Tag: Yellowstone

Christmas In Montana Part Two

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After a wonderful nights sleep, we woke up to clouds and temperatures barely passing zero degrees Fahrenheit. It was very chilly and the look of new snow concerned us regarding our trip into the park, but we thought we would give it a try anyway.

On our way through the historical gate, I saw something in the road that made my heart skip a beat. At first I thought the gray looking dog standing in the middle of the road was a wolf. There is a pack that roams close to the gate, so I thought it might be possible. It was not, but it was a lone coyote taking an easier path of travel in the middle of the road.



After watching the coyote, we came to the entrance. The ranger allowed us to go through, telling us that the roads were very snow packed and icy in spots. We had tire chains to help us if need be. The plow had recently headed out to Cook City so things were working in our favor. I couldn’t have been more excited. Being able to enter the park and travel the only road open in Yellowstone made me very happy. I can now say I have seen Yellowstone in all four seasons.

Within a few minutes of entering Yellowstone, we came across our second animal sighting of the day. A small group of male bighorn sheep were eating along the roadside. Most of the males were young and had small sets of horns, but it was clear they were being looked after by a rather large and impressive male. He kept a watchful eye on us as we snapped a few photos but went about his business like normal.


Winter in Yellowstone is the prime season for wolves. They thrive in the snowy conditions, relying on the fact that elk, deer and bison are beginning to weaken as food becomes scarce and the cold takes its toll. Their major predatory competitor, the Grizzly Bear, is hibernating until Spring which means little to no worries about compeition while hunting. Being that the wolf if my favorite animal, a near obsession, my eyes were open for any movement. On several occasions I thought I spotted a wolf, but instead it was a coyote.

For those of us from Los Angeles, coyotes are mainly just a nuisance; an animal that rummages through garbage cans and eats our pets. They generally look pretty mangy and ready to try and take anything down just to eat. In Yellowstone, far away from any major city, the Coyotes are beautiful. Even though they still fight for food, their coats are thick and beautiful and their eyes have a sparkle to them. I still enjoy seeing them in our travels and will jump at a chance to photograph them, even if they are walking away from me.


The storm that rolled through and chilled things also brought fresh snow. Fresh snow meant that movement of animals through the trees and open fields and valleys could easily be seen by way of fresh tracks. There had been a lot of movement from bison, elk and other animals. There were tracks close to the road that looked to be wolf tracks, but we could not see them nearby.

The beauty of Yellowstone in Winter isn’t just about the animals, but the landscape itself. The snow covered mountains and trees made some of my photographs appear as though they were shot in black and white. It was amazing to see places that I am so familiar with covered in layers of snow. It is amazing to see how the snow can change the landscape so drastically.

As we traveled we came across another animal not often seen in the park, a bull moose. He was spending his time down in a small valley, moving along an exposed creek eating whatever willow and shrubs he could fine. His antlers had fallen off already and through my lens you could see the little nubs where his antlers will grow back as spring approaches. He seemed not to worry about us and continued to eat.

As our travels continued we also came across several large bull bison using the road to travel from one place to another. Smart guys they are! Why trudge through snow several feet deep when you can use the conveniently plowed roadways? Some of the bison had snow covered faces which I found fascinating. The most likely reason for the snowy faces? Well, in the winter bison use their large and very strong heads and neck to move the snow away from patches of grass in the open valley areas. The bison below had probably finished munching on a fresh spot of grass and was moving on to the next place.

After a good, slow drive we made it out to Lamar Valley where wolf sightings are generally at a high. What a different sight during the winter. At times it was hard to tell where the road was because it was so snow packed. We had a few white knuckle moments but I still enjoyed the drive and wouldnt have missed it for the world. Shaun and I stopped at one of the large pullouts to eat lunch and then decided to turn around head back. A drive that usually takes about an hour and a half without major stops took nearly two hours one way because of the snow and ice. The days are very short so we knew that the daylight would be fading fast and didnt want to be in certain areas after dark.

On our way back, we came across a large group of cars that were stopped. In Yellowstone, when you see this there is generally something worth stopping to look at. We discovered that there was a pack of about five to six wolves out on one of the bluffs in the distance. You needed a spotting scope to see them, so there was no way I could capture them with my camera.

As we were stopped though, a coyote started getting curious about all of the stopped cars. He checked out the car in front of us, sniffing its tires and watching its occupants photograph him. Once he was done he started to trot down the road, right by our car. It was a sight to see! He was certainly curious about all of these people.


