The National Parks are well ran and enjoyable -2

Best reasons to agree: +

1. The government has to keep people from feeding bears, to prevent bears from becoming dependent on people. 

Best reasons to disagree: -

1. There is no reason to have government owned gas stations within the park. 
2. More buildings could be built within the state park in such a way that doesn't detract from the natural features  You could require the buildings be LEED certified, to appease the environmentalist. The could be designed so as not to interfere with wildlife. 
3. The government should be more capitalistic with our state parks, in a smart way. When I say capitalism  you think Wal-Mart. Don't. Think Apple, Whole Food, Trader Joe, or Costco. We can combine the best of capitalism and scientific preservation of a wildlife.  Charging rich people to have a premium experience can fund wildlife preservation, and fund improvements that poor people can also experience. For instance, Indian Reservations that are not controlled by the federal government build glass bottom deck floors over the grand canyon. This does not hurt anything. Of course if too many people are driving on roads, than it might disrupt migration and stuff, but we can figure this stuff out...

Score:

# of reasons to agree: +1

# of reasons to disagree: -3

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0

Total Idea Score: +2

Yellowstone, 1978ish. Me getting pushed around Yellowstone 
like Royalty

Summer 2011. Wild Bison! James getting carried around like royalty. 

Old Faithful, Summer 2011. Sunsets really are better in the west, when
surrounded by wild elements. 

2011. A cool bike we saw in Yellowstone

2011. Megan and I will cruse the country on bikes like this

Background and Context:

I've been to Yellowstone a couple times as a kid, once with Just Megan, and now once with our 3 kids.

I really like seeing the wild life. I remember the bison surrounding our car when I was little, seeing Bald Eagles, Elk with Megan.

Megan also went to Yellowstone as a kid, but she wouldn't get out of the car because of the smell!

Images that agree:

My parents. Grotto Geyser.

My Mom. I think this is Old Faithful. 

My Mom. I think this is Old Faithful. 

You could get a lot closer to the geysers back then. 

You would see more wildlife in the olden days. 

My parents. 

My mom and I at Mesa Falls (near Yellowstone)

In Jr. High my parents took BJ Morris and I to Yellowstone. I remember buying these shorts at Fred Meyers. 

 

In Jr. High my parents took BJ Morris and I to Yellowstone. I think this is a place called Big Springs, where you can see a whole bunch of fish, and the water comes right out of a mountain... or this might be fishing bridge...

Those shorts were awsome. BJ had a max headroom shirt. 

The Yellowstone Canyon

My dad at Old Faithful

Marvin Laub is tough

Reasons to agree: 2

1. He recovered from knee and brain surgery, never complaining, and remaining cheerful and up-beat.
2. He worked hard his whole life. Even at 79 years old he is still working, giving drivers training tests (Its not dangerous. These kids are already driving with their parents for a few months. My dad drives safe places with them, and gives them all very straight forward exams).
3. He raised 5 kids, without ever really freaking out. You have to endure a lot of stuff to do that, and he did it with great strength.

Images that agree: 2

My Dad, being tough

My dad ruff-housing with his kids (I'm the baby).

Mesa Falls Idaho is worth the trip and is well managed

Best reasons to agree: +

1. It is safe to bring your kids, as long as you watch them. Its a pretty good water fall.
2. Upper Mesa Falls is roughly 114 feet high and 200 feet wide.
3. Our daughter really liked learning about the animals, going around and touching all the different furs... Maybe she will be a fashion designer some day?

Best reasons to disagree: -

1. They should put a zip line across the canyon and charge people to go across.
2. They should build a safe way to talk down to the river.
3. They are overly protective of kids picking flowers... This lady yelled at us when our 2 year old picked a wild flower. If flowers are going extentct we should use money to grow them. We should also sell them as extremely rare items, and and use the money we make to farm them. It is nice to have stuff growing in the wild but first we need to ensure their survival. If they are not endangered, and these government-types just like the feeling of power of yelling at parents for allowing their 2 year olds to pick a flower, than we should probably change things... They have parking lots and trails that killed these flowers much worse than my daughter. Their are thousands of miles of back-country that are owned by the federal government that they don't allow roads to be built.. There are places for wild flowers to grow... But if a little girl picks a flower, than to freakin bad... I know... I know... if every little girl who visitied picked a flower, than there might not be as many flowers within 100 or 200 feet of the parking lot of these places... but for Pete's sake, if they are that endangered, we should transplant them to green houses somewhere... I don't see this lady chasing deer away from flowers... I don't see hear going into the back country, if one of these flowers is not getting enough water, and brining it water... give me a break.
4. Besides just being a place that you look at for a half an hour or so, or have a picknick at, it probably won't be to life altering of a visit. I have heard that you can walk along the canyon edge, and walk down to lower Mesa Falls, but things like that are tough to do with kids.

Score:

# of reasons to agree: +3

# of reasons to disagree: -4

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0

Total Idea Score: -1 

My mom and I before they built the walk way. 

Mesa Falls is outside of Yellowstone, was close to where I went to college in 95, 98



Mesa Falls in 1998



Mesa Falls, 2011. Megan and Russ (her Brother)



Mesa Falls, 2011

At the visitor's center at Mesa Falls standing in-front of  some sort of stuffed animal.