It is almost assumed that if I can go to Yellowstone, I will. Lucky for me we were able to sneak in one more trip before Abby and I had to head home. It was just a day trip, which meant we were up early but that wasn’t a problem to me or anyone else. The only bummer was that Auntie Jillian could not go with us, as she had several final school projects to finish up.
We again left early and head towards the North Entrance in Gardner. From there we made a stop in Mammoth Hot Springs and then took off for Lamar Valley. Our first stop was up the 1/4 mile road to the Petrified Tree. The road was still closed the last time we came through and still snowy but a lot had changed in less then a week. We drove up to the end of the road and as we turned around to head back my mom spotted something down a long the creek. Sure enough, after finally seeing some movement, we discovered there was a bull moose! It has been years since we have seen a bull moose in Yellowstone. The fires in 1989 destroyed much of their protective habitat and they became scarce to the average road traveler. Twenty years later, the trees they rely on for protection have grown considerably and more and more people are beginning to see them again. This big guy was hiding down in the willows and trees, aware of our presence but because no one else had come up the road, seemed comfortable with us and just laid down in the bushes. We had to watch and wait for a good 30 minutes or so for him to do this, but it was worth it. His antlers were just starting to grow back in, but he was still an impressive guy none the less.
On our way out to Lamar, we noticed a crowd stopped along the road. Although we couldn’t see much, we knew something was there. Coyotes, wolves, bears? We could not tell. We waited a few minutes but then continued on. Our idea was that we had to come back out this way to get to other places, so if we were meant to see what was there… we would.
We drove out to Trout Lake and then turned around. My mom and I both saw what looked like a wolf chasing some pronghorn, but he disappeared into the river bottom before we could get the binoculars out and find him again. The scenery had changed a lot in one week. A lot of the snow had melted, the rivers were swollen with the melt off from the warm weather and green as beginning to dot the landscape.
As we passed by the location where everyone was stopped before, we noticed that the crowd had grown and everyone had their sights set on something. As we pulled off the road the story began to unfold. From what we could tell there was a pack of coyotes in the area but they were guarding something. As it turned out they were protecting a bison carcass as well as what may have been their den. Just moments before we pulled up, a lone male grizzly came around and stole the carcass away from the coyotes. We had the luck to watch the coyotes try to defend their den and regain their “lunch” buy barking, yipping and howling at the Grizzly. To top it off, these brave little coyotes began to nip and bite at the Grizzly but to no avail. The Grizzly continued to drag and move the carcass away from the den and claim it as his. As we learned later, he stayed there all day to entertain the crowds and to protect his meal for the day.
As we continued back down the road to Mammoth Hot Springs, another small crowd was stopped at Floating Island Lake. Last week when we came through, this little lake was frozen but now it had melted completely, exposing something very desirable to one determined little black bear. Out on the “floating island” was the carcass of what appeared to be an elk or small bison. The carcass must have laid there, frozen in the lake ice for the winter and was now open to the elements since the melt. Elkcicle… Yum! Well on this very day, a little black bear came along, realized what was out there and new he was hungry and wanted it. So, he got in the water circled around for about 3 minutes and then proceeded to pull the carcass from the island to the far shoreline. He then pulled it up onto the shore and began to snack, and snack, and snack. I think we watched him for a good half and hour or more. What a smart and very determined little black bear. Survival in Yellowstone will probably be easier for him in the future!
After a pit stop in Mammoth Hot Springs, we continued on and decided to head down to Canyon and Old Faithful. We didnt see much in the way of wildlife, other then the usual bison, deer, ravens, geese, and more common animals of Yellowstone. Before heading to Old Faithful we took the quick drive up to Canyon. We drove the Canyon loop, but unfortunately most of the lookouts and trails were still covered with snow. Being pregnant, I didn’t want to get out and walk around and risk slipping on the melting snow which gets pretty darn icy. It was also just cold enough up at Canyon to start snowing… just a cluster of little flakes though.
Before reaching Old Faithful, we stopped at Black Sand Geyser Basin to have a bite to eat. We brought sandwiches, fruit and veggies which all made Abby very happy. I have to say she was so well behaved and seemed to enjoy every bit of the trip. By this point she was able to say the word Buffalo and point at the bison when we saw them. So cute. Dad and I got out to walk around for a bit, so I had the chance to get some pictures as Cliff Geyser as it went off. This area is one of the smaller geyser basins, but very pretty.
When we reached Old Faithful we took another break, stretched our legs and then got back in the car to head back to Mammoth Hot Springs again. We stopped a few times along the way for pictures. The contrast between the remaining snow, the brown of the dormant grass and the green of plants coming to life made for some beautiful pictures. It was made even better by the pendng thunderstorm that was slowly starting to roll in over the mountains.
Once we hit Mammoth Hot Springs again, we made the decision to try and head out to Lamar one last time to see if there was anything we could see. Dusk was approaching quickly which meant more animals would be coming out for the evening to eat and move around. We did get a little bit lucky as we found a black bear just strolling a long a hillside. Because it was getting dark and he was moving constantly, my pictures of him didn’t turn out too well. Oh well! After seeing him we discovered that the little black bear at the lake was still there, napping and eating, and had stayed there all day. We also discovered the same with the grizzly. After the turn from Tower to Lamar we also run into a bit of a “traffic jam” just before the bridge over the Yellowstone River. It happens often in the park, but bison jams are still fun to snap pictures of!
At this point of the evening I was not feeling well so we decided to turn around and make our way home. It wasn’t fun to end the day like this, but at least I felt sick at the end of the day and not the beginning. the weather through Paradise Valley was rough and dark. The rain came down hard and of course it was now dark so we had to watch for deer as well. On several ocaaisions, tumble weeds blew across the road which from a distance looked like deer. It was a pins and needles drive but we made it home safe and sound. Despite getting sick, the day was amazing!
The Wharton Adventures 