End Of The Season

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*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, mountain goat, camel, grizzly bear

*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, blue heron, common merganser, red-breasted nuthatch

*National Parks/Monuments visited on 2015 trip so far: 6

 

Yes, you read that correctly on the critter list, we saw a camel.  No, not in the park but about 30 miles north as we made our way to the airport.  Camel Discovery (www.cameldiscovery.com) is a day camp offering camel rides from June through mid-September or just an opportunity to meet the camels.  We don’t remember having seen this in past years so must be something new for the tourists.

 

Our time in Yellowstone was winding down, and time had seemed to fly by.  Our summer co-hosts had left for home, and our fall co-hosts had moved over from Indian Creek Campground.  It had been an extremely busy summer with new records being set, and September did not slow down.  Visitation for the month was up nearly 19% over last year, and for the first 9 months of the year the total was up almost 16%!  We’re sure low gas prices contributed to the high numbers.

 

The elk rut (mating season) was well underway with elk everywhere up in town and in the campground though the numbers have been less and less the last couple of years.  The bugling of the bulls not only announces their presence to other males but also gives the cows clues to their size and

   strength (key factors she wants to impart to her offspring).  The vocal range of the bugle varies with the individual and their maturity level.  It can be heard for miles and is one of the most amazing and distinctive sounds.  The bull’s antlers are at their largest by this time of year

"Pretty Boy"

   and are also a sign to the cows of their quality and virility (also key factors to the “girls”).  Bulls will gather as many cows and calves as they can into small groups called harems, and will aggressively protect these harems from other bulls by running them off, thrashing their antlers against the

"Touchdown"

ground, trees, and shrubs to show their aggression, and if need be, butt heads. They will wallow in mud to not only cool off their over-heated bodies but to make themselves appear more imposing, and will also spray themselves with urine as sort of a “perfume” that is attractive to the cows. The rut is very tiring and draining for the bulls, using up much

of their energy.  They rarely eat during this time and may lose up to 20% of their body weight.  They are unpredictable and can turn at any moment, charging at anyone or anything they perceive as a threat even their reflection in a car.  (And they really don’t like diesel engines or motorcycles!)



During the summer bears head to higher elevations where it’s cooler but were now starting to head back down.  One day just 2 miles down the road as we were heading to the north entrance, this black bear sow and her cub suddenly ran across the road and fortunately I had my camera with me!

 

Now speaking of bears, you might have noticed that we had not seen any grizzlies this year. All season folks would tell us they had seen one or more here and there, but we were not so lucky when we ventured out.  However we heard that several were being seen daily in an area outside the park known as Tom Miner Basin that evidently

is prime habitat for grizzlies.  We got directions (it’s about 27 miles from the campground), and late one afternoon headed out with hopes high.  Having been carved out of the Gallatin Mountain Range by glaciers over 20,000 years ago, there are some incredible views plus traveling across the Yellowstone River via a one lane

bridge.  We knew we had found the right place when we saw all of the cars lined up across the road from someone’s ranch (lots of working ranches in the area).  About 20 min. after we arrived, someone next to us said “here she comes!” Looking in the direction others were, we spotted the grizzly sow with her 3 cubs born this year…

yay!!  The cows you see in the foreground of the picture above left are actually surrounded by an electric fence (the bears are behind them).  They were probably about a mile away and with the spotting scope we had a great look, but these are the best photos I could get zoomed in all the way and cropped.  After about half an hour

another sow and her 3 yearling cubs appeared not all that far away from the first group!  We’re sure if we’d hung around even more would have come out (that’s what we’d heard as evening is the best time), but we decided to head home and were thrilled with what we’d seen.  Finally grizzlies!

 

As you know, we meet some of the nicest folks in our travels. A couple of those folks are Shari and Dennis (pictured in the middle) whom we met a couple of years ago when they were parked in the site behind us.  They come at least once a year, and this time were traveling with their friends Carla and Ray.  We were invited to join the 4 of them for a yummy steak dinner one night and stopped by their campfires a couple nights we worked. Always good to visit.

 

The day before we were planning to leave for the season was Russ’ birthday, and while trying to get things ready to go, he kept getting interrupted with phone calls and folks stopping by to wish him a happy birthday.  Definitely slowed down progress!  J  One of those interruptions was really sweet…literally and figuratively!  Ranger Brandon stopped by as did his wife, Kari, and their baby girl, Deirdre.  Kari brought pre-cut iced brownies and Klondike ice cream bars so we wouldn’t have to dirty any dishes or silver.  What a gal and a wonderful birthday surprise and treat!

