On the national scene, Christian fundamentalist and evangelicals have made inroads into the Tea Party (formerly self-proclaimed “Tea Baggers”) and the right-wing of the Republican Party. The party that wants the government to stay out of everything is OK with it choosing who can marry, what can be said about sexuality in schools, and how far women can go with reproductive choices. They think the theory of Evolution is on par with Creationism and the belief that the Earth was created by God 6000 years ago. Christian extremists target abortion providers in much the same way as the Taliban targets those who do not share their beliefs, they work outside of the law.

Religious extremists have lived among us for a long time. They use their religious affiliation to justify actions against those outside of their belief system. Whether Muslim, Mormon, Christian, Jewish, whatever, their methods and effects are equally dangerous to our ability to live as free people.

The biggest negative in getting it to work was the requirement to get the latest version of ITunes on the PC. 3 attempts at downloading the 60meg upgrade in a fringe cell zone was a real pain. The IPad would not work until it verified that the latest ITunes software was present.

It was very easy to learn. It fulfills about 90 pct of my personal computing requirements.

Blog posting with photos will need to wait until I find more time to deal with my PC. For now, I need to get caught up on a lot of things that were on the back burner when I went remote. One of those things was getting the maintenance on a bunch of PC’s up to date, which is not a requirement with the IPad.

I like being able to set it down and return where I left off without waiting for boot up. I actually take it with me most of the time, but it’s big enough that you will not find me constantly staring into it like many do with their smaller PDA’s.

Maybe I’ll figure out how to blog post with photos from the IPad. In the meantime, bear with me. I’ll surely fire up the PC again some time soon.

Plenty o’ snow over Dunraven Pass.

Low overcast makes it surreal!

I can handle the wildflowers.

It won’t rain today.

Looking back from The Narrows toward Yellowstone picnic area.

Even buffalo dung and dandelions look beautiful on a day like today.

A wider view up Yellowstone River from above the Narrows.

Apollinaris Spring is running again. This was a Yellowstone Park Foundation restoration project. Yes I rejoined, 15% off store purchases. They do some great work including field seminars,

This is one of the first roadside museums on National Register of Historic sites. Unfortunately many used this information to steal specimens from Obsidian Ridge.

Roaring Mountain is roaring a bit more this year, probably due to the abundance of water.

The days are already running together. This is what it is like to find the brink of Lower Falls before anyone else.

I experienced a thunderous avalanche of snow breaking off from near the falls. The ground shook. Awesome! (And I don’t use that term a lightly as the younger generation.)

There are many much smaller scale falls to enjoy along the north rim, as well.

What can I say?

Yes, you should take in EVERY view point, even the ones that warn you that you may die doing this at 8000 feet if you have health problems.

Is this the stairway to heaven?

This is it! No need for church.

The threat of thunderstorms forces a change of plans. Snow Pass will have to wait for another day. Shorter trails such as the Artist Paintpots prevail.

BTW, this is only a fraction of what one sees in a day in Yellowstone! There is much more I took on HD video, such as a number of bears. Of course, most was seen without looking through the viewfinder. These are reminders of a memorable day.

There is still plenty o’ snow above 7500’. I had thought 90W of Harbor Freight solar panels was overkill ‘til I talked with another RV’er packin’ 270W. I’m ready for the extended stay at Yellowstone. I was nearly overwhelmed with emotion when I entered the park in fabulous spring colors while reflecting on 50 years of visits. The memories here last for life. If you go, take plenty of pictures and concentrate on being in the best of moods.

My outside shower is somewhat hidden. Oh well, if they have to try that hard to see, go ahead and have a look! I’m not paying to use the campground showers. I find this far more invigorating

Yes, I will use my generator for extended stays. If you don’t like it, go to Indian Creek or Norris. I can’t stay away from the blues videos or all the gadgets requiring recharge. A strategy definitely needs to be developed as I don’t want to become a slave to the 8-8 generator use window.

Maybe in a couple of weeks I’ll be able to get to the fire ring and table. The word around the park is that 2011 has the most snow in 30 years. Everywhere it seems that the season is arriving about a month late.

Good view from inside. Yellowstone does it right unless you stay at the full hookups in the RV Park(ing lot).

I will post more, although I may fall behind given all the possibilities for entertainment.

Point out to the company sending those mailings that it is as easy for them to remove yours from their out box as they think it is for you to remove it from your in box. Outbound direct mailings are sorted by address and they can find yours if they wanted to. Also, point out that the Supreme Court has ruled that it is up to the recipient to determine what is obscene and objectionable and you are putting them on notice that that is how you find their mailings. Then promise to make a formal complaint to the Postmaster that will reference the conversation in which you put them on notice for sending obscene and objectionable material and further violations generally come with heavy fines and media attention.

