Grotto Geyser, located on the walk to Morning Glory Pool at Yellowstone National Park. -- Photo by Pat Bean
Lewis Falls is always one of the first places I stop when I enter Yellowstone from the south entrance. -- Photo by Pat Bean
My Favorite Places
“It’s my job to invite all of you to come to Wyoming and Yellowstone Park where we hope you get a glimpse of the grizzly. We hope you do not have an encounter with the grizzly.” – Mike Enzi
NaNoWriMo Update
My goal yesterday was to use my drive time to Dallas from Lake Jackson to think about my plot for my November novel writing experiment.
North of Houston, I stopped at a Flying J to dump my holding tank. Not only were the RV dumping spots full – I’m used to this task, which I usually do when I traveling between the two cities, taking a half hour – but when I learned that the once RV-friendly service station was charging $10 to dump, I drove on without waiting.
I might have paid $5, but certainly not $10 for my little 20-gallon holding tank. Most RVs have at least 40 gallon tanks. And no longer will I seek out Flying J’s to get gas. I felt the cost was an insult – and I’m still pissed. .
My outrage interrupted my head-plotting for the next few miles, and then I detoured off Interstate 45 – I hate driving on freeways – at Huntsville and took highways 19 and 175 the rest of the way into Dallas.
It was the first time I had gone this route so I mostly just watched the scenery go past.
The little plotting I did for the upcoming challenge involved thinking about the Gulf Coast landscape, which will be the setting for my yet as unnamed mystery.
I drove this landscape recently, between Surfside and Galveston, to get a feel for it. But my only thoughts on the book this day were that the endangered Ridley sea turtle and offshore oil spills might make good conversation fillers.
Sure hope, as past NaNo participants have said, that the characters take charge of the plot once the writing begins. Meanwhile, I still have to find a place to dump.
Pat Bean's blog 
One of the big controversies brewing here is that there is a group of people who want to have the rules changed to allow dogs at the beach. One of the Mote Marine people has said that there is a distinct possibility that the dogs will disturb the turtle nests as has happened in the past. One lady spoke and said, “I’m sick of hearing about the turtles. You can’t pet a turtle.” Well, the turtles are endangered; dogs are not. So where do we find the compromise? As much as I like dogs, I don’t want them at the beach. We used to allow them but of course, that privilege was abused, and it became a real mess. And as usual, it’s the irresponsible pet owners who are the problem. Dogs are just being dogs.
Interesting thought,especially since I plain on my main character, female, of course, having a dog. But I thought of having people patrol the nests … it’s like, as a responsible dog owner, I always have baggies in my pocket so I can pick up Maggie’s poop. I hate coming across dog poop on a trail. That so inconsiderate. Dogs on leashes, meanwhile, wouldn’t pose a threat to turtle nests unless their owner is a jackass.
Keep writing … Pat Bean https://patbean.wordpress.com
PS. – Great pictures!! You make me want to go there!
Fantastic photos, Pat. Good luck with NaNoWriMo. 🙂
And good luck with finding a good place to dump.