Yellowstone is the place of the rebirth of the Grizzly Bear, the Gray Wolf, and the American Bison (or Buffalo). These critters were getting into short supply, and the Environmentalists, who care about such shortages, did something about it. Now weve almost got as many Bears, Wolves, and Buffalo as we do Environmentalist.
I met Maggie Finch-Hunter at Macks Inn on the Henrys Fork of the Snake River. Maggie is not a finch hunter, she is a finch observer. She has one of those hyphenated names. Her husband was blasted out of existence in Bush War II, but she has kept a stiff upper lip.
The part about her husba nd getting killed in Bush War II was a lie. I added it to make this article look more like a current event.
Her husband left her to join the circus.
No, he left her to become a Hollywood star and needed at least one divorce under his belt if he ever wanted to be famous.
Ill stick with that last one. It has a trace of truth in it.
Maggie told me to hop into her jeep. She was going to Big Springs.
Big Springs is the headwaters of the Henry's Fork of the Snake River where Rainbow trout spawn in large numbers, making it a renowned fishing spot in the Mountain West.
Downstream is the Big Springs National Water Trail, a four-hour float trip with scenic forest, mountain views, and wildlife. (One place to read about Island Park and the surrounding area is: http://www.westYellowstonenet.com/islandpark/islandparkidaho.php.)
I hopped into the jeep.
I said, Maggie, didnt a hermit live up at Big Springs?
The jeep hit a bump about thro wing me behind in the dust cloud.
She said, Wasnt a hermit. Johnny Sack was a German cabinet maker who in 1929 leased land at Big Springs from the Forest Service.
I said, Is the cabin still there?
She said, You were up there yesterday, weren't you?
I said, My readers don't know I was up there. You are too callous, Maggie. Its because your husband left you for Hollywood, isnt it?
She laughed and said, What husband? No man would marry a woman that is never home but always out looking for Dall sheep that live on alpine ridges in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. What man would want to chase me up there?
(Read about Dall sheep at: http://library.thinkquest.org/3500/dallsheep.html.)
I said, I guess you do have a point: unless you are rich, of course.
At the headwaters of the Henrys Fork of the Snake, folks were loading themselves into canoes and onto rafts for the fun-filled journey downstream.
I said, Do you know why the fi sherman fish under the bridge back at Macks Lodge?
Maggie smiled and said, Because the swallow poop drops from the bridge every time a car or truck speeds by and the fish feed on it. Its easy to catch fish there.
She added, Tee Hee!
I said, Yum, yum! Thats why I dont fish there. I dont want to eat swallow poop.
Island Park is down in a huge volcanic caldera similar to the one that encompasses much of Yellowstone Park. (You can read about it at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IslandParkCaldera.)
Macks Lodge burned to the ground some years ago and was never rebuilt, but they have camping areas for trailers and tents, cabins, and a motel for guys like me who dont like to pull humongous trailers and hate to camp on the ground. (See http://www.macksinn.com/)
I said, Maggie, why do you stay down here instead of up in West Yellowstone?
Summer crowds. Its close to Yellowstone Park and I like it down here.
I said, We were up in the Park y esterday. We saw a zillion elk and Buffalo, but not one black bear. I guess they are still shooing them to the back country.
I read in the newspapers that the Buffalo are overflowing from the park causing Brucellosis in ranch cattle (see: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahps/Brucellosis/)
Also, the Wolves are attacking cattle and sheep, and the Grizzly Bears are terrifying ranchers and school children. Read about the Grizzly Bear problem at: http://www.bcwf.bc.ca/documents/s=335/bcw1128053820869/)
She looked up at the forest fire that was approaching Macks Inn and said, Isnt nature wonderful!
Well, there really was a fire even if there was no Maggie!
The End
copyrightJohn T. Jones, Ph.D. 2005
John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com)is a retired R&D engineer and VP of a Fortune 500 company. He is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering), poetry, etc. Former editor of international trade mag azine. Jones is Executive Representative of International Wealth Success. More info: http://www.tjbooks.com. Business web site: http://www.bookfindhelp.com (IWS wealth-success books and kits and business newsletters / TopFlight flagpoles)
Author:: John T Jones, Ph.D.
Keywords:: Wolves, Bears, Buffalo, Yellowstone, Island Park, Macks Inn, Big Springs, Brucellosis, Environment
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