Winged Hitchikers

Today is an absolutely gorgeous day with the warm temp and the sunny skies. It is what I would consider a 'coat optional' day for those wandering the sidewalks of Mammoth. Yesterday the thermometer in my car registered 42 degrees and I'm sure that today will be at least that. If the clear sky holds out until tonight it will be perfect full moon viewing.

The Canyon pack has wandered into the Mammoth area. I listened to one of the researchers last summer when at Canyon and I recall him talking about the Canyon pack wandering between Mammoth and Canyon. I'm usually at work when I hear excited people talking about where the wolves are so I rarely get the opportunity to see them myself. I did, however, get to see some elk on the road this morning as I came down the hill from the Yak. I see the elk all of the time but I still enjoy seeing them.

I also got the opportunity to watch some antelope by the North Entrance yesterday. They are in that area on a regular basis. Some of the younger bull elk also hang out by the Arch and yesterday I watched one lay in the sun as a magpie wandered around on his back. Birds are notorious for hitching rides with the elk and bison. Winged hitchikers.

I have been hearing from a few of my friends from Canyon and we are all excited about getting back there.

The Swarm

Here is a special message to Dave: I have been informed by Jackie that you will be joining the YGS family and will be working with me at the Adventure Store in Canyon this summer. I'm looking forward to a great summer there.

I have been getting a bit antsy lately. When I get off work it is noticeably lighter outside. But it lasts just long enough for me to take a short drive with some light. The elk have been hanging out in Mammoth. Yesterday Connie and I watched a female run up the hill by the store only to watch her bounce (literally bounce) back down the hill 2 minutes later with two young bulls behind her. She seemed to be a bit of a tease as she ran much faster toward the boys than away from them. The bulls stopped for a few seconds to butt heads together before they continued on their pursuit of the vixen.

I have heard numerous reports of the Gardiner wolf pack roaming through Mammoth. One local saw them by the corrals at 9:30 the other night and one person saw at least one wolf by the Entrance Station as they drove into the Park. Two days ago as I went home for lunch I felt eyes on me. When I turned around I found Big Boy was across the road standing below a tree. I've been waiting for the bison to make their way into the Yak. I stopped for a few moments the other day to watch the elk herd run on Capital Hill. 3 people had climbed to the top and surprised the herd which immediately swarmed off at full run. They reminded me of a flock of birds that fly in unison (such as the ones I watched in Hayden Valley this summer). The elk were running toward the road and all I could see was a sheet of brown with 100 legs only to have them all turn away leaving me with a view of tan rumps. I've also heard of some bear sightings near Gardiner and bear tracks in the snow east of here.

The temps have dropped this past week. It has been in the 20's during the day and mostly cloudy with a few peaks of sunshine. We've had a few flakes falling during the day but nothing that covers the ground. Snowplowing will be starting on March 8, the same day that the Mammoth Hotel closes. There is plenty of winter left but I am really looking forward to spring.

Kaylee Marie


A few photos that I took on my travels to Bozeman. These were taken south of Livingston.

I started out my day today taking a trip to Lamar. It had been a couple of weeks since I had made any travels there. On the Blacktail I came across a bison sauntering down the road (Big Boy, is that you?) Further on about 1 mile before Hellroaring I came across a bison jam, only my 3rd this winter.

The bison stood in the middle of the road......and stood, and stood and stood. It was a small matter as I rather enjoy just watching them. As soon as one of them decided to move on the rest of the herd followed.

Unfortunately this photo doesn't show the trampled snow very well. Most areas lack an undisturbed snow as the wildlife plow, trample, hop and run through it.

A small herd of bison lounged at the curve of the Lamar River. The snow on the river also has numerous animal tracks.

A trip to Lamar wouldn't be complete without viewing the rams by the hitching posts. When everything is lacking I can always count on see at least one ram. And he appears to know only one pose.

The vegetation by the Soda Butte was rather frosty today. Bison were scattered across Lamar Valley and those close enough to the road that were laying in the snow were breathing a heavy, frost breath.

