Well, I didn’t get an early lottery time, but I figured I could still get my season pass, and save some money. But no, I called to get my season pass, and they aren’t offering them any more. Until last year (the first year of the rec.gov), it was $25 for a season pass, and that meant that you didn’t have to pay the nightly fee. They always warned me that I’d need to be in the backcountry many nights before I wouldn’t lose money, but I always broke even. And, I was proud to have that little card. That meant I went out a bunch. It also meant I didn’t have to watch the movie. Last year, the cost for the pass went up to $50, but the cost of a night in the backcountry went up to $5 per night, per person. So I bought it, and I got my money’s worth. I also didn’t have to watch the movie. So I called today, and they have discontinued it. I know that for most people, having a “frequent flier” pass for a park isn’t in the cards, but I have to grumble. And y’all are who I chose to grumble to. Sorry. I hope I don’t have to watch the movie a bunch of times. In fact, a few years ago, a couple was hiking the other way on the trail, and I looked at the woman, and said, “Aren’t you… “. I was the ranger from the movie. She said she had done that movie a dozen or more years ago, and can’t go hiking in the park without being recognized. I guess it means we all watched the movie.
Pringles
Pringles