As we sat there the sun began to fade. The sunset was amazing and gave me yet another reason to love Yellowstone. After that we didn’t have anymore encounters with wildlife and continued on. Shaun and I stopped in Mammoth and decided to have dinner at the Mammoth Lodge dining room. We had to wait for a bit but boy was it worth the wait. Buffalo Ravioli…. wow! It was an amazing dinner and worth the half hour wait. I also had an amazing cup of hot apple cider which made me very happy and warm. I needed it too as the temperature dipped well below zero and the wind blew hard. The short walk from the lodge to the car left me feeling out of breath and very frosty, that’s how cold it was. We discovered once we got back to Gardiner that the temperature in Mammoth was about minus two degrees, and with windchill it was about ten degrees cooler. Yikes! No complaints though… we had an amazing night and my hope was that the weather would hold out just one more day before we headed back to Bozeman.

Yellowstone, Just For the Heck of It!

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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!

Two Days of Yellowstone… OR BUST!

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As if our day in West Yellowstone on Friday wasn’t enough beauty for us, we decided to head to Yellowstone for two days to enjoy the weekend and each other. Saturday marked the beginning of National Parks week, which gave everyone free admission into all of the National Parks around the country. Despite that fact, Yellowstone was pretty quiet all weekend which is fine. More for us to enjoy!

On our way to Gardner, the North Entrance to the park we stopped in Livingston for breakfast. We ate at The Pop Stand and breakfast there was incredible and cheap! For $6 I had two slices of French Toast (each piece was the size of my head), 2 pieces of bacon, 2 pieces of sausage and 2 scrambled eggs. Needless to say, I did not finish most of it but it was incredible. Even better then that, Abby ate for free! Yup, children under 12 eat free there. I haven’t seen a deal like that since I was under 12.

Once we entered the park, we headed out towards Lamar Valley… a popular spot for bear and wolf sightings. Our drive out to Lamar was fairly uneventful but we did see a few things from afar. We saw a gray wolf, bald and golden eagles, osprey, a marmot, bison, mule deer, elk, and river otters. We tried to get pictures of the otters playing in Soda Butte Creek, but the disappeared before we could even park the car! We drove as far as Trout Lake and then decided to turn around and head back to Mammoth.

On our way back, we passed by the Yellowstone Picnic area where during my last visit we saw a little black bear. While it wasn’t the same black bear, there was one creating a scene when we came by. During the summer we would have never been able to stop, but that is one of the joys of spring. We watched this bear move along from the picnic site and beyond for a while before we decided to move on.


After stopping back in Gardner to check into the hotel, grab some food and take a small break we were back on our way. This time we decided to head towards the West Entrance and Old Faithful. We didnt see much wildlife on this leg of the trip, but the day was beautiful and allowed for some great photography. It was wonderful to just drive around and enjoy the afternoon and evening. At several turn outs we ran into Yellowstone’s moocher’s, the ravens. They had no problem stopping right near our car windows to beg for handouts, but instead they had their pictures taken!


On our way back to Gardner for the evening we came across a small road jam due to a group of young bull elk. Several of them were oblivious to the cars and were focused on sparing with one another. Nothin’ but reindeer games!

The second day of our trip was short, as Auntie Jillian had to be back for work. We headed out again toward Lamar in hopes of seeing some wolves or bears. Unfortunately, anything that was out there was too far to even be seen with the naked eye. Most people were out with high power spotting scopes looking at things way off on the hills. We didn’t leave Lamar Valley empty handed though. On our way back, I spotted the otters we had missed the day before. We drove up ahead of what appeared to be a young otter and got out of the car along the bank of the river several hundred feet ahead of him. The little otter swam and played and I was able to get a few distance pictures. He was cute and on several occasions you could hear him talking and chattering.


The rest of the day was spent driving and sight seeing. The snow along the Madison River at the West entrance had melted considerably and green grass was beginning to peak out. The bison were happily eating and the day was gorgeous! Even though we didn’t get to see some of the animals we had hoped to see, the drive was amazing. When we left the park I should have felt sad, but I knew I had one more weekend here and I knew I wouldn’t have to twist any arms to come back.

On the way home through the Gallatin, we spotted a fly fisherman out in the river near a small rock. There are plenty of fisherman out on the Gallatin, but this one caught our eye. Next to him on the small rock was a dog, his dog. The dog looked to be a Golden Retriever and I don’t think this dog could have been happier. For the sake of this story the dog was a boy and he was out with his buddy, fishing and it was quite apparent that he was having fun and always at the ready to help. As the man continued to cast his reel, his loyal friend sat there watching the water, sitting but tense, ready to come to his aide when needed. He was half wet and half dry which would led me to believe he had tried to help out not too long ago. It was the most picturesque sight to see. Something I often think of when it comes to living in this area of Montana. Out on the river fishing with man’s best friend at your side. Just perfect and that is why I love this place so much.

Grizzlies, Wolves and Abby…. Oh My!

