200th Post!!

This is my 200th posting, which is a whole lot more than I thought I would accomplish. I figured somewhere along the line the blog would go by the wayside but it never did. I enjoy wandering around Yellowstone, taking pictures and putting them on here. I have also met in person and in e-mail some incredible people. So onward I go toward my 300th posting. Hang on people, I'm taking you on a ride with me!

Above is a picture I took of Lamar Valley this morning. It was incredibly windy and small chunks of snow would blow up and over the road. Waves of snow, which looked like moving fabric, winded its way across the road.

This is the Buffalo Ranch in Lamar Valley. If you look at the mountain behind it you can see snow blowing off the side of it. Except for a herd of bison I saw nothing else in Lamar today. It was a quiet day there.....except for the sound of howling wind.

In the vicinity of Little America a herd of bison moved in single file. They started to run and kick up puffs of snow that the wind would blow away. It was a beautiful sight.

The only coyote I saw today was the little guy I saw a week ago with the radio collar by the Tower Ranger Station. The Park Service uses numbers to keep track of certain animals (such as the elk #6 from the Mammoth area who tragically died last February) and unfortunately I don't know his number so until I find that out I decided to call him Digit. He was successfully hunting rodents and I caught him licking his chops after finishing his lunch.

And in case anyone is interested, besides the Blacktail Deer parking area, there are new restrooms at Tower Junction and at the hitching posts at the east end of Lamar.

Gearing Up

When I'm driving around the Park I usually have my big lens on my camera. Chances are that whatever I need to take a picture of is not going to be right next to the road. Except for this morning. Coming into the Blacktail this bull elk was right next to the road. I was not in a position to stop and change lenses so I had to make due with my big lens. His rack was so large that I wasn't able to fit the entire thing into the frame.

But on my way back from Lamar I used a pullout to change lenses before coming back to the area that I had seen him in earlier. There were actually three bulls but only one was by the road.

And of course I saw coyotes today (but no Trotter). This one was by the Lamar River by Slough Creek. I also saw coyotes but Pebble Creek and in Lamar Valley.
Though this is not a great picture of the American Dipper that I wrote about before, it was the best I could do. There are quite a few of them where the Soda Butte meets the Lamar River. I waited for this one to put on his aquatic show but he was just content to sit at the edge of the ice.

I thought I would just snap a quick picture of the herd of bison across the Lamar River with the mountain background. As I watched them I noticed a leaping motion by them. Yup, a leaping coyote. There were actually two of them wandering by the herd.

So with a little zoom I was able to capture the two coyotes with the bison as a background. I always get a bit of a kick when I can see two different species in one spot.

On Friday evening I went into Gardiner for a quick errand. On my return and only after 20 minutes of passing the 'Caution. Debris On Road' sign in the canyon I came to find that rocks had tumbled down and were scattered all over the road. Could have been caused by erosion or maybe sheep, but driving through that area was an obstacle course. In that area I am always mindful that there could be things in the middle of the road. Sometimes it is animals and sometimes it is rocks. Neither I want to hit with my car.

Yesterday the wind blew all day and it snowed most of the day in what I've come to know as 'sideways snow'. I heard the snowplow scraping along this morning at about 5:00. There was about three inches on the ground. I would like to see more snow.

A group of Xanterra employees that work at the Snow Lodge left Mammoth yesterday for their winter at Old Faithful. Their last stop was the YGS to stock up on munchies and last minute necessities needed for a few months stay. I see the snowcoaches have been taken out for the winter and have been running up and down the road and more Mammoth Hotel and Dining Room employees are showing up. Mammoth is beginning to gear up for all the fun winter activites that are possible in Yellowstone.

I'm getting backed up with my replies to e-mails sent to me. Be patient and I will try and reply to each one as quickly as I can. I also want to say "Hi" to Kerry; Dragos in Romania; the Wheelers in Maryland; Ed from Hendersonvill, North Carolina; Dennis in Massachusetts but formerly from Duluth, Minnesota and Al who is local and stopped in the store and said 'Hi" to me.

I took a quick trip into Gardiner yesterday afternoon when I got off work early. I saw the rams again in the canyon. That is twice this week and its funny how I've looked for them for two months and never saw them. There was also a coyote who ran in front of my vehicle as I came up to Mammoth on my return. This morning Big Boy made a showing by the terrace.

