Maine Acadian Culture

Saint John Valley, Frenchville Maine

...Maine, spread out through "The County" on the rooftop of Maine,
the Acadian Culture is strong, French speaking, no one is to blame;
it's a place to visit, summer recommended, when calmness is your key,
take a long ride up, and see what you can see.

It's a long ride through the valley, Allagash to Limestone town,
and you won't see a thing that will bring your spirits down,
potato fields, oats and canola as far as you can see,
when you want good living, it's a good place to be.


Potato houses, sunk it to keep things cool




The recreated Acadian Village




The church in the Acadian Village




The Saint John Valley, in its current condition - Winter



Today, something different...

Bryce Canyon in winter (click to enlarge)

...a look at parks in winter,
my source of information, has a bit of a splinter,
they're working over there, making changes I presume,
and I hope that they come on line so we may resume.

I have tried to use the alphabet to find the parks I choose,
and because I don't know them all, we were bound to lose;
so today I found some photos, selected parks in whites,
a look at some beauty, when our season here really bites.


Mount Rainier (click to enlarge)



Rocky Mountain NP, got chains? (click to enlarge)

On the prowl in Yellowstone NP, watch out Red Riding Hood (click to enlarge)

Thanks to the Huffington Post (2/18/2011)

Lake Chelan National Recreation Area....

Lake Chelan

...Washington, northeast of Seattle, in the North Cascades,
between high mountains, fir forests, your mind it raids;
the peaceful quiet, a whole different world,
it'll calm you down, if your mind is whirled.

Fishing, hiking and the canoe set the pace,
you can have a vacation from the big rat race;
it's quiet, so quiet in fact, it plays with the mind,
just let it sink in, relax and unwind.

Seen from a satellite



...another view...



An area recovers from a fire

Keweenaw National Historic Park....

Quincy Mine in winter )click to enlarge)

...Michigan, way up at the northeastern tip of the Upper Peninsula,
is the "little" park, a mine, where discovery is spectacular;
for 7000 years until the early 1900's people dug up here,
digging for copper, first for tools, then for kettles to make beer.

The buildings are of stone taken from the mine,
some are falling down, some preserved over time,
the rock that wasn't used, went the final mile,
all to a designated place, The Poor Rock Pile. (that's a fact)


Calumet Drill Shop (click to enlarge)



Keweenaw Park Headquarters

A Note:  I love finding these out of the way places, can't imagine how many driving hours it
world take to reach some of them, always something new to see, even for a geezer.

Kobuk Valley National Park...

The Kobuk River

...Oh my goodness, what a place!  Always something odd,
like sand dunes north of the arctic circle - yes earth that doesn't clod.
Half million caribou migrate here each year,
and swim the Kobuk River - very near right here.

It's a traditional hunting grounds, for the Alaska Native people,
hunted the caribou where they swim with spears, to keep things equal.
Now the caribou still migrate and the hunt is another kind,
rifles make things more distant, but the hunt is in the mind.


29 square miles of dunes, 40 miles north of the Arctic Circle



Caribou swim the Kobuk River



Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park...

Grewingk Glacier

...Alaska, the is quite a chunk of land,
there's plenty of that here, so they gave this a hand;
it's preserved, as it should be, so people can see,
the wonders of this place, in natural harmony.

The critters and the birds seem to like it too,
but they leave plenty of land and water, for me and you,
come on up, you can drive to Seward, there's a real paved road,
but I'd wait for summer, but...those mosquitoes would be quite a load.

Just one of the lakes



Eagles wait for the fish



a small part of the bay

Kenai Fjords National Park.....

..that glacier is coming right at us...

...Alaska, it's one of the newest National Parks,
take a casual look around, and see what that sparks,
if you like scenery, then you'd like it here,
wide open spaces, and things you can hear.

It's a very large park, but not the biggest by far,
and I think if you wanted you can get here by car,
some people fly in, others arrive on a ship,
but you've got to see it.  You'd better get hip!


The Pederson Glacier



This formation is called Mountain Goat



A gray whale in the bay, Orcas (Killer Whales) are here too.