Day 18--Goodbye Tetons!

Note: images for Days 16 and 17 have been added!

Cunningham Cabin, Tetons

We checked out of the Heart 6 Guest Ranch in Moran, Wyoming, and drove through the Grand Tetons one last time before heading south to Vernal, Utah. The morning was once again gorgeous, with blue blue skies and a few fluffy clouds. We resisted the temptation to visit Oxbow Bend again (it was hard). Instead, we stopped at the Cunningham Cabin, built in 1888 by John Pierce Cunningham, who lived there with his wife, raising cattle and a family in the harsh conditions. The depression caused Cunningham and some other ranchers to sell their ranches, which later became a part of the Grand Tetons. 

Snake River Overlook, where Ansel Adams photographed
his famous version of this scene

Our last stop in the Tetons was at the Snake River Overlook, the famous spot where Ansel Adams, in 1942, stood on top of his car to shoot his memorable shot of the Tetons with the Snake River in the foreground. The trees along the river have grown up a lot since then, so the photo Smoky made is not by any means a replica of Adams photo, but it was inspiring nonetheless to stand in the same general area as the master!

After this stop we had a lot of driving to do, so we headed south on Hwy 191, stopping in Pinedale, Wyoming, at the Wind River Brewing Company for a great fish taco salad for lunch! At Rock Springs we turned on Interstate 80 for a short while so that we could drive along the western edge of the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area on our way to Vernal. At first we wondered what had prompted the name of Flaming Gorge for this area. Then we looked at the photos! See what you think about the choice.

Flaming Gorge

Along the Flaming Gorge road, we stopped for some pronghorns.

--Shann

Day 17--All day in the Tetons!

Update: Smoky's photos are posted!

Jenny Lake view from trail

Steelhead, a tiny spring wildflower in the Tetons

Let me tell you a little about today. We started out this morning at Oxbow Bend, a looping meander of the Snake River, enjoying the early morning light. This is a great place for birding, and today was no exception. We saw grebes, white pelicans, a great blue heron, an osprey, some Canada geese (including one pair who seemed to be courting), cormorants (that surprised me!), four trumpeter swans (very entertaining as they land and take off), and lots of ducks. Some of the ducks were a little too far away to identify easily, and one whole flock of ducks were doing what looked to us like "synchronized diving" to find food. We studied Smoky's photos tonight and figured out that these were Common Mergansers! We drove to Jenny Lake, and the views from the trail around the lake were incredible!

The morning photography of the mountains was great, according to Smoky. As the weather shifted around lunchtime, clouds started rolling in, which meant that scenic photographs weren't nearly as much fun! This is great lighting for wildflowers, however, and we were finding quite a few. We stopped at the visitor's center, where we were asking about some flowers we weren't familiar with, and followed that with a short walk to find one very small and not usually seen flower called a "steerhead" on the advice of a very helpful park ranger. After a good bit of looking, we finally spotted it--the flower is smaller than a quarter and is shaped like an outline of a steer's head.  

Later in the afternoon we drove to the Episcopal Chapel of the Transfiguration, which sits just inside the southern entrance to the park. This small, rustic log chapel was built in 1925 and still operates today. The inside is striking, and the view of the Tetons through a large picture window behind the altar is magnificent!

Episcopal Chapel of the Transfiguration

Episcopal Chapel of the Transfiguration,
view from picture window

Inside view of chapel

Great Gray Owl, Tetons

We had intended to look for moose in an area where the ranger said moose liked to hang out late in the day, but before we got to this location, we stopped at a pulloff where a bunch of people had gathered. They were watching a Great Grey Owl. Neither Smoky nor I had ever seen one of these owls, so we were quite excited to get this opportunity. You can read more about the Great Grey Owl on Wikipedia.

We concluded this very busy day with sunset photos at Oxbox Bend, coming full circle! What a day!! 

Sunset, Oxbow Bend, Tetons

Sunset, Willow Flats, Tetons

--Shann

Day 16--Traveling through Yellowstone to the Grand Tetons

Continuously erupting geyser, Lower Geyser Basin

Grand Prismatic Geyser, Midway Geyser Basin

Old Faithful

Update: Smoky's photos are here!

We have had a busy day! After leaving Bozeman, we drove south to the west entrance of Yellowstone so that we could see some things we had not seen during our four previous days there. In spite of the crowds, we very much enjoyed seeing the lower and middle geyser basins. 

The next stop was Yellowstone Lodge and Old Faithful. We arrived about 10 minutes before Old Faithful was expected to erupt, so we found what we thought were good seats and waited expectantly. The eruption happened as predicted, but the results were less than spectacular. Our seats were also downwind, which was pretty smoky!