I have lived my entire life in areas that get frigid temps in the winter yet I just can't seem to get warm this winter. I think I'm still acclimating myself to winter temps and pretty soon I will be running out to start my car in short sleeved shirts when its -20 and not think twice about it.

My status in the world should be moving up within 11 days or so. My first grandchild is due on Dec. 21. and I will then move into the grandmother category with all the perks that go with it. Though most people associate their grandmothers with the smell of sugar cookies and apple pies my grandchild will probably associate me with the smell of Sulphur Cauldron. My phone is nearby at all times just in case something happens early. When I get that call I will head back to Minnesota for a couple days.

Trotter

When I got off work last night at 6:00 it was already -10. This morning when I started my car at 9:00 my car thermometer registered -15. It was a perfect morning to capture the Lower Terrace with all the steam and frosty trees. Then I stopped at the Map Room at the Mammoth Hotel to take in the Xanterra and Yellowstone Association sale. Though it was early in the day the place was packed and there had developed a line of people that wrapped around 1/2 the room as people waited to pay for their purchases. I didn't buy anything but it was interesting to take a look at all the great buys there were there.

Then I was off to Lamar Valley. As I went passed the Blacktail Lakes I came across a familiar sight.......all too familiar.

There was that little coyote right in the middle of the road not letting me pass once again! I snapped a few pictures of him again. I also decided to identify him by name: Trotter. His name comes from him continuously trotting down the middle of the road.

Trotter

The Blacktail Deer parking area now has a new bathroom (important info for those who travel the Park). I true winter Yellowstone experience involves using one of those restrooms at -15 degrees. On the Blacktail I also came across these 4 bull elk. They were all frosty breath and antlers.
In Lamar Valley I watched a herd of bison wandering on the ice over the Lamar River. I enjoyed a sandwich as I watched them, hoping none of them broke through the ice.

As they eventually moved away from the river one stopped to take the opportunity to use this piece of wood to scratch his neck. By the Soda Butte and the Lamar Rivers I watched a couple of American Dippers, tiny birds that will dive into the water and swim underwater to feed. They would perch themselves on the ice next to open water and suddenly dive into the water and disappear and eventually surface. I had heard of them but this was my first opportunity to see them in action. On my way back to Mammoth I came across Trotter once again right in the middle of the road. I finally made my way around him, pulled into a pull out and watched him wander down the road in front of another car. The other vehicles pulled into the pull out and we all watched him mouse (successfully). When I left him I came across three more coyotes just up the road by Lava Creek. One climbed up an embankment and I took his picture as he stood there with this contemplative pose.

Human Sparkler

I had a change in my work schedule this week and I am working today and having tomorrow off. So I am using my lunch break on the computer. First off, a big "Yellowstone Hello" to Duncan and Marion in Carluke, Scotland!!

I was extremely humbled and appreciative when I checked my e-mail this morning. I recieved quite a few notes about my posting and pictures yesterday. Thank you to everyone with your kind words and interest. I wake up every morning wondering what interesting things I will experience that day. Some days I see incredible things and some days I think I just pass by incredible things without taking notice. I'm learning to appreciate everything and not take for granted what is here. I want to notice everything and share it. For instance, I would love to bottle up some of this frigid air and share it with everyone.

It was -14 this morning. My furnace will run, shut off for about a minute and then turn back on again. It does that all day and all night. When it was -10 I learned a valuable lesson. If I wash my hands before walking out the door to leave I should dry them thoroughly. I didn't that day and my hand stuck to the doorknob. Also, the air is extremely dry in Mammoth and I have a perpetual case of dry skin and I have become a human sparkler from all the static electricity. I decided this is an area that I can give myself a pass on for needing to appreciate. Just because I am getting zapped in Yellowstone doesn't necessarily make it awesome.

Rams At Last!

Either sheer excitement has overtaken me or I've had one too many cans of Mt. Dew. I just can't stop smiling. After my last post I decided to go into Gardiner, keeping an eye on the cliffs (but mostly on the road). I finally spotted a ram! Luckily there was a pull out so I could sit there and watch the ram across the river. As I watched him I started hearing the sound of sliding and falling rocks. Oh oh! My first instinct was to look above my car in fear that I would have some explaining to do to my insurance man (who is probably still recovering from the shock of having $2,000 worth of damage to a vehicle when I hit a raccoon a year ago). Nothing was above me and that is when I saw three more rams coming down from above the ram I was watching.

While I watched these three descend I also happened to notice two more laying on an outcrop above them.

