Continued


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Posted by Dan M. (209.92.85.90) on 13:36:11 05/15/14

In Reply to: Continued posted by Dan M.

May 27

Sometime before dawn it starts to rain again--the hardest rain yet. I lay in my warm sleeping bag and enjoy the simple, primal satisfaction of shelter during storm. I'm half awake/half asleep when a brilliant flash shows me the inside of my eyelids. I open my eyes to darkness and wait. Several seconds later thunder cracks and rolls down the slopes of Mt. Everts to shake the campground.

"Outstanding," I say softly. Tim A. murmurs in agreement. More flashes and more thunder, but the storm soon moves on.

For breakfast we have scrambled eggs with fried Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, and Spam, with some cheddar on the Spam. Today is the Loonion, so we head off to the hotel to take showers. There we run into First and Second Timothy and Jay who have just completed their own showers. Now clean, we park my truck in front of the webcam again and hoist the Loon Flag once more. We stand with our backs to the camera. It is still 20 minutes before picture time and no other Loons are yet in sight, so after a few moments we wander over to the Yellowstone Nature Store across the old parade ground from the hotel. For the time being the sun is out and the day is beautiful. When it is time we head back to the visitor center as the Loons begin flocking. All the previously mentioned Loons are there, joined by JT (who sorta reminds me of Billy Bob Thornton) and Malinda, Cathy W. and her husband, Michael, and Webcam Master Tom makes a special appearance. Nobody has heard from Ashley. Wendy has been spotted in the park, but she has yet to appear. Sandi, Rick and Shelbi are also nowhere to be seen.

We pose for pictures (you saw it all live). When Ballpark Frank hustles us over to the visitor center for close-up webcam pictures, I try to make sure I get in a good nostril shot for Allison, but my timing is off. I learn this when Tom invites us up to show us the Inner Sanctum--the room behind the webcam. He plays all the captures for us. Malinda points out that my carefully considered nose pose is not among them. Dang.

We migrate to the Terrace Grill. Wendy chooses this moment to arrive. She doesn't know who I am until I flash a nostril at her. We go inside and I find a seat at one end of the half of the restaurant we have commandeered. It's a perfect spot. From my table I can see all the Loons and as John Uhler and Geri and Ballpark and Tim W. each share something meaningful with us, I look out across the room and marvel at the bond I feel with these people I have never seen until this weekend.

Mark R. stands and calls John Uhler up beside him. This moment is my biggest reason for wanting to be there. Mark begins pulling wrapped gifts out of the box and handing them to John to be opened one at a time. As he opens each one, John appears increasingly moved. He is blinking a lot and wiping at his eyes. The radio comes last and the expression on John's face is my reward for driving 1100 miles, well worth the hours behind the wheel. Once the gift-giving is over, we order our food. I share a table with Mark and his parents until it is pulled into an island of tables by other Loons and we all sit together in one big Thanksgiving-type Loon grouping. Once the tables are in place we realize we've made it harder to talk. We have to nearly shout to converse. Doesn't matter a bit; we happily proceed to do so. Now we have been joined by Bob Landis, whose film "Return of the Wolf", we will be going to see as soon as lunch is over.

The film is incredible, in some ways even frightening, as the lives of the Druid pack unfold before us, played out on the vast stage that is the Lamar Valley, where most of us had already spent time that same weekend, even that same day. We see the pack's struggles, hardships and triumphs; the battles and losses, the bonds the pack shares. As I watch I can't help feeling supremely grateful to be sitting in this room, viewing this beautiful film with these people, in this place of places--Yellowstone. I wish, oh, how I wish that all of the Loons could be there to share it with us.



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