Ok . . . We were only on the Interstates for a fraction of the time. In reality we took as many of the winding, two-laners as we could and let me tell you . . . That is a great way to really see the country and meet some really interesting people!

You know . . .When you are traveling through millions of acres of pristine landscape, it is almost impossible to join the concept of overcrowded urban sprawl with also having enough room for China to move in . . .

Almost as soon as we cleared the Cajon Pass people became more and more scarce and by the time we got past Vegas, you could count your road mates on one hand.

The funny thing is that all the people in the crowded cities do their best to landscape their properties so as to mimic the wide-open spaces, but nobody really wants to live out there. And while it may exist, I didn?EUR??,,????'???t see a single farmhouse with faux skyscrapers built around their properties to make them feel more like being in the city . . .

No . . . Instead I was on a 3,700 mile tour of the inside of a Landscape Architect?EUR??,,????'???s mind. Now, my kids didn?EUR??,,????'???t always appreciate my pointing out the window at yet another waterfall, cool rock formation, or placid pond. I?EUR??,,????'???m sure they thought I was losing it as I kept getting giddy over a plethora of creatively landscaped and decorated overpasses (especially in Utah).

In Yellowstone, we were constantly stopping to take pictures . . . of the retaining walls. Many of which were built from stone taken from the very spot they were holding up. In fact, I was probably the only tourist in the park asking other tourists if they noticed how a slope was being retained . . . Yeah. . .The kids (and the Wife) were ducking for cover . . .

Something else, though, that I noticed about Yellowstone and actually every forest we saw from the local Southern California mountains to the Black Hills . . . Bark beetle and fire damage . . . But hold on . . . It?EUR??,,????'???s not what you think.

Some of you may remember about three years ago, the Schmok family took a 6,600-mile road trip and saw forest after forest turning goldish-red, dying from an infestation of the bark beetle. 40, 50, 60 even 70 percent of whole hillsides were dying off right before our eyes. At the time, the beetle had a named accomplice . . . drought. Yep, a lack of water was causing the trees to dry out and not be able to encase the beetle in sap to kill it off.

Also on that trip we saw three forest fires in Yellowstone alone. The forests were dying, drying out and burning.

Well . . . I have no doubt that lack of water and dry trees allowed the beetle to attack and thrive. And . . . I do believe that those dead forests were prime for fires, but I now have a new understanding of the situation.

You see . . . On this most recent trip, I did not see trees that were dying off. Instead I saw trees that had died, sometimes years ago. What I saw, what I understand, is that if it weren?EUR??,,????'???t for the beetle the same loss would have occurred by fire. The bark beetle wasn?EUR??,,????'???t a blight, it was a necessary interaction. Because what I saw in both the beetle infested forests and in the forests decimated by fire was new growth everywhere!!!

What I saw in the fire zones were mile after mile of 10-foot trees, so dense you couldn?EUR??,,????'???t see into the forest. Where the old trees had burned, millions of new trees (of the same varieties) were sprouting up as if finally allowed to see the light of day and reaching as high and as fast as possible to get at that sunlight.

In the beetle zones I saw mile after mile of healthy trees that three years ago had to over-compete for root water. Now, with the forests thinned by nature, the remaining trees looked strong and vibrant. At their base were millions of saplings joining the hunt for sunshine and water. They may someday also be killed off by competition, but what I saw seemed very natural. It was almost as if Mother Nature was going on a diet to shed the excess and gain back her strength.

Anyways, if you happened to be in Yellowstone or the Black Hills during the middle of July and saw some dopey looking tourist taking pictures of overpasses, retaining walls, or baby trees . . . You shoulda stopped and said ?EUR??,,????'??Hey?EUR??,,????'?? . . . ?EUR??,,????'??cause that was probably me . . . and then I could have told you the story of the wolves I saw hunting elk or of the two buffalos chasing a black bear up the dead tree . . . Now those stories, even the kids enjoyed . . .

?EUR??,,????'??+God Bless