That is when the first ram came down further and started to walk down the road right toward me. He eventually climbed the hill on my side of the road and joined two more rams. I watched the three rams, who were still across the river, ram and butt each other. One decided he had enough and went and grazed by himself while I captured the silhouette of the other two when they took a break from antagonizing each other.

I never made it into Gardiner.

The Time Of My Life

I have developed the habit of playing music according to where I am in the Park. I guess each area of the Park has its own impact on how a person feels. For instance, when I'm in Hayden Valley I tended to play Pachelbel's Canon. It just seemed to fit the atmosphere. Between Canyon and Norris I seem drawn to The Doors. Now I almost feel compelled to find the perfect music for Lamar and the Blacktail. I've tried everything from Judas Priest to Elton John. I haven't found the perfect singer or song for those areas.......until today. More on that later.

When I left the Mammoth area to head toward Lamar I came across the bison that I've seen here. And since I like the idea of having something to identify certain creatures with I have christened him Big Boy. And he is a big boy.

Once I got to the Blacktail I found myself stuck behind this little coyote as he winded his way down the road. Since no one was around I certainly didn't mind driving at a snails pace behind him as he went left, then right, then left. He did not want me to pass him which was fine since watching wildlife was the whole reason I was out there.

He did some mousing in the ditches and he came up with this little pile of snow on his nose.

He eventually left the roadway but as I was checking my picture on my camera he made his way back to the middle of the road and I followed him some more. This time it was the animal that used a pull off and I continued on my way.

When I came to Floating Island Lake I found 3 coyotes in the middle of the road. Above is a picture of one of them. One had a radio collar, which is the first one I've seen with one. One, when he saw me, ran for the hills while the other two wandered the edge of the road. The one with the radio collar made a successful kill of probably a mouse (he did a triple pounce to get it).

After watching a herd of elk near Tower Junction I came across this beauty between the junction and the Yellowstone River. He (and this I know positively since he lifted his leg on every stationary object) is only the second fox I've seen this year.

By this time I'm feeling pretty giddy. I just couldn't believe the incredibly luck I was having seeing interesting things. As I was snapping pictures I realized that the lyrics to the song that was playing on the radio were: "I hope you had the time of your life." And that I was.

After climbing on this rock he got down and did some mousing. I captured a couple fox pouncing shots. Finally something other than a pouncing coyote.

On my way back to Mammoth I had to slow down and go around Big Boy as he lumbered up the hill east of the Gardner River. As I drove around him he stopped and looked at me with that one huge eye on my side. He is indeed a massive and beautiful animal and I think the name Big Boy fits him perfectly.

Canyon 2010

Old friends from Canyon have been contacting me these past few days as we find out who will be returning to Canyon next summer. There is a great group coming back. And I will be there, too. I will be arriving there May 10 with an end date of October 2, 2010. Great friendships develop over the summer since we all work, live and eat together and it will be great to see those faces again next May. I am looking forward to it. I am really beginning to miss some of my old summer haunts. I miss my drives through Hayden Valley and trips through the canyon to Cody. And my drives over Dunraven and finding bison wandering around on the road at the summit. I wonder what the Magnificent One is doing and if the Dorm Bison misses all the activity by the Canyon dorms. And if Bob has found another road to travel on.

I have been here in Mammoth for just over 7 weeks now. I've been seeing a real change in temps, its cold and the wind is really whipping outside. The store has a nice little fireplace and I enjoy warming up beside it. I have heat tape on the waterlines where I live and they are working great. Every morning I get a good dose of warm water from the cold water line when I brush my teeth. The other night I witnessed a spectacular sight. The moon was full and huge and I watched it as it rose over Mount Evert. I could see the outline of the trees at the top as the moon rose behind it. There had been a dusting of snow the other night and I came out in the morning to find huge wolf tracks right by my car. A motion detector night vision camera would be interesting to have.

-10 Degrees

Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned cold weather in my past post. This morning I woke up to -10 degrees. It has climbed up to about 4 degrees at this point. It is supposed to be -10 degrees tonight again. When it gets this cold the terraces really start to steam. I can see elk sitting on the top of the hill behind the store soaking in the sun.

Yesterdays weather was interesting. Monday night the wind blew hard and it shakes and rattles my place. Then the snow came in and it snowed and blowed until later afternoon. I loved watching the snow mostly because I knew I only had a 1 mile drive home after work.

