Tag Archives: National Park Mysteries

Cap’n Cheeks McSnatch and the Fiery Gold of the Sun God

The Summer Solstice arrived over the high country with all the subtlety of a marmot falling off a boulder. Long before dawn, the tundra above the Alpine Visitor Center glowed silver beneath the first rays of sunlight. Wildflowers stirred. Pikas … Continue reading

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Memorial Day at Altitude: The Case of the Liberated Vending Machine

By Memorial Day, the snow finally loosened its grip on Trail Ridge Road, like a grumpy marmot reluctantly letting go of a sun-warmed rock. Plows roared, gates swung open and the Alpine Visitor Center emerged from its winter cocoon looking … Continue reading

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The Ballad of Picktail and the Eternal Haul

The burrow was a symphony of snores. January had settled over Rocky Mountain National Park like a weighted blanket, woven from snow and existential dread. Nutmeg McChunky was three months deep into his Maintenance of the Sphere protocol, occasionally twitching … Continue reading

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