Our Summer Home

*Critters we’ve seen on our 2014 trip so far:  pronghorn, horse, llama, elk, bison, grizzly, bighorn sheep, mule deer

*Birds we’ve seen on our 2014 trip so far: bald eagle, grouse, osprey, magpie

[Click on any photo to enlarge.]

The drive from St. Louis to Yellowstone is always beautiful…the flat farmland, the rolling hills, the mountains, rivers small and large…it’s always part of the adventure.  Having heard all the weather reports this past winter about record snowfalls, we were
   surprised by the relative lack of snow on our drive.  Last year we encountered small patches all along the highway throughout South Dakota, but not this year.  The first significant amount of snow we saw was on the mountains in the distance, a truly spectacular
   sight.  And once we spot the Roosevelt Arch, Yellowstone’s historic marker to the north entrance, we know we’re only a few minutes from our summer home.

 

Elk & bison

      We settled into the same site we had last year at Mammoth Campground and checked our work schedule.  With 2 days on and 4 days off, there’s plenty of time for adventure and seeing the sights (and doing those daily household


Grizzly

      chores! J)  The weather’s still cool enough that bears, elk, and bison have not yet migrated to the higher ranges so animal sightings abound. The cool weather also means more fog, and more steam rising from the thermal features as seen here at the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces.



Terraces

Mule deer






Valley view

Bison

 

   Spring is the best time for seeing the newly born critters like this bison calf.  It’s probably only a couple of days old as its umbilical cord is still attached…something we had never noticed before!

 

    The bison also like to visit the campground during this time of year.  One afternoon there were about 70 just in our area!  You can see how close they were…that’s our satellite dish, picnic table, and car!  We simply stay inside and let them graze, snooze, whatever they want…it’s their park and we are merely visitors.  The calves have so much energy and are such fun to watch as they play and bound through the sage.

   However, these calves have a lot to learn at such an early age like survival skills.  One afternoon as we were heading into town, we noticed some folks stopped at a pullout taking pictures of a small herd crossing the river.  The snow melt had begun, and the rivers were high and running fast.  All were crossing at the same location except for one little calf who was a little further down river.  Everyone else had made it up on the bank, but we watched as this little one struggled mightily to pull itself up, then tire and slide back down the bank.  We continued to watch as it would try and try again, then instead of moving to the spot where the others had climbed out, it moved further down river, a spot still too steep.  I thought for sure we were going to see the
death of this little calf as we could see its increased exhaustion at each attempt.  Then miraculously, back at its original spot, it finally managed its way up onto the bank.  Yes, mom had been nearby, grazing, but did not help.  Not sure exactly what she could have done anyway but this was definitely a lesson in survival for this youngster.

 

Snow was still evident throughout the park.  Only 5 miles from the campground, large patches could be seen in Swan Lake Flats and the surrounding area, but the snow melt had begun, and nearby Rustic Falls was impressive.  During the summer, it reveals more rock than water!

 

Yellowstone Tidbits:

• Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872.
• The park encompasses 3,472 sq. miles (2,221,766 acres), larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.
• There are about 290 waterfalls, 15 ft. or higher, that flow year-round in Yellowstone.
• Yellowstone is home to the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states.