Yellowstone: Day Six – The Last Day

Day six… our last day here before leaving.

The day started out by resting.  Yesterday wore us (as my daughter would say) “smooth out”.  We took our time getting up and then roamed Gardiner to do the requisite t-shirt shopping!  Gotta get the kids and grandkids all taken care of.  I wasn’t going to get one, but then I saw one that said “The mountains are calling and I must go. – John Muir” and had to have it.  It expressed my feelings very well.

So, once we got that all taken care of, and then shipped the box of t-shirts home because our bags were already full, we headed back into the park for one final day.  We decided to give the Lamar Valley one final shot before calling it a day.

As usual, we entered the park and went to Mammoth, where the elk were lounging around being the center of attention.  I love how this one was lying right next to the sign saying “Danger! Do not approach ELK” as if to say, “I dare you.”  The people were being good though and kept the distance.  No “tourons” (tourist/moron) out today.

Turning east from Mammoth, it didn’t take long for us to find yet another bison herd.  They decided they needed to cross the street in front of us, and since in the national park the wildlife has the right of way, we stopped and waited for them to pass.  Besides, they really are beautiful creatures even if they are abundant here.

Further down the road, we caught a view of a couple of them who weren’t really getting along all that well at the moment.  They were kicking up dust and pushing each other around with their heads.  We watched for a while, but then they grew tired and just walked off together.  Maybe it was just an exhibition match for our enjoyment!

As we made it to the Lamar Valley, it became very overcast and rainy.  We stopped at the footbridge pullout to watch for wildlife, and I promptly fell asleep.  It was so peaceful, and with the sound of the light rain on the hood of the car, the next thing I knew I woke myself up snoring.  I turned to Karen and ask how long I had been out.  She said, “about 20 minutes.”  That was a very peaceful 20 minutes, let me tell you.

So not seeing any wildlife, we started up the car and began to make our way back.  We saw a few wolf-watchers sitting up on the hill near the confluence, but when we looked out over the valley we couldn’t see anything.  I later read that the pack was way out in the distance feeding on a recent kill, but they were way out beyond the reach of cameras.

Continuing back, I spotted this scene off in the distance and decided to pull over.  It reminded me of an old western painting of a frontier landscape with the bison crossing the river and the others up above the cliff.  Again, a very peaceful scene to add to the day.

If nothing else, this was certainly bison day.  As I approached a blind curve, a small gathering of bison decided they needed to go around the curve in my lane.  So, I let them.  They moved very slowly with me, and now 5 other vehicles behind, followed.  Once around the curve, they turned off on another road and allowed the rest of us to continue on.

I wanted to take one more pass over the Blacktail Plateau trail, hoping for one last glimpse of something exciting.  While there were no big mammals to be seen, I did catch a glimpse of this mountain bluebird.  He caught me by surprise so much that I didn’t really get a chance to focus on him before he flew off.  But one more bird to add to my list that I have seen.

Making it back to Mammoth, the elk are still the stars of the show.  You can expect to find them pretty much any time, and they are always happy to pose for your photographs.  Nothing like shooting wildlife “in town.”

And then, the saddest shot of all.  Our last sight of the “Leaving Yellowstone” sign.  It has been a wonderful trip and one we won’t soon forget.  Especially with the abundance of photos that we took.

God created some wonderful things for us to enjoy in this world and I can’t wait to see what He shows us next!   Until then, keep the batteries in those cameras charged.  You never know when a photographic opportunity will present itself to you!

Yellowstone: Day Four

 Day four begins slow.  Being worn out from the previous days, and with the beginnings of a head cold, we sleep in a bit and get a bit of a later start.  As usual, we meet the elk in Mammoth as we enter the park, but today there is a twist.  Apparently one of them has made friends with a magpie.  We watch as they seemingly “play” for several minutes.  It occasionally looks like the magpie is whispering in the elk’s ear.  It was amusing, but we move on.

