Simply Grand

*New critters we’ve seen on our 2009 trip so far: beavers, groundhog, prairie dogs, big horn sheep, buffalo (bison), white tail deer, chipmunks, pronghorn, burros, pika, moose, Uinta ground squirrel, mountain goats, mule deer, fox, moose, black bears, elk, grizzly bear, wolf, longhorn beetle, otters
*New birds we’ve seen on our 2009 trip so far: wild turkeys, osprey, western meadowlark, mountain bluebird, sandhill cranes, Canadian geese, American white pelicans, trumpeter swans, killdeer, bald eagles, golden eagle, common merganser, great blue heron, raven, yellow-headed blackbird, Brewer’s blackbird, brown-headed cowbird, double-crested cormorant, Clark’s nutcracker, common goldeneye
*National Parks/Monuments visited on 2009 trip so far: 17
*State Parks visited on 2009 trip so far: 2

[Remember that you can click on any picture to enlarge… then arrow back to the blog]

With our next stop being only 62 miles to the south, we slept in and took our time before departing about 10am. Grand Teton National Park (www.nps.gov/grte/ ) is located just 8 miles from the south entrance of Yellowstone, and until we started planning this trip, we never realized how close the two parks were in proximity. Separating them is the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Highway, parts of which are currently under construction causing up to 30 min. delays.

Our plan was to get to Colter Bay Campground around 1pm, set up camp, relax, and watch the All-Star baseball game that night. Unfortunately for only the second time during our travels we were unable to get satellite reception from either our automatic rooftop dish or the portable dish that we bring along. So after a couple hours of fruitlessly attempting to find reception, we were forced to give up. A fellow traveler a couple sites over noticed our efforts and let us know that they would be leaving the next day and reception did work from his site. Although not a fix for our TV enjoyment Tues. night, we made arrangements at the office to move the following morning. At that point we decided to trek about 7 miles down the road to Jackson Lake Lodge. There we enjoyed a few appetizers and beers as well as the All-Star game from St. Louis on the big screen.

As the game was winding down, we decided to step out on the back balcony to view the Tetons over Jackson Lake and watch the sun set. A number of people were there to do the same, and off to the left, perhaps a quarter mile down the road, we saw a large group of elk grazing. All of a sudden the herd formed two tightly bunched groups and hurriedly started to move in opposite directions. To our amazement a black grizzly bear was in hot pursuit of one of the groups. Although we had neither camera nor binoculars, we could see quite clearly as the bear attempted to take down some dinner. The bear turned and started to pursue the second group, and we watched for a few more minutes until the bear gave up and basically collapsed in the middle of the field. Bears can run up to 30 mph, but they are not known for their stamina.

It seemed like the excitement had ended so we had one more beer and started to head home. Instead of turning left, we decided to head down the hill towards where all the action had happened and to get a closer look at the elk. The short drive down the hill ended when we pulled over with a group of other travelers. Standing by the car, not 100 feet, strode another grizzly, this one brown in color. A number of rangers were at this intersection directing traffic and keeping the stupid people in check. We watched the activities until the light faded and headed back towards our campground.

It was now pretty dark and up in front a number of large elk were crossing the roadway in front of us. We slowed, letting perhaps 10 or 15 cross, and then slowly proceeded. Off to the left in the trees we were able to see the silhouettes of a large herd of elk patiently waiting to make the same crossing. It just so happened there was a pullout a short distance later, and we pulled our car to the side. Getting out, the elk were a short distance to the side and we watched as they started moving cautiously across the road in small groups. They appeared very mindful of the approaching headlights and understood their danger. A perfect end to our day.

At 8am the next morning, we had the RV pulled in front of the office and made the switch to our new site. By 10am we were happy campers having satellite TV, our camp set up, and a nice breakfast. We then headed over to the Colter Bay Visitor Center, 1 of 3 such centers in the park. There we met Ranger Rick from Lawrence, KS, a KU grad, and husband to the park museum curator (also a KU grad). Rick was very gracious with his time and pointed out some excellent locations for viewing critters. As it turned out, he was doing the 11am ranger talk called “Teton Highlights”. We always try to attend a ranger talk when visiting a park as they always offer valuable information and the chance to ask specific questions. Added enjoyment was the give and take between a KU fan and a couple of MU fans, a friendly rivalry that still carries intense animosity dating back to the Civil War in some quarters.

