Tough Enough To Wear Pink

*Critters we’ve seen on our 2012 trip so far: prairie dog, bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mule deer, llama, white tail deer, elk, grizzly, coyote, badger
*Birds we’ve seen on our 2012 trip so far: Western meadowlark, magpie, wild turkey, killdeer, osprey, red-naped sapsucker, sandhill crane
*National Parks/Monuments visited on 2012 trip so far: 2

One of the most distinctive sounds I’ve heard is the call of the sandhill crane, and bright and early one morning as I stepped outside with Abby, I heard what seemed like a couple of them calling to each other. As I looked around, I spied up on a nearby hill across the road from the campground two of them greeting the new day. The sun had not yet come up over the mountain so they created a cool silhouette against the morning sky.

As campground hosts, some additional training is required such as how to properly use bear spray and when to use it, and one morning Travis with the Bear Management division came by as our instructor. We are provided with 2 cans during our stay that we can also take with us when we go out into the park. (If we would need to use it, they provide us a replacement.) The range is only 30 ft. max so you have to wait till the bear gets pretty close before using it. However, if common sense is used, one should not have the need to use it, but situations can arise so best to be informed. Travis had brought an inert canister that sprayed only a water mist but still allowed us to get the feel of how it handled (Jean is pictured here). The course only lasted ½ an hour and was much appreciated.

This was the 34th year for the Gardiner Rodeo & Parade, and since we’re only 5 miles from town, we decided to at least check out the parade. This year’s theme was “Are You Tough Enough To Wear Pink?” in honor of breast cancer research. Always ready to get into the spirit of things, I wore my pink shirt, and Russ not having one asked if I had a pink bow to put on his hat! It was your typical small town parade with lots of horseback riders and most participants throwing candy from their decorated cars and trucks to the crowd. We definitely filled our pockets! One of the horseback riders was Mary Jacobs, a woman who will be 100 years young this Aug. She’s pictured at right in the pink cowboy hat and unfortunately had just turned her head as I snapped the picture. However, the Livingston newspaper had printed an article on this remarkable woman and I’ve included the link here in case you’re interested, (MaryJacobs).

Always on the lookout for new and interesting wildlife, I didn’t have to look far on one of our workdays. On the registration board was perched what I thought was a beautiful and most unusual large butterfly, but after some research I discovered it’s actually a moth! Seems to be a Cecropia Moth, and we were very fortunate to see it as the adults only live a few weeks and are rarely seen during the day.

The next blog post will mark a major milestone on our journey so stay tuned!

Yellowstone Tidbits:
*The park was established in 1872 and run by the U.S. Army from 1886-1918 in what is now Mammoth Hot Springs. At the time it was known as Fort Yellowstone and about 35 of the original buildings remain. They are currently used as the visitor center, staff residences, offices, and the chapel still holds Sunday services.
*There are more than 10,000 hydrothermal features in the park including more than 300 geysers.
*Thermophiles are heat-loving microorganisms that create the many colors seen in the hot water hydrothermal areas.