Page 177 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL FALL 2024 SPAIN

Mammal in 2016 by President Barack
Obama and is an impressive animal.
To be honest, my notes from our Sunday
drive are dreadful. I was mesmerized by the
scenery. Sure, I would have loved to have
captured photos from outside a bus window
and hike amid the forests, but I could smell
the pines, water and dirt and the occa-
sional whiff of sulphur. I could feel the ef-
fects of the 7,500-foot average elevation,
and breathe chilled fresh air.
We passed forests of lodgepole pines,
some stripped naked by wildfires and dis-
ease. Rivers rushed down hillsides and
large lakes glistened in the sunlight (which
gave way to rain as we passed through
various micro climates). We spotted the
gleaming black obsidian cliffs, source of
thousands of arrowheads, and strained our
eyes for wildlife sightings.
Lunchtime brought us to Mammoth Hot
Springs, a collection of buildings with mas-

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