Landscapes of the Yellowstone National Park: In five pics

Yellowstone national park is famous for two attractions: its wildlife and hot springs. However, there's a lot more to it. Yellowstone varies a lot in its landscape and altitude. I went to Yellowstone in early May, when south east portion of the park was closed and eastern Yellowstone was just opened. I entered the park from north western entrance in Idaho and greeted with green landscape and marching bisons. I was staying at mammoth hot springs within the park which was located north central. Yellowstone is huge, larger than the state of Rhode Island. In numbers, the park is around 3500 square miles. Few deers tried to run me and my car down on my way there. Their bright eyes in dark did help avoid the collision. Lesson learned: do no drive in Yellowstone after dark. Mammoth hot springs village, as the name suggested, was near one of the hot springs, mammoth hot springs. Different bacteria live in those hot springs based on the temperature. They have different colors, which make every hot spring an assortment of rainbows. Then, of course, there's a lake Yellowstone. Yellowstone also has an active volcano. Northeast entrance of Yellowstone in Montana had a bit of snow but east Yellowstone was a white paradise. For snow lovers, a better sight hardly exists. Two days before I exited from the east side of the park, avalanche warning closed that exit for several hours. I experienced the reason. A part of east Yellowstone was like a big box. The mountain slops on both sides were steep, high, almost 80 degrees and snow covered. I felt claustrophobic and exhilaration of trapped inside a gigantic box. A vast field filled with undisturbed snow definitely showed me how heaven must look like: serene, calm and beautiful white. Of course Yellowstone has a grand canyon, waterfalls and not to forget two valleys full with wild animals. Enjoy five of the best landscape pics. It is difficult to chose one bonus video for Yellowstone landscape, but east Yellowstone it is, since that part of Yellowstone is not in any other Yellowstone posts.
 

Lakes of Minneapolis: In five pics

Minneapolis: A city that pleasantly surprised me the most in USA. It was a huge city and each part of the city felt like a city in itself with its own flavor. In addition, public transport was amazing. The city had a big mall, the Mississippi river, rich history, lots of lakes, and a hipster downtown. This post is about its chain of lakes. Western Minneapolis has a chain of lakes. I chose the Lake Calhoun for a hike. It was a beautiful Sunday morning, so a lot of people. People were playing volleyball, barbecuing, having picnics, fishing, swimming, paddle boating, sail boating, sunbathing, walking, running, talking and everything in between. Living for two years in DC, I was used to seeing only stress and smugness on people's face. It was amazingly refreshing not to see that on anyone's face. Every citizen was having real fun there. I sat down at benches, I observed birds, I observed people, I admired reflections and spent a wonderful morning there. Enjoy my experience in five pics. I hope you visit Minneapolis some day.

Glaciers of Prince William Sound, Alaska: In Five Pics

Unforgettable Alaska Trip. Glaciers are serene beauty of Alaska. I went on a day cruise called glacier discovery in the waters of Prince William Sound. I saw some wildlife as well, sans whales. Nonetheless the glacier part of the trip was Picturesque. Glaciers are compact snow rivers. They are moving at all times, but slow. We were fortunate to witness their slow movement. The only way to witness that is when a chunk of glaciers falls into the ocean. Every year glaciers gain new snow and lose some to ocean. By monitoring net gain and loss we can determine whether a glacier is receding, stable or advancing. While under the climate change and increasing global temperatures, overall glaciers are receding, I was happy to know that a couple of glaciers in Alaska were advancing. Enjoy the pictures and a bonus video.

Otters chilling out in the backdrop of a gorgeous glacier.


Glacier structure up, close and personal.


Ocean, rain forest and a grand glacier.


Here the glacier looks like a river, as they are slow moving rivers of compact snow.


Our cruise approaching the surprise glacier. Yes surprise is the name of the glacier.

Quotes from Native Alaskans: In Five Pics

"We live in a changing world and what we have to do is define where we are today and what's important from the past. A lot of the values that were taught were lost or changed early on, and for a long time there was nothing to replace it. [These] values that existed [before] changed dramatically with the missionaries and government. [We need to] teach...who you are."

This is one of the quotes I found in Alaska, which sums up the cultural shock the natives went through. Before Russians and European explorers set their feet in Alaska, mainly southern Alaska, many native tribes lived there. Every tribe was wise. They had their traditions, cultures, values and way of living. Much of the Alaska was unexplored before US purchased it. These are some of the quotes from those native people who were affected by foreign settlers. Alaska Native Heritage Center and Anchorage Museum are excellent resources of this knowledge. I spent many hours at those two places, but it was not enough to understand and appreciate native Alaskan tribes and their culture. Below are few of the quotes I found there. Zoom in to read.

And this one is a bonus one, not from an Alaskan native but very well written.