Rick talked about how the Colter Bay/Jackson Lake area was the best in the park for locating critters. He mentioned that moose had been sighted just below the Jackson Dam on numerous occasions during the last week. He confirmed our grizzly sightings from the previous night and mentioned that a third had been sighted closer to our campground. He talked about Oxbow Bend where large birds of prey are often seen. He also brought up the Junior Ranger program and the fact that there is no age limit, stating that someone 104 years old had recently completed the program! This was the start of our introduction to this program. We paid $1 each for the workbook and were on our way, heading back to our campsite to relax with nothing on the agenda for the rest of the day.

Early Thurs. we loaded up the dogs, took along a lunch and some beverages, and started our tour of Grand Teton NP. There are basically two roads in the park, creating an approximate 50 mile loop. The loop has a number of side roads that allow breathtaking views of the Teton Range. We drove up Signal Mountain, along Jenny Lake, and down to the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center. From there we did a loop along the Gros Ventre River Road to the town of Kelly and along Antelope Flats Road. We managed to see Mormon Row, a group of old farmhouses dating back to the late 1800s as well Menor’s Ferry and the Chapel of the Transfiguration, a small rustic Episcopal church built in 1925 that still holds services and offers a spectacular view of the Tetons through a window on the other side of the altar. From there we headed back north to our campground taking advantage of a number of turnouts allowing for views across the Snake River and on to the Teton Range.

Our intent at this point was to head back to our campground as it was approaching 2pm. At Oxbow Bend we passed a dirt road off to the left not on any of the maps and figured what the heck. The road wound through brush, trees, near the lake, and all of a sudden emptied into a small gravel parking lot on the Snake River. As we would frequent this location often during the remainder of our stay, we found that many kayakers and canoers use the area as a launch. Since we had the dogs, we parked under a nice shade tree and decided to get out and look around. We noticed two men sitting under the shade of a small tree near the riverbank with cameras set up, binoculars in hand, and cold beer at their feet. We walked up and asked if they had spotted anything good, and they proceed to explain that they had been there since early morning and had seen many birds of prey. They also explained that they were doing scientific research in an attempt to photograph a white pelican stealing a fish from the claws of an osprey. This has been reported but has never been documented by photo. For the next few hours we stood along the bank of the river as they identified the large birds that started to fill the sky. During that time we saw a number of bald and golden eagles, osprey, pelicans, and common mergansers as well as numerous other species. As each came into sight, our new friends would point them out and offered a summary of each bird. These gentlemen were real birders, and we were invited back the next morning for some more bird watching.

So about 8:15 we made the 15 minute drive and sure enough they were already set up, though this time not under the tree but catching some rays. They seemed genuinely happy to see us as we pulled our lawn chairs up next to theirs. Though only intending to stay a couple hours, for the next 8 hours we sat with these gentlemen, exchanging war stories on all aspects of life, and learning more about birds than either of us ever imagined we would know. They were a wealth of information, readily volunteered little known facts about birding, and patiently answered every question we had. And the birds we saw! We’ll tell you right now that we lost count, and the time flew by quickly. Eagles, eagles, and more eagles! We actually saw two juveniles in flight sparring with each other, tumbling with locked talons just overhead. The adult bald eagles were impressive. Great blue herons, American white pelicans, and osprey were abundant. We even got to add otters to our new critter list as a group of 4 entertained us across the shore for over an hour. We even learned a little about bugs as two friends of theirs stopped by, one of whom was an expert on entomology, and the other a geologist. In fact, he introduced us to a longhorn beetle sitting on a box. Watch out...it can bite! Alas it was time to call it a day, and off we went after hugs all around.