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Today… what a day! The weather was gorgeous, warm and melting the snow quickly so our plan to head to West Yellowstone was in full swing. The drive from Bozeman to West Yellowstone is about an hour and a half, but it doesn’t seem that long at all when you drive through Gallatin Canyon. What an amazing drive, especially today. Spring was definitely in the air.

Our plan when we arrived in West Yellowstone was to go to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. This place is small but wonderful, at least it is in my book. The center takes in Grizzlies and Wolves that have been orphaned through an unnatural process (mom was killed by a hunter, car, etc.) or takes in Grizzlies that have become to comfortable in a human environment. The alternative is generally to euthanize the animal or sending them to a zoo, if there is a zoo that will take them. Instead, these lucky animals end up in a place not far from their natural surroundings and seasons where they are cared for, loved and admired by employees and visitors.

Luckily, when we got there everything was quiet. West Yellowstone is just starting to open up again for the summer season and being there on a Friday keeps the crowds away. We basically had the place to ourselves, with the exception of a young girl, whom I was tempted to toss into the bear habitat, and her oblivious mother. I wont go into that mess of a story, but for those of you familiar with the story about a boy named Quentin… these two should meet up and go bowling sometime.

The grizzlies take turns in the large viewing habitat, so when we first arrived we were greeted by Kobuk and Nakina. These two are brother and sister and were orphaned when a hunter took their mother down while she was hunting free range chickens on his ranch. They had just been fed and seemed a little full as well as tired. Nakina kept out of sight, except for a few shots of her rear end, but Sam perched himself on a rock not far from us. He has such a sweet face and a funny personality, spending a lot of his time playing with several sticks that he found. Apparently he loves to climb trees and start chases around the habitat with his sister, but we pretty much saw the opposite of that. Oh well, Abby enjoyed that time a lot and seemed very much engrossed with the bears, that is until she realized she was allowed to walk around and not sit in her stroller.



After taking a ton of pictures of Kobuk we headed off to the two wolf habitats. I was in heaven! All of the wolves were out, for the most part, and were amazing. While I have seen wolves in the wild its nice to have an experience where you can be close to them and watch them interact without being scared off by some Yellowstone tourist that doesn’t know his rear end from his elbow. There was a naturalist on duty, who was able to point out the wolves, tell us their names and also tell us their rank in the pack. I couldn’t remember all of them, but I made my best effort to try and do so. You can see all of the pictures and information in the slide show below. I could talk endlessly about the wolves we saw and wolves in general, as they are my obsession, but I will spare you from that. Needless to say, watching both packs make me very happy and I was on a high when we left.


Before we left for the day, we stopped back by the bear habitat just in time to see the keepers place lunch around the area and see a new set of bears come out. The keepers place food in various spots around the habitat to keep the bears busy, both physically and mentally. When the doors opened I definitly was not expecting what was about to come strolling out. Sam and his sister Illie were orphaned as well and have lived their entire lives at the center. Sam, a Kodiak, weighs in at a whopping 1050 pounds and his sister comes in at 850. That’s almost double the size of Kobuk and Nakina, the two Grizzlies from earlier. They were impressive bears and I am glad there was plenty to separate me from them. The highlight was watching Sam try to get food out of a half frozen pond. Watching that bear put all of his weight on the ice and bounce up and down was incredible. Even more so was the sound of that ice breaking and buckling underneath him. Let’s just say it took him no more then 5 minutes to find what he was looking for. Amazing!

Illie, Sam’s sister had a beautiful heart shaped face. What a beautiful bear.

Before leaving we stopped in the gift shop so that Abby could enjoy the giant bear bench. She loved it and didn’t want to leave. We were lucky to even get a picture with her as she didn’t want to stop her play time to do such things. Play time with a giant bear is far more important then pictures!


Let me tell you, leaving was not a pretty sight. Especially since it was close to nap time and Abby was hungry. But, we stopped for some food before heading back and the ride back home was peaceful and beautiful, as always. As I always say, all in all it was a wonderful day!

Enjoy the slide show below for more pictures of our great day in West Yellowstone.

Montana Adventures 2009 Part Three

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Well it seems as though it would be hard to top such a lovely trip out to Yellowstone like that, but the rest of my trip was fantastic as well. Sunday June 28th, was my 28th birthday! Yes I turned 28 on the 28th! It was a great day and I received a lot of love and special messsages from many of my friends. I couldn’t have asked for more honestly. When I woke up that morning, my parents hit me with yet another surprise. Because we missed going to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park while we were in Yellowstone, my parents planned to drive down to Jackson on Monday, stay the night and then drive home through Yellowstone again on Tuesday! I was beyond excited… I was going to have one more chance to see my favorite places before I left!

