Feline distractions post #2 : Lucky attempts coup at Alfie’s cat condo

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Lucky brazenly tries to claim squatter’s rights in his attempt to dethrone Alfie from his cat condo. (Lucky has become more emboldened since he got some air time on this blog and has started building his own fan base.) In this daily struggle for power and supremacy, you never know who’ll end up on top – the little prince or the Alfinator. Stay tuned for more stealthy maneuvers, Machiavellian schemes and skirmishes.

I think this all might be part of Lucky’s grand plan to get his viewership up. He’s still bitter that the 3rd most popular video on this site is Alfie’s Rollover Video.

Worth it: Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, West Yellowstone, MT

Worth it: Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, West Yellowstone, MT

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Just a block from the West entrance of Yellowstone National Park, the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center is worth a stop. And you might find you’ll want to stay a while and even come back the next day. And that’s okay because the  admission fee (just $13 for adults, $8 for kids 5 years and up) is good for 2 consecutive days.

The not-for-profit wildlife center takes in orphaned grizzly bear cubs and adults from as far away as Alaska and as close by as Yellowstone Park. Most adult grizzlies are those that have become habituated to human food due to campers and hikers not following proper food storage requirements. At the outdoor exhibit, you can watch the beautiful, massive beasts foraging under rocks and logs for the fruit treats that the caretaker hides for them.  In order to rescue more bears and provide habitat variety for the existing bears, the center will be creating a new exhibit called bear meadows that will feature mini river rapids and a trout-stocked pond. Note, because they are fed all year round, the bears don’t hibernate so you can see them all year round.  And any day you want because the center is open every day.

The outdoor wolf exhibit and information about the trophic cascade was well done too.

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There’s also an extensive, interactive bear exhibit inside and plenty of programs for kids and adults, including:

  • Bear-Resistant Product Testing (I would have liked to see that one.)
  • Keeper Kids (Kids get to help the caretakers hide food for the bears.)
  • Yellowstone Park Ranger Talks
  • Live Bird of Prey Presentations (A must! The naturalist delivers an engaging, incredibly informative, hands-on presentation.)

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In the works is a River Otter Riparian Habitat that will highlight the interrelations of the critters who make up that ecosystem.

Young or old, you won’t leave the center without learning something new about the wild animals and birds of the region and the impact humans have on them and their habitat.

Dry Creek Falls hike, Cascade Locks, OR

Dry Creek Falls hike, Cascade Locks, OR

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Another trail misnomer as Dry Creek Falls are quite wet indeed and a quick, convenient and refreshing excursion.

The trailhead is near the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks, a city in Hood River County, Oregon. Cross the road and head for the signed Pacific Crest Winter Trailhead. When you reach Moody Street (~.1 mi), go under the freeway and veer right then straight onto the gravel road and left at the trail junction. (A bit anticlimatic to start, but you’ll be disappearing into the trees before long.) The PCT Dry Creek on a wooden bridge. Instead of crossing that bridge take a right and head up toward the falls, which is only .2 miles away. Head back on the trail the same way you came.

Take a leisurely stroll on the friendly trail or get your blood pumping with a quick, out and back trail run. Enjoy the woods, ferns and streams along the way. (Fall colors and wildflowers depending on the season.) If you work up a sweat, look forward to dousing yourself in the 75-foot waterfall that cascades over the colossal wall of columnar basalt. You may want to bring water shoes, the bottom is rocky and difficult to navigate in bare feet.

Below the falls you’ll notice remnants of an old water control structure that once provided water for the city. Dry Creek remains a municipal water source here. If you’re up for something longer, you can also explore the PCT where it crosses Dry Creek on that wooden bridge and then just head back  the same way you came.

 

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Distance round trip : 4.4 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Rating: Nice!

Why? Because it makes me feel alive.

Why? Because it makes me feel alive.

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I’ve often been asked, “Why climb that mountain, or slog through a grueling hike?” Is it the accomplishment, the vistas, the solitude, the workout, the total immersion in nature? Yes, but more. Doesn’t it get old? No, never.

After a vigorous day hiking the Pioneer Cabin Trail in Big Sky, my partner summed it up when he said, “That was something, I really felt alive.” Later, apparently suffering from fatigue induced amnesia, he asked me if I ever get tired or bored of hiking. I replied, “No, and you know why? It makes me feel alive.” If you’re reading this post, chances are you’re a kindred spirit and you get it. It’s primal, natural and great way to nurture our minds, bodies and spirits. Of course, hiking is not for everyone, luckily the options we have to get physical in the great outdoors are virtually limitless. What’s your favorite pursuit?

What makes you feel alive? 

Mysterious poem at the Hemingway Memorial, Ketchum ID

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You have to look for the Hemingway monument, it’s not visible from the road, but the sign is. The monument is a bronze bust of “Papa” propped upon a stone column. It’s situated along a meandering stream, suitably facing the mountains. (Not so suitably,  directly adjacent to a golf course.)

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Anyhoo, the words inscribed on the monument are part of a eulogy Hemingway wrote for  Gene Van Guilder, a publicist for the Sun Valley Resort, who died in a hunting accident. Nice, but a bit flowery compared to his customary, terse writing style…

While the monument itself was a bit anti-climatic. (Not quite sure what I was expecting.) The mysterious poem that was tucked into the rocks at the foot of the monument was quite intriguing and made the stop worthwhile for me…

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Touching and well written. (Also interesting that it appears typewritten old school.) I did think twice about posting it since it’s quite personal and in memoriam. But it so’s beautiful and worth sharing. Also, I rationalized that anyone who deliberately leaves something at what constitutes a tourist stop may want that thing to be discovered. After capturing it with my camera, I did fold it back up and slip it back between the rocks. No doubt the elements of this snowy winter will take the final toll.

Many people aren’t aware that Hemingway was also a poet. Perhaps that’s because he only published 25 poems during his lifetime.  Minus 4 personal poems that his widow did not make available for publication, the remaining 88 poems can be found in his “Complete Poems“.

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For those into Hemingway memorabilia, there’s a cool vault room in the Sun Valley Starbucks / Visitor Center featuring larger than life size pics of him and his cronies.

 

Another little known fact, Papa Hemingway was one of the first to use a stand-up desk. He tucked his typewriter into his bookshelf and stood typing whenever he wrote his fiction. The pictures you see of him sitting at a desk are when he is paying bills and doing other administrative tasks. At least that’s according to his old pal, A. E. Hotcher, author of “Papa Hemingway.”

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So what do you think? Should I leave the poem up or take it down?