent in Yellowstone Park. We were able to get a pass into Lamar Valley as it is closed at the Northeast Entrance. They are limiting the amount of traffic while they repair roads. The pass only gave us access from Tower Junction to Slough Creek. That was enough for us to get photos of bison, antelope, this eagle and the beauty of of the park. Here is a link to a map and video of the damage to the roads within the park from the floods in June.

    For those who are into numbers, I drove a total of 1,222 miles and averaged 29.8 miles to the gallon. And, for those who are into plays, we were able to see the musical Bright Star at a theater in West Yellowstone called The Play Mill Theatre on Saturday evening. One heck of a play!

  • poems,  poetry

    To Pray

    Predawn along Peralta Trail just east of Gold Canyon, Arizona, April 2014

    To pray you open your whole self
    To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
    To one whole voice that is you
    And know there is more
    That you can’t see, can’t hear
    Can’t know except in moments
    Steadily growing, and in languages
    That aren’t always sound but other
    Circles of motion.
    Like eagle that Sunday morning
    Over Salt River. Circled in blue sky
    In wind, swept our hearts clean
    With sacred wings.
    We see you, see ourselves and know
    That we must take the utmost care
    And kindness in all things.
    Breathe in, knowing we are made of
    All this, and breathe, knowing
    We are truly blessed because we
    Were born, and die soon within a
    True circle of motion,
    Like eagle rounding out the morning
    Inside us.
    We pray that it will be done
    In beauty.
    In beauty.

    Joy Harjo

    If you’re interested you can listen to Joy Harjo recite the Eagle Poem here.