After a wonderful breakfast and some time spent getting ready, my Aunt Diane, Uncle Barry and my grandma Prueter came over from Anaconda to go out to dinner with us. Grandma Prueter was very excited to see Abby again and she is looking fantastic. After some time spent hanging out, talking and catching up… we opened presents!! I received some really cute things, but its all too hard to explain here. My big treat was dinner at the Rib and Chop House in Livingston and so after gift opening we took off.


The Rib and Chop House was amazing!! That’s about all I can say. When we arrived Abby had just fallen asleep in the car, so she spent some of the time cuddling up with her grandpa. Grandma Prueter (Great-Grandma to Abby) had her margarita on the rocks with light salt. She might be almost 90, but that little Irish voice inside her still wins when it comes to well made libations! The steaks there were amazing! I don’t eat red meat often, but holy cow! Ruth Chris Steakhouse eat your heart out! Wow! I cannot wait to visit again so that I can take Shaun there. Better yet, I cant wait to take Tommie there!

When dinner was over, we piled back into our cars, pants buttons undone and headed home. After giving our yummy dinners some time to settle, it was time for…. you guessed it…. cake!! And not just any cake, my favorite…. a Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream cake from Baskin Robbins. Ahhh the little things in life. It was yummy and the whole day was great! I couldn’t have asked for anything better. After Aunt Diane, Uncle Barry and Grandma left it was time to pack for our trip to Jackson and Yellowstone. Another exciting few days!

If you would like to see a few extra pictures, please click on the following link to see our slideshow! Birthday Dinner

Jackson and Yellowstone or BUST

The morning after my birthday we woke up and hit the road. On the way to Jackson we decided to stop in Anaconda one last time to visit. My Aunt Diane wanted to take me to her favorite store in town called Beyond Necessity. Many of her gifts to Abby have come from this store and I was eager to see what they had. Let me tell you… it was worth the trip! The store was great and I wanted to take everything home with me. Unfortunately I am not made of money and had to leave most of it behind. I did get a few things though. I couldn’t help myself. They have a website you can shop at, but its not quite the same as shopping there. Take a look though at http://www.beyond1989.com/ . After we had lunch with them, it was time to leave. I was sad to say goodbye, but we had a wonderful day ahead of us.

The drive from Anaconda to Jackson took about five hours and was gorgeous. The entire way we chased a thunderstorm, but kept missing it. I was really hoping to have a nice thunderstorm while I was there, but they were always off in the distance. The drive from Driggs Idaho take you along the West side of the Teton Range and still allows you to see the Grand Tetons from a different perspective. It was definitely pretty, especially to see a storm work its way over the peaks. When we arrived in Jackson we unpacked the car at the hotel and headed out to downtown to have dinner at the Bunnery. The Bunnery is a little bakery and restaurant that we have been eating at since I was a little girl. Its tradition and is fantastic! Hey they have survived 28 plus years… there has got to be something to it to last that long! After dinner we walked around and visited some of the shops that were still open before heading back to the hotel. I got Abby a really cute creeper and I promise to take a picture of her in it and post it soon!

The following morning we woke up very early so that we could have breakfast at another Taylor family tradition, Jedidiah’s House of Pancakes. If you haven’t been to Jedidiah’s, they aren’t just any ole pancake, they are sourdough pancakes. Its an acquired taste, but they are great and they fill you up fast! After breakfast we had the chance to take pictures in front of the antler arches, yet another family tradition! This is where I really wish Shaun could have come with us… another time soon I hope!

Finally we were on the road and headed to Grand Teton National Park. It was a gorgeous day, bright skies and even though there were storms headed our way, you could see the peaks of Teton without any problem. I took plenty of pictures and had the chance to take some great shots of yet another thunderstorm rolling over the mountains. As a note…. we missed that one too by about an hour. We stopped at the new Visitor Center at Moose Junction which was beautiful and then at Colter Bay for a few snacks. All in all we spent about 5 hours driving around through Teton, discovering a few dirt roads that took us to a few spectacular views. We finally had to move on and get to Yellowstone so that we could grab some lunch and enjoy the park before we had to head home. It was quick, but I am sure glad that we had the chance to make it through Jackson and Grand Teton.

We stopped for lunch in Yellowstone at Grants Village, which is on the lake near West Thumb. It had been a while since I had stopped there and eaten at the cafeteria and explored the gift shop. Some things had changed, but not much. It was nice to stop somewhere we hadn’t been in a while. After lunch we headed up the road along the lake to Canyon. At Lake Village we stopped to take a look at The Lake Inn. Its not a well known inn but it is beautiful. I don’t think I have ever been there before and I hope one day to stay there. It was built back in the 1930’s as a luxury hotel in the park and it certainly appears that way even now. It even appeals to Jillian as well as several locations within the hotel are supposed to be haunted. Very cool!

