Shutdown Day 13…
Sunset, Bear Lake, Rocky Mtn. Nat’l Park. Photo by Branaman Photography
To end the week on a high note, we’re posting an image from another freshly reopened national park, this time in Colorado. We spent 2 weeks living in the artist-in-residence cabin at Moraine Park in Rocky Mountain National Park in 2012 and it has a dear place in out hearts. Not only is it one of the most amazing places we’ve ever seen, it’s faced some amazing challenges over the last couple years. Forest fires ravaged the state in 2012 and continued through 2013, and unfortunately, this appears to be the new normal for the West in general. Earlier this year Rocky Mt. NP and the surrounding areas received the other side of the weather sword, torrential downpours and flood damage summed up as one of those “once in a 100 yr. events” that seem to happen more and more often these days. Just when it seemed it couldn’t get much worse, an “unnatural” disaster (the govt. shutdown) dealt another hard blow to this still reeling community. Some have estimated the costs to be around $4.8 million and there are even morelong term effects summed up well in this article from the Daily Camera. Some of those park workers that were furloughed are the same people that lost their homes to flooding in the months before and to wildfires before that….. but I said we were ending on a high note, right?
Today we revel in the small victory that Rocky is open thanks to the state of Colorado footing the bill, and people will be able to enjoy it’s majestic beauty again. Our heart-felt well-wishes go out to everyone there as they make the most of this situation….. and tomorrow we get back to applying the pressure to end this govt. shutdown!
Branaman Photo Adventures 