Alaskan Wildlife: In Five Pics

Alaskan Wildlife is a major attraction when one visits Alaska. It was for me as well. Before going to Alaska I had an understanding that bears were the most dangerous of all animals found there, but I stood corrected as talked to citizens there. Not bear but moose I should be most afraid of. That was not because of some special skills, moose were just unpredictable. With more than 400 pounds of weight and big antler their reckless action could be threatening to us. In addition, around 800 moose leave within city limits of Anchorage. Nonetheless, I saw bear, moose, reindeer, dahl's sheep, sea lion, sea otter, caribou, salmon, bald eagle, mountain goat, and many other birds. I saw some of them in the zoo and conservatory, while some in wild. The nature was more balances in Alaska than any other part I have been to in the US. The native people understood this balance, as I heard one of the native whale hunter saying, "Whales are very large. One swish of its tail and our boat is gone. We don't hunt a whale, the whale allows us to be hunted so that we can feed ourselves." Enjoy the pictures.

One of the many bird from the coastal trail in Anchorage.

The sleepy bear posing for the camera.

A sea otter saying hi.

An island of sea lions.

First time seeing a pair of romantic swans.

Anaktuvuk Pass/Gates of the Arctic National Park: In five pics

The most memorable part of my Alaska Trip was a visit to Nunamiut Eskimos' town, Anaktuvuk Pass. The town is inside the northernmost national park of the United States, The Gates of Arctic National Park: A breathtaking place! In spite of being the second largest, the national park receives the least number of visitors (~10000 a year). I traveled there from Fairbanks via a chartered flight. The return flight was bumpy. However, flying at 11000 ft provided a perfect sightseeing opportunity of vast areas of the park for an hour. Snow clad mountains, lush green valleys, zigzagging water streams, geological formations and intermittent clouds made that the best flight of my life despite non-stop turbulence. While I will post another article about Simon Paneak museum and life of Nunamiut Eskimos at the village, below are highlights of the national park from the village.

That's a view from a street of the village. Who would not want to wake up to this view everyday? There's a catch: 9 months with snowfall.

A peak with snow and many without. Not too far from the Ranger station.

Airport. No long lines, no barriers, just walk in and take the first flight. You can even pay for the ticket after landing in Fairbanks.

The river bisects the village. The dynamic riverbed necessitates rebuilding of the bridge every few years.
 
That's the wonderful river streams from the sky.

The Motivation for the Holocaust

Rolf had avoided any events that reminded him of his past, but when he heard Selig Baar was speaking he had to go. Rolf saw it as an opportunity to let go of his past; the guilt he had been hiding for six decades. Selig Baar was speaking at a local museum after screening of the documentary The Motivation for the Holocaust. Rolf did not want to watch documentary. He was not keen on living his past again. He only wanted to ask a question to Selig.

Rolf went to the museum at 6. When he entered the small auditorium, an old man wearing rectangle glasses was walking lethargically to the front. Rolf recognized Selig walking to the front. Before Selig turned around, Rolf quickly slipped into a seat in the last row. The auditorium was small. Scanning the atmosphere, Rolf saw around 70 people in 100 seats. All the members of audience were in awe and unable to move. Holocaust had been mesmerizing people for years. It had the same effect on that day.

Between two rows of seats, a microphone was getting the most attention. Before Selig settled into his chair and took charge of his microphone, three people lined up to ask question. 

“Thank you all for joining us today and once again please welcome Selig Baar.” A female voice filled the auditorium. Rolf could not see her from his seat. He did not make any effort also, as Rolf was avoiding eye contact with Selig. “The word holocaust in the context of World War 2 was synonymous with gas chambers. However, as we saw today, there was much more to it. It started years before the world war. It was more than gas chambers, unethical taxation, segregation, racism, eviction, mass graves, murders, loot and many more words can be used to describe them. Selig Baar is here with us: one of the survivors of those terrible times. Please ask your questions.”

Rolf adjusted in his seat to have a look at Selig’s face. After six decades, the man was distant resemblance to his younger self. Selig’s saggy face, big bones, thin hairs were evident of the time passed. Selig was no longer the skinny blond boy Rolf remembered. 

“Do you hate Germans?” The first question was fired at Selig.

Selig laughed loudly. “This is one question I prepared answer for. I didn’t expect it to be the first one though. I am German. Can I hate myself?” Many members of the audience chuckled with Selig. “I understand your question. Holocaust was not a showdown between German and Jews. I believe except for Denmark and Finland, local authorities and structure participated in holocaust. France, Lithuania, Yugoslavia, you name it. Neighbors, friends, classmates, colleagues, employers, they all participated. On the other hand, Romas, some ethnic Polish leaders were also killed. I have never been anything else than German. How can I hate Germans?” Even though Rolf avoided the movie, he could not avoid the memories. He was shifting in his chair. He was uncomfortable. The discussion was already unbearable.