Yellowstone Lodge, taken from
third level

Because the next eruption was not expected for at least an hour, we walked over to the old lodge to explore and take some photos. Smoky's mom had been telling us we needed to see the old lodge, and it is spectacular! Visitors can walk up to the third level and look out over the large open area below. Boysenberry ice cream from the snack shop topped off the visit!

We returned to Old Faithful about an hour after the previous eruption, but we saw only a few burps. After 35 long minutes, we were just about to give up when a spectacular eruption occurred. This time we had selected better seats, and the photos turned out really good.

By this time it was getting late and we still had to drive to the Tetons. We drove past the check-in station between 6:30 and 7, and realized that we needed to get some dinner before heading to the Heart 6 Ranch, where we are staying tonight. 

It was close to sunset by the time we got into the areas with the gorgeous views of the Tetons. Smoky was as excited as I've ever seen him. Each photo he shot looked better than the previous one.

One of our first views of the Tetons

Sunset from Oxbow Bend!

--Shann

Day 15--Our last day in Bozeman

Susie at Quilting in the Country

Today was our last full day with good friends Susie and Roger. Susie and I visited two quilt shops, which is always so much fun. I'm going home with some exciting ideas for quilts and other projects. Quilting in the Country is just outside Bozeman and is a great place to visit if you are in the area. The June/July issue of The Quilter Magazine features a quilt called "Nine little piggies" designed by Quilting in the Country owner Jane Quinn.  

We had another wonderful dinner tonight -- delicious grilled salmon, quinoa, salad, and a delightful berry cobbler pie with ice cream. We surely will miss Roger and Susie's cooking!

Now for a few of Smoky's photos from yesterday:

Ruddy duck (male) at Floating Island Lake

Black bear jumping over stream

Big horn ram relaxing near the road

Scenic view along road to Lamar Valley

Remember when I told you about the snow that hit while we were at Steamboat Point on Yellowstone Lake a couple of days ago? Here is the photo that Smoky took of the approaching storm:

We head for the Tetons tomorrow.

—Shann

Day 14--Fourth Day in Yellowstone

I forgot to tell you that we visited Artist Point yesterday toward the end of the day. This is a viewpoint relatively near Lower Falls that allows visitors a more direct view of the falls. Smoky's photo of Lower Falls posted last night was taken from Artist Point.

Canyon wall from Artist Point, near Lower Falls

You can get an idea of how the name came to be when you look at this photo Smoky took of the canyon walls around the Artist Point lookout. In the right light, it truly looks like an artist's palette. This was an inspiring location. Smoky's photo looks almost like an abstract painting!

Now for today. We headed back to Lamar Valley, through which the Lamar River flows. Smoky and I had just a few hours left in Yellowstone today before returning to Bozeman, and we thought Lamar Valley would offer the widest selection of wildlife and some pretty amazing scenic views. I'll be posting photos from today as soon as Smoky gets them ready. For now, here's a summary of what we saw:

• Nine grizzly bears -- most were pretty far away, but one was feeding on the mule deer kill we saw two days ago.
• One black bear -- this could have been one of the black bears we saw two days ago. He/she was pretty active today, jumping across a stream and walking along a log!
• Lots of bison and their red dogs
• A marmot resting on a rock
• One full-curl big horn sheep
• Several sets of pronghorns
• More ravens
• Some female elks (we understand it is close to time for them to give birth)
• Ruddy ducks in Floating Island Lake
• A couple of coots in the same lake
• A Williamson's sapsucker (from what we read, this one is rarely seen in Yellowstone)
• Several sandhill cranes
• A red-tail hawk
• Some ground squirrels

Smoky also caught a quick view of a badger, but by the time we had turned the car around, he was out of sight. All in all, it was a good day for wildlife viewing.

Hopefully tomorrow, I'll be posting a lovely scenic photo taken along the road into Lamar Valley and some other photos by Smoky. The scenic offered a stunning view of white-capped mountains with a small lake in the foreground.

Tomorrow is rest day and a chance to visit some quilt shops with Susie before we leave on Thursday for the drive to the Tetons!

--Shann

Day 13--Third day in Yellowstone

Tree with its pet rock, Yellowstone

Lower Falls, Yellowstone, taken from Artist Point

Before I write about the great day we had today, I wanted to tell you about how trees get pet rocks. I was as surprised as you may be on first hearing about this phenomenon. I knew that some people adopt pet rocks, but trees? Interesting... 

Well, yesterday, as we were driving toward Trout Lake, Roger said he wanted to show us the trees with their pet rocks. He explained how this happens—basically trees in some very dry areas choose to grow beside rocks because much needed moisture can collect under the rock. I was pretty amazed to find a section where almost every tree had a rock, some small and some large. Check out Smoky's photo of one of these.