That evening we started to put two and two together. The birders, Chuck and Mike, are known throughout the west for their research. Mike joked that Chuck was really a famous birder, and with a little internet research that evening, we believe we were fortunate enough to spend time with Chuck Trost, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at Idaho State University, and noted ornithologist. Chuck’s credentials are pretty impressive and if you don’t believe us, just google his name.

Mike was a grad student of Chuck’s and has a fantastic sense of humor. He and Russ spent a great deal of time verbally sparring with each other, and Russ mentioned on the way home that he’s either the best bullshitter in the world or extremely intelligent. We think it’s the latter. Mike found his calling as a nurse, and from all indications is an excellent one. His humor and compassion surely go a long way in easing the pain and suffering of those he cares for.

Two new friends as the journey continues.

Sat. and Sun. afternoons we headed back to Oxbow Bend for some more birdwatching by ourselves as Chuck and Mike had left, and we were not disappointed. Though overcast with occasional showers on Sun., we saw plenty. In fact we spent over an hour watching a bald eagle family, two adults and two juveniles. At one point someone came along and mentioned that a moose had been spotted at the end of island, so we started walking along the edge of the river towards that point. Though we never saw a moose, we did observe an osprey catching a fish in its claws after several attempts, a beaver swimming downstream, a robin perched in a nearby tree, pelicans and double-crested cormorants resting on an island, all sorts of birds flying over the river, and as we were walking back to our car, a deer and her fawn crossing the river just about at the point where we had been sitting earlier. All incredible sights to behold.

On the way back Sun. we drove towards the dam to see if we could spot that dang moose we had heard frequented the area. Several cars were pulled to the side of the road and someone said there was a moose in the bushes near the stream. Finally! We got out but could see nothing other than an occasional movement of leaves. A guy behind us was certain it was a moose, and Russ kept moving further up the road to try and get a better look behind the bushes, when he suddenly realized that it wasn’t a moose but a grizzly bear! Word spread like wildfire and we led the pack moving up to the top of the dam for a better look. The bear was slowly meandering and foraging through the bushes, and most that had followed us were not up for the chase. We guess they needed the comfort of their car. Our vantage point was excellent as from the top of the dam we were about 30 feet above the valley. Those who joined us all agreed the trek was worthwhile. The sun was beginning to set as we made our way back to the car and headed to an overlook on the other side of the valley. We had hoped to spot a grizzly again trying to bring down an elk, and as luck would have it, after only a few minutes of watching, we saw a black grizzly attempt to run down the herd. He lasted for a few hundred yards and then could go no further. We hopped in our car, drove about a quarter mile down to another viewing area but were unable to locate the bear once again. We did however hear some squeals from the brush to our left. We assume that on this night the grizzly had found his dinner.

Before leaving Yellowstone the week before, we had talked about perhaps returning to the Old Faithful area while we were in Grand Teton, and that’s precisely what we did on Mon. This made for about 100 miles round trip but something we enjoyed. You’ve read plenty on the area in our last post so we won’t bore you with anymore details, just a couple pictures. At left is Daisy Geyser, below left is the Morning Glory Pool, and below right is the Chromatic Pool.

Tomorrow we leave this beautiful area heading for Salt Lake City, but before we do we’d thought we’d share the following with you.

Advice From an Eagle – by Ilan Shamir
Let your spirit soar - See the big picture - Cherish freedom - Honor the earth and sky - Keep your goals in sight - Bald is beautiful - Fly high!

Rocky Mountain High

*New critters we've seen on our 2009 trip so far: beaver, groundhog, prairie dogs, big horn sheep, buffalo (bison), white tail deer, chipmunks, pronghorn, burros, pika, moose, Uinta ground squirrel, mountain goats, mule deer, fox, moose, black bears, elk, grizzly bear, wolf
*New birds we’ve seen on our 2009 trip so far: wild turkeys, osprey, western meadowlark, mountain bluebird, sandhill cranes, Canadian geese, American white pelicans, trumpeter swans, killdeer, bald eagles
*National Parks/Monuments visited on 2009 trip so far: 16
*State Parks visited on 2009 trip so far: 2

By the way I forgot to mention in our last post that while traveling from Glacier NP to Bozeman, MT, we encountered some nasty storms that included driving through hail three different times. The hail wasn’t hard packed so didn’t do any damage, but a rock thrown up from an oncoming truck hit our windshield causing a nice baseball-sized crack. Fortunately, it’s not cracked all the way through, and it was on the same side where we had gotten a 1-1/2” crack the week before. We’re hoping the window will hold out until we get back to FL to get it repaired.