This has worked for me in the past. If it doesn’t, I would indeed pursue the formal complaint route.

Health care should be affordable for all Americans. “Death Panels” are at least as real in insurance companies today as they can be imagined in any government program of the future.

High quality K-12 education should be provided for free for all. Reasonable financial terms should be available to all academically qualifying students of higher education.

Workers should be allowed to bargain collectively.

All natural resources of the public trust should be managed openly in such a way to allow a voice for all vested interests.

The affects of economic activity and crises should be shared by all.

Today’s lifestyle should not be financed by future generations. It is OK to raise taxes today to cover what we feel is necessary to spend. Taxes should be levied on those who will feel the effects least rather than those who are impacted the most. Deficits DO matter.

The world needs ditch diggers, too. Let’s treat them with dignity.

All people should be treated with dignity. Dignity toward others should define who we are.

Unless the fossil fuel industries are nationalized, it makes no sense to “drill baby drill” up our resources while trashing the environment. Whatever is produced only adds to the global market in which we must compete, anyway. It makes better sense to use energy more efficiently overall and apply most development efforts towards locally sustainable sources.

Fox News offers an alternative to reality.

There a very few visible conservatives today who can articulate their views without being assholes.

It is OK to be someone other than a white, wealthy, heterosexual Christian male.

The Bible is not a modern manual for governance requiring interpretation by religious leaders. Government should derive its power from the People, a collection of individuals, and not from a deity. Individuals can decide from where they derive their own spiritual power, or if they do at all.

Discrimination is a method for dividing people.

Americans should work together.

Barack Obama is a far better president than was George W. Bush.

The U.S. military should only be called upon to risk their lives using deadly force on issues that can be resolved in a matter of weeks. To those that do provide this service, we need to take care of them and their families.

Public safety is as equally important as the right to bear arms.

Civility goes a long way.

People experiencing the affects of government or business should have some control over them.

Adults should be able to make their own decisions about who is or is to be added as a family member.

Bullies need to be told that what they are doing is wrong. People should be protected from bullies.

Business is business and government is government. It makes no more sense to run government like a business than to run a business like government.

Consenting adults in their own privacy should be able to choose to do whatever they want to make each other and themselves feel good.

World War II ended over 50 years ago. Those people we pay all over the world should be doing things that are beneficial to us today as well as in the future. We should not be building weapon systems that would have been nice to have in order to win World War II.

“Homeland Security” is a Bush-era redneck term. “National Security” implies greater national unity in protecting what lies within the borders of the United States. “National Security Interests” go beyond our borders.

Climate change is real. The best science suggests that human activity is accelerating it to the extent that adaptations cannot be made quickly enough to avoid possibly severe consequences. Therefore, it is reasonable to do whatever we can to mitigate our impacts before we are forced to make more drastic changes to our lives and the lives of our children.

Once churches and other religious organizations are able to provide a place to gather to share common faiths and do charitable work, they should pay taxes like other businesses. That would broaden the local tax bases in order to reduce individual and property taxes rather than subsidizing big business and ostentatious buildings on prime real estate.

Something like a Civilian Conservation Corps makes more sense for the long-term unemployed than to simply hand out money or cut off support completely. Who knows, most everyone may benefit here.

Not one single job was created by Obama’s economic stimulus package. Many were and many more were saved.

Yellowstone in April is really like Yellowstone towards the end of winter. There is generally 3-6 feet of snow everywhere. The Canyon Visitor Center is not yet open. Old Faithful and Mammoth Visitor Centers are open. All lodging except Old Faithful Snow Lodge is closed. Camping is only available at Mammoth.

You can get winter sporting goods and snacks at Canyon. The snowmobile warming huts are still around vending stale candy.

A lot starts opening during National Park Week beginning the third weekend in April. Access is free during all of National Park Week. You can in from the North Entrance or the West Entrance and get over to Canyon for an impressive view from a few feet short of Artist Point.

You can also see Upper Falls.

The road is closed both north and south of Canyon. You can get into Norris Geyser Basin, but will have to navigate the trails that are still snow-covered in many places.

You will share the roads with buffalo as they tend to avoid deep snow.

You will probably see more buffalo in the spring than any other time of the year. You are also more likely to see predators preying on winter-weakened animals.

The new Old Faithful Visitor Center is open. They post the times for the next expected eruptions that occur roughly 90 minutes apart within a 20 minute window during this time of year.

