“That tree just winked at me!”
There didn’t seem to be many interesting facts about this owl out there, all the articles just described what it looked like. Boo.
So in lieu of some facts, I found a short video of it hopping around and bobbing its head and such. Its head looks kinda flat on top, which I found cute.
I spent a summer in Yellowstone as an employee, which meant I had a pretty bad ass backyard for a bit lol.
I grew up in the suburbs, though have been to homes in rural areas at night.
Let me tell you, a place like YS is another level of dark.
Hikes under a full moon were tough. Under a new moon? Nah, I went back to civilization. I didn’t need to get injured in the dark and be unable to hike my way out.
Dark has a new meaning in those conditions. And yeah, I can easily see that totally natural occurrences taking on a supernatural vibe in those conditions. Especially if someone was eating grain infected with ergot mold, or dehydrated, or exhausted, etc.
Ergot mold is the precursor for LSD, for those unaware. It’s one of the theories regarding werewolves actually. People tripping balls at night high on
LSDmold poisoning.I smell a new business venture selling eco-tourism to the tech bros!
I want to get up to the one state forest here in PA all the astronomers head to. It’s supposed to be one of the darkest places in the country and I think that would be fun to check out.
I’ve taken a bunch of cave tours, and they’ll often shut off the lights to show pitch black, and while I’m not claustrophobic, that darkness begins to take on a preternatural weight to it. Much of our ancient monkey brain still remains!
What’s your most vivid memory of working there? I imagine you’ve seen some things most of us dont usually get to see.