Be Our Guest

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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

*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

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

 

Three years ago one of my best friends and her husband came to Yellowstone for the first time and stayed with us for an entire week in Aug.  Though both had hoped to make a return trip, only Gloria was able to do so this year bringing another friend, Shari.  Gloria wanted to return in the spring in hopes of seeing some newborn critters and scheduled their visit for mid-May.

 

We picked them up at the Bozeman airport and after getting their stuff settled in the RV, we got the Yellowstone tour underway with Russ as tour guide (he’s so good at it!).  This was going to be a short trip with hopes of seeing some critters, and when we got up to the top of the hill, we saw several people gathered outside the houses

on Officer’s Row.  There up in the tree was one of the Great Horned owls!  After a few pictures (and getting to hear it call which we’d never heard before), we headed towards Swan Lake Flats.  Almost immediately I spotted something high in a tree across the meadow, and my binoculars confirmed that it was a bald eagle!  We stopped in a pullout and Russ took out the spotting scope so they could have an even better view.  They were thrilled with this great start!

 

The rest of the evening was spent in the RV chatting, munching, and getting acquainted with Shari.  Though I’ve known Gloria since high school, and she and Shari have been friends for years, Shari and I only knew of each through Gloria’s stories and more recently emailing before the trip.

 

After a hearty breakfast the next morning, the plan was to head out to Lamar Valley.  We decided to check out the Tower Junction area first in hopes of spotting the black bear sow and her 3 cubs but no luck so kept going so they could see Tower Fall.  We had also heard about a Peregrine falcon sitting on a nest not far from there and managed to catch a glimpse through a spotting scope. However one guy had his scope pointed across the road at a cinnamon colored black bear that was napping in the crook of a tree!  I took a

picture but it’s too hard to make out out.  As we made our way back to the junction, we came upon a traffic jam and guess who was causing it?  The black bear and her 3 cubs!

 

     We continued our way out to Lamar Valley passing several pronghorn and lots of bison plus a couple more black bears.  As we approached the Hitching Post, we saw quite a crowd up on the hill, many with spotting scopes.  Standing in the river was an elk

cow and on the riverbank a beautiful black wolf!  Normally wolves are best seen around sunrise or sunset because they sleep during the day, but this was 1:30 in the afternoon!  We were told that she had nipped the back leg of the elk earlier at which time the cow retreated to the river, and the wolf stalked and bided its

time.  We watched for awhile, but this could take hours, and Gloria really didn’t want to see a kill so we left.  We found out later that this wolf was 926F, the 4-year-old alpha female from the Lamar Canyon pack, and she did finally take down that elk.  What another great viewing day for our guests!

 

The next day I took the gals up to Mammoth Hot Springs for a tour.  We started at the newly remodeled visitor center, and then over to the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel to show them what I refer to as a hidden gem.  Just off the lobby is the Map Room that contains a large wooden map of the United States created in 1937 from 15 different types of wood from 9 countries.  It measures 17’ 10” x 10’ 4” containing 2,544 inlaid pieces of wood.

 

From there we headed over to the Terraces, starting at the Lower Terraces where a nice man took our photo for us.  Just up the road starts the one way Upper Terraces Loop Drive which offers the opportunity to see some thermal features not easily seen from the main road such as Orange Springs Mound.  This thermal feature is a large mounded shape created by a very slow water flow, mineral deposits, and bacteria and algae that give it the orange color.  Another is Angel Terrace which was dormant and dry for decades but then suddenly became active again in 1985.  The pure white sections along with some colorful microbes attest to its re-activity.

The following day it was back out to Tower Junction and Lamar Valley for hopefully more critter sightings, and not far from the junction we once again came across the black bear and her 3 cubs.  Some of you may have seen online or on the news recently a video of a black
     bear and her 3 cubs trying to cross a bridge here in Yellowstone with lots of people around.  Well, this is them!  Gloria has dubbed them “the famous bridge bears”.  This time they were not far off the road and we were able to get a perfect parking spot in a pullout just
across from them.  Rangers were on duty keeping the folks in their cars so she could cross the road if that’s what she wanted to do.  We watched for several minutes as they grazed and made their way towards the road and eventually crossed.  Talk about being in the right place at the right time!

