Yellowstone

This was not my first trip to Yellowstone -- far from it. It had some highs and lows -- and the lows point out just how fortunate I have been in the past. I have seen so many animals that I was extremely disappointed that we saw ONLY Wolves (see my next post), one or two Grizzly Bears, one Black Bear, no Moose and a rather unimpressive smattering of Mule Deer, Elk and Bison --- plus more that I will cover throughout this blog.

Wallowing

We entered the park via Cooke City and Silver Gate, which is the far northeastern corner. The route comes in  across the Chief Joseph Highway, which is quite beautiful (although it rained as we drove in) and then through the Lamar Valley, which has very pretty vistas and big Bison herds. 

Let's start by talking a little about lodging at Yellowstone. Although the Park has myriad lodging opportunities, they are hard to get and can be quite pricey. Plus, the reservation website is a pain (you can't search available rooms; you have to go lodge by lodge by lodge). Most Yellowstone lodging can be booked up to a year in advance and throughout the summer, most is booked a year in advance. So, if you plan to go, plan way, way ahead. And, you do want to stay in the park -- it's quite large and driving within the park takes awhile. Driving in and out adds lots of time.

Canyon Lodge

There are campgrounds, but I am not a fan of tent camping where there are Grizzly Bears and Bison. Just sayin ... Plus, this week, Scott had taken our Little Guy trailer, so we stayed in lodging.

We stayed at Canyon because it is centrally located and close to where we tend to see more animals. If you plan to spend more than two days on Yellowstone, I suggest staying in the north for half the time and in the south the other half. Parking and traffic is insane in the geothermal area, so if you are interested in that, staying in that area may make sense.

Recently updated

Lately, Yellowstone has been tearing down some of its outdated hotels and rebuilding and/or rennovating. Canyon is a great example. The old 60's era stuff is gone and the new digs are lovely. Lovely without air-conditioning, TV or Wi-Fi. But, really nice. Our room was huge, with an oddly small and short bathroom (as in low sink, low toilet, low showerhead). Although they warned us that parking could fill up and we would have to park near the office and shuttle back and forth, there was ample parking for our unit.

A big room

The Canyon area is a good place to stay because, in addition to proximity, it has a gas station, grocery store, deli, soda fountain, restaurant and cafeteria -- and, although, you still have to wait at times, it is nice to have multiple food options. The food is so-so, but a nice alternative to picnicking when you are in a hurry. Plus, there are picnic tables outside -- complete with adorable Least Chipmunks to eat your scraps.

Least Chipmunk

While we were in Yellowstone, we spent most of our time observing the Wolves -- so I will do a separate blog about that after this one. But, we also visited lots of areas in the Park.

Here's another tip -- don't sleep in. The crowds are sparse in the early hours and the animals are more prevalent. In the early mist, we saw American White Pelicans on -- wait for it -- Pelican Creek. Later, we saw Swans on Swan Lake, but I didn't get a picture of that. Unfortunately, Grizzly Lake wasn't cooperating that day.

American White Pelican

Morning has the added advantage of some lovely lighting ...

A beautiful shot

... including a dramatic morning sun ...

Morning sky

We spent most of our time in Hayden Valley because that's the best place to watch Wolves (patience ... that's in the next blog). But, we did get an additional treat -- courtesy of getting out early in the morning. A Grizzly Bear (which is actually an interior U.S. Brown Bear just like Brown Bears and Kodiak Bears) was feeding on a Bison carcass on a hill on the other side of the river. He (or she) was very far away -- difficult to see without a long lens or binoculars. Observers told us that there had been three Bears right before we got there. And, the following day, some folks saw a Bear cross the road on the way to the kill. I guess we should have gotten up even earlier!

Pictures were tricky because the Bears were far away and -- curse of the American West -- there were several forest fires in the area. Plus, the river fogs up in the mornings. That's why my pictures look fuzzy and yellow.

Looking through the fog and smoke

Now, let's talk about carcasses. If you stumble upon a dead Bison, you have hit the jackpot! Bears, Wolves, Coyotes, Eagles and all manner of predators will feed on it for days.  A nearby carcass will create a multi-day traffic jam as photographers wait for the predators to arrive. As I said, this one was far, but we did see the Bear (or Bears) twice and the Wolves made a brief foray while we were watching, as well.