Coming back from Lamar I came across 6 bighorn sheep right off the side of the road just past the Yellowstone picnic area. I cringed a bit as I watched a man take pictures of a herd of 4 of them from a mere 15 feet away.

Further on as I approached Tower Jct. I watched a coyote mouse. He looked fairly healthy but did have some wounds on both sides of his face and a rather large open wound on his front left leg by the elbow.

Later on I watched as a ranger scared a coyote off the road. The coyote did a huge leap and twist into the ditch but as the ranger moved on the coyote very triumphantly moved back onto the road in front of me.

Last night Judy and I went out for hamburgers at the K Bar. Another reccommendation I have, it's a build-your-own type thing and they were delicious. We are all planning on going out for pizza on Wednesday to say our 'goodbye' to Jeff as his winter season as being the Mammoth YGS manager is over. It's been a good winter and I can now proudly say that I have eaten outside the Park at other places than McDonalds.

Chico

Today I am beginning to wonder if I am part snake. Last night was our big night out for dinner at Chico Hot Springs. I started off with some escargot and moved on to the prime rib...which is where I should of stopped considering that I couldn't finish it. But then the dessert cart was wheeled to the table. That is when the conversation in my head started: "You couldn't finish your meal so go right ahead and cram some more food into your stomach." which is exactly what I did. I finished with cheesecake. This is where the snake part comes in, I won't have to eat again for about 6 months. So if your in Yellowstone and are considering dining out I recommend trying the dining room at Chico Hot Springs. Great food, superb service and I guarantee you will not leave hungry.

This weekend was very busy in Yellowstone. It must of had something to do with the long weekend. Charles stopped in to say "hi" to me (I hope you got some exciting pictures) and I got an exciting e-mail from David who just got his first job in the Park. Mammoth Hotel will only be open for another couple weeks and then things will probably slow down a bit.

We are still waiting for some snow here in Mammoth. Thinking that I may be possibly jinxing any snowfall by excitedly commenting on any Winter Storm Warnings I neglected to mention the one we were in last week. I guess it isn't me because we got zilch with the 'storm'.

23/7

Since I am the Park 23/7 (23 because I go to Gardiner briefly during the week) I am never under pressure to see and do everything like those who are here for short vacations. So when I pass an opportunity to see things of interest I do so because I know I will probably have the chance to see it in the future. I had numerous people tell me about a bobcat by Phantom Lake last weekend that spent 4 hours feeding on a kill. That is something I probably will have to wait a long time to see and I wish I would of had the chance to stop and see that particular bobcat.

There was a kill at the base of Capital Hill this weekend and I saw the researchers watching with interest. I didn't get a chance to see any wolves but I did get to watch a couple eagles perched on rocks as ravens and magpies circled and landed on the kill. A large flock of ravens circling is always a good clue that something of interest is laying on the ground.

With my only two options of travel being east toward Cooke City and north toward Livingston I'm having to rely on spinning around with a pointed finger and heading in the direction that I stop at. Lately it has been north. I see huge herds of mule deer, larger than any herd that I have ever seen in Minnesota. I also have noticed that I see a lot of deer laying down. Not that is really of any interest but Minnesota is heavily wooded (at least the northern portion) and I have actually never seen a deer lying down in the wild because they are usually hidden.

I've also been seeing the antelope quite a bit. I enjoyed one day when I sat and watched 3 of them by the Gardner River. 2 were rather young and were busy bouncing around after each other and running circles around the 3rd older one. I assumed it was the equivalent of humans stopping at a rest area and letting the kids run around the outside of the building to wear off some extra energy before traveling on. I also have had a daily visitor outside my place. A raven has taken to perching itself on top of the light post outside and squawking very loudly. I named him Poe and if I use my imagination I can almost hear the word 'nevermore' in that squawk. If he starts tap, tap, tapping at my door I am out of there.

Those of us here at YGS in Mammoth are gearing up for our big dinner outing at Chico on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to a big slab of prime rib.