As we entered Yellowstone National Park (http://www.nps.gov/yell/) from the town of Gardiner, we passed under the Roosevelt Arch built in 1903 to honor President Teddy Roosevelt, who laid down the cornerstone. Obviously cars were smaller then, as our RV and a car coming in the opposite direction surely couldn’t pass at the same time. The north entrance drops you into the Mammoth Hot Springs area and from there we began the ascent past the Upper and Lower Terraces featuring brightly colored thermal mineral springs. Since we were still over 50 miles from our campground located centrally within the park, we continued the winding journey enjoying the vistas overlooking the Gardiner River and the fascinating stands of lodgepole pines. As we passed through Hayden Valley, the road ran along the Yellowstone River, and we started to see buffalo around every bend and a herd of perhaps over 100 grazing off to the left. Without any complications, we arrived at Fishing Bridge RV Park and proceeded to get settled in for our one week stay. Fishing Bridge campground only allows hard sided camping vehicles due to both black and grizzly bear activity in the campground. The sites are close together, but we found it to be an enjoyable home base. Our satellite TV worked well, but internet and cell phone service were non-existent in this area of the park.

Later that day we headed off to the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center, 1 of 9 Visitor/Information Centers located within the park. There we got the lay of the land, collected the much needed maps of the park, and got directions to the closest areas for internet reception. This would be the start of our daily trek to check for e-mails and make any calls necessary. The first area we used was about 9 miles south of our campground, but the next day we found better reception about 10 miles north of our campground at a pullout named Grizzly Overlook in Hayden Valley. Amazingly about the only animal we did not see from this perch was a grizzly bear.

The next day we headed about 21 miles south to the West Thumb Geyser Basin. We were able to walk a ¾ mile boardwalk loop past approximately 20 geysers, hot springs, cones, and paint pots. This was our first up close look at the active hydrothermal features that exist in the park.

From there we traveled another 17 miles to the Old Faithful Visitor Center. While there we walked along the 1.3 mile Geyser Hill Loop seeing a dozen more geysers, pools, and hot springs. Of course no visit to this area would be complete without seeing Old Faithful erupt. Since Old Faithful erupts nearly every 90 minutes, we were able to see its performance, walk the trail, visit Old Faithful Inn, and catch an encore eruption before leaving. The return trip to our campground took a little over an hour as we crossed the Continental Divide at over 8,300 feet for the 4th time that day.

I guess it’s time to talk some about the volcanic history of this area and the 35 mile by 45 mile, 4,000 foot deep caldera located in the park. Without being too scientific, a caldera is created when a volcanic mountain basically blows up and caves into its cone. Throughout history there have been 3 main volcanic eruptions in the park, the last being almost 640,000 years ago, and the largest being more than 1,000 times bigger than the Mt. St. Helens eruption in 1980. Within the past 2 million years, many volcanic eruptions have occurred within Yellowstone, and the volcano is still active. Molten rock, or magma, can be as close as 3 to 8 miles underground. This magma supplies the first ingredient for thermal features: heat. Rain and snow supply the second ingredient: water. The water seeps down several thousand feet below the surface where it is heated. Underground cracks and fissures form the third ingredient: a natural “plumbing” system. Hot water rises through the plumbing under pressure to produce hot springs and geysers. The deepest water surfaces exceeding 199 degrees Fahrenheit. Half of the world's geothermal features are located in Yellowstone. As you go from one geyser basin to the next, it’s easy to get bored thinking they all look alike until you start to understand what is really happening around you. That’s it for the science lesson; if you want to know more, you’ll need to look it up. To the right is Congress Pool, which Russ felt was appropriate and nicknamed it the sespool.

