Great Basin National Park ... an art residency!

Earlier today, I arrived at Great Basin National Park for my two-week art residency.  I'm excited.  Having been to this remote location once when snow cover prevented any hiking, I was anxious to unpack and get moving.  The provided housing is splendid.  I moved in quickly and went directly to the Alpine Lakes loop, a 2.7 mile trek through gorgeous aspen trees and past picturesque Stella and Teresa Lakes.  I couldn't help myself but to detour in a grove of ancient bristlecone trees. In all, I put in over 20,000 steps ... that's nine miles!  Yet, the bristlecones were well worth it! These hardy trees date to times before Christ and manage to stand tall even after a millennium past their own deaths.  Standing so near them is magical, mystical, beyond words, beyond my comprehension. I am in awe.  Of course, night fell.  This gave me time to set up an Internet hotspot.  It works.  The connection creeps along like a snail, like dial-up service.  I don't know if I can successfully blog from here in the way I envisioned, but I'll try to periodically post "something" from this spectacular place.  I'm here for two weeks.  It is going to be great ... even without connection to the outside world.  Nature really doesn't care about cyber-anything! LOL!