Yellowstone

"No more does man know Yellowstone than he knows himself." That is what Sigmund Freud said when he visited one of America's most famous national parks during a whistle-stop tour of 1905.



Okay, you're right. Freud didn't really say that. Bertold Brecht did. Anyway, the point is that the Yellowstone is a darn strange place.



It is filled with wildlife ...



... and geological features that seem to be alive. This, I believe, is called a travertine mound, formed of calcium carbonate projected upward in water from geothermal activity below. The colors are produced by algae that love this curious chemical preparation.



Here we see another such accretion masquerading as a Jean Dubuffet painting.



But, if we riff on the mud, dirt and other humus-like materials used by that painter, then we might say that—like Dubuffet—Yellowstone is a geography buff's delight.



Check out those basalt columns!



Take a gander at these towers flanking the frozen waterfall! Well, all Old Ken can say is that seeing crazy places and tall towers like these make me want to tell some equally tall tales. Fun times!