And, as we were watching the Bear, we also saw a juvenile Bald Eagle.

Just biding its time on the hillside

And, while we were watching the aforementioned Wolves, we were also treated to visits from a female Northern Harrier ...

Harriers are sooooo hard to photograph

These are halfway decent

... and an adult Bald Eagle flew right at us ...

So-so light, but a cool angle

I know, this does sound like a lot of animals and I am feeling a little guilty about complaining, but none of the sightings facilitated the kind of WOW photos we had bought long lenses for. So, we decided to do some additional sightseeing -- realizing that we had given Yellowstone's iconic views short shrift.

First up, a drive down a road that I had never been on - the Blacktail Loop Road, which is a gravel road that winds around the area that was previously frequented by the famous Grizzly name Scarface, who was shot last year. It winds through some hills in an arid area and, unfortunately, did not produce any Bears. We did, however, see a beautiful Red-tailed Hawk that posed for us.

Shaded, but pretty

Later, I asked a Ranger why the trail is called "Blacktail," and why some nearby ponds are called the "Blacktail Deer Ponds," when no Blacktail Deer live in the area. I thought, perhaps, that Blacktail had lived there before, but no longer. Turns out that early settlers from the east thought the resident Mule Deer were Blacktail Deer -- similar to how settlers from Europe used the the term "Elk" for large Deer they encountered in the Americas. In Europe, an Elk is what we call a Moose. Confused? Just know that there are no Blacktail Deer in the west, regardless what the trails and ponds are named.

Along the Yellowstone River, there is a fair amount of wildlife, including Trumpeter Swans, which live in the area year round.

The Swans are beautiful

Plus, there are always Bison around.

Crossing the river

And, since it was late summer, the Mule Deer we saw were getting some pretty big antlers.

Tall, but narrow antlers

Loop Road view

I apologize for the lack of scenery pictures. 

We have been to Yellowstone National Park so many times and have taken so many pictures that we don't really take scenery photos unless there is something spectacularly different than what we have seen before. 

Since it was smoky, there wasn't. 

Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful. It just doesn't photograph well when its smoky.

But, we did decide to go to the Yellowstone Canyon loop road. 

We also went to Artist Point to see Lower Yellowstone Falls on our last morning. 

The Falls

We got there very early and it was virtually empty -- something you would never see mid-day.

Posing

Not only were we rewarded by no crowds, but, as we were leaving a Black Bear walked across the entire length of the parking lot ...

The only time I have seen a Bear there

... and then climbed up a hill, pausing to rip apart a stump and slurp up some termites.

Lunch!

Finally, a close-up Bear -- and we weren't even looking for one! Too bad it wasn't a Grizzly!

We tried to go to the Grand Prismatic Pool, but it was just too, too crowded. Later, we did go back, but I will cover that later.

One of our final spotting was a surprise -- two Bighorn Sheep in a field of flowers. First, we seldom see Bighorn in Yellowstone and, second, they are usually on hillsides, not in flowery field. 

One of the rams was particularly good-looking with big horns ...

... a nice coat ...

... and some goofy expressions

Late on our last afternoon in Yellowstone, we saw a family of Common Redheads ...

A whole family

A cute Duckling

A vigilant mama

... and a group of juvenile Green-winged Teals ...

Showing off the green

We also encountered a photo jam for ... well ... whatever ....

I have no idea

I guess maybe we did see lots of animals.

Next, we'll talk Wolves.

Trip date: July 30-August 5, 2016

Bighorn Canyon

Caty and I took a quick trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks at the end of July/beginning of August. We try to go at least every two years, mainly to photograph animals -- especially Wolves and Grizzly Bears. We had a great trip with lots of fun add-ons, but the animal count in both Parks was depressingly low, which I will get to later.

But, first, I want to talk about our first stop on our trip -- Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. To the east of Yellowstone, the area is an impressive canyon that towers above green, green Bighorn Lake.

It looks more like a river than a lake (it was a river before it was dammed)

About one third of the Park unit is located on the Crow Indian Reservation and nearly one-quarter of the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range lies within the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

Wild Horses

And, that was the first thing that greeted us -- Wild Horses. There were two bays on the right side of the road and a pretty dun/black one on the left as we drove in. A man who was also photographing them called them the "greeters." 