 

Gloria’s husband and two sons opened a fitness club 2 years ago called JD’s Gym (www.jdsgym.com/), and since she had given me one of their t-shirts last year, us girls had decided to wear them one day so we could be representin’ in Yellowstone.  Russ found the perfect backdrop for our photo shoot as we made our way back home.  Along the way we also encountered some bighorn sheep that decided to cross the road right by our car, and we had to wait a bit for a herd of bison to get off the bridge before we could cross.

We had to work the next two days but loaned the girls our car so they could venture out on their own.  The first day they traveled down to Old Faithful and points in between (where they were lucky enough to spot a grizzly not far from the road), and on the second day they explored the Canyon area. To be continued....

 

Yellowstone Tidbits:

• The park encompasses 3,472 sq. miles (2,221,766 acres), larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.
• Bald eagle:  Became the national emblem of the U.S. in 1782; has a wingspan from 72-90 in., can fly to an altitude of 10,000 ft. and achieve speeds of 30-35 mph, weighs 10-14 lbs., can live 20-30 years, and mates for life.
• Great horned owl:  Grows to a length of 17-25 in. with a wingspan of 36-60 in., can weigh up to 3-1/4 lbs.; baby owl is called an owlet and can fly competently by 10-12 weeks; group of owls is called a parliament.

One Lucky Day

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Red-tailed Hawk

*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

*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

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

About a week after our arrival, we awoke to snow!  It continued to snow off and on most of the day without much accumulation but it does create some lovely scenery.

 

We were able to get out and about into the park during the first couple

of weeks, mainly Lamar Valley, and on one particular day we saw quite a bit.  We had heard that a black bear sow and her three yearling cubs were being spotted on a fairly regular basis in the Tower Junction area which is on the way to Lamar.

      As luck would have it, we spotted a large group of cars and people near Calcite Springs, and it just so happened they were watching this family of bears.  Mom is always nearby and was busy grazing while the kids played.  We enjoyed

  watching these cubs last year when they were just little bitty, and their personalities seem to have stayed the same.  Last year two of them would wrestle and play together while the third one would be off sniffing flowers, looking at bugs,

     just meandering and seeming to daydream by itself.  Nothing has changed…they still behave the same way though occasionally the daydreamer will join in some fun with its siblings.

 

   After awhile we decided to head on out to Lamar, sometimes having to stop for the natives to cross the road.  It is their park after all, and we are just visitors!  A herd of pronghorn were on a nearby hillside but this young lady (below right) seemed to say “what are you looking at?”

 

We continued driving out towards Pebble Creek Campground hoping to spot some more bears along the way, and though we didn’t see any, we did find a couple moose grazing just off the road.  Moose are relatively scarce in Yellowstone since the 1988 fires destroyed much of their vegetation, but they seem to be making a comeback and sometimes you just get lucky!

 

As we started our way back home, we spied this yellow-bellied marmot sunning itself on a boulder just above the river. We had seen it as we passed by, and it stayed right there while we found a spot to turn around and park so I could snap a few pictures.  What an agreeable little critter!

 

Continuing on down the road, we came upon a minor animal jam caused by folks stopped in the road and on the sides checking out a half dozen bighorn sheep.  There was another one on the other side of the road that they were keeping a watch on, and eventually they all
     crossed to join it.  Not far past the sheep we spotted these two bison cows with their calves…just too sweet!

 

We decided to turn onto the little side road that takes you to the Petrified Tree exhibit because
sometimes you’re able to spot a bear or a moose in the vicinity but no such luck today.  This redwood became petrified some 50 million years ago when it slid down the mountain during a massive landslide following several volcanic eruptions.  At one time there were 3, but souvenir hunters gradually chipped away at the other two and this one was enclosed with a wrought iron fence for protection.

 

What a day this had been, and just think…all these critter sightings occurred within the span of only about 3 hours on one very lucky day!

 

Yellowstone Tidbits:

·         Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872, the first national park in the world.

·         Yellowstone is home to the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states.

