Sacred ground
Nurturing realm
Internal reactions
A spirit of the landscape accumulates and evolves as an important way of participating. Experience of place is more than a static reproduction.
“I preferred to think that memory is never frozen, nor should it be.” – Maxwell Kosegarten
Existing reality
Objective knowledge
Philosophical alternatives
Dead tree skeletons punctuate the Gibbon Geyser Basin. Associated hydrogen sulfide gas yields the characteristic rotten egg odor of the active mudpot. Some things that inform consciousness exist beyond consciousness.
“But the rocks are full of the bones of extinct animals – mammoths and mastodons and enormous reptiles which lived here long before man was ever heard of.” – Winston Smith
Thin crust
Top component
Mechanical properties
The earth’s crust has spawned through igneous processes, which explains its diversity of material elements and appearances. In a formulation state, here the variety and phenomena of observable continental surface materials interacts with the atmosphere.
“Rocks are records of events that took place at the time they formed. They are books. They have a different vocabulary, a different alphabet, but you learn how to read them.” – John McPhee
Boundary layer
Parcel expansion
Convection constraint
The complexity of our atmospheric stratification is sometimes on display. Changes in air temperature and pressure occur with increasing altitude. An inversion represents a deviation from the normal atmospheric altitude variation by acting as a cap.
“This is where the air motion is determined by the properties of the Earth’s surface.” – Marino Tahi
Well-established
Widely celebrated
Physical elements
Landscapes embody a living synthesis, displaying a comprehensive vital force enveloping existence as a spontaneous morphogenesis of things in an increasingly complex configuration.
“In the continuum of landscape, mountains are discontinuity — culminating in high points, natural barriers, unearthly earth.” – Rebecca Solnit
Aqua constrained
Acidic thermal
Viscous slurry
A variegated mud geothermal feature, nourished by hot-springs, remains active during the winter season. Effervescing under a blanket of snow, at various junctures the ground heat overwhelms the freezing cold.
“Along this section of the path, you’ll notice that the Artists’ Paintpots feature a collection of pastel colors. This is because iron oxide stains their whitish/gray mud.” – Courtney Holden
Tranquil view
Solace sanctuary
Feel to truly appreciate
Early morning light illuminates some of the mountains encircling the ‘Gateway to the Northwest’. Mountains seem eternally to answer an aesthetic imaginative need, challenging complacent convictions.
“We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us.” – John Muir
Productive hot spring
Runoff discharge
Firehole river
In the first federally funded government research survey ever conducted in North American, the prominent trailblazer and geologist Dr. Ferdinand V. Hayden led an expedition specifically to explore the Yellowstone geothermal area. Although primarily a scientific and economic campaign, the artist Thomas Moran was significantly a consequential member on the mission. Hayden believed in the power of the visual illustrative image to augment any written-word descriptive passage.
“The results of this season’s exploration attracted the widest interest, and Congress readily complied with Dr. Hayden’s recommendation that the region he had last explored be set apart as a National Park.” – Charles A. White
Headwater tributary
Large chalk stream
Morning vibe
The first official photographic stop of the Yellowstone adventure, at a river happening where we all climbed out of the vintage Bombardier Snowbus and blinked in winter wonderment at the dawning scenic splendor.
“You’re effort will be worth the cold.” – Forrest Fenn
Points of interest
Rugged landscape
Scenic resources
The Rocky Mountains are a prevalent feature always punctuating the lower Portneuf River Valley. Being on a picturesque campus accentuates the intellectual environment.
“Being in the mountains is good for the soul.” – Outside Magazine