[Click on any photo to enlarge.]
*Critters we’ve seen on our
2015 trip so far: elk, mule, mule deer, llama, prairie dog, donkey, bison,
coyote, pronghorn, Uinta ground squirrel, black bear, moose, bighorn sheep, yellow-bellied
marmot, wolf, least chipmunk, fox, bull snake
 |
| Clark's Nutcracker |
*Birds we’ve seen on our 2015
trip so far: California condor, Brewer’s blackbird, American kestrel, spotted
towhee, magpie, wild turkey,
mountain bluebird, bald eagle, Canada goose, Clark’s nutcracker, sandhill
crane, osprey, red-tailed hawk, mountain chickadee, Northern flicker, great
horned owl, Peregrine falcon, brown-headed cowbird, cliff swallow, Cassin’s
finch, western tanager, cedar waxwing, Lazuli bunting
*National Parks/Monuments visited on 2015 trip so far: 6
Summer storms can not only clear
the air but can bring about some incredible rainbows. Early in the evening at the beginning of the
month this one not only decorated the sky but also graced the front of Mt. Everetts
back
inside, grabbed the camera, and just in those few seconds, it had already
started fading and dissolving into the clouds.
This photo at left definitely does not do justice to the intensity of
its colors.
Ranger Chris hosted a potluck
get-together at her house in Emigrant, about an hour from the campground. She
and her husband, Steve, have a beautiful log cabin home up in the hills with
gorgeous views of the surrounding area.
Brandon and his wife brought their precious brand new
baby girl who for
a time was definitely the center of attention.
(No, that’s not Abby at Brandon 
had to tell Sammy that none of it was
for him. J). We left Abby at home this time since she had a
hurt leg (probably pulled muscle), and we didn’t want her running around with
the dogs and the possibility of reinjuring it.
One of our seasonal rangers is a
talented artist and recently held an art show at the Tumbleweed Café in
Gardiner. Mary Ellen (that’s her in the
blue dress) has a B.F.A. in painting and printmaking, and her work has been
shown nationally. She’s currently an
artist-in-residence here in Yellowstone , and
the
majority of her art is inspired by the beauty she finds wherever she is with most
of her paintings being completed on scene.
There was a nice gathering for the short time we were there with wine
and hors d’oeuvres provided, and many of her prints were for sale. You
can check out her work on her website, Peripatetic Studio (www.peripateticstudio.com). Of course, as always, nothing can compare with
seeing them in person, and some even looked like photographs instead of
paintings or prints.
depending on the direction of the wind on any given day, there were times when
the mountains in the distance could not be seen at all (as you can tell in this photo at right three days after the one taken above left).
Last year we had heard about a
beautiful flower that only blooms at night called a Giant Evening Star, and
there were some out on the main road near the campground. It grows 12 - 36 in.
tall with off-white flowers that are 2 - 3 in. across, and each flower has 10
petals with quite a number of yellow stamen in the middle. During the day it looks like just another
weed so is missed by many. Though I
didn’t get a picture last year, I did manage to snag one this time from across
the road (way too much traffic and no shoulder to get any closer!)
Yellowstone Tidbits:
back
inside, grabbed the camera, and just in those few seconds, it had already
started fading and dissolving into the clouds.
This photo at left definitely does not do justice to the intensity of
its colors.
Ranger Chris hosted a potluck
get-together at her house in Emigrant, about an hour from the campground. She
and her husband, Steve, have a beautiful log cabin home up in the hills with
gorgeous views of the surrounding area.
Brandon and his wife brought their precious brand new 
baby girl who for
a time was definitely the center of attention.
(No, that’s not Abby at 
had to tell Sammy that none of it was
for him. J). We left Abby at home this time since she had a
hurt leg (probably pulled muscle), and we didn’t want her running around with
the dogs and the possibility of reinjuring it.
One of our seasonal rangers is a
talented artist and recently held an art show at the Tumbleweed Café in
Gardiner. Mary Ellen (that’s her in the
blue dress) has a B.F.A. in painting and printmaking, and her work has been
shown nationally. She’s currently an
artist-in-residence here in 
the
majority of her art is inspired by the beauty she finds wherever she is with most
of her paintings being completed on scene.
There was a nice gathering for the short time we were there with wine
and hors d’oeuvres provided, and many of her prints were for sale. You
can check out her work on her website, Peripatetic Studio (www.peripateticstudio.com). Of course, as always, nothing can compare with
seeing them in person, and some even looked like photographs instead of
paintings or prints.
I’m sure you've heard
about all the wildfires happening in the northwest, and though we had none in the park,
the smoke from those far away fires created such a haze that could be easily seen from the campground. One day we could even smell the smoke, and
depending on the direction of the wind on any given day, there were times when
the mountains in the distance could not be seen at all (as you can tell in this photo at right three days after the one taken above left).
Last year we had heard about a
beautiful flower that only blooms at night called a Giant Evening Star, and
there were some out on the main road near the campground. It grows 12 - 36 in.
tall with off-white flowers that are 2 - 3 in. across, and each flower has 10
petals with quite a number of yellow stamen in the middle. During the day it looks like just another
weed so is missed by many. Though I
didn’t get a picture last year, I did manage to snag one this time from across
the road (way too much traffic and no shoulder to get any closer!)
Just had to end this post with one
of those sights you don’t see very often…a tiny house on wheels. And people think we live in small quarters!
- There are about 290 waterfalls, 15 ft. or higher, that flow year-round in
- Glaciers helped shape much of
- Coyote: About 1/3 the size of a wolf; weighs 25-35 lbs., 16-20 in. high at shoulder