“Mr. Baar. Thank you for being here today. That was an inspiring movie. I loved the stories of survivors, because we all have heard horrible stories of deaths and killings. First time I saw so many stories of triumph over evil. Can you shed some light on your thoughts on this movie?” Second question was asked to Selig.

Selig coughed. “My thoughts. The movie you saw was the life we lived. This movie is about human interactions in the wake of the tragedy. Every person is driven by something. Greed, Compassion, Love, Hate, Jealousy. When greed, jealousy, hate took over a person they reported us to the authorities, participated in killings, robbed our belongings. When compassion, love, care won, they helped us. In the end, all those people survived because someone on the other side helped them at great risk. I remember one instance when a Nazi officer called an old Jew friend advising him to leave the city. This movie is beyond the holocaust itself. It speaks of human interaction in those difficult times. It highlights the complexity of those interactions.”

“What, in your opinion, did drive betrayal of friends? How could a neighbor turn a blind eye and commit such a horrific act?” Third question was asked. The microphone was solitary again as all three questioners took their seats. 

“One thing Nazis did right was segregation. They identified us and segregated us. After that, negative emotions were enough to drive the rest of the horror. How many of you can positively say that you have never been jealous of any of your neighbors? None.” Selig counted raised hands in the audience. Rolf was at the peak of uneasiness by then. He knew if he did not get up at that moment, he would lose his courage. Rolf got up to move towards the solitary microphone, but he kept a low profile and looked sideways. He did not want Selig’s attention. Selig continued, “But I realize you don’t kill them. The reason: They are integrated and part of the society. Similarly, many Jews were integrated into the society. They attended the same school, lived within the same community, played together. When Nazis segregated them, the integration was gone. The barrier vanished. There was no inhibition. People believed that Jews were non-significant. And if you discriminate or harm Jews, you had no repercussions. In fact, peer pressure ensured, in many cases, that you do not stand with the Jews. If you were jealous of a Jew, you had a reason and no inhibition. If you hate, you had a reason and no inhibition. If you were greedy, you had a reason and no inhibition. Many officers were simply doing their duty. If you teach a soldier in army to kill an enemy, he is not making any judgment as to who the enemy is or what are the crimes. He is simply following orders and doing his duties.” Selig stopped for a while. Rolf was between two rows of seats slowly walking towards the microphone. He had his hand on his forehead to avoid seeing eye to eye with Selig. After deep breath Selig continue, “In absence of an inhibition, every human fights a battle between negative and positive motivation. Many times whichever side wins, decided his action. However, all of us at times are simply incapable of fighting the battle and go with the flow. Nazis created a flow and many just followed. Nonetheless, not all was bad. You saw the movie. Many Jews survived. They survived through good fortune and kind and love of non-Jews.”

Rolf was at the microphone. He said, “What is your story?” Selig looked up. Rolf and Selig were looking into each other’s eyes after six decades. A light in Selig’s eyes assured Rolf that they both recognized each other.

Selig said, “You ask my story. I was betrayed, by a friend. My best friend for ten years told Nazis about us. They came after my family and me. We had to run. And then.” Selig paused for a moment. Rolf was not blinking. Selig continued looking at the blank face of Rolf, “My father had a shop in the village. His neighbor was a wealthy man. He had the biggest shop in the village. He took us and kept us in his basement for eight years. We hardly saw the daylight for eight years. But finally, we were able to start the new life. We were lucky than the most. We did not have to leave our village, though we lost everything we had, including our hope. How can I hate Germans? I was betrayed by one, I was saved by one and I am one.” Selig and Rolf were staring at each other by the time.

Gathering courage, Rolf followed up, “Do you hate your friend?”

Selig removed his glasses and wiped his face with his hands. He looked into Rolf’s eyes and said, “No Rolf. I do not hate you. How did you hate me?” Audience gasped.

“I did not,” Rolf cried. “I did not hate you. I was eleven years old. As you said, I had no inhibitions and negative feeling called fear won. You were always top of the class. You were always ahead of me in studies. I feared lagging behind. I saw it as an opportunity. I thought by complaining about you, you will be thrown out of school and I would be the best student. I never meant any harm to you. It was childish. I had been carrying this guilt for years. This is my chance to apologize. I could not change the history, but I could acknowledge my mistake.”

Selig stood up. “The reason my story was not part of that movie, because I could not muster the words, my friend betrayed me. I could only say it today because I was looking at you. It took us 6 decades, but we met.” Selig and Rolf walked towards each other and hugged. The audience applauded. They witnessed one more story of win from holocaust. 

P.S.: Above story is fictional, but it is inspired from a real exhibition at the National Holocaust museum in Washington, DC. The Holocaust has been symbolized by all the atroctities and brutalities, but “Some were neighbors” exhibition highlights human connections and dynamics during the holocaust. If you get a chance, please go and see it. Here is the website for the reference: http://somewereneighbors.ushmm.org/