The other day they were spread across the road and canyon just south of the Boiling River. With the road winding through the canyon extra caution had to be used. I found a few yesterday lounging on Opal Terrace.

As for my 'down time' in the evenings I have become a fan of the show Friends. Up until October I was possibly the only person left in the US who had never seen a single episode of Friends. I now have all 10 seasons of the show and I'm currently finishing up Season 8. Who knew it would take Yellowstone for me to finally watch this show. Last night I watched Grand Torino, my first movie in months. Otherwise my evenings are occupied with my computer and the washing machine.

Thanksgiving

I came across these deer as I was heading into Gardiner on Monday afternoon.

Thanksgiving Day

A herd of elk were wandering around Mammoth on Thanksgiving morning. I was heading to Lamar but managed to get a picture of them with the terrace in the background. I would of preferred to have a picture of them from their other end but sometimes you just have to get what you get.

The trees in Lamar were frosty that morning. The wind would puff a little and flakes would float down down from the trees and sparkle in the sun. It was gorgeous. Two coyotes were mousing so I spent some time watching them make their way through the frost. The Park was incredibly busy and I passed numerous cars on my drive. Many of them were from Minnesota and we would all acknowledge each other as we would recognize the others license plate.

A close up of the frost on the trees. When I zoom in on this picture I can see each crystal and flake.

After my trip to Lamar I went to Darryl and Judy's for Thanksgiving dinner. All of us from the YGS had been invited. They live in one of the historic homes south of the Visitors Center. I had always been curious as to what those houses look like on the inside and all I can say is they are just as gorgeous on the inside as they are on the outside. Lots of woodwork, a fireplace, tall ceilings and beautiful light fixtures. Darryl and Judy were gracious hosts and we had a great Thanksgiving dinner with old and new friends.

People have been spotting a black wolf and a gray wolf in the Mammoth area. We have been finding wolf prints in the snow behind the store. I enjoy wandering around there during my lunch hour looking and following the prints around the store. Today I heard coyotes yipping from the hill behind the store and waited for awhile in case they decided to make a showing. I never did see them but enjoyed listening to them. I haven't seen the bison in the past few days but I did see three huge bull elks by Lava Creek, where they have returned since their visit to Mammoth for the rut.

The weather has been decent this past week. The temps have been in the 40's. This morning I woke up to the sound of the snowplow. I love the snow so I bolted out of bed to see that we got about an inch overnight. I can't wait for our first dumping of snow. The temps are now cooling down with highs expected in the 20's. Since the coldest temp I have ever experienced was -58 degrees (Minnesota 1995) and -20 degrees for numerous days was a normal winter experience for me I am prepared for anything Mammoth can throw at me.

Realm of the Coyote

Thanks to Steve I now know that the National Geographic film about the Yellowstone coyote is called Realm of the Coyote. Thanks Steve for emailing me the info. Great film. So in honor of finding out the name I have included yet another leaping coyote picture. This guy was mousing in Lamar this morning and he spent a great deal of time burying his face in the snow looking for lunch before making this acrobatic leap into the air.

The above picture I took of Mammoth this morning on my way back from Lamar. The picture below I took yesterday to show what Mammoth looks like on a snowy Sunday afternoon. If you have only been here in the summer it is hard to believe that it can be so empty. The congestion of summer is gone but in about 3 weeks the hotel will open for the winter season and it will be bustling with activity again.

And this is me with a rock and a tree just above the Lamar River on the way into Lamar Valley.

Eagle

For the first time since I've come to Mammoth I finally saw my first bison in Mammoth. This guy was sleeping just off the road half way up to the Yak. I've heard about the bison coming into the Yak and I've been waiting patiently for an arrival. I suppose it can be a bit disconcerting to open your door to find a bison at the bottom of your steps but the Dorm Bison has trained me well and I will know what to: look before leaping, so to speak.

Snow has been falling since this morning so the road to Lamar was covered in white (with some ice in some spots). Before I left I made myself a winter survival kit for my car, something I've done for years and have never had to use and hopefully will never have to - but it's there if I need it). In Lamar I only saw a couple other vehicles, which is such a strange feeling. I saw this eagle perched in a tree and while I took its picture a coyote crossed the road behind my vehicle. I adore eagles and I've seen many of them in Minnesota. I even was having a sort of eagle problem when a couple of them decided that my pet ducks were delicious. They would swoop into my duck pen and hold them down and rip their feathers out while I would run out and try to shoo them away. I guess I'm not very intimidating to an eagle because they would just kind of look at me and then fly onto a low branch and study this odd human behavior of running around with arms waving. Most of the ducks were too heavy to carry away but occasionally they would grab a young one and I would see it in the grips of an eagle as it quacked out of sight. So that is my experience with eagles. Though I've lost a few pets to the species I still admire them.