 

That night was the supermoon lunar eclipse, and we decided to enjoy it by the light of one last campfire before we hit the road.  We had invited our co-hosts, but they were going to try and get their own photos of it at Swan Lake Flats where there’s less light

      (Connie stayed on duty in the campground and had stopped by before we got the fire started).  However, about 9pm Rick and Donna showed up dressed in their cold weather clothes saying it was freezing out there at Swan
   Lake Flats but got some great video of the eclipse which she showed us on the camera.  It was nearing the end of the total darkness when they arrived, and we sat, visited, and watched for the next hour as the shadows gave way to the bright light of the moon 
    (Sorry for the slight blurring of the photos...should have used a tripod.) Frank stopped by at 10pm for one last goodbye saying he thinks he had gotten some good pics, too, and Rick and Donna went home.  What a beautiful evening and pleasant way to end the season in Yellowstone.

Yellowstone Tidbits:

• Grizzly:  Color varies from blond to black; male (boar) weighs 200-700 lbs., female (sow) weighs 200-400 lbs., young (cub) weigh about 1 lb. at birth
• The mountain bluebird is the state bird of Idaho and Nevada.  The female chooses her mate solely on the location and quality of the nesting cavity he offers her.
• That which we call elk, in Europe are called moose while the Shawnee refer to them as wapiti.

S'More Camping

[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, mountain goat

*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, blue heron, common merganser

*National Parks/Monuments visited on 2015 trip so far: 6

 

We had decided to take a couple of days and go tent camping like we did last year returning to Grand Teton National Park (www.nps.gov/grte) located about 30 miles south of the Yellowstone’s south entrance.  We were delayed a little bit that morning because Touchdown decided to pay a visit.

 

Abby was loaded in the car with everything needed for a short camping trip, and since she was laying on blankets and other stuff, it gave her the perfect height to be able to simply lie down and still be able to look out the window without much effort.

 

  Our route was going to take us along the west side of the Grand Loop Road, and not long into our drive we pulled over to watch a coyote stalking its prey (a small varmint of some sort in the grasses), and I was even able to get a pic of it mid-pounce!

 

We knew this route would take us through the road construction between Indian Creek Campground and Norris but those delays were only up to 30 min.  Well, this is also the most direct route to Old Faithful which is only 50 miles away, and it took us nearly 3 hours to get that far and only 15 min. of

   that was road construction!  At our first delay initially we thought there was a bison jam, but when there was no movement for quite some time, we thought there might be an accident, but we were hearing nothing on our park radio.  Gradually we started moving and finally discovered that it was

indeed a bison jam!  There was a ranger assisting with traffic but could see he was not doing a very good job of it as we got closer.  Not far down the road we hit another bison jam (they had moved off the road by the time I was close enough for photos).  Just one of the joys of traveling in Yellowstone!

After getting past Old Faithful, we continued along crossing the Continental Divide 3 times, driving past the 29 ft. high Lewis Falls, and along the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway (www.nps.gov/grte/jodr), the 8 mile stretch that connects Yellowstone to Grand Teton. 

  Unfortunately our first view of the mountains was obstructed by the haze from various wildfires in neighboring states.  It’s amazing how far the winds can carry the smoke!

 

      Our destination was Colter Bay Campground where we had stayed last year, and though we couldn’t get the exact same spot, the one next to it was open and proved to be just as nice and private.  We set

     up camp, relaxed for a bit, and after a yummy dinner of shrimp quesadillas, enjoyed a roaring campfire (Abby hid in the tent…she doesn’t like the popping noise from campfires!)

     The fall colors were just beginning to grace the trees, and after a leisurely breakfast, we decided to head out to see the sights. Though there didn't seem to be as many trees that had turned yet nor did

      the colors seem as brilliant as the same time last year, there were still plenty that did not disappoint with their various shades of yellow, red, and orange.  Those that were still green created a lovely contrasting backdrop.

 

The mountains, though more impressive when snow covered, are quite remarkable.  For those who don’t now, they were created about 13 million years ago when a series of earthquakes caused the earth to thrust up a block forming the mountains and at the same time dropped the valley floor so there are no foothills like most mountain

ranges.  The elevate on ranges from 6,320 ft. in the valley to 13, 770 ft. at the summit of the Grand Teton peak.  The rocks found in the core of the mountains are some of the oldest in North America while the mountains themselves are some of the youngest in the world.  We decided to stop for a lunch break in the shadow of these magnificent peaks.

