Potluck!

*Critters we’ve seen on our 2013 trip so far:  bison, pronghorn, elk, white-tail deer, Uinta ground squirrel, coyote, snowshoe hare, grizzly bear, moose, wolf, red fox, black bear, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, mule deer, llama, white-tailed jackrabbit, American badger

*Birds we’ve seen on our 2013 trip so far: osprey, pheasant, magpie, raven, Canada geese, mountain bluebird, grouse, golden eagle, bald eagle, American avocet, sandhill crane, red-tailed hawk, cliff swallow, northern flicker, Clark’s nutcracker

 

[Click on any photo to enlarge.]

What’s a potluck?  A gathering of people…a sharing of food…a fun time!  Everybody bring a dish to share and let the camaraderie begin.  We’ve been fortunate to be included in four of them this season starting in May not long after we arrived.  Longtime ranger, Russ, was retiring and a farewell potluck was held at the Mammoth Community Center.  Burgers and 
hot dogs were provided as well as this specially decorated cake.  After everyone had eaten, several friends and co-workers got up to share stories and pay tribute to his many years of service (that’s Ranger Russ on the right in the photo).

 

The 4th of July potluck was held at Indian Creek Campground starting about 4pm. Unfortunately Marilyn and Tom had to work, but Ron, Kris, Russ, and I represented the Mammoth Campground.  At one point it started to rain but that wasn’t going to stop Jay from enjoying his chicken wings!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             Mid-August Ranger Chris hosted one at her house in Emigrant, about an hour from the campground.  She and her husband, Steve, have a beautiful log cabin up in the hills with gorgeous views from their porch.  They have 4 dogs and Abby was

  welcome to come along to join the fun.  We showed up early so she and their pups could get acquainted which included a walk down to the creek.  Our hosts provided your choice of bison, antelope, elk, or deer burgers, kebabs, and hot dogs, and with the

    spread provided by everyone else, there was more than enough food!  I think the highlight of the day was probably Marilyn’s chocolate dipped Krispy Kreme donut holes that she skewered and stuck in an angel

food cake to keep them upright. They went quickly and not one was left!  The cake did not go untouched either as Steve provided ice cream to go with it, and he does like his ice cream…that’s a 3 gallon bucket!  Great time meeting some new folks and getting better acquainted with others.

 

It was starting to get dark when we left Chris and Steve’s, and once we got down onto the main highway, we could see the head of a couple of fires burning in the distance.  Fortunately these were nowhere near where we were going but instead up in the mountains.

 

The last potluck of the season was once again held at Indian Creek and was in celebration of Christmas in August and the National Park Service’s birthday, but this year we celebrated a day early on “Christmas Eve”, Aug 24th. For those who don’t know, according to local legend Christmas in August
   was created after some visitors to Yellowstone were stranded at the Old Faithful Inn in a freak snow storm some time in the early 1900s.  Instead of lamenting about being snowbound, the guests decided to celebrate Christmas complete with decorations, carols, and a festive dinner.
At our potluck, we didn’t sing any carols, but the cabin and an outside tree were decorated (don’t seem to have pictures of either this year), and there was plenty of food including the spiral ham provided by Donna (we pretty much made short order of that!)  Plus a couple
     of the rangers were able to stop by for a quick dinner before continuing patrol.  Another great time was had by all, and we’ll look forward to more of these fun times again next year.

Yellowstone Tidbits:

• More than 1,600 archeological sites have been documented in Yellowstone.
• Lodgepole pine trees, the most abundant trees in the park covering nearly 80% of it, depend on fire to regenerate.
• The Madison and Gallatin are two rivers that flow from Yellowstone National Park to create the Missouri River.
• Wolves were re-introduced into Yellowstone in 1995.