The rest of the week was spent with one goal in mind: finding and identifying new critters. At this point, we had still had not seen a grizzly bear nor were we 100% sure whether we had seen a bald eagle earlier in our travels. Wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone in 1995, and apparently two different packs roam the park. Also we were still looking for our first official elk sighting.

On day 3 we planned on attending a ranger led walk starting at 7am and originating from the Grizzly Overlook. We arrived at 7am, the ranger and perhaps about 50 other people were there, it was 34 degrees and the morning fog had not lifted. Ranger Mark explained that we could not start our hike until visibility improved as you never knew what critter (bison, wolf, bear, elk) we might stumble upon. So for the next hour and a half Ranger Mark entertained us with some truly interesting stories. The time passed quickly and at 8:30 he felt the fog had lifted enough where we could head down into the valley. Although visibility was still compromised, we made our way down to the river by following a ½ mile trail out to a peninsula. As the fog continued to lift, we started to notice sandhill cranes, Canadian geese, trumpeter swans, and American white pelicans along the waterways. After about 45 minutes, we decided to head back up the trail to our car and along the way spotted 40 or 50 elk on the far hillside. As we reached the parking lot, we were able to gaze at these animals to our heart’s content, and after firing up the laptop to check our e-mail, headed back to our campground. That evening we took the dogs to the confluence of Yellowstone River and Yellowstone Lake to hunt for beaver. We were told that each evening “mom and dad” came swimming up and under the bridge. After about an hour we gave up and headed down a new road along Yellowstone Lake, stopping at the overlooks and visiting with some buffalo. We also stopped at Steamboat Point along Yellowstone Lake for some more thermal activity.

The next day was a trip to Canyon Village Visitor Center and two relatively short drives along the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. This was a truly enjoyable treat. The canyon is approximately 20 miles long, more than 1,000 feet deep, and up to 4,000 feet in width. Two waterfalls, one at 109 feet and the other at 308 feet, afford many photo opportunities including our attempt to capture a rainbow that shows up every morning at the base of the falls precisely at 9:45 like clockwork. We walked a few short trails to Grand View, Inspiration Point, Lookout, Artist, and Red Rock Points, all offering fantastic views of the canyon, falls, and cascades. The large boulder below right traveled over 50 miles by glacier to its present resting site.



















On Sat. we headed up past Canyon Village to Mammoth Hot Springs. This 49 mile one way drive took us to where we originally entered the park five days earlier. The Mammoth area is one of the park’s most dynamic hydrothermal areas and its features are constant change. Although outside the caldera, the "plumbing" is similar and the area’s composed of limestone deposited millions of years ago when a vast sea covered this area. The hot water along with dissolved carbon dioxide makes a solution of carbonic acid. As this solution rises through the rock, it dissolves into calcium carbonate, the primary compound in limestone. At the surface, the calcium carbonate is deposited in the form of travertine, the rock that forms the terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs. This is the end of our second science lesson. From there we headed a few miles north into the town of Mammoth Hot Springs and had a leisurely picnic lunch under a giant shade tree on the grounds of Ft. Yellowstone. We also shared this park like setting with numerous elk, who seemed to just roam the area mingling with the tourists. However, one must always remember that they are still wild animals.

From there we drove 29 miles to Tower-Roosevelt to see the Petrified Tree., but unfortunately we didn’t see much of the tree. Just before reaching Tower-Roosevelt we encountered a large number of cars pulled off to the side of the road. One thing we have learned is that when you see a large group of cars pulled to the side, the people out of their vehicles, and looking into the distance, they are probably observing a buffalo or elk. When you see this occurrence with a ranger outside their vehicle directing traffic, you can bet that everyone is looking at a bear. We pulled over, joined the crowd, and a short distance away there was a black bear leisurely grazing on berries. We watched for awhile, took some pictures, and then headed to the Petrified Tree. Upon arriving on the road leading to the tree, we again found ourselves in the midst of a traffic jam. We parked the car, walked about a quarter mile up the road, and there he/she was…a grizzly bear! For the next hour we joined many others along the roadside observing this beautiful animal down the hill, less than a hundred feet away. It was truly amazing! Both of us felt a sense of accomplishment in snuffing out this great critter. It was time to head back to our campground, and our travels took us by Mt. Washburn and through Dunraven Pass at 8,859 feet, though at one point our elevation on the GPS read 8,966 feet, a new high for us. By the time we touched down, we had traveled 105 miles that day, and the doggies were sure glad to see us.