After our visit there, we headed through Hayden Valley hoping to catch another glimpse of our Grizzly. We didn’t… but it was worth a shot. We stopped at Canyon for a quick break and a look around the Visitor Center one last time, and then decided to head up and over Washburn and make a quick trip out to Lamar again. Ov the other side of Washburn people were stopped and we had just missed a Grizzly. They said he was headed up and over a particular ridge. Well luck would have it that he was headed up and over to an area that had vehicle access for the public. So we turned around and headed up that road. When reached the top there was no sign of the bear. We waited a while, walking along looking at the flowers and the lone bison up there with us. Yet, nothing… but its ok. He could have been over a hill or two, but none of us wanted to see him that much. Oh well… we had seen some pretty spectacular things so it wasn’t a bust.

Once we left, we decided to head down to Tower Junction and out to Lamar for one last look. The drive was beautiful as another thunderstorm was rolling in and we were quickly approaching sunset. On the way out to Lamar, we did spot a male black bear up on a hillside, staying far from the road. At the same spot as our first trip, there was a wolf feeding on the same bison carcass, but he or she was quite a distance away. Feeling a little disappointed we turned around and started our journey back to my parents house. But on the way back the male Grizzly had moved all the way down the hill, to a meadow near the road! He walked around, not oblivious to us, but seemingly indifferent to the fact that all of us were there.

The little black bear moved along in the meadow, pushing weeds and plants around with his nose, eating the bugs he could fine. But after a few moves down the road in our car, hopping out to snap photos when we could, the black bear was no more then 10-20 feet from the road side. All I can say is wow, for several reasons… seeing a bear that close in the wild and because of the amount of ignorance and stupidity out there. I will tell you the rest and rant about it later in another blog. Eventually our little black bear crossed the road and headed toward the Yellowstone Picnic Area and Trailhead. Three young guys had their propane grill going, cooking dinner. We had to drive up and warn them that they had a bear heading their way. Luckily they packed up and got into their truck because sure enough, not more then 5 minutes later that black bear came over a rise and down into the picnic area. After he crossed the picnic area and headed into a meadow, we could no longer see him. It was yet another amazing experience.

After watching him and following for nearly an hour, we had to get into the car and go. It was getting dark and late and everyone was hungry. Luckily we had a nice thunder and lightening storm roll through on our drive home. The lightning lit up the sky all over the valley in multiple directions. Its storms like that that make me want to live in the mountains even more!
The following day was spent relaxing and packing to go home. It was a bittersweet day, but a good one none the less. Jillian, Abby and myself had the chance to grab some Subway sandwiches and drive up through Hyalite Canyon. It was a wonderful end to a perfect trip!

To see a complete slide show of our trip through Jackson, Teton and Yellowstone please click the following link… Jackson,Teton and Yellowstone

There is more to tell I am sure! Hope you enjoyed the play by play of our trip!

Montana Adventures 2009 Part Two

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Well we are back where technology is available, so as promised I will fill you in on the last few days. All I can say is that the time spent in Yellowstone was amazing and it once again confirmed to me why Yellowstone is one of my happy places. Here is what happened over our three days in Yellowstone. (Its long, but its a fun read!)

Day #1-Wednesday June 24th
On Wednesday morning we left for Yellowstone, with the car stuffed full of bags, food and well…. us! Us being my mom, dad, Jillian, myself and Abby. We took a long drive through the Gallatin Gateway, through Big Sky down to West Yellowstone. It was a perfect day! Once we arrived in the park we drove from West Yellowstone in search of the perfect picnic site. After passing by some sites because that were too crowded, we finally stopped at the Virginia Cascades picnic area. We enjoyed a nice lunch and took in the open meadows of Virginia Cascades, a place that I have loved since I was a kid. After some turkey sandwiches, cookies that Jillian baked and drinks we packed up and moved on to see the park.

After lunch we made our way to the hotel in Gardner Montana at the North Entrance, going over Mt. Washburn to Tower Junction, up to Mammoth and out to Gardner. We wanted to drop off all of our bags so that we could move around the park freely. On the way through the canyon near Gardner, you could see Big Horn Sheep all along the mountain sides and out on a few rock ledges. There were several females watching over their new lambs. We had the opportunity to take some amazing pictures as several of them were right along the roadside. One little lamb seemed to be very young, maybe a few weeks old and did not want to cross the road with her mom.