Yes, some days it can be a struggle coming up with anything interesting to write about. I have been fighting off the urge to write about how my microwave tends to burn my popcorn or how I sprayed foam carpet cleaner on my carpet and now I have dirty carpet with paths of clean from where the spray hit it. But since I once dedicated an entire post to chapstick this past fall I decided to pass on the boring stuff and just get right to the meat of things - so when I'm not posting for a few days it is because I haven't seen a darn thing. But talking about chapstick, Connie bought me some that is Mt. Dew flavored and it actually has a warning on the label that tells me not to eat it. I'll have to check a Mt. Dew can and see if it has a warning not to use that as chapstick.

And a side note of CONGRATULATIONS! is in order to Benjamin who just recieved his letter of acceptance to the University of Minnesota for their pre-med program. He has been accepted at all 3 universities that he applied to but the U of M is his dream. They only accept about 12% of the 40,000 applicants. With his numerous talents there was never a doubt in my mind that he would be accepted. A job well done!

Whatever you are, be a good one.

Since today is Abraham Lincoln's birthday I thought it would be quite fitting to have today's title be one of his famous quotes. And could Lincoln pump out some thought provoking quotes. This particular one is straight and to the point but I've always been a fan of his quote:

And in the end its not the years in a life but the life in the years.

With the lack of anything substantial to report from here I thought I could just take a few moments to take my hat off (my Yellowstone National Park hat that I wear in the Fountain at work) and salute Abraham Lincoln. And yes, I will try to be a good one.

Another Day Another Adventure

I have been enjoying visits to Bozeman lately. I discovered a great place to buy cd's and I spent a great deal of time browsing there. I listen to a lot of music on my drives through the Park so a nice assortment of music is a must for me. However, I hate it when I buy a mix cd, pop it into my player and then discover that it is sung not by the original bands but by groups like The Singers of Studio 99. It's almost as bad as buying a whole cd that was recorded live. I'm kind of picky that way.

My drives to Bozeman are an adventure in themselves. I am constantly seeing huge herds of mule deer and I have even spotted some bighorns in the valley. Eagles, both bald and golden, are numerous and today I had 3 swans fly over. The mountains are gorgeous with the sun hitting on them just right. It is a spectacular drive. However, with much dawdling on my part I haven't been able to make it back to Gardiner in time to upload my pictures.

It's best to always pay attention when driving south from Livingston. Today I had to brake hard for a herd of mule deer that came running out into the road. There have been numerous times that I've had to slow down for antelope and deer that were on the roads edge but this was one of those instances I was sure I was going to collide with one. Luckily, my insurance man can go another day without hearing from me.

Yesterday I made it to Lamar. There have been quite a few wolf watchers there these past few weeks. The turnouts can get a bit congested so I just drive by. Most people are watching the wolves with their scopes and my scope is safely nestled in its case back at my place. I haven't been using it much lately - actually I haven't been using it at all this winter. I did manage to see a huge and beautiful red fox yesterday. By the time I parked and wandered back to a nice viewing area it had already disappeared. The ram was once again by the hitching posts. He stood like a statue soaking up some sun. I have yet to see an otter but I'm always on the look out for them.

I also saw the usual array of coyotes, bison and elk. It had snowed Friday night in Lamar so the bison were swinging their heads to clear away snow from the grass and the coyotes were plowing through chest deep snow.

The past few mornings I have been finding elk have been hanging out across the road from me. It's a great greeting in the morning when I look out my kitchen window. This morning I watched a coyote meander around the trees and rocks. The snow immediately outside my place is filled with elk tracks.

On Thursday John and Jay stopped in the store to say "Hi!" to me on their way to the Buffalo Ranch. It's always great to meet people who have contacted me. I'm still working on my e-mail replies. I always have good intentions when I sit down at the computer but sometimes time just works against me. I might have to look into buying internet service that I can use in the evenings at my leisure.

I now have new days off: Saturday and Sundays. Same great adventures just new days to experience them.