 Since we got a late start, and being a little disappointed with the wildlife turnout over the first three days, we decide that today we would do the “tourist” thing and check out the features of the park, and if we happen to see wildlife, so much the better.  As we head south from Mammoth, the features begin to show themselves in very dramatic ways.  The steam coming from this river, combined with the smell of sulfur lets us know that this is not your normal river.  In fact, when you pull over and look, there are areas where the water is bubbling.  I never got a straight answer if the water was actually boiling or if the bubbles was just gas escaping, but I wasn’t going to stick my hand in to find out.

 Our first stop was at the Norris Geyser Basin.  There is a boardwalk there where you can walk out over the basin and smell the sulfur first hand.  What a treat (note sarcasm)!  It really is pretty cool to be this close to the exit ports of a live super-volcano when you really think about it though.  Like I told my friends back home before we came, if it goes off while we’re there, don’t worry about us cause we won’t have time to care.

 After leaving Norris, we come across this beautiful elk displaying his rack which begged me for a picture.  I know I have some relatives who are hunters who are wishing they had THEIR equipment right about now.  These truly are magnificent beasts!

 A little further down the road we catch this small, multi-colored geyser.  Again, note the steam coming from the water.  Very hot.  Do not touch!  Very pretty though.

 Next stop is a place called “Artist Paint Pots” which are essentially “boiling” mud pits and holes with colorful deposits around them.  The surprising thing to me was how much plant life there is that actually survives around these things.  I would have expected the toxicity of the ground to be prohibitive to such growth.  Guess that explains why I am not a botanist.

 And no trip to the Artist Paint Pots would be complete without the requisite “boiling mud” photo.  Karen caught this one at just the right time!

 After making the climb to the top of the paint pot area, we were admiring the view when a kind passer-by offered to take our picture.  So we handed him one of Karen’s cameras and I must say, it turned out pretty good!  Thank you kind stranger!

 Down the road from the paint pots we came upon Gibbon Falls.  This is yet another of the Yellowstone waterfalls which are literally right off the roadway.  But as each of them have their own character, more pictures must be taken.  Something about the roar of the water just puts me in a mood, a very good mood.

 From there, we continued along the Grand Loop road, around the southern part of the park, and then turning north, we passed by the West Thumb of Lake Yellowstone.  There Karen caught this photo of the small island with the single tree.  It looks so lonely out there, but also very peaceful.  Of course, the mountains in the background don’t hurt either.

 A little further up on the West Thumb, we spotted this elk, just standing out in the water.  Not really sure what she was doing, but it gave me another chance to pull out the 600mm lens so I stopped.  I carried that thing all the way up here and I’m going to use it!  At one point she looked over her shoulder at me and I snapped…the picture that is.

 We continued on and crossed over the Fishing Bridge area and out to Mary Bay.  By now the sun was beginning to get low in the sky and clouds were building.  Kare caught this magnificent shot of the cloudy reflections in the water.

 And as the geese begin flying home, we also headed back to Gardiner for the evening.

Since my main goal for this trip was wildlife, I was beginning to feel a tad disappointed, but at the same time, I truly enjoyed being here nonetheless.  This is a beautiful place, with or without wildlife.  Once more, we are thankful for the things we saw.  Time to rest up for day 5.  It will prove to be a very exciting day!

Yellowstone: Day Three

Day three began much like the others, up early and try to catch the critters while they are yawning.  By this time, we’re starting to do a bit yawning ourselves.  But we get up, pushed forward by the excitement knowing we will see wonderful things today.

We enter the park, and as usual, we are greeted first thing with wildlife.  The silhouetted mule deer on the ridgeline, (one with a bird on its back) brings us into the right frame of mind for the rest of the day; peaceful and calm.  But then of course, pretty much any day this time of year in Yellowstone will bring you that feeling.

As we increase in altitude driving into the park, the temperature drops.  I think this was the coldest temperature we noticed on this trip.  19 degrees is quite chilly for this Texas boy, but it sure does feel invigorating!  I could learn to love this weather.

