Probably needed that

This will be long and have a lot of photos, so settle in.

So I set off this morning, even though the talking heads on the tv were once again suggesting a "hard lockdown," for four to eight weeks depending on who you ask - harder, in fact, than what we did before. (I hope it does not come to that. I hope people see the light in re: masks and distancing and hand-washing, and that's enough to knock back infection rates; not being able to go anywhere has really been bad for my mental health, I can tell that now, based on how I feel this afternoon)

I admit I felt vaguely guilty driving up - but then, everything makes me feel vaguely guilty these days. I told myself I could just do as I planned and zip over to Bromide Hill, say a little prayer, take a few photos. Usually there are few people up there; the main attraction of the park for most folks are the waterways where you can swim and slide down little rapids.

I also got to thinking as I drove - all the memories. We traveled to National Parks (and Recreation Areas, which this one is) a lot when I was a kid. Part of it is I think our parents figured it was fun, not too expensive, and educational. But more importantly, I think: my dad taught a class in National Parks for the Geography Department where he taught, and he could get material for it (and, yes: write off part of the trip on taxes). One big thing I remember was how you used to be able to buy prepared photographic slides - six or eight of them, different things, lined up and encased in a heavy plastic sleeve. And books - in fact, often we got books too, if there was something that interested us and was age-appropriate.

I'm trying to think of the places we went: when I was 10, we flew to Atlanta and from there drove to the Everglades in a rental car. One thing I remember from that trip was going out early in the morning (as I remember it: my dad and I were the early risers of the family, and we'd get up and be ready and while my mom was trying to get my brother (he would have been 5) up and ready, my dad would take me over for a bit to the visitor's center - I think it was the Flamingo Visitor's Center, the one right down there at the southernmost part. Two stories, two buildings connected by a bridge. There were those big mounted binoculars and I liked looking through those at the birds - anhingas and spoonbills, mostly. I *think* they were free, but if they cost money my dad was there and must have fed change into them so I could look. We also went to Disney World afterwards, on the way back towards Atlanta, but that was less magical for me; I was a bit old to enter into the whole thing (though I think there is a photo somewhere in my mom's album of me hugging the costumed character of Miss Bianca).

The year after that, we went to Cape Cod. Cape Cod in March is chilly and the vegetation isn't spectacular, but it has the benefit of being uncrowded - I remember the ranger there gave us a LOT of time and talked about shell collecting when he found out I had a shell collection - in fact, he went and got, I think it was an egg case from whelks, and gave it to me because I was interested in shells.

(The Grand Canyon trip - where I posted the photo from it back on Father's Day - was earlier, 1976, so I would have been about eight. We saw a number of Western parks that year.)

We also went to Hawaii a couple times - first, in 1982, with relatives, and then later a couple times as a university workshop trip on Hawaiian Volcanoes. (These were done on the cheap; my dad's trip co-leader was a Major in the US Army Reserves and he was able to get us space at one of the R and R camps, and we were allowed to eat the excellent food served there).

When I was in high school, we took a trip to Harper's Ferry on the way to Williamsburg.

And we lived near Cuyahoga National Park (then: Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area) so we spent a lot of time out there. One of my first research projects was testing out a summer class he wanted to do for high schoolers in water analysis; I analyzed water from Furnace Run and several tributaries and actually presented it at the Ohio Junior Academy of Science.

One other thing I remember, now: driving me back to the University of Michigan after some holiday, he commented to me in the car: "You know, if anyone tells you that something academic you enjoy, that you can't do it because you're a woman, just go and prove them wrong."

That was part of my reaction to - forgive the word but I have to quote my dad here - the "asshole professor" I got for one summer class I took on his campus. The guy was patently unfair and rude to the students, and did a couple slightly underhanded things. And one day when I was just fed up, I had gone to my dad's office after my class to wait for him (we often went and got lunch with several of his colleagues, or on Thursdays walked to the nearby Greek Orthodox Church, because they did a gyros lunch every week as a fundraiser). And he could tell I was upset, and asked why. And I explained, and as I explained I started to cry - this is typical of me when I am frustrated. And he grabbed me and hugged me tightly, and then whispered in my ear - very softly, so the secretary would not hear him - "I'm sorry you got the asshole professor." Which startled me, because he generally didn't use that kind of language around me, and it sort of made me laugh, too. But also: in that moment I felt so HEARD.

And he helped me find a tutor to help with the class, and I worked my tail off, and wound up earning an A. I doubt the a-hole professor CARED, but it mattered to me. And I think it mattered to my dad.

One last thing: some years after that, someone was talking (in front of my mother) about how sometimes there were sexist attitudes among geologists and my mom made a comment like, "You notice that Bob had most of the women graduate students working with him?" and I take it that she said that because he had a different attitude than many of those other men....

So anyway. I wanted to do something to mark the day. I think it was good for me, I had a lot of good memories thinking about it today and the sting of losing him is less than it was.

The first place I wound up was at the bison overlook. (I have a photo of my parents standing in front of the fence, with the bison in the background, from around 2002 or so when they were down here). I had to walk a ways in on the trail and was on the point of turning around and going back to my car  - figuring the bison either had been moved from the enclosure, or were bushed up so well in the vegetation they couldn't be seen, when I spotted them:

(You can click on any of these photos to get a bigger view)

Even a baby in the last shot! The woman at the nature center - where I went later on - said there were three babies born this year.

