Beauty without Substance is Hollow!
By Dave Hanks
The miles through Quebec roll on and on. The forests, hillsides, lakes, and streams are exceptionally pretty. But where is the animal life? We have traveled great distances without seeing a thing. What is wrong? Why? Satisfaction has escaped us. Other less glamorous areas, where animals can be seen, are much more enjoyable. As we travel back west through the prairie country, the scenery is less spectacular, but a few mammals grazing the grasslands and waterfowl in every pothole make things so very much more interesting!
The natural earth, with its vegetation and geology, is a glorious place. However, it seems sterile if there is nothing around to utilize the habitat! Fish in the streams, birds in the trees, reptiles scurrying on the ground, and mammals dominating the scene – just make a place so much more interesting. It’s like having a practical application for knowledge, and satisfaction is derived as a result.
The National Bison Range, in northwestern Montana, is an area of modest beauty. It is tremendously appealing though. Its Bison, Bighorn, Pronghorn, deer, and birds make it so. Davis Mountain State Park, in western Texas, is another place of a similar mien. Northern British Columbia is prettier than both, but it’s the caribou, bears, and other fur-bearing mammals that give it substance.
Yellowstone and Glacier parks both have, not only the animal life, but scenic beauty to add to the mix. Many of our parks do, and that’s what makes them such special places. I hold my breath that these unique spots of our earth won’t be desecrated.
Beauty and utility usually go together. It’s when they don’t, that things just are not right.
(These Bison add character to mountain scenery)
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