"There is nothing so American as our national parks. The scenery and wildlife are native. The fundamental idea behind the parks is native. It is, in brief, that the country belongs to the people, that it is in process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us. The parks stand as the outward symbol of this great human principle." Franklin D. Roosevelt

Saturday, November 28, 2009

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.