Reflections from Yellowstone
Notable & Noteworthy: Spring
March is a quiet month in Yellowstone, not because there's nothing happening but because all but one road is closed and there is little human hubbub. April ... that's a different story. Still, these are two months during which I have not seen the park. What I know ...
Writing Tools I Use
Writing involves more than writing. The writing life involves a lot of reading and observing. Most of my writing is done at my desk, and I occasionally get to spend a few happy hours writing outside in Yellowstone. These are a few of the go-to items I use for...
Postcard from Yellowstone: Bobby Socks Trees
Once upon a time, I worked in Yellowstone—at the Old Faithful Inn Gift Shop, where I spent part of each day restoring the great wall of postcards. These days, the postcard wall is smaller, which makes me sad. Postcards are more than souvenirs. They’re a way of looking...
My 5 Favorite Yellowstone Stops
After a summer of working in Yellowstone and four decades of annual visits to the park, a trip to Yellowstone feels like going home. This is at once a blessing and a curse. With so many places to revisit, check in on, and catch up with, it’s hard to branch out to new...
Hiking Gear We Use
I know of a few winter hikers. For most of us, though, hiking is an activity left to the more temperate seasons. With spring upon us, I wanted to share some things we're gathering for the coming hiking season. Hiking/Trekking Poles: In terms of stability and speed,...
Postcard from Yellowstone | Clear Lake
Once upon a time, I worked in Yellowstone—at the Old Faithful Inn Gift Shop, where I spent part of each day restoring the great wall of postcards. These days, the postcard wall is smaller, which makes me sad. Postcards are more than souvenirs. They’re a way of looking...
Notable & Noteworhty: Winter
I've visited Yellowstone in January and February, and found it to be both a delightful wonderland and a frigid, forbidding, unforgiving landscape. We snowmobiled when my parents, brother, and I visited in my teens. Even bundled in the best snowmobile attire the 1980s...
Camping Gear We Actually Use 2026
We had a rare but not unheard-of March blizzard last weekend. My husband used the time to prepare our camping gear for the coming season. Here’s a collection of stuff we actually use when we head out west. Eating & Drinking At the campsite, we use an...
Postcard from Yellowstone: Mallard Lake
Postcards. They're more than a souvenir. More than a way to say Thinking of you! or Wish you were here! They're a way of seeing and sharing. Small by design, a postcard from Yellowstone can capture a moment. In that spirit, for you: A postcard from Yellowstone Hi...
Postcard from Yellowstone: Great Fountain
Once upon a time, I worked in Yellowstone National Park. It was 1987--just shy of forty years ago. Numbers are not my first language, so this is always something of a shock. I digress. Specifically, I worked at the Old Faithful Inn Gift Shop, where I invested a good...
2025 Gift Guide
It's that time of year. We're searching for ideas for that special something for that special someone. Last year, one of my author-friends asked me to pair my book with a gift idea for her readers. This year, I asked some of my nature-writing friends to do the same....
Lesson from Yellowstone: From Old Faithful to Everyday Life
I have a love-hate relationship with paper. I’ve never met a notebook, or a post-it note, or a planner I didn’t like. At the same time, I have no idea how to manage the mountains of paper that find their way into my home. Because my husband is efficient,...
Pause • Ponder • Press on
