The January Thaw

After bottoming out at -33.9 degrees F on January 8, we've enjoyed relatively warm temperatures with highs in the 30s and 40s for the last couple of weeks.  The sun has been out part of the time, but we've mostly had an eerie fog for the last week straight.  Medora stays out of it because we're lower, but if you drive out of the valley, you hit a wall of fog before you get to Painted Canyon.  With the nice weather, it's nice to hear the birds singing again.

I've been playing with a new HD video camera and have gotten some decent shots of critters and scenery in the park.  I've posted a couple test videos elsewhere and will post one here at the end of the month. 

The most interesting thing I've seen lately was a golden eagle eating a prairie dog.  A magpie was skulking around the eagle waiting for a chance to grab a piece of meat.  Then the eagle took off as another eagle came in to feed.  So, two for one.  You'll see it in the video.

I've done some research and dredged up a couple of Theodore Roosevelt's stories from the badlands, the time when he got into a bar fight in Montana and the time when thieves stole his boat and he chased after them, arrested them, and took them to jail personally.  I also added a page for the museum collections intended to demonstrate that there is something along those lines to see in the park.  Lastly, I found some information about how awesome the park's air quality is, second only to Denali National Park according to a recent 10-year study.