Today we headed back toward the Norris Geyser Basin, turned east toward Canyon Village, and stopped at the overlook for Lower Falls. The view was amazing. In the canyon below the falls, Susie spotted an osprey on a nest that had been in use for a number of years, and shortly afterwards I spotted what I thought was an eagle. It turned out to be the mate of the osprey in the nest. He landed, bringing a fish back to his mate. Pretty exciting!

In Hayden Valley we spotted a grizzly in a grassy area looking for food. A short distance away on a snowy hill was a lone coyote who seemed to be either playing (rolling over and over in the snow) or taking a bath! [Note to my sweet granddaughter: you would have loved seeing this coyote! Thanks for the call this afternoon.]

Harlequin ducks at LeHardy Rapids

Yellowstone Lake

Bison with graupel snow

Raven

Another pretty amazing sight was a stop at LeHardy Rapids—Harlequin ducks who come to the Yellowstone River, specifically LeHardy Rapids, to breed. They feed at this rapids, diving for larvae that they can apparently see under the churning water. Read more about them at this website. If you want to see them in Yellowstone, plan to arrive in May. By the end of the month, they are gone.

Beyond Hayden Valley, we turned east to drive toward Steamboat Point along Yellowstone Lake. So far we had had a beautiful, blue-sky day, cool and delightful. We had lunch looking over the lake, most of which is still iced over, at the mountains in the distance (Madison Range?). 


Smoky had photographed some approaching "weather" and by the time we got to Steamboat Point, it was snowing. This was a special snow called "graupel," which comes down in very small balls, making a sort of tinkling sound as it falls. While we were at Steamboat, several bison decided to walk up the road beside the pullout, and a very persistent raven tried to convince us to give him a snack!

We left this area and drove most of the way back to the campground in the snow, but by the time we got to Gardiner for dinner, the sky was blue again! Smoky and I both remarked how much we appreciated the varied weather today. What a treat! 

—Shann

Day 12--Second Day in Yellowstone

I realized this morning that I had posted some information yesterday that was incorrect. I also had some new photos from Smoky to post, so please check yesterday's entry for new information and some new photos. While we're talking about photos, I'll add Smoky's photos from today tomorrow, so check back later to see them.

Bison with her "red dog"

[Updated photos below]

Today was a grand day. The weather turned out to be really nice, even better than predicted, with temperatures in the 70s much of the day. From Mammoth Hot Springs campground, we joined our friends, who are not only being great hosts but also excellent Yellowstone guides, and headed east toward Tower Junction. We crossed the Gardner River and stopped first at Black Tail Ponds, where we saw lots of bison and their calves. Did I mention that the calves are called "red dogs"? 

Black bear cub on the way down!

Two young bison sparring

Near Elk Creek we saw a black bear, but it was some distance away. At Tower Junction we turned south toward Tower Fall. Just before the Calcite Spring pullout, we saw a bunch of cars along both sides of the road and a lot of people. When we saw two park rangers, we figured we were in a bear jam! It turned out that there was a mother bear with two or three cubs on one side of the road and another black bear approaching on the opposite side. The mother bear sent her cubs up a tree with orders to stay put. Smoky calculated that there must be at least $250K worth of camera equipment in this bear jam!

The rangers do a great job of controlling the crowd and keeping the situation unstressful on the animals involved. 

We backtracked to Tower Junction and continued on down the road to Lamar Valley, which is a wide, grassy area along the Lamar River where bison and other animals congregate. We saw more bison with their little ones, and in the distance across the river were some grizzlies! One of the people watching pointed these out to us. They were pretty far away, but we could see them with the binoculars and the spotting scope. There were two mothers with what looked like last year's young. Just a little further down the road, we spotted a recent kill, which had its share of ravens and a bald eagle feeding. Just before we spotted this, a buff-colored coyote crossed the road behind our vehicle. Susie caught a glimpse of red around his mouth; we later concluded that he had been at the kill, because he returned while we were watching to have a little more to eat. 

Trout Lake, Yellowstone

Bison at Trout Lake

Further down the road we stopped for a hike up to Trout Lake, where Roger and Susie hoped to see otters. We were supposed to bring them good luck today. None of their previous trips to Trout Lake had resulted in otter sightings. Unfortunately, today was not our lucky day, but the lake was incredible. We walked around the perimeter of the lake, and on the far side, we had a close encounter with two bison, who had come in for a drink. We had seen them approach so we were proceeding cautiously. The land around the lake is rolling, so it was easy to lose site of the bison as we walked. One closest to us seemed as surprised as we were when we rounded a rise and realized how close we were to each other, but we proceeded carefully and made it over the footbridge to the trail. Both bison continued down the trail the other way, thank goodness!

On the way back to the campground, we saw more bison and more bison (some were in the road blocking traffic), along with a couple of eagles and another coyote. It was a great day for wildlife sightings! Back at camp, we had Roger's now famous homemade pulled pork for dinner, along with Susie's orzo black bean salad and slaw. Yum, yum.

--Shann