I’ve just discovered the WordPress Lens Artist Photo Challenge. Tina Schell, whose blog is called Travels and Trifles, came up with this week’s theme, “Big is Beautiful”.
How appropriate that I found it this week, I can’t help but think, as big is beautiful has defined my life in many ways.
For one thing, I’m a big girl. I keep telling myself big is beautiful, but I don’t always believe it.
More importantly though, big is beautiful has defined my life geographically, as a rambling ranger, for many years. After all, I live in Alaska, the biggest state in the Union.
I even worked for a few years in Denali National Park, home to the biggest mountain in North America.
I live in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the biggest national park in the U.S. by far. It’s the size of Switzerland with Yellowstone and Yosemite thrown in.
My favorite geologic feature in this fabulous park is the Stairway Icefall, one of the tallest icefalls in North America, if not the world. It rises 7,000 feet in under 2 miles.
I work in the “ghost town” of Kennecott. The Kennecott Mill just may be the tallest wooden building in North America. It’s big.
I spent 8 winters as a ranger in Death Valley National Park. At 3.2 million acres, it is the largest national park in the contiguous United States.
Currently I’m spending time in the Pacific Northwest, home to big trees.
The place where I’m staying is only a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean, the biggest of them all!
Live Large! Go Big!
What gorgeous photos! You are so fortunate to be able to spend time in some of the most beautiful places on earth. I miss my days as an NPS ranger. Maybe one day that will be my job again. For now I will live vicariously through you!
Thank you so much! Your posts remind me of the lifestyle I now leave behind in the winters. It is a good life! I liked your post on rootedness. Have you heard the Melissa Mitchell song, “Rooting Down”? I think you’d like it. Here’s a link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW7FYOhMRUU