We decide to make our way to the Lamar Valley again today.  On our way we spot some bison, which, as you have noticed by now, is not uncommon here.  However, the contrast between the bison and the frost covered grass was not to be missed.  The entire place had a sense of “wonderland” to it with the animals, the cold air, and the frost.

After finding nothing but bison hanging out in Lamar this morning, we headed back to Mammoth and then down to the Hayden Valley.  Normally, this would be a short drive over the Dunraven Pass, but that road closed for the winter a few days before we got here, so we have to go all the way around the park.  Someday we’ll make it here when all the roads are opened at once!

Heading south from Mammoth, about a third of the way to the Norris Junction, I spotted this scene and had to pull over.  Something about blue rivers winding through evergreen trees just cries out to me for a photograph!

As we continue south, we begin to see more thermal features.  With a chill in the air, the steam rising from the warmer streams brings an air of mystique to the area.  We’ll see even more of the thermal features tomorrow.

Once in the Hayden Valley we see… more bison.  This seems to be bison day!  They are everywhere.  This herd was just hanging out near the river, grazing on the grasses and resting in the sun.

Continuing on through the valley, we head down to the Fishing Bridge area in hopes of spotting the reported grizzly sow and her cubs.  We drive, and look.  Look and drive.  No sow.  We do however, enjoy the beauty of the scenery and the mountains across the Yellowstone Lake.  Trivia points:  Yellowstone lake is the largest freshwater lake above 7000 feet  in North America and has an average depth of 139 feet.  In the winter the ice on the lake can get up to 3′ thick and stay frozen  from December to May or early June!

After no critter sightings in the Fishing Bridge/Yellowstone Lake area, we head back to the Hayden Valley.  On the way we decide to stop at the LeHardy Rapids, another spot where bear are known to be spotted.  Once again, no bear, but we did notice these little guys sitting on the rocks in the middle of the rapids.  There was a fish and game officer there and I asked him what they were.  He said that they were harlequin ducks.  He also said that he was worried about them because most of the others had already migrated away and wasn’t sure why these were still here.  Here’s hoping that the little guys made it.

Finally tired of driving, we stop at a “wildlife exhibition” area near the Alum Creek pullout.  Nothing here but the ravens.  Karen thinks they are ugly, but I argue that their solid blackness has a certain allure to it.  We begin talking about some of the recent bear attacks and Karen mentions that at least the ravens aren’t known for violent attacks!  Just about that time, the raven sitting on the display sign, hops down to the ground on top of a field mouse, and pecks it to death!  I guess he didn’t like being taken so lightly in the danger department.  He then proceeded to feast on the little rodent right there.  Karen decided it was time to leave.

And speaking of the recent bear attacks, as you can see from this sign, the Mary Mountain trail was still closed due to the recent fatal bear attack on a hiker.  As we pulled up, a lone bison came walking down the trail, as if to say, “Those signs don’t apply to me, and even if they did, who’s going to stop me.”  I guess a 2000+lb bison isn’t worried about a bear.

Another day under our belt without a large variety of wildlife to speak of.  But as we exit the park, we see our only pronghorn this trip.  When we visited the Grand Teton National Park in 2009, these guys were all over the place.  Here in Yellowstone, it appears that the bison have taken over that spotlight.  Still though, it was nice to see and photograph.  Trivia points:  The pronghorn (it is not an antelope) is the fastest land mammal in the western hemisphere, and considered second only to the cheetah for speed.

And never let it be said that Gardiner, MT is a boring place.  Once again, right in the middle of town, more mule deer, feasting on the grass growing in the cracks of the sidewalk.  Karen and I discussed how cool it must be to have wildlife like this just roaming all over town and in your yard.  But then we thought about the mess they would probably leave behind.  I guess the free fertilizer is just the tradeoff for living that close to nature.

Once again, our day is over too soon.  And once again we are thankful for the things we have seen.  And once again, we are plum tuckered out!  I think we’ll sleep in a little tomorrow…