Once we arrived at the hotel we unloaded, rested for a few moments and then made our way back into the park. Our plan that afternoon was to drive out to Lamar Valley to see what we might be able to find. (Wolves, bears, foxes, etc.). On our way out to Lamar Valley, between Mammoth and Tower Junction, Jillian spotted something she has never had the opportunity to see in Yellowstone. Off in the fields near Blacktail Lakes, was a beautiful Gray Wolf! My parents and myself have seen wolves up close in the park before, but Jillian had not so this was quite a treat. No one else was around when she spotted him either, so that made for a very special moment. We watched and snapped pictures as the lone wolf crossed the road and made his way towards the plateaus on the other side of the road. It was quite an amazing experience! As a note, for those that may not know, I have been obsessed with wolves for a very long time so to see them roaming in the wild is amazing and very special to me.
After that experience we turned back and headed towards the hotel again, all of us on cloud nine. It was an excellent start to the trip in Yellowstone! If you would like to see a complete slide show of our first day in the park, please click here…. Day One.
Day #2-Thursday June 25th
The next day we woke early and headed out the door ready to see some more amazing things. After the afternoon we had the day before, it was hard to imagine that we could see anything more spectacular, but we would eventually be proven wrong. Our plan that day was to Tower Junction, over Mt. Washburn to Canyon and then out the South Entrance. My mom and dad wanted to take me out to Grand Teton and Jackson Hole for lunch. It would be a long drive, but completely worth it.
As we entered the park, we found that the canyon out at Gardner had some new friends that wanted to be seen. Some Canadian Geese and their little ones were searching for bugs and such in the tall grass. They made for some wonderful pictures and were cute to watch as well. After stopping to admire them, we made a quick trip out to Lamar before heading over Mt. Washburn. At the Lamar Valley trail head it seemed as though people had their sites set on something, or a few things to be exact. Off in the distance, there was a female Grizzly with her two cubs. She was hard to see, even with a spotting scope. In a tree line across the river someone had also spotted a nest. Through the spotting scope you could see that it was a Bald Eagle’s nest and it was occupied. It looked as though one of the parents was in the nest with the babies at that time. Unfortunately the nest was too far away to take any pictures, but it was a wonderful memory to say the least.

After enjoying the eagles and the grizzlies from a great distance we made our way out to Tower Junction and over Mt. Washburn. Mt. Washburn is a wonderful place to see Grizzlies and wolves, but the morning turned out to be a bit disappointing. There wasn’t much that we could see at that moment, but we still moved forward, hoping to see more. As we made our way down through Canyon and out to Hayden Valley, we wondered if we would see the usual bison and elk. We did, and so much more!
At one of the pull outs along Hayden Valley and the Yellowstone River, a group of people began to form. I pulled out the binoculars and began to scan the areas that people were looking. Sure enough, along the banks of the Yellowstone River there were two gray wolves, a black and a grey to be exact. They were hunting and had chased about four or five female elk and their young into the river. It was amazing to see! As Jillian and I started to talk with some of the people standing around, there was a more detailed story to what was going on. The elk in the river had not been chased there by the wolves, but instead by large male grizzly that seems to be on the hunt. As he was trying to take down an elk, several wolves appeared and began to take over the hunt. The grizzly was now out of sight, but close by and the wolves continued to try and hunt. Unfortunately a few groups of people allowed their curiosity to get the best of them and they took off out into the field looking for the missing grizzly and to get a closer look at the wolves. Luckily a ranger appeared and backed them off just in time. As people were focused on the wolves, the grizzly appeared over the hill and looked as though he was going to cross the road… and he did.

After he crossed the road, the grizzly made a casual B-line for the bison that were grazing. There was a large heard of males, females and their young and at first it didn’t seem as though they noticed the grizzly. The grizzly moved along, stopping to sniff and eat bugs in the grass, but he had one thing in his mind… bison. Once he was close enough, he charged a group and that was it. The male bison began to push the females and young away from the grizzly and move them across the road. As the females and young got out of harms way, the males began to form a line in front of the grizzly, making it known that he was not at all welcome in the area. After several attempts the grizzly finally gave up and moved on, the males had successfully pushed him out.

IT WAS AMAZING to stand there and watch all of this unfold. It was Yellowstone’s ecosystem at its best being played out right in front of us. Its hard to describe it, but it was truly amazing.
Because the stop in Hayden lasted nearly an hour and a half, we lost time and ended up not going to Jackson for lunch. I was sad that we couldn’t go, but it gave us more time in the park. Instead, we headed over to Old Faithful for some lunch and then decided to drive back towards Mammoth. On the way we took several small drives along Firehole Lake and Nez Perce. We also got out and hiked a small trail out to Artists Paint Pots. This was a new trail for myself and my family, and it was worth exploring. The hot springs and the boiling mud pots were strange but beautiful. We also had the chance to try out the “baby backpack” and Abby seemed to enjoy it quite a bit!



