Vacation and Back to the Park

So where have I been the last week? Well, I have been on vacation. We went to Grand Island, Nebraska to see the Sandhill Crain migration.

Spectacular there were more than 200,000 birds, I would guess we saw three or four thousand.

We also went to the south-east corner of Nebraska to see family. I got to spend some time with brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-laws and various others and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Now I am back home writing and editing. Very nice to be back in the park.

Almost Dark tonight when I took this photo

I am also excited about being part of a documentaryAfor the Wyoming State Parks, Historical Sites and Cultural Resources. I have finished my book, still with a reader/editor, on the Civilian Conservation Corps and this is the subject of the new documentary. The CCC not my book.

The Cover of my CCC book.  The Worker Statue at the Museum

And, by the way, 85 degrees here in my part of Wyoming today.

This Evening - Never a Bad Sunset at Guernsey State Park

Lakeview Trail

We took a great hike on Lakeview Trail this week. The weather has been nearly perfect for spending time in the park. Seems others agree as we are seeing more people and more vehicles in the park.

The Trail Head at Davis Bay

The Lake View on the Trail

This is also a good time of the year to view park wildlife and the very early start of the first wildflowers of the year.

We do need moister and I don’t mind if its snow or rain. If we get some it will help the flowers and green things up by early April.

Three Mountain View from the trail - Knight, Roundtop and Powell Mts.

 In the meantime, we will use the nice March weather to spend some more time in the park.

A Few Friends as We Leave the Park

Several New Homes in the Park

Looks like some new building in the park. Not sure if these are for sale or rent but they certainly have great mountain and lake views. A Realtor's dream. Hopefully it will not be long until a nice family of Bluebirds move in.

We’re not sure how many new Bluebird homes are available but we spotted three. Neat addition to the park.

Wonder if this guy is looking for a new house?

A Mile on Lakeshore Drive or Maybe Two

I thought it might be interesting to take a look at a mile along Lakeshore Drive today and a mile along Skyline Drive in a later post.

The Keyhole in the East Face

So many people take the views at Guernsey State Park for granted.

High on a hillside

Next time you visit take the time to look around – really look around. 

Snuck up to the Lower Museum Parking lot (just above the Drive) for this one

The Civilian Conservation Corps knew what they were doing when they laid out these two roads. They were built not only to get from one place to another but to provide for wonderful views along the way. Here is my look at One mile, maybe a might more, on Lakeshore Drive a couple of days ago.

Always an abundance of wildlife to watch in the park

The Point from Lakeshore Drive

Great New Park Sign

Conservation Corps workers who built the park would like the looks of this new sign. Built of peeled log and stone, much like the CCC work throughout the park, it follows in the wonderful rustic look of the Parkitecture Movement that was popular in the American park building 1930’s. Today the rustic look of Parkitecture can be seen throughout the park and is widely admired in Yellowstone National Park.

Many thanks to Guernsey State Park and the Department of Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Sites.

When we took the photos another vehicle stopped and took photos of the sign. I may not know much about signs but when someone stops to read and take a photograph of it, I think it must be pretty nice, and this one is.

Reminder – This sign is on the Hartville side of the park at the entry to Long Canyon.

And as we headed home from the park, with the sun setting, I took this shot and wondered. 

 If millions of years ago the water of the North Platte started this separation of  Powell Mountain (on the right) from Knight Mountain (on the left? 

Sunset In The Park

Love the Water Zigzags with these Geese

Nothing beats a sunset and the sunset's in the park are the best.

From the Lakeshore Drive Boat Dock

We took a late afternoon hike then watched the sun go down. To quote Bill Murray from, Groundhog Day, "now that was a good day."

Looks Like Fire on the Mountain - Reflections of the Setting Sun

The Quiet Time

Seems like this time of year - end of February and beginning of March is always the quiet time in the park. One day, warm and people around, the next cold and no one. But as we all know, spring is just around the corner. We are not sure how big that corner is - might be a short one or a long one.

This is the time of year we like to hike, if the temperature rises to 50 and the wind stays down, we will be there.

Spent some time in the park last  few weeks (on the nice days), and did find a few quick photos.

And the work goes on