Gravel Road

I don't know what happened. Well, yes I do. Nothing! Just a mere scattering of flakes. No accumulating snow, no wind, no drifts. That darn Weather Channel and how they lead me on. I did wake up early (5:00 am) and decided to head to Bozeman on Sunday morning. I'm on the road by 6:00 (ahead of what I thought was snow) anticipating some serious grocery shopping. The snow levels are much deeper in Bozeman from what appeared to be a recent snow. I come from the Land of Sand and Salt. In the 70's and 80's most people's vehicles in Minnesota were merely buckets of rust on wheels going down the road from the salt used during the winter. In Montana they use sand which almost appears to be more gravel like. I decided this when cars would pass me and I would watch projectile missiles being thrown up from their tires and repeatedly smack into my window. Most of my drive into Bozeman consisted of me muttering "No! No! No!" as pieces of rock scratched my paint and probably pitted my windshield. But then again, it is way better than sliding out-of-control down the mountain and smashing through the median. Yes, a pitted windshield is much better than a totalled vehicle.

I've been wading through my e-mails recently. I know I have missed sending out some greetings such as to Mike in Centerville, Utah. Buried between numerous unsolicited advertisements from EHarmony and Laser Hair Removal I occasionly stumble across a few that I've overlooked. And if I had paid more attention to my Junk box I would of discovered that I would have been a zillionaire if only I had sent some money to a bank in Nigeria.

The elk have been visiting the metropolis of Mammoth lately. I found one staring at me from behind when I turned around at the garbage bin at the Yak this morning. I had no idea that it was there until our eyes locked and then it put her head down and continued to graze. Coming back from Gardiner one evening I had to stop as I noticed something on the edge of the road ahead of me. It was a young bull standing there who eventually crossed the road. With all the twists and turns on that road it would be very easy to come around a corner and plow right into something.

This weekend I didn't even make it into Lamar. Yesterday, after going to Emigrant to wash road debris off my vehicle, I made a half-hearted attempt to go. In all honestly, I was too tired. I made it just past the Yellowstone picnic area where I watched a couple bison swishing their heads around and grazing then decided to turn around and head back. I came across one coyote by the Blacktail Plateau Drive and the bull elks by Lava Creek. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching season 5 of The Office. Sometimes a relaxing day in Yellowstone is great, too.

4 - 7

I found some time during lunch today to do some browsing on the internet. When I browse it usually doesn't involve anything fun, it is usually checking out weather.com or msn.com to find out what is going on in the world. And today I did get to google Gorgonzola, which turns out to be an Italian blue cheese made from unpasteurized cow or goat milk (Judy & I were were looking at the Chico Dining Room menu and needed to know what Gorgonzola Filet Mignon was). And what's this about Brad & Angelina? That is one of those stories that I'm ok not having to waste my brain space with.

Sometimes I stumble across something interesting, such as that Yellowstone is in a Winter Storm Watch from Saturday night until Monday morning. 4 to 7 inches is expected. I am fascinated by weather and I actually use to watch the Weather Channel for hours as if it had some sort of plot. As I've mentioned, I love snow so I really look forward to a good dumping of it though it may hamper my big plans to go to Bozeman on Monday - I was getting kind of excited to actually venture more than 1/2 mile from the Park boundary.

The Howling

Hello to John! I hope to see you when you and your son come to the Buffalo Ranch!

Yesterday on my way into work I got to stop and listen to the wolves howling off in the distance. It is a mesmerizing sound. It could put someone into a trance. I guess that is why they use wolf sounds in relaxation tapes. It was a packed Taco Tuesday yesterday. Jeff had to bring out more chairs from our break room to seat everyone. I really enjoy those days when the Fountain is busy and I get to see those familiar Tuesday faces. We also got a new espresso machine in and we all got to have a taste test and were rather pleased with the results. I just might become a coffee drinker yet. Wednesdays are another busy Fountain day when the snowmobilers come in. I can make one mean panini.