As the sun started to set, we decided to make our way back to Gardner to get some dinner and get to bed. Along the way we stopped for a few pictures and took the Upper Terrace Drive in Mammoth. Its amazing to see how things have changed. Several springs along the terrace have come back to life again since I was there last.

The day ended in our room after a fun dinner of Pizza from Outlaw’s (which is super yummy) and a big bath for Abby. The excitement of the day had worn all of us out, but that was definitely a good thing.

To see more pictures from our second day in Yellowstone, click the following link… Day Two.
Day #3-Friday June 26th
The next morning we awoke to a nice cloudy and somewhat rainy day. While most people would be upset by this, we were thrilled. Gloomy days often brings the animals out and allow them to stay out in the open later in the day. Because of this, we thought our first stop would be out to Lamar Valley.
Throughout the drive from Mammoth to Lamar, the bison could be seen everywhere. All of the females seemed to be busy with their young. Luckily I was able to snap some great pictures of the bison with their babies. Too cute!


As we approached the stop for the Lamar Valley trail head, we noticed that something out by the river had the attention of a few people. Through our spotting scope we could see what appeared to be a black Gray Wolf feeding on a bison carcass. It was incredible! I know, most people wouldn’t find the idea of watching an animal eat incredible, but I do. After watching for a while, we were told by a few passing travelers that several wolves had been spotted up the road at Soda Butte. So we took off to see what we could, and sure enough they were right. Several gray and black colored Gray Wolves were up on a bluff keeping watch. Closer to us was a female, who seemed to be trying to cross the river and the road. Apparently on the other side of the road, up in the mountains behind us, this particular pack had a den. We feel that the female was probably trying to get to it, but unfortunately stupid people kept her from doing so. They kept hiking out to where she was, hoping to get a close picture which in turn scared her back towards the bluff. Oh well, I was able to get some great shots of her before those people scared her off.

After we watched her join the rest of the pack on the hill, we turned around and headed back toward Tower Junction. On our way back we drove out to the Slough Creek campground, which was a gorgeous drive. This area is the origin of the Slough Creek wolf pack and we definitely knew they were out there somewhere. At one point we had to stop to change and feed Abby, so we decided to do that at a pullout along the gravel road to the campground. As we took care of things and took some pictures, we started to hear howling off in the hills in front of us. It was incredible! We sat and listened to them talking for a good forty five minutes or so.
We eventually had to leave and move on. We drove over Mt. Washburn down to canyon and decided to take a drive along the canyon rim. We only had the chance to stop at a few of the look outs and after catching a glimpse of Artists Point from the other side of the canyon, we realized it was far too busy to get a view of the Lower Falls. Oh well, next time I suppose.
After we stopped at the Canyon Visitor Center and gift stores to do a little bit of shopping, we took off for Old Faithful. We had dinner reservations at the Inn and had to book it to get there. At that point, all that could keep us from getting there on time, kept us from getting there on time. A large storm started to make its way over the mountains which left us stuck in a huge downpour. We also found all of the slow drivers who couldn’t seem to get up to speeds over 20 mph. We also got stuck in a “buffalo jam” for a good 30 minutes. The bison were walking down the middle of the road, which happens all the time, but people were just dumb. When they were able to pass them, they didn’t and everyone had to have a picture! Ugh, oh well… we did eventually make it and because I had called to let them know what was going on, they were nice about us being late.
Dinner at Old Faithful was amazing, as always and it certainly made my day. Once we were finished we took off and headed back towards Hayden Valley, hoping to get a glimpse of that Grizzly again. On the way we stopped at Kepler Cascades, a spot that I love and have the best picture and memories of from past vacations.
The drive through Hayden was beautiful at sunset with a storm building again in the distance. We saw our Grizzly off on some hills in the distance, but that was OK. We had the chance to see him up close the day before. We drove back to the hotel in the fading light and it was gorgeous and at times a little eerie. The cold rain hitting the hot pavement created low hanging fog, which looked a little creepy at times. It was definitely a ride to remember.
To view a slide show of more pictures from our third day in the park, please click the following link Day Three .

Day #4-Saturday June 27th

Our 4th day was our final day in the park and a short one as well. My parents had a wedding that afternoon and needed to be back in time to change and get ready. We got up early and packed the car and took one last drive out to Lamar Valley. Again the bison were out enjoying the warm sun after a night of cool rain. At the same spot as the day before, several animals could been seen feeding on the bison carcass. With a closer look through our spotting scope we could see that several wolves and a grizzly bear were fighting over the bison. Eventually the wolves chased the grizzly off. Once again it was incredible to see all of this unfold before our eyes. Unfortunatly they were too far off to take decent pictures.