They also have some nice signage (hand for scale; my hand is probably on the small side of average for a woman's hand)

I also saw a tortoise (probably an Ornamented Box Turtle) on the trail. And there were butterflies visiting animal scat. (Some butterflies do that: it's for minerals)

It was a nice walk. I would have kept going, maybe, except there were other places I wanted to go.

A lot of the places around here smell like cedar (Bromide Hill especially did) and even though cedar is somewhat invasive, it's a nice smell to have around.

I decided to run down to the nature center: I wanted a restroom, and I also figured maybe getting a map of the park would make it easier to find where I wanted to go.

They had a nice sign:

"Respect each other" is a good instruction. There was one small family (four people) and another couple in there in addition to the one worker. EVERYONE had masks on, and as I was leaving I saw other people walking up with masks they were getting ready to put on.

I took a quick one-way walk (they have directions on the floor) past some of the displays. Some scientific ones:

That third one - I remember it from the first time I was there. I remember my dad taking a photo of it. It shows items coated with travertine, which is deposited from some of the mineral water flowing in the park. (Travertine is a carbonate mineral, I think this form is a calcium carbonate, mostly)

There were also historic ones, like this quilt (which I think is actually a NEW quilt, but they talked about history)

The nature center itself is interesting; like many of the structures in the core of the park (which used to be Platt National Park years ago), it was build by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

From there, I drove up to Bromide Hill. This is one of my favorite places in the park because it's an overlook of the whole "old" part of the park, and you can see really far. I also remember once when I came here with my parents we saw a tarantula and also a roadrunner.

So I went up to the overlook, and sat for a bit, and just....said a little prayer, because that was my only real plan to "mark" the day in any kind of spiritual way

I also walked down one of the little trails up there, the area is an interesting mix of wooded area and these little prairie areas, which I presume are on limestone outcrops (shallower soils, so dryer)

And one plant - maybe a Ruellia?

At that point I was hungry enough that I had to eat - the only easy to get "distanced" food was the Sonic, so I blew my sodium budget for the week on a corn dog and fries. But it's okay - I probably walked a couple miles today also.

On the way back towards the park I stopped at the Vendome Fountain (Vendome Well) which is kind of on the very border between the park and Sulphur. It has sulfur water. You can smell it. I remember my dad collecting some of the water for analysis (he had permission from the NPS) and some of the little concretions of sulfur that formed. There's a drinking fountain and also a spigot there; people used to (I guess some still do) drink the water, believing it cures disease. (My dad joked with as much sulfate as it had, one thing it would cure for sure was constipation....)

I ran back to the nature center because I decided I wanted to walk up to Bison and Antelope springs - Antelope is "natural," Bison has been corralled by a wall and basin built by the CCC

Unfortunately, there was a family up at Bison, loud-talking and one of them kept dipping his camera (!!!) in the water to take photos, I guess. So my photos from there are just partial, I tried to keep people out of them:

There are lots of water striders ("Jesus bugs") on the water. You can kind of see one just above the middle of the second photo.

Antelope Springs are more naturalistic - you can see the water flowing out from the rock. There's also more flow there than at Buffalo Springs

And then back to the nature center...and then home.

I did purchase a couple things. The "bookstore" at the nature center really didn't have books any more (I wonder if the larger "Visitor's Center," on the edge of the park, which is new, has a bigger shop). None of the items were out to be handled, they had display versions and you asked at the desk if you wanted to buy something. I got some postcards - there are a few people I like to send to, and because I never go anywhere (!) it's nice to get a few when I can.

And also....well, when I was in there when the family was in there, they were buying the young daughter a stuffed bison and I admit I was kind of like "want, too" but kind of held off. And then, when I got the cards (about $2.50 total) I remembered how supposedly credit card companies charge a fee, and it makes transactions less than $10 or so not really fair for the merchant, so....I wanted to be fair.

but I also kind of wanted a stuffed bison, darnit.

So I got one.

Her name (yes, she is a she: female bison look enough like the males that this could be a female) is Brunhilda. And there's even a meaning to that! When I was a kid my dad used to tease me that they were going to name me something like Brunhilde (because of German heritage). I'm glad they didn't, but...I remember how mad I used to get as a kid but it's funny to me now.

And heh - I hadn't touched her before I got home (as I said, just saw the item out on display) and when I pulled her out of the bag, I impulsively said "Oh, you're SOFT." Because she is. (Wild Republic brand, in case you're curious)

(They also used to call me "Godzilla" or "Zillah" when I was a baby learning to walk, I'm told, because of the stompy way I walked when I was first learning. But I think almost all babies are like that? But then again - my parents were first-time parents with me so maybe they weren't used to stompy babies)

I'm glad I went. I avoided the swimming holes which really WERE crowded (the open camping areas seemed pretty cram-jammed, too) so I think I was able to appropriately distance. And I really needed a day out.

Here's hoping we DON'T have to do a strict lockdown in the coming weeks so maybe I can think of some other park like or natural area to go to - getting out into nature helps.