·         Yellow-bellied marmot:  Adults grow to 30 in. long and weigh up to 11 lbs.; young are born within 30 days; one male will have a colony of 2 or 3 females; can live up to 15 years.

·         Black bear:  Color can be black, brown, blond, or cinnamon; male (boar) weighs 210-315 lbs., female (sow) weighs 135-200 lbs., young (cub) weigh 8 - 10 oz. at birth.

Along The Way

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Llama

*Critters we’ve seen on our 2015 trip so far: elk, mule, mule deer, llama, prairie dog, donkey, bison, coyote, pronghorn

*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

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

 

It was time to make the final push to our summer home…Yellowstone National Park (www.nps.gov/yell).  Abby had her place in front of me keeping a sharp eye on the road ahead.  We passed through some magnificent canyons and incredible views along the way.  What an amazing country we live in!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      The day before we left FL one of the links on my brand new watch had come out, and we kept hoping to find a jewelry store along the way to fix it.  Unfortunately the stores in Moab were no help, and as we traveled down the road, I’d look online to see if there might be something along the way.  As we were approaching Springville, UT, I called Duke’s Jewelers (www.dukesjewelers.com/), and they said no problem.  The woman behind the counter was extremely friendly, and owner Richard Holmes couldn’t have been more helpful.  While he took my watch in the back, she told us that Richard had learned the craft at the knees of his father and grandfather.  The store was established in 1948 and has been in the family ever since.  (For more info and history, read this article that was in the Utah Business Magazine (UtahBusiness) earlier this year.) Richard returned in a couple of minutes with my watch repaired, said he had checked all the rest of the links just to be sure they were ok, and would accept no payment!  Russ hasn’t worn his watch since we hit the road and had brought it in with him to have the battery removed (something we could not do).  Richard gladly did it, and when Russ insisted on paying him something, he said “oh, $5 is fine”.  What incredible customer service and a wonderfully nice man.  If you have any jewelry needs or repairs and happen to be passing through Springville, UT, stop at Duke’s because they will treat you right!

 

We started heading north again passing the Great Salt Lake which could be seen not far off the highway.  Since we had taken a southerly route this year to get to Yellowstone, we’d be entering the park through the West entrance instead of the North giving us some different views.  Not long after entering the park, we encountered
our first bison of the season taking their leisurely stroll on the roadway alongside the Madison River.  This had been a mild winter for the area, and there was not much snow to be seen in the distance, but the views were still beautiful as we made our way along the river and passed by Gibbon Falls.

In some of the shadier areas of the park some remaining snow could be seen along the roadside but nothing like last year.  We were making our way north and had the “joy” of going through the construction zone between Norris and Mammoth.  Beginning last year
     they have been working on improving the pullouts and widening the roads creating up to 30 min. delays.  This project will be ongoing for a couple more years and makes for some slow, bumpy rides especially in a big RV!

 

Once out of the construction, we continued north going past Golden Gate so named because of the color of the rocks caused by yellow and orange lichens.  When the light hits just right, it truly looks golden.  Glen Creek cuts through the canyon, and the bridge attached to the side of the rocks above the creek has been rebuilt 3 times since the original wooden one was built in 1885.

 

Almost directly north of Golden Gate you pass through the Hoodoos (they look quite different than the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon!)  These massive boulders are pieces that have fallen over the years from a travertine landslide from Terrace Mountain.  There’s also a one way drive behind a section of the rocks that is a small portion of the old stagecoach road.

 

We finally arrived at Mammoth Campground and settled into the same site we’ve had the last couple of years, the best one in our opinion with a spectacular view down the valley.  It’s located in the lower loop which had been closed all winter and would be opening the next day.  So for now we enjoyed
   the peace and quiet and the company of the elk and bison who came to welcome us back.  As we got things set up, we also spotted a rabbit hopping across the site in front of us and a coyote running through the sage out in the field.  Hopefully one wasn’t going to be dinner for the other!

Not only did the critters show up to welcome us, but so did our friends Chip and Jill who are back to co-host this year.  They had arrived a few days earlier, staying in their same site as last year in the upper loop, and we were just heading up to see them when we spotted them coming down the road.