This morning I
checked in at the Moraine Park Discovery Center to get my keys and
cabin information. As much as I would like to get right out there
and hike again today, I took the day to settle in to the cabin and finish (I
hope) adjusting to the elevation. With no cell or internet at the
cabin, I also took time to download photographs from yesterday and
think about how I want to approach these next two weeks. Besides the
obvious desire to hike and adventure, I would like to accomplish some
painting, perhaps a bit of writing, and have a game plan for what I'd
like to cover in this blog during this residency. Perhaps I'll
continue to simply chronicle my days, but I've been considering other
possibilities such as providing an useful insight into details of
this park or pontificating about national parks, wilderness, and art. These would take more time, and two weeks feels brief enough already. Perhaps the extras will have to wait. Perhaps they could even become part of my ideas for writing about my experiences as AiR at Badlands National Park. As long as I'm debating all these ideas today, I think I'll
also finish my plans for my Wednesday night program at the Beaver
Meadows visitor center. The one other justification I'm giving
myself so as not to feel too worked up about skipping the big hike
today is that there has been intermittent thunder about, and reports
of lasting storms coming. Perhaps I'll paint from the porch a bit later.
This
cabin I have the privilege of calling home for the next two weeks is really something spectacular. I
feel as though I have stepped back in time a century. The furniture
is largely 1920s era, some pieces are even from when William Allen
White and his family lived here. A writer, publisher, and Pulitzer
Prize winner, White entertained some impressive guests here such as Jane Addams, William Jennings Bryan, and Clarence Darrow. Long's Peak is framed in the doorway by the pillars of the porch. Though today it's mostly hidden by the clouds.
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Panorama of my cabin and the view. |
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The view from my porch. |
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Rocking chairs on the porch, which look to be the same chairs in the historic photos I found inside. |
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Cabin from below. |
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The view from my dining table. |
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Rain on Moraine Park |