They are usually there at the entrance

The Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range is a refuge for a historically significant herd of free-roaming Mustangs. These horses, which do not exist anywhere else in the world, are believed to be direct descendants of the Barb Horses brought to North America by Spanish explorers in the early 1600s. 

Royal lineage

Although they are many different colors, almost all the horses on the range have primitive markings such as dorsal stripes, transverse stripes across the withers and horizontal stripes on the back of the forelegs. Their bodies tend to be heavy and manes and tails tend to be long. Their winter coats are heavy and often curly -- that would be cool to see. Most noticeable is the head, which is convex or straight (a "Roman nose"), quite unlike most other horses.

The two bay horses seemed interested in us, actually walking toward us from the hills. The dun/black one didn't seem to notice us at all.

Grazing

Eventually, the two on the right crossed the street and joined the one on the left. It was a nice introduction to the Park.

Can't get enough of them

After watching the horses, we headed out to the Devil's Canyon Overlook, stopping to look at a couple of Bighorn Sheep on the way. Although the canyon carries their name, the Bighorns there now came from stock reintroduced in the 1970s after being hunted out by the 1800s. 

Two youngsters

The Devil's Canyon Overlook, just over the Wyoming border in Montana, gives the most dramatic view of the Park.

A nice curve in the lake

Created by Yellowtail Dam, Bighorn Lake extends 71 miles, straddling the border between Wyoming and Montana. Fifty-five miles of the lake lie within the National Recreation Area. It's very pretty -- and it is most beautiful in Devil's Canyon..

From an overlook

As we looked from the various vantage points at the overlook, we saw both boats and rafts on the river. It was a hot day, so we were a bit envious. Our view was spectacular and I suspect the boaters' views were too.

Overlook

Jim Bridger, the famous mountain man, was the first person to float down the river and leave a record of his trip. He said the rapids that existed in 1825 when he made the trip seemed to be like "foam." Of course, now, with the dam, the river as lost much of its wildness and is more suited for pleasure boating.

The more we travel in the west, the more we are amazed by the vast numbers of spectacular places to visit. 

Caty

I had never even heard about Bighorn Canyon. It is gorgeous -- and fairly close to Yellowstone's northeast entrance.

Beautiful

One the way out, we saw a few more Bighorn Sheep.

That just seems right

Trip date: July 30-August 5, 2016

Pawnee National Grassland and Nebraska

My daughter, Caty, reminded me that I had not posted anything about our impromptu trip to Scotts Bluff, Nebraska, last month. So, here's a quick overview.

Scotts Bluff

It started innocently enough. Caty had signed us up for a session put on by raptor photographer Rob Palmer where we would shoot photos of Burrowing Owls from a blind near Pawnee National Grassland.  

Burrowing Owl

I had been to the Grassland a few weeks earlier and saw a few Owls, but didn't get any good pictures of them. Just some shots of the beautiful scenery ...

Great sky

... spring wildflowers (gone by this trip) ...

The prettiest time in the Grasslands

... lots and lots of Lark Buntings ...

The Colorado State bird

... some Horned Larks ...

This is a female

... a Vesper Sparrow ...

Sparrows can be tricky

... and some Pronghorns ...

Common on the western plains

Pawnee National Grassland in the South Platte River basin is in an especially depopulated area of the Great Plains. There was limited cultivation in the early 20th century, but most farming stopped after the Dust Bowl. Now, it has mainly cattle.

Cattle coexist with nature

It also has 63 active vertical oil and natural gas wells and seems to be very popular for target shooting.

There are lots of legal target shooting sites off the dirt track

It is also a habitat for Burrowing Owls.

I love these guys

For our owl shoot, we started just after sunrise and spent about three hours watching Burrowing Owl parents catch bugs ...

The ample Grasshoppers and Locusts make great meals

... and fly in to feed their six babies ...

Dinner!

The blind allowed us to get closer than we could have otherwise ... 

A big treat

... but also limited our field of view, so we had a bit of trouble anticipating the fly-ins. 

Hard to see them coming and going

Although the blind gave us access ...