 

Most folks love going to the park for the mountains, and this time of year the fall foliage, but we love going for the wildlife.  The Oxbow Bend area is our favorite…not the turnout but rather sort of a secluded spot right on the Snake River.  We saw an osprey, a blue heron, a couple of bald eagles,

   plenty of Canada geese, and some common mergansers who seemed to suddenly decide to race each other down the river.  And though we didn’t see any American White Pelicans (very unusual), we did get quite a thrill seeing a bald eagle catch a fish!  Actually it had flown

   from the tree to we thought some brush (which seemed odd), and then when it suddenly flew out and across the river, I started snapping pictures.  It wasn’t till I reviewed the pics that I saw the fish it was carrying!

 

  We left there and drove down to the Gros Ventre River area hoping to spot some moose, but we didn’t see any nor any of the 8,600 elk we had been told live in the park.  In fact the only 4 legged critters we saw over those 2 days were squirrels and chipmunks!  However, as we made our way back to camp, we were rewarded with this incredibly beautiful sight…the sunlight seemed to create a checkerboard in the sky.

 

Russ had been watching the weather and found that it would probably start raining during the night so after dinner we put most everything in the car.  Sure enough about 3 a.m. it began to rain and was still coming down pretty good when we got up to head home.  Once again we took the tent down
   in the rain but at least there was no thunder or lightening this time!  It rained the whole way home.  We returned to Yellowstone by way of Dunraven Pass (elev. 8,589 ft.) crossing the Continental Divide one more time, and despite the rain still had some nice views and no
   bison jams even though there were plenty up in the hills in Hayden Valley.  Overall it was another enjoyable, relaxing, and memorable camping adventure, but Russ has vowed that next time even if there’s a hint of rain in the forecast we are not going! J

 

Yellowstone Tidbits:

·         Annual precipitation ranges from 10” at the north boundary to 80” in the southwest corner.

·         Yellowstone is the only place in the lower 48 states with a continuously free-ranging bison population since prehistoric times.  They can run 35 mph, jump over objects 5 ft. high, and reach food 3 ft. below the snow’s surface.

·         Antlers of a typically healthy bull elk are 55-60 in. long, about 6 ft. wide, and weigh about 30-40 lbs. per pair. A bull elk sheds his antlers in March and they begin growing again around May, up to as much as 1 inch per day.

Sharing The Splendor Of Yellowstone

[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, mountain goat

*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

 

This summer brought a visit from Russ’ sister and her husband.  Terri had visited 3 years ago, but this was Bill’s first time in Yellowstone.  Since we were working the day of their arrival, I manned the office while Russ drove the 1-1/2 hours to the Bozeman airport.  They live in NJ so it was quite a long day, and they were happy to just kick back and relax.

 

The next day began their tour of Yellowstone starting with a drive through the Mammoth area and on to the Norris Geyser Basin with all of its thermal activity.  Our main destination though was Old Faithful (can’t come to Yellowstone and not see Old Faithful!)  We had just missed an eruption so decided to

head over to the historic Old Faithful Inn until the next one (approx. 90 min. between eruptions).  It was originally built in 1904, proclaimed a National Historic Landmark in 1987, and is considered the largest log hotel in the world.  Its multi-story log lobby rising 76 ft. is the perfect showcase for the massive stone fireplace.  The base measures 16 ft. square at the base and features four main hearths.  The north face has a 7 ft. diameter handcrafted ironwork clock which was out for renovations on Terri’s last visit.  After lunch at the Inn and catching the end of the next eruption, we walked over to the Old Faithful Visitor Center where Russ showed Bill some of the exhibits explaining the different types of thermal features.

 

The following day we ventured towards the Lake region stopping briefly at Calcite Springs, driving by the Petrified Tree, up over Dunraven Pass (elev. 8,859), and making a stop at Sulphur Caldron along the way.   Located just off the roadway, this is one of the park’s most acidic hot springs and

    has a very distinct rotten egg smell.  It sits on the edge of one of the most active areas of Yellowstone’s buried volcano and is almost as acidic as battery acid.  You can actually see the mud spurting from below in one spot!

 

   We continued on through the Hayden Valley where Bill got his first up close and personal look at some of the park’s bison. We pulled over into one of the parking area pullouts so they could get out while still being at a safe distance. Suddenly a group that had been milling about decided to make a

run to the other side of the road…then another….and another!  That’s the first time we had seen that…very cool! Further down the road we watched more bison doing their thing and even spotted a fairly young calf.  They’re generally born late April - early May and are this reddish-orange color that by now should have been turning brown so

this youngster obviously had a late birthday.  Though the bison rut was winding down, there were still plenty of bulls trying to impress the ladies with their strength and machismo…wallowing, scratching, head butting, etc.!  Seeing so many bison and seeing them so close seemed to be Bill’s favorite thing during his time in the park.  Well, that and going into all the gift shops!

