That was my FaceBook entry.  There is a size limit to such entries.

There is always more to the story.

 

I arrived at my campsite in Big Meadows Campground in the afternoon and put the air  mattress on the picnic table while I set up the tent.  I figured I would spend the 10 minutes of blowing up the mattress by hyperventilating lung pressure through a tiny open valve after setting up the tent.  Although not a free-standing design, it is easy to set up.  I noticed a tear in the vestibule fabric and some of the support webbing letting go, but not enough to make me worry.

 

Then it started to rain.  I grabbed the sleeping bag bag and tossed it and a few other things into the tent, then spotted the air mattress on the picnic table, getting wet.  After rescuing it from the rain, I sat in the tent huffing and puffing to fill the air mattress.  Of course, the rain then stopped.

 

I drove away from the campground to find down and dead firewood so I could have a campfire later.  On the way back to camp I was hungry enough to divert to the Lodge for dinner,  I ate alone at my table, not as much fun as having company and I remembered at Bryce Canyon National Park having the good fortune of asking strangers to join me at my table.  It is a wonderful way to meet and learn about other folks and sharing adventures and love of parks.  Tonight, it just did not work out.

 

After dinner, I remembered that there was and evening Ranger Campfire Program that was scheduled to already be underway at the Ampitheater, but it was raining lightly.  Why not go see if it is still going on.  The visitors would normally sit on the benches outside in the night air to watch the slides on the giant rear projection screen.  But the night air was wet   So Ranger Kathy had moved the small audience out of the rain into the small projection booth behind the screen where they could be under a roof and watch the slides on Kathy's laptop.  Hey!  I worked!

 

I joined them sitting crosslegged on the floor (which I don't do very well).  After the program, it had stopped raining, so I went back to the campsite and built a small campfire with the wood that had been convienienty dry inside my car.  I wanted a small fire that would go out by the time I was ready for bed.  As I sat beside the fire, I opened my sketching bag and attempted to draw the campfire using just black felt-tip artists pens.  Finally, with the fire out, I went to bed on the air mattress and under the old Army wool blanket I always keep in the car.

 

The next morning I got up early and went out on the meadow before most people were up.  I normally would have my camera gear with me, but this trip seemed different.  I took nothing with me.  They say if you loose the use of one of your senses, other senses will perk up and be more allert.  I was true.  I was hearing birds and insects that I normally miss.  I spent two hours out there and only saw one other person on the meadow.  He had a big camera lens on a tripod.  I was not jealous.

 

When I got to the lodge for breakfast, there were two men waiting in line behind me.  I asked if they wanted company for breakfast and they said yes.  Another lovely time sharing stories.

 

After breakfast, I sat in the Great Room finishing the sketch of last night's campfire, using artists colored pencils and colored felt-tip pens.

 

 

Satisfied with the finished product, I returned to the Ampitheater for the "Live Birds of Prey" program.  This time with my large camera lens on a tripod.  Ranger Kathy was conducting this program, too.  I'll give you a teaser photo to make you want to attend the program sometime.  This red-tailed hawk was on Kathy's gloved hand, but I cropped it to look like only the bird was there.

 

 

Other photos of the hawk as well as the barred owl and screech owl will follow later.

 

                                          -- Ranger Bob