After The Rain

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
*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

[Click on any photo to enlarge.]

With their distinctive beards and long fur, mountain goats are easy to spot but rarely seen in Yellowstone.  Though we had seen 3 hanging out way above in the mountains at Baronnet Peak not far from the northeast entrance earlier this season, they looked like white
   dots and almost hard to make out even with the spotting scope.  However, we had heard that there were some who occasionally had been spotted near Rustic Falls, only about 5 miles from the campground, but we’d never seen them there.  As we were heading over to Indian Creek one day, once
again I looked up across the creek to see if I could spy any, and lo and behold, there they were!  Fortunately there’s a large pullout where several cars were already parked, and we quickly found a spot.  Mountain goats are considered a non-native species in Yellowstone, but these graceful and athletic creatures are quite nimble,
often climbing rocky slopes having an angle of 60 degrees or more with ease, and can jump nearly 12 ft. in a single bound.  At this sighting we initially thought this was mom, dad, and kid, but later we were told it was probably mom, a yearling, and a kid born this year.  Whatever the family structure, it was so just so awesome to finally see them this close!

Hail in the campground

We’ve had some interesting weather this year.  Mammoth Campground is the lowest elevation campground in the park at 6,200 ft. thus it is the warmest, but we’ve had some unseasonably hot days this year that have reached into 
the low 90s!  However, we’re always mindful of the fact that history shows it can snow during any month of the year somewhere in Yellowstone, but so far we’ve only experienced it here in May and Sept.  And we have had a couple of days so far this season that produced some hail, but it doesn’t seem to last for long and then melts followed by rain.  And after the rain, comes the rainbow!

After the rain is sometimes the best time to view wildlife.  We might just head up the hill to watch the elk or maybe head out to Lamar Valley to watch the bison. In fact this poor little bison calf (below left) was soaked and looked non too happy about it!  Of course those rainy days can also produce the beginnings of some lovely sunsets behind the mountains.










Speaking of the elk, they’re always fascinating and entertaining to watch.  Just when I think I’ve got plenty of pictures of them, something happens to prove me wrong.  One night up in town 8 calves and their moms were lying in the lush grass across from the hotel when suddenly the calves

decided it was time to play.  One by one they got up joining in the merriment.  What fun to watch them chase each other so full of boundless energy!  Most of my photos of them are a blur despite using the fast action function on my camera, but you get the idea.

The next day we were surprised to see one of the big bulls just lounging around in town with his antlers still in full velvet.  What makes this so unusual is that normally this time of year, the bulls are in the higher elevations where it’s cooler.  Generally they don’t come down until late Aug. or Sept. for the rut.  However on a warm afternoon in mid-July this big guy honored us all with his presence.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, the Mammoth area is one of the prime places for elk to hang out mainly because of the great vegetation and the relative lack of predators.  Not to say there aren’t any, just fewer than in other areas of the park.  So whether it’s a big bull, a majestic cow, a young spike (male yearling), or the adorable calves, people can’t get enough of these awesome creatures.

Yellowstone Tidbits:

• Mountain goats:  male (billy) weighs 300+ lbs. standing about 3-1/2 ft. tall, female (nanny) weights 150 lbs., young (kids); males and females both have horns.
• Based on archaeological finds, people have been in Yellowstone more than 11,000 years.
• 1,000 - 3,000 earthquakes occur every year in Yellowstone
• Elk bulls shed their antlers in March/April, but as they are growing, they are covered in a soft skin full of blood called velvet, which they will remove in the fall by rubbing on trees and shrubs, sharpening them for the upcoming rut season.

Bear Jammin'!

*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
*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

[Click on any photo to enlarge.] 

What’s a bear jam?  Well, it’s a traffic jam caused by tourists who stop (sometimes in the middle of the road!) to look at bears that may be visible from the road.  (Actually this occurs with just about any animal.)   Law enforcement, bear management,

and sometimes volunteers help to keep the traffic flowing and the people at the 100 yard safe distance.  Earlier this summer we helped out on one of those jams for a couple of hours which meant I couldn’t get any pictures of the adorable cubs-of-the-year (meaning born this year).  There

seems to have been an abundance of bear sightings this year, and fortunately we have seen several.  Though I didn’t get pics of those during the bear jam we worked, I did get pics of them on a different occasion.  The cinnamon colored black bear with her two cubs (one black and one brown) have been

seen quite a few times only a few miles from our campground.  On this particular day, not only did we watch the black cub climbing a tree, but we watched as the brown cub climbed one tree and then tried desperately to reach backwards toward the tree behind!  They are so cute and fun to watch!

 

Early one morning we were heading towards Lamar Valley, and a few miles before the Tower-Roosevelt Junction, we spied a black bear on the hillside just above the pullout.  There were only a couple other cars parked, but fortunately no one was getting out of their car because we were much closer than the 100 yard limit.  I stood on the seat, shooting pictures from the sunroof, as we watched this beautiful creature meander and graze along the hillside.

