Signs of the times

I saw plenty of titillating, tantalizing, and downright dumb things across the U S of A. My favorite?

Food truck in Austin, Texas

Sadly, the food truck was closed so I never got to try a mighty cone, which I'm led to believe is some kind of meat pocket thing in a conical napkin. Mmmmmmmm.
And with that image firmly stuck in your head, here are some of the other signs that made me spit out my coffee and pull out my camera. Please to enjoy!

Also in Austin, Texas

Cavernous store in Dalton, Georgia

Duly noted, at Dreamlands in Birmingham, Alabama

An appropriate exit in Mississippi

How very droll! Good one Jackson, Mississippi

I don't think North West Arkansas cleaners knows what NWA means

Floyd, Virginia  

Combination bible shop and pest control in Cleveland, Ohio

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Also in Gatlinburg, a town that is nowhere near the ocean

The Marfa Prada just outside of Valentine, Texas

Truth in advertising in Carlsbad, New Mexico

Sage advice, also in Carlsbad, New Mexico

I want YOU, to eat this chile. In Hatch, New Mexico

My favorite road sign for more than a decade, on I-25 in New Mexico

Using a Clinton catchphrase to slam Obama? #FAIL in Magdalena, New Mexico

I wonder if Willard has ever stayed here in Seligman, Arizona?

Also in Seligman, Arizona

Thanks for the warning Missoula, Montana

No Comment. Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Kitsch-o-rama near Mammoth Cave, Kentucky

At the Creation Museum in Kentucky, everything is biblically related

Word to live by in South Union, Kentucky

I beg your pardon?

If only everywhere had prices like Wall Drug in South Dakota

So disturbing that firearms are actually allowed up to this point in Wisconsin's state capitol

Phootball Philosophy at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin

Best nickname ever. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Graffiti in Detroit, Michigan

Well said, ice cream store on San Juan Island, Washington

Wildlife

In England, much of the wildlife was lost centuries ago, including the top predators. So it was a real treat for me to get to see so many wild animals in the United States, including the biggest badass of them all - the Grizzly Bear.

Grizzly Bear in Glacier National Park, Montana

Here's a little video of the Grizzly snarfling around. My apologies for the shakiness, the bear was thankfully pretty far away!


Grizzly Bear from Tina Cone on Vimeo.

I never saw any other wild bears except in Glacier National Park, but I did see plenty of other animals across the country.

Mustangs in North Dakota

Pronghorn in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Deer in the Sandhills of Nebraska

Lady Moose in Grand Teton Park, Wyoming

Elk on the Oregon shoreline

Mountain goat snoozing in the snow at Glacier National Park

Kid and mother in Glacier National Park

Colombian Ground Squirrel in Montana

Rabbit in Joshua Tree National Park, California

Prairie Dogs in South Dakota

Yellow-bellied Marmot in Yellowstone National Park

Whistle Pig in Glacier National Park

Three legged fox in Tahqaumenon Falls State Park, Michigan

Coyote in Yellowstone National Park

Lamar Valley Wolf Pack in Yellowstone National Park

I had no idea how rare it was to see and hear a wolf pack in Yellowstone, so I feel very lucky that on my first morning out in Lamar Valley, I was treating to half an hour of wolves howling on top of a hill. I later found out there was a fresh bison carcass nearby so that might have been why they were so excitable. Here's a few minutes of video I shot:


Wolves from Tina Cone on Vimeo.

On the west coast, I was hoping to see some of America's other top predators, Orcas, but sadly they did not show up while I was there. Next time!

Seals in the Haro Strait, Washington

Eagles on the San Juan Islands

Cormorant and chicks in Anacortes, Washington

Roseate Spoonbill and chicks on Avery Island, Louisiana

Crow at the Grand Canyon, Arizona

Mule Deer at the Very Large Array in New Mexico

Deer in Big Bend, Texas

Alligator in Lafitte, Lousiana

Buffalo in South Dakota

The first time I saw a wild bison herd was in Yellowstone National Park. It hearkened back to a time when this whole area had millions of buffalo and literally gave me chills.


Buffalo from Tina Cone on Vimeo.

I also learned that bison, especially when they are in rut in August, are kinda assholes. Every single traffic jam in the Park happened because of this.

Yellowstone National Park

And once the buffalo were in the road, there was no shifting them. Despite the best efforts of the Park Rangers.


How to move a buffalo from Tina Cone on Vimeo.