Sun. was to be a quiet day, but we decided to head to Grizzly Overlook to see what we could see and of course to check our e-mail. A couple days before, we had met Linda, a retired schoolteacher from OH and an avid wolf spotting enthusiast. As a matter of fact, she had allowed us to look through her expensive scope in search of the elusive wolf den located in Hayden Valley. We had enjoyed talking to Linda earlier in the week, as she was very patient in explaining the habits of the wolf pack. We were surprised to see her again in Hayden Valley as her home base was in the Lamar Valley area, some 50-60 miles away. We had only been talking to Linda a few minutes that morning when others in her group spotted a black wolf outside the den and sunning itself next to a small creek. Linda was most gracious in allowing both of us ample time to look at the wolf through her scope. We have a decent pair of binoculars, but they are nothing compared to what she can see. We were now able to officially add a wolf to our new critter list.

The first day we arrived in Yellowstone we went to one of the visitor centers and explained that wildlife is what we wanted to see. On a map of the park the ranger had indicated an area near the West entrance where a bald eagle nest was located a short distance from the road. So on Mon. we started this 140 mile roundtrip to see a bald eagle. Within just a few miles of leaving the park, there on the left in the top of a dead tree was the eagle nest. We were able to pull over into an area that would allow 3 or 4 cars to park off the road. We got out, crossed the street, walked about 100 feet back, and began to observe the nest through our binoculars while taking pictures. Not very exciting as all we could see was sticks. Just then looking perhaps about 50 feet to the right of the nest in another tree we spotted one of the parents, a beautiful bald eagle perched majestically a little higher than the nest and easily within view of the road. For the next hour we observed the bald eagle basically doing nothing. Hundreds of cars now entering the park from the west slowed to look and take pictures of the nest, few realizing that the real show was the next tree over. We headed back to the car, exited the park, road around the town of West Yellowstone for a few minutes, and then re-entered the park for our drive back home.

As we passed the nest, we noticed that there was again a spot available to park off the road. We decided to stop to again observe the eagle. Within a short time, the eagle started to speak and took flight. We could see in the distance another bald eagle as well as two juvenile eagles gliding with the currents. All of a sudden one of the adult balds and two juveniles flew back to the nest where the feeding began. The second adult bald eagle flew directly over our heads, finding a perch on the bank of the Madison River located directly behind us. There he stayed for 10 or 15 minutes as the other adult fed the chicks in the nest, and then flew down river to a higher perch. We stayed for another 30 minutes enjoying our first look at bald eagles and just enjoying the beauty surrounding us.

It was time to head back to our campsite and start preparation for our journey down the road to Grand Teton National Park the next day. We’ve learned a lot this week. Never having been out this way it seemed that Yellowstone was all about Old Faithful. Well, as we discovered, there is so much more to the thermal activity. We managed to see both black and grizzly bears, a wolf, elk, and a family of bald eagles. When you have never seen any of these animals in the wild but only on TV or perhaps in a zoo, the experience is unforgettable. We have seen many bison, and we joke when we spot one “oh, it’s just another bison”, but these animals are truly magnificent. As they graze along the roadside, they seem to always keep one eye on your vehicle as if to say “oh, there goes another car”. The wildlife of Yellowstone has captivated our imagination. We have been in awe of their power and grace. We have been inspired by their beauty. And as John Denver wrote in the song Rocky Mountain High, “I know he’d be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly”.