As we left Lamar and headed towards the North Entrance to head home, my dad spotted something along one of the hillsides near Tower Junction. Once we stopped for a better look, we discovered that it was a mama black bear and her two cubs. They were sooooo cute! We watched them play and move around for quite some time. Because they were not too visible from the road, we tried to keep our find a secret from passing drivers. Everytime someone drove by we would pretend to take pictures of the wild flowers or other things. Evetunally they moved close enough to be seen by passers by, but thats fine… we started our very own “bear jam”! It was sad to say goodbye to Yellowstone when we did but after talking in the car my parents decided that we should take one more day before I left to come back and I didnt have any problems with that, at all!

While my parents were at the wedding, Jillian and I just hung out at home. We eventually went to the mall to shop a bit and to have some of the best peach/vanilla swirl frozen yogurt Ive ever had and then ran to Target! Yes, even on vacation I cant resist a trip to Target. AFter that I took Jillian to dinner which was so nice. We had the chance to talk about things and catch up, which we dont always get the chance to do. Later that night it was apparent that Abby was very tired and missing her daddy very much. Abby finally fell asleep cuddled up with her Grandpa Taylor and Doggie and it was one of the most precious moments I have seen.
If you would like to view the slide show from our fourth day in Yellowstone, please click here… Day Four

Growing Older, Wonderful Memories and New Beginnings!

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Ok so I am back! There has been so much going on that it was nearly impossible to keep up with it all. But I will catch up with everything as best I can!

Abby at 5 months… look at those big baby blues!

On April 2nd, 2009 Abby went in for her 6 month check up. We are always blessed to hear the words… “she looks perfect” and that was exactly what Dr. Calig said again! Abby was 26 inches long and weighed 18 pounds 15 ounces at the time. I am sure she has grown more since. Abby is changing so fast and is doing a lot in regards to development. She has just finished eating her first round of veggies and is now on to fruits. Luckily, she is not a picky eater and peas were her only issue. While she makes faces of distaste for them, she still eats them. Abby is rolling all over the place and I am sure will be crawling soon. If she had it her way, she would be walking instead of crawling but Shaun and I dont want her to miss that important step in development. We shall see what happens in the next little bit!

Abby at 6 months… Smiling away like the little cutie she is!


Since my last post and I happy to say that we have found a house! Yes, we finally found a home that we absolutely love! We put an offer in and now we have a wonderful home in the San Fernando Valley. We closed escrow close to the end of March and moved in not too long after. We have done some work on the house which has slowed our ability to unpack boxes, but we are finally settled and hope to stop living out of boxes soon! Once the work is finished I will post some before and after pictures for everyone to look at. It is a beautiful home and I am so happy to live here!

One drawback to the house was that the kitchen hadnt been touched since the house was built back in the 40’s. So Shaun decided that it was the first thing that needed to be fixed and right away. Work began completely gutting the kitchen before we moved in. I think we hoped that a bulk of the work would be done before time came to move, but alas it wasnt meant to be. The kitchen renovation has taken care longer then expected and still has not been completed. Shaun knew it was driving me batty as it meant that we couldnt really even unpack everything from the move, so I spent spring break with my parents and sister up in Montana. Abby came with me, but unfortunatly Shaun had to stay and work. I already had the time off. I had a wonderul trip and it was great to get away. Even though my parents still had to work because of the late notice, I still had lots of time to visit and relax. Abby and I had the chance to see where Aunt Jillian works ( both Bath and Body works and Tanya’s Dance Company), meet one of my dad’s coworkers, meet my moms coworkers and we had the chance to visit Yellowstone National Park. It was Abby’s first trip! We also had the chance to see Jillian dance at the Montana State Games in Billings. All in all it was a wonderful trip and as a plus I came home to a kitchen that was almost done, minus a few important details.

Its early in the morning but Abby smiles for mommy just before hitting the road for Montana.

Abby and Auntie Jillian had the chance to hang out quite a bit and Abby took everything Jillian had to say very serious…. I love this picture!

Abby seems to think she is Grace Kelly! She is sporting her glasses on her first morning out to Yellowstone…

Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park. This area of the park is home to several of Yellowstones largest wolf packs, the Druid Pack and the Slough Creek Pack.

Mommy and Abby in Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park. Can you see Abby’s adorable bunny slippers? They were a gift from Great Grandma Prueter, Aunt Diane and Uncle Barry and they looked absolutly adorable on her tiny little feet!

Other then that, we have been settling in and trying to get everything unpacked. Abby’s room is still the area were we have our boxes stored, but Shaun emptied a lot while we were away! Hopefully we will have it cleared and can set up Abby’s own room soon. It will be nice once Abby can have an official nursery of her her own!