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