 

We finally arrived at the Lake Hotel which was originally built in 1890 and is the oldest operating hotel in the park.  It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 and recently underwent a 2 year, $28.5 million makeover.  After enjoying a quick lunch in the deli, we headed back towards home by way of Canyon Village.

 

Carved by the Yellowstone River, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is approximately 20 miles long, more than 1,000 feet deep, and up to 4,000 feet in width. There are two waterfalls – the Upper Falls (at right) dropping 109 feet and the Lower Falls (below left...the haze doesn't do it justice) plunging 308 feet - that afford many photo opportunities especially at Artist Point which offers the most spectacular view of the Lower Falls and is where we stopped.  We also made a stop at the Canyon Village Visitor Center, which we think is the best one in the park.  It has lots of informational, interactive, and educational exhibits like this map of the U.S. indicating how far ash had spread with each of the park’s volcanic eruptions compared with Mount St. Helen’s…pretty amazing!

As we made our way into the Mammoth area, we were greeted by a herd of elk grazing as they moved along with a spectacular view of the Terraces in the background.  We pulled over and just watched for a bit, Bill and Terri taking in the beauty and majesty of
      their surroundings.  That evening “pit master” Bill fired up the charcoal grill and cooked up some incredibly yummy steaks…it really is all in the preparation!
 

 

   We decided to take it easy the next day, only going up the hill to Mammoth for a stop at the visitor center, the Mammoth Hotel Map Room, and taking the brief one-way drive through the Terraces.  We were saving our energy because on this particular night the four of us were joining Chip and Jill
for dinner in Gardiner celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.  After a very enjoyable time, everyone went home to change into more comfy and warmer clothing, and we gathered together once again around the campfire at our place (had to reconfigure seating to get us all in the picture so I’m blocking the fire J).

 

One place that Terri definitely wanted Bill to see was the Beartooth Highway.  As you know from previous posts, this drive was dubbed “the most beautiful drive in America” by the late Charles Kuralt (the On The Road TV correspondent).  When Gloria and Shari were here in the spring, all
   you could see for miles was snow and ice, but in Aug. we could see alpine meadows, glaciers, and crystal clear lakes.  When we reached Rock Creek Vista Point, the chipmunks were out in force, and Bill had fun feeding the little critters (there’s even a bucket with seed which also takes donations…didn’t remember seeing that in May).

As we made our way back down, I suddenly spied a group of 8 mountain goats just off the road!  We had seen a couple before leaving the park very high up on Baronett Peak that looked like little dots without the spotting scope, but these were much closer and no scope needed.  And I almost forgot to mention that not far before Baronett Peak Bill and Terri also got to see some wolves!  They were off in the distance but clearly seen with the spotting scope (but too far for a decent photo).  Bill said he actually saw 4, Terri and Russ saw 3, and I only saw 2…but that’s ok!

 

We made our way back through the Lamar Valley and enjoyed a late lunch at the Roosevelt Lodge. As we approached the Mammoth area, there were plenty of elk to be seen including this big guy known as Touchdown resting near one of the buildings.  Though the bulls are not officially named, they are given nicknames to help identify the location of the various bulls when needed.  He’s been the most aggressive one the last few years but looks pretty mellow here (though you can rest assured we were not anywhere close to him!)

 

We had to work the next couple of days and gave Bill and Terri full use of the car to continue exploring the park or revisiting places they’d already been (viewing more bison was at the top of the list).  Unfortunately the week had flown by and it was time for them to leave.  We all survived the tight quarters, and they had a great time.  It’s always such a joy to share the splendor of Yellowstone with family and friends especially when it’s their first time!

 

Yellowstone Tidbits:

• Bison:  Male (bull) weighs up to 2,000 lbs., female (cow) weighs up to 1,000 lbs., young (calf) weigh 40-50 lbs. at birth and are up walking within a couple of hours.
• Mountain goat: Male (billy) weighs 300 lbs. or more, female (nanny) weighs 150 lbs., young (kid) weigh 6 lbs. at birth
• Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest, oldest, and most active thermal area in the park.
• Old Faithful Geyser erupts about every 90 min. with intervals ranging from 51 to 120 min. lasting 1-1/2 - 5 min. with an average height of 130 ft.  It expels from 3,700 - 8,400 gallons of water with temperatures at the vent of 203 degrees F.
• Wolf:  Stands 26-36 in. at the shoulder, 4-6 ft. from nose to tail tip; males weigh 100-130 lbs., female weighs 80-110 lbs., young (pup) weighs about 1 lb. at birth