OHMYGAWD !!!

NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP

I PRAY THE LORD MY CANYON TO KEEP

And I thought that Goleta would insulate me from the absolute imbecility of the real world. HA!, Isla Vista is just laughing its head off.

This is without a doubt the most stupid thing thing that the National Park Circus has done this decade. They have bowed to the religious fundamentalists in the White House and now must refuse to tell visitors how old the Grand Canyon is, and how it was formed.

This is the same sort of stupidity that causes wars, denies intellectual freedom, and guts the human element from humans. I’m ashamed of the National Park Circus. I’m ashamed that my tax dollars go to support such morons. They are busy peddling a creationist book that supposes that the canyon was caused by “THE FLOOD.”

Soon they will probably say that there are no numbers bigger than 4,004. They will probably become USHERS in the worst sense of the word. They will, as one fine gentleman has said, begin selling Yellowstone as the “Nostrils of Satan.”

Not only will they tell you that they don’t know how old the canyon is, they will lie and say that the Vishnu Schist & Zoroaster Granite are just a few thousand years old. Your NPS is full of liars and dolts. Maybe there should be a test about geology for the employees – one that asks if they can count or read.

The NPS lied to us about reviewing the sale of the book. They lied to us about it’s place in the government run book store. They pretend to allow all points of view. They might as well just ignore all the research that they fund with my tax dollars. The lack of integrity is appalling!

This note belongs in the “RANT” category; however it is clear from a scan of my Bloglines entries and my Tecnhorati searches, that the literate world has reacted in the same way as I have.

For your edification I’ve created this picture.

Hell, if “HE” can, then so can I. No apologies.

Several sources documenting this outrage are listed below.
From the Public Employees For Environmental to Boing Boing the consensus is about the same. This is the end of responsible management of our National Parks.

Phil Plait at Bad Astronomy reacts with a similar view. So too, does Dear Kitty; she even has an even better graphic than the one above. Brad DeLong at Grasping Reality With Both Hands suggest a possible course of action.

An excellent look at this and other problems with the NPS and this White House comes from The Smorgasbord, where we learned how Joe Alston the Superintendent of the Grand Canyon lobbied to keep the book on the shelves and then lied about it.

Even Channel 2 in Nashville is bewildered at the inane stupidity and gross negligence of the reported actions. Their post The End Of Enlightenment asks a simple question: “How did we get this far, when science and good reason are eschewed for faith-based fanaticism?”

If you need to see all the other reactions, just search the blogs and newspapers. It is a widespread reaction, and happily shows that most of us know how old the Grand Canyon really is; even if the NPS is not allowed to tell us. There has, naturally -(supernaturally?) – been no response from the National Park Circus.

I just can’t wait to get back to my home in West Yellowsstone. I think I’ll visit Satan’s Nostrils when I get there.

Merry Christmas From Goleta

IT’S TOO, TOO NICE FOR WINTER

From Goleta, I send you greetings. The day after Christmas is always a lazy day. Tripping on ribbons, eating dry turkey, making sandwiches from cranberry sauce and smashed dinner rolls. Ah, to be back in ‘West’ with a much slower pace.

Winter here is wet, gray and interesting along the cliffs and the shore. I found one of the most popular invasive species in California. Fennel, (Foeniculum-vulgare,) is running rampant along the cliff tops. You can eat it and it spices up a salad just fine. Since I adore Galliano, this is just the thing to put with some slivered carrots and balsamic vinegar. It’s not much, but it keeps the figure tight.

Mom’s got a new dwelling, (I have the lower,) and it’s nice and just updated with all the conveniences of home – away from home! The neighborhood is mixed — student, retired, leeches, and art bums, just perfect to keep mom active. The atmosphere is one of semi-chaos, and as vibrant as the trendy places, but without the $$$$$$$.

I went to the market and discovered that invaders of the voluptuous kind had arrived and the market was temporarily closed for some shopping and snapshots. I just forgot how stupid the world is in this part of California.

Well, I’ve got to clean up the Christmas mess and prepare for the New Year’s mess. Everyone from the ‘old days’ is coming to hear my tales of woe from Yellowstone country. I’ll probably have to disappoint them.

P.S. I just got an update from my staff in West Yellowstone. There are now “TURBO DIESEL” snow buses in the park. They bark and billow enormous clouds of ugly smoke. They also are breaking down and they’ve only been running for 5 days. Not to put too fine of a point on it, but I told you so! Bigger is better for the concessionaires. These things are going to pollute far more than the sleds ever did.

Yellowstone Dinner By Candlelight – NOT!

THE NPS COMMERCIALIZE THE PARK POLICY

So you’ve saved your money and driven from home in Pocatello, Idaho – (or Bozeman, MT, or Salt Lake City, UT, or Boise, ID, or Missoula, MT, or Saint George, UT, or where ever,) – to West Yellowstone, Montana for a long weekend of some excellent early season cross-country skiing.

You’ve found a small, but quiet and clean rental for just $85/night – for the two of you. It’s within walking distance of the ski trails, (just about everything is.) You got up early and skied hard.

You have finished the day and are feeling exhilarated and romantic. You have traveled over 8 miles today on skis and are inclined toward a candlelight dinner at Old Faithful, just 31 miles away. The sun is low, and sunset about an hour away. Maybe a stroll around Old Faithful in the light of a full moon, at -10. A fitting end to a perfect day.

THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE wants you to spend at least $200 to get there – if you can – which you cant! That’s more to get into Yellowstone National Park than a dinner for two on Cape Cod! Is this any way to run a park?

Winter rules in Yellowstone National Park require access by guided tour – ONLY! That’s about $100/day/person. On commercial buses, vans, or tanks: and only between about 8:30 AM & 5:30 PM.

This policy is designed to make merchants rich and visitors rushed. And, the merchants are making so much money during those 8 hours that they don’t even schedule transportation in the evening. Of course the NPS has rules that dis-allow night time travel in Yellowstone.

So you can eat the plebeian fare in West Yellowstone’s mundane eateries. You can swill beer in dark and noisy and crowded pubs. Or, you can book reservations to stay overnight at Snow Lodge at Old Faithful. Well, maybe you’re that rich! I’m not. And $400 for a dinner is not my idea of enjoying Yellowstone.

There are ways to protect the park, avoid pollution, and enhance the visitor experience without encouraging rampant commercialization of Yellowstone.

The National Park Service doesn’t want to hear about it. They are set on a course to limit visitation to only the richest visitors, pay a bit of baksheesh to the concessionaires, and return Yellowstone to its elitist beginnings.

Romance and gentle enjoyment of our national treasures should not be out of reach of the general public. Attendance at the parks is down. Entrance fees are up. Restricted access is becoming the norm. Commercialization is the new watch word.

There is no need for the NPS to whine about their budget in the face of their current policies & practices. Additional access would go a long way toward allowing Americans to enjoy their parks – and appreciating the need for money to protect and maintain them.

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