I also had another coyote cross in front of my car by Pebble Creek and I watched him mouse for awhile. I take a lot of pictures of the coyotes I see. I seem to be accumulating quite a collection of pouncing coyotes pictures. Am I tired of seeing the coyotes? Absolutely not. I remember years ago watching a National Geographic (I think) show on a Yellowstone coyote who was run off from his pack and his trials of trying to survive on his own, find another pack to join, and finding a mate. If anyone knows what show I'm talking about please contact me so I can figure out how to get a copy of it! This is off the topic but I once watched a National Geographic show when I was a kid about a pelican during the dry season in Africa. After investing an hour watching this poor pelican try to survive the final scene was of it's dead carcass laying on the parched ground. Aaagh! I like the happy endings and I do remember the coyote show having a happy ending.

My alarm clock this morning was the dragging blade of a snowplow as it came by at 6:30. When I hear that noise I know it snowed overnight. There wasn't much snow on the ground, an inch or two, but I love the white and it makes everything look so much more beautiful. It is sunny here now but I can see the clouds dumping some more snow up in the surrounding mountains.

A couple nights ago my neighbor had saw a wolf in the Yak and the next morning came out to find wolf prints around the road and his vehicle. It had been chasing an elk down the road and across a boardwalk one row over from my place. I've heard numerous stories about the wildlife coming into the Yak and I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open for the animals.

The elk were by the store yesterday. A couple younger bucks like to tussle around with their antlers. I sat outside yesterday afternoon to watch 3 elk graze behind the store. They would grab the stem of some long vegetation and pull it through their mouth as they stripped the leaves off. I could hear the stalk of each plant squeak through their mouths. It was entertaining and then a little rabbit came hopping by their feet. Earlier in the week I found coyote prints in the parking area behind the store. I always look around when I head back to the garbage dumpster, I'm never sure what I will see.

Hiking With Larry

Antelope by the North Entrance

Larry

My day was supposed to be a quiet one but thank goodness it didn't turn out that way. This morning I decided to head into Gardiner for a quick stop at the Food Farm. As usual I got a bit sidetracked by the herd of antelope by the north entrance and then decided to drive past the school to watch another herd wandering around. They are now losing their antlers and there are the occasional ones walking around all lopsided with one antler.

On my way back into the Park I saw Larry in a pullout so I swung in to say hi to him. He invited me to accompany him on a hike to go find some big horn sheep. He had photographed about 10 of then the day before butting heads and since I still have to see a ram in that area I decided to tag along. Luckily I keep an extra coat and gloves in the car. I brought my camera along and we headed out on what turned out to be a 3 mile hike.

It was a beautiful hike with lots of blue sky and a bit of a cutting wind. We hiked across a flat area where the army used to practice their shooting skills (he even pointed out the pit area that was used and we came across all sorts of old debris). We hiked back around and stopped every once in awhile to look for the sheep or any wolves in the area. The total count of our hikes wildlife viewing included: 1 dead weasel that met it's end in the jaws of probably a coyote, a partial elk skull with some vertebrae connected, some other misc. bones and a Clark's Nutcracker. But it was a great hike and I'm glad I met up with him so that I could have the opportunity to get off the pavement.

Cooke City, Silver Gate & Spring 2009 Snow Removal Pics

The following are pictures that I took this morning at the request of Rick in Atlanta. If you have ever been to Cooke City in the summer you know that the place is packed. This time of year when the snow levels are still low it is a much quieter place. Once more snow comes it will be bustling with snowmobilers. It is a very picturesque town surrounded by mountains and a great place to stop for a refreshment after a trip over Beartooth Pass.

Cooke City Looking West

Cooke City Looking East

While in the area I thought I would snap a picture of Silver Gate. I have only driven through the town but I think this would be an interesting place to stop at during the summer when everything is open.

Silver Gate Looking West

A friend of mine does snow removal in the spring and gave me some pictures that show some of that process. These pictures were taken this past spring. The first picture shows how much snow accumulates by the buildings in Canyon Village.