West Yellowstone generally has more affordable lodging in the spring than does Gardiner. Gardiner hosts cross country skiers and hikers that are still active in April. West Yellowstone hosts snowmobilers in the months leading up to the opening of the road for wheeled traffic. I found a room at the Brandin’ Iron for under $70 including breakfast and access to their hot tub. There are one or two other places open at a higher rate. It may take a while to figure out who is open. The One and only hot social and eating spot is the Wild West Pizzeria. The food is good; they pour micros and have a juke box. What more do you need? Hang onto your beer when you are ordering your next or they will reuse your glass. I’m all for saving water, but not at the cost of drinking a beer out of a warm, greasy glass that costs you the same as the one that comes in a frosty glass.

There are plenty of good skiing and snowshoeing options, especially near Canyon and the Lamar Valley. A lot of spots where the grass is showing is pretty mushy and muddy. There are a number of trails closed because of bear activity. You will still find the idiots who stop in the middle of the road to photograph wildlife from the driver’s seat…just not as many as you do in July when traffic backs up for a mile or more.

The airport at West Yellowstone (KWYS) does not get plowed until the businesses open on June 1. It is very rare that you will be able to land much before June 1. An advance call is necessary. Bozeman (KBZN) is the nearest alternate open year round.

It is very cold in the early morning hours, it can be quite nice or a bit windy as the day wears on. It can also snow several inches a day. It will still be winter well into June! Spring starts in July.

Somehow, that doesn’t seem right. With oil company profits hitting record levels, it does not seem a fair trade to give up some of the value of the area for more oil company profits. It’s not like there are not other options such as doing the assembly in the U.S. with parts brought in on smaller loads travelling other routes which would likely incur less damage.

I sure hope they don’t mess up the river, too. Don’t you?

Spring bicycling in Yellowstone National Park is an exercise in logistics, layered clothing selection, and self-sufficiency. As long-ride mountain-terrain bicycling goes, it is not particularly as physically taxing as one might expect. This is probably because there are so many reasons to stop that you really don’t have the opportunity to get worn-down. You will need plenty of food and water, and be prepared for any mechanical contingencies as there are exactly zero places to offer support. Car traffic does not usually start until the third weekend in April. The roads are open for non-motorized traffic a month earlier while they are being plowed. The plowing begins with a narrow swath through the center and then gets progressively widened. The weather can change quickly. Temperatures generally range from the teens in the morning to the high-thirties and, if you’re lucky, the low forties. You cannot be on an aggressive schedule since you will be sharing the road with buffalo that prefer using the roads to get around because of the relative ease of travel. It is impossible to keep the recommended distance away from them when you encounter them on the road. I’d suggest walking your bike around them, keeping your bike between you and them, avoiding eye contact, and make slow movements anywhere other than directly towards them.

The road between Gardiner and West Yellowstone is very-well constructed and has good drainage. So, ice patches are surprisingly rare. In 2011, there were plenty of potholes between the Hoodoos and Norris. The rest of the road was smooth. The distance is just over 50 miles. The most difficult climbing stretch is the first 10 miles south of Gardiner where you will climb 2200 feet in 10 miles until you get past Silver Gate. The rest of the ride is comparatively easy. Drifting snow can be problematic, especially between Silver Gate and Norris.

The West Yellowstone airport (KWYS) does not get maintained until June 1, and it is rare that the snow will be cleared much before that. The Gardiner airport (29S) is opened pretty-much year-round. But, you will want to fly in only during a stretch of fair weather and plan your arrival and departure in the morning before the wind picks up. Access to Gardiner is from the north through a curvy canyon. The terrain rises quickly between Gardiner and Mammoth. Bozeman (KBZN) is the nearest commercial airport about 85-90 miles north of both west and north entrances.

There are only a few lodging and dining options open in West Yellowstone and Gardiner in early spring. They are particularly sensitive about leaving cars parked overnight in West Yellowstone because of the effort required to make space available. It is a good idea to clear parking arrangements with the property owner.

Although you can bike in the summer in Yellowstone, spring is probably a safer time to do it. At least if you die doing it, at least it is more likely to be YOUR fault. You just really need to understand that you are really on your own!

Anyway, there is a better promoted UnTapped Blues and Brews event happening in the Tri-Cities area in southeast Washington May 13-14, 2011. If you book with a nearby hotel, it will feed you brunch and give you a safe ride there and back for a VERY reasonable price, which includes entry to the event. There is also a deal for RV’ers. It’s 4-5 hour drive from Boise. A modern airport (KPSC) is a short distance away and generally has a variety of low-cost or free-shuttle options. KPSC has ILS and LPV precision approaches.