If I Were Going...: Four Generations -- Yellowstone National Park

Near the Northeast Entrance

The next morning, we started on some serious animal hunting and we were rewarded.

Bison aren't unusual, but the Wolf in the background is

First, we came upon the Hayden Valley Wolf pack stalking some Bison. There was a black, tan, gray/white and cream – probably the one from the day before.

The Wolves were interested in the Bison calves; Daddy Bison wasn't having it

They were very far away, but we watched them for some time, even seeing a large Bison confront the black wolf and send the pack running off as the other Bison took the babies down into the creek.

You can see the Wolves in the back

Then, as we headed north to Jackson, we saw a young cinnamon Black Bear in a lovely field of flowers. It was very young and we hoped we would see its mom, but no luck there.

A good find

And, not too long after that, we saw a momma Black Bear with three very small babies. Unfortunately, the ranger wasn’t even allowing cars in the turnout, so we had to move on without many good pictures. Lindsay got the best. I got almost nothing. The ranger was very nasty, but later I heard that the four Bears had just been relocated, so I guess he was being extra careful.

So, we’re doing well with bears – but not so much with Bison. So, we headed toward Lamar Valley and were rewarded with a Bison jam ...

Bison jam

... as the whole herd crossed the street and forded a stream ...

Crossing the stream

It's a bit unnerving to have these huge creatures so close.

Windshield view

The Yellowstone National Park Bison herd is the oldest and largest public Bison herd in the United States.

Calf and cow

At the end of the valley, we also saw Mountain Goats way up on Baronnette Peak and we encountered more rain (most while we were eating lunch).

They are usually more difficult to see

Then, on the way back into the Park, we saw Ospreys in their nest. And, the Bison herd has disappeared.

Osprey nest

On to Mammoth Hot Springs and the Roosevelt Arch, a rusticated triumphal arch at the north entrance in Gardiner, Montana.

The arch, right, is quite large (I am under it)

Constructed under the supervision of the U.S. Army at Fort Yellowstone, its cornerstone was laid down by Theodore Roosevelt in 1903. The top is inscribed with a quote from the Organic Act of 1872, the legislation that created Yellowstone, that reads "For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People."

You have to leave the Park to see the arch and, on the way back in, Caty noticed a small sign that said that the road was closed between Fishing Bridge and the East Entrance – our route to our hotel! The ranger at the entrance booth told us that the road was closed at Sylvan Pass due to a mudslide, but couldn’t tell us when the road would open. She suggested we stop at any Visitors Center to get an update.

Yellowstone has five entrances: North, Northeast, South, East and West

Ack! If the road didn’t reopen, we would have to drive through Lamar to Cody and the then back – probably a five-hour trip. So, we decided to quickly visit Mammoth and then start back to the cabin (after checking status at the VC).

We saw some Bighorn Sheep on the way back in (not sure how we missed them on the way out) and a few elk.

Female and juvenile Bighorn Sheep

Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine that was created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (more than two tons flow into Mammoth each day in a solution).

The geothermal features are dynamic; when they move, it can kill trees

Although these springs lie outside the caldera boundary, their energy has been attributed to the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas. The hot water that feeds Mammoth comes from Norris Geyser Basin after traveling underground via a fault line that runs through limestone and roughly parallel to the Norris-to-Mammoth road.

Mammoth in 2013

The limestone from rock formations along the fault is the source of the calcium carbonate. Shallow circulation along this corridor allows Norris' superheated water to slightly cool before surfacing at Mammoth, generally at about 170°F.

Terraced travertine pools

Algae living in the warm pools have tinted the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green. Much of the formation has become dormant since I first visited Yellowstone, so the colors have dulled quite a bit. Still, it’s very impressive.

Algae colors the rock

After a drive through (the hike around is very long), we stopped at the Visitors Center for road status. The rangers knew nothing. Meanwhile, Caty checked the Wyoming road conditions website, which said the mudslide was somewhere between Cody and the East Entrance. So, now, we needed to know exactly where because our cabin was along that road. We called the Shoshone Lodge to find that the slide was one mile past our cabin. Whew! Had we trusted the first ranger, we would have driven the five hours only to turn around and drive about six more! All was good.

Angels sing

So, we continued on our trip. And, on the Mammoth to Norris Road at Willow Park, we saw a Grizzly Bear out in the field.

Grizzly!

He was pretty far away and it was brutally windy, but he put on a pretty good show ...

Fun to watch

... but he put on a pretty good show – even standing up twice ...

What was he looking at?

After watching for a while, we moved on and about one minute later, we saw another Grizzly – much closer and with a much kinder ranger in charge.

Finally, close enough for good photos

He was a real beauty.

A fabulous Bear

I think taking Lindsay was good luck when it came to Bears.

Photo: Caty Stevens

As the sun set, we saw some Elk with giant antlers, but it was too dark to photograph. On our final leg home, we stopped again to check on the dead Bison and were rewarded with the Grizzly, which had his head inside the Bison part of the time!

The huge pile of hay around the bison is the contents of his stomach!

Then, we headed home – and saw another pine marten.

The next day, we drove back to Colorado to increasing raininess. And, then the next day, I dropped Lindsay and Betty off at DIA.

She had a good time

Total count: 13 bears for Lindsay (12 for Caty, 11 for me and about 8 for Betty) and ultimately every major animal and bird that can be found in Yellowstone! A very great trip.