 

Later that morning as we made our way back from, we ran into a traffic jam at Elk Creek near the Petrified Tree.  Most of the folks were off the road, parked along the shoulder, and there were lots of them.  The attraction?  The black black bear with her two cinnamon

colored cubs!  They were down in the meadow, all of us a safe distance away, watching as they grazed and eventually they wandered off crossing over and climbing on the fallen trees.

 

As we continued our ride back home, we even spied a grizzly!  This turned out to be quite a day for bear jammin’!!

 

Yellowstone Tidbits:

• Black bear: Boar (male) weighs 210-315 lbs., sow (female) weighs 135-200 lbs., standing 3 ft. at the shoulders when on all fours
• Grizzly bear:  Boar (male) weighs 300-700 lbs., sow (female) weighs 200-400 lbs., standing 3 - 3-1/2 ft. at shoulders when on all fours
• Much of Yellowstone was shaped by glaciers, and scientists estimate that 18,000 years ago most of the park was under 4,000 feet of ice.
• Yellowstone National Park contains about half the world’s active geysers.

A Host's Life

*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
*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

[Click on any photo to enlarge.]

Sometimes all it takes is being in the right place at the right time.  We happened to be on duty one day last month when a photographer for the NY Times Sunday Magazine edition showed up in the campground.  He was accompanied by one of the park’s public relations staff who told us that he was doing a pictorial piece on camping in Yellowstone and would be taking photos and interviewing some of the campers in the park.  After spending about 3 hours in our campground, we were asked if we’d mind having our picture taken as well, and of course, we were happy to oblige.  A few days later someone from the Times called to get more info, and we were told that our picture would probably appear online but possibly not in the print edition.  The photographer, Michael Friberg, was kind enough to email us a copy of our photo so we could post it here, and it did appear as photo #15 in the online edition (NYTimes) but we didn’t make the cut in print.  Oh well, such is the price of fame!  J

Mammoth Campground doesn’t have many trees with more of a high desert look so it’s always a little sad when one dies which can happen for any number of reasons, i.e. bug infestation, moving thermal ground water, etc.  Recently after a big wind came through, we found that a large branch over a tent site had broken and was hanging precariously above.  After making the report, we closed off the site and a group from maintenance came down to take care of it.  The tree was huge but well dead, and the determination was made to cut it down.
Russ managed to capture some photos of the process, and amazingly within about an hour the tree was not only down, but all wood was cut up for firewood or put through the grinder, and we were able to re-open the sites we closed for the process.  Pretty amazing!

As hosts we see some of the most interesting sights in the campground at times.  Because not every campsite is level, people sometimes need to use wood blocks or boards to get their vehicle level if they don’t have a leveling system.  However, one camper was quite innovative in the equipment used to get his camper level.  Now keep in mind that we have very strict bear safety regulations in the campground that we review with every camper

at check in allowing no food items, coolers, grills, stoves, toiletries, or anything with an odor to be left out.  Yes, folks, that is a Coleman propane stove he has under the wheel!  Guess he figures the bear would be hard pressed to get to it.  Think this falls under the stupid camper category!



Each year we’re required to attend a radio training class to learn/review the proper technique and use of the park radios we’ve been issued.  It’s a combined class between our campground and the hosts from Indian Creek.  This is our “class photo” from this year of all 6 host couples and our supervisor, Ranger Allan.

 

One of the great things about campground hosting is some of the people you meet.  We’ve had the pleasure of becoming good friends with the Indian Creek hosts, and each year share holiday potlucks and even occasionally have a chance to go out for dinner like we did this season before their campground opened.  It gave us a chance to get acquainted with Ron and Bonnie who are new this year to Indian Creek.

And along the lines of meeting people, sometimes even campers become friends!

Bloomin' Beautiful

*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
*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

[Click on any photo to enlarge.]
 

In most places spring is the time of year for new growth and the splendor of wildflowers coming into full bloom.  Yellowstone is no exception.  Under forest canopies, in open meadows, in residential areas, and along the hillsides, nature’s beauty abounds.  This short post is just a sampling of that beauty, but as always, the photos cannot do justice to the actual magnificence we are fortunate to see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Yellowstone Tidbits:

• Yellowstone is home to 3 plant species that occur only in Yellowstone and nowhere else in the world:  Ross’ bentgrass, Yellowstone sand verbena, and Yellowstone sulfur wild buckwheat.
• There are 218 species of nonnative invasive plants in the park.
• The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, with Yellowstone at its core, encompasses 28,000 square miles and is one of the largest intact ecosystems on Earth.
• Most of the park is above 7,500 feet in elevation and underlain by volcanic rock.