April Showers (snow showers)
April 24, 2009

Weather in the Rockies continues to prove it is fickle. Earlier this week we were wearing short sleeve shirts and enjoying temperatures in the mid to high 70s. Yesterday, it was around 30 degrees (plus or minus) and snow fell from the sky.

If you are planning a trip to Glacier this year, it is important to remember that the weather can change very quickly, and sometimes, without warning. At some point in time, Glacier has received snow every month, even during summer. I remember backpacking mid-August and waking up to 3 inches of snow at the Hole in the Wall campground.

Below are a few pictures taken this morning showing the fresh snow that fell yesterday and last night.

Another Stellar Day
April 21, 2008

Yesterday was gorgeous. The sun was out, there was a gentle breeze, and the temperature was in the low 70s. Today it is much the same, though probably a bit warmer. Below are a few pictures taken around 5:00 p.m. yesterday. Enjoy.

Weekend Jaunt to the North Fork
April 20, 2009

Over the weekend I took a drive to the Polebridge Ranger Station in the North Fork. The Camas Road is still closed, so I had to take the longer route up the Outside North Fork Road. I stopped at the north gate of the Camas Road and snapped a few photos, and continued on to Polebridge. I couldn't continue past the Ranger Station, so I snapped a few photos by the North Fork of the Flathead River.

The weather was beautiful. Sunny skies, a gentle breeze, temps in the 60s, and you could smell the Cottonwood trees along the river. Below are are couple of pictures.

Painting a Picture
April 16, 2009

This morning I walked out the door thinking that I should bring my camera with me in the event I would see something interesting. I stopped at the end of the driveway momentarily, contemplating going back inside to get it, but opted to keep walking. What would I really see that I haven’t seen before? I mean, if my calculations are correct, I have walked this route 5,760 times.

Let me paint a picture for you.

My walk to and from work is very pleasant. It is a short walk, but I’m treated to a variety of sights from blooming Beargrass, alpenglow on Strawberry Mountain, patches of thick ice or piles deer scat I have to dodge. This morning as I walked down the 3-foot wide paved path, my feet crunched on last year’s fallen leaves. The path was lined with grungy and dirty snow banks. A few Varied Thrush sang loudly perched in the Lodgepole pines that also line the path. I saw last year’s Beargrass stalks still standing, brown and crisp. I won’t see those in bloom for another 5 years or so, but I saw the brushy part of this year’s flower. The warm light from the morning sun illuminated my path and I caught a glimpse of movement. A white tail raised high into the air, and then another. I stopped briefly to see 2 White-tailed deer (does) standing broadside about 30 yards from me. I see them often. I continued to walk toward them and they stood stoic as ever. I wondered how close I would get before they would retreat in a panic. As I kept walking, they held their ground. I slowed my pace. They still remained in the same place. Slowing my pace even more, these two does allowed me to get within about 7 feet of them. No camera! I stopped. They looked at me, and I at them. I said, “Hi.” They cocked their heads in bewilderment. Still, no camera! A Pileated Woodpecker clinging to a Douglas Fir above us broke the silence and the deer leaped without warning 20 yards away from me. I looked up to see the Pileated Woodpecker banging its head into the tree. No camera! My walk half complete, I continued on and eventually passed another employee heading the other way and exchanged a brief morning greeting.

Although I didn’t bring my camera with me this morning to share some of the sights of Glacier with you, hopefully I painted a picture that is just as good.

David Restivo, NPS

Screenshot images of the virtual tours.

Virtual Tours
April 3, 2009

Next week I'll be in Denver teaching a class to colleagues in the NPS about interpretive media. Specifically, I'll be talking about eHikes, eTours, eCruises, etc.

If you are unfamiliar with these words, what I'm referring to are simply virtual tours. An eHike is an electric hike, an eTour is a electric tour, and well, you can probably figure out what an eCruise is.

In Glacier, we have 3 of them found here. Acadia National Park and Zion National Park have one as well, and in the near distant future, Statue of Liberty will have one as soon as I finish it.

The purpose of these virtual tours are not to replace a real visit to our national parks, but to serve as a trip planning tool. It's also meant to help reconnect or relive one's trip after they have gone home. Additionally, it serves as a way to showcase national parks and areas within them to people that might not have the opportunity to visit.

Have you visited any of the parks listed above, or hiked the trails highlighted? If you have, what did the virtual tour do for you? Did it prompt memories? If you haven't been to the parks or hiked the trails (in Acadia's case, taken a cruise), do these virtual tours entice you to visit and learn more about them?

These are just a few questions I ask myself. I also often ask what can be done to improve the virtual experience for our Web visitors. What do you think? What parks do you feel should utilize virtual tours?