Looking at us

... it was clear the Owls knew we were there. Mama chided us from time to time.

The babies didn't care; she did

Still, it was a fun morning and a great chance to see these fascinating birds.

Watching for parents from the burrow

Plus, we got a visit from a Black-Tailed Jackrabbit.

Much more muscular than a Cottontail

After the session in the blind, we grabbed some more pictures of other Burrowing Owls in the area ...

Taking off

... and then set off to explore around the Grassland.  Because it was now mid-day, we didn't think we'd see any Swift Foxes or Badgers.

We stopped in Crow Valley (one of the few areas with a toilet!) and saw a few birds, including a juvenile American Robin ...

Juveniles are actually prettier than the adults

... and a really cute House Wren ...

A House Wren in its house

As we drove east towards the other part of Pawnee, we noticed that Scotts Bluff National Monument wasn't too far away (in Stevens miles), so we decided to skip the rest of the Grassland and head to Nebraska. 

What the heck, let's go to Nebraska

When we were almost to Scotts Bluff, we started passing a series of bluffs and rock formations that foreshadowed what we would see. One had a huge raptor nest, but we never figured out whether it was an Eagle's or something else.

I suspect Golden Eagle

Scotts Bluff doesn't fit in the mental picture most people have of Nebraska. It comprises a string of very impressive sandstone bluffs rising high above the North Platte River. It ain't flat! In fact, the local Native Americans had called it Me-a-pa-te, which means "the hill that is hard to go around."

Aptly named

The area was a gathering place for  fur traders, missionaries and military expeditions during the 1830s. Beginning in 1841, settlers passed by Scotts Bluff on their way west on the Oregon Trail. Wagon trains used the bluff as a major landmark for navigation. The trail passed through Mitchell Pass, a gap in the bluffs flanked by two large cliffs. 

The other side

Although the route through Mitchell Pass was tortuous and hazardous, many emigrants preferred this route to following the North Platte river bottom on the north side of the bluff. Passage through Mitchell Pass became a significant milestone for many wagon trains on their way westward. Scotts Bluffs very clearly communicated that travelers were done with the plains and were getting ready to cross the Rockies. 

From the top

In one of its first engineering deployments, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a smoother road through Mitchell Pass in the early 1850s. Use of the Oregon Trail tapered off in 1869 after the trail was superseded by the completion of the transcontinental railroad.

Since the Oregon Trail computer game was a favorite of my girls, Caty was thrilled to see another real life embodiment of landmarks from the game.

It's a very pretty -- and small -- park with nice roads up to the top of the bluff (through three tunnels built in n the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps). 

The route

Scotts Bluff is probably not a destination in itself, but its a great place to stop if you are in western Nebraska, southeastern Wyoming or northeastern Colorado. It has a small Oregon Trail museum and a number of hiking trails. 

This trail was closed because of a rock fall

Ruts from the Oregon Trail are still visible in places.

Note about the name: There has always been some disagreement whether it is Scott's Bluff or Scotts Bluff. A 1843 map labeled the feature Scott's Bluff (with an apostrophe). Another early military map of Nebraska and the Dakotas published in 1875 dropped the apostrophe. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the name was spelled with and without an apostrophe. In a final decision by the United States Board on Geographical Names rendered on June 11, 1941, the name Scotts Bluff (without an apostrophe) was officially adopted.

No apostrophe

Following our visit, we decided to drive just a little further east to go to Chimney Rock National Historic Site, another iconic Oregon Trail landmark.

Our next destination in the distance

Not to be confused with the million or so other chimney rocks in the nation, this one rises nearly 300 feet above the surrounding North Platte River valley and is visible for many miles from the east. For those slogging across the plains along the Oregon Trail, it clearly said, "you are making progress."

A beacon of sorts

Based on sketches, paintings, written accounts and an 1897 photograph, Chimney Rock was taller when it was first seen by settlers, but has been reduced in height since then by erosion and lightning.

Chimney Rock

The official Nebraska quarter features a covered wagon headed west past Chimney Rock, memorializing Nebraska's role in westward migration. 

We arrived just before the Visitor Center closed and photographed as the sun started to set.

Day's end

It was a long drive back to Fort Collins, but a fun day with wildlife, history and three states!

Trip date: June 26, 2016