This morning I went outside right into a cloud bank. It is still cloudy out but the clouds are up in the sky where they belong. The temps in Mammoth lately have been in the 20's. A nice temp for me. The Mammoth YGS gang is planning a dinner at the Town Cafe tomorrow night and another dinner in February at Chico Hot Springs. It's a pretty good group here!

Bighorns

Yellowstone River east of Tower Junction

Elk by Lava Creek

I am sitting in the gift/coffee/internet shop (High Country Espresso) in Gardiner sipping on a delicious mocha taking full advantage of the internet and completely happy that someone else is running the espresso machine and serving me.

My travels today found me admiring the bull elk by Lava Creek. Besides bison and one coyote this was the extent of my wildlife viewing for today. We received about 6 inches of snow in Mammoth these past few days and it has been giving my broom a workout. Everything looks wonderfully white here, especially the trees with snow on the branches.

I know I have commented on my lack of news in the Park and this really hit home yesterday when I found out that the Minnesota Vikings were in the playoffs. I couldn't believe that I somehow missed this important bit of information. I guess it was a good thing then I wouldn't of had days of anticipation under my belt when they lost last night.

On my last trip into Gardiner (Saturday) I found a ram beside the road. As I took pictures of him Connie pulled up and pointed out the pile of sheep behind me. There were over 20 sheep in all and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them munch their cud. Simple pleasures.

Mammoth Sunrise and other Pictures

This is the sunrise that I saw from my kitchen window the other morning.
The view I see on my drive to work every morning.

My morning started out with sweeping between 4 and 6 inches of snow off my steps and car. It is so nice to have snow here. It snowed huge fluffy flakes all day yesterday and into the night. I had today off, Betty switched days with me so that her and Connie could take a snowcoach tomorrow. The roads were rather slick today and it became quickly evident how slippery they were when I came across a car that slid off the road on the Blacktail. It would not be the only vehicle I saw off the road on my travel to Lamar today. I also saw a truck stuck in the snow off the side of the road in Lamar. On my way back to Mammoth I came across a coyote wandering the road by the Tower Ranger Station. After I made my way past him/her a car coming from the other direction flagged me to stop. When I rolled down my window I warned her that there was a car right behind her. Having to make a quick decision the driver behind her hit the snow instead of her car. She wanted to know how much further Lamar was while the poor guy in the other vehicle was hopelessly stuck in the snowbank. She drove away and I offered to help. Luckily for all involved a guy came with a tow strap.

Slippery road on the Blacktail.

Elk by Mammoth this morning.

I am currently sitting in an a shop in Gardiner that sells coffee and has the internet. I finally am able to upload some of the pictures that I have taken these past couple of weeks.

Wolf by Petrified Tree

View from my kitchen window of an elk

Ram by the hitching posts

Bighorn sheep by Yellowstone River

6 bull elks on the Blacktail (only the antlers of one is visible over the hill)

Connie and I visit with Dung & Dunger

Victor, Daniel and Kara

from

Dung & Dunger

Connie and I at the K Bar in our Dung & Dunger shirts

Earthquake Swarm

This past week there has been an earthquake swarm between Old Faithful and West Yellowstone. And living in the Park I knew absolutely nothing about this until today. There are always earthquakes here, most are never felt. I, for one, always wanted to at least feel a tremor but I'm still waiting for that moment. This summer, when laying in bed, I could have sworn that my bed shook but I chalked that incident up to being over tired.

As of 9:00 this morning there had been 1,033 earthquakes here since Sunday afternoon when the swarm began. People have felt them all over the Park and as far north as Gardiner. Earlier this week Judy heard one of these tremors - she heard her dishes rattle. Reading a news release I learned that scientists believe that this swarm is due to tectonics and not volcanic activity. Good to know.

There is a link on the right of this page that will show you where, when, how deep, etc. that these earthquakes are. Yellowstone is definately one fascinating place.

Snow Dance

Though we had flurries here in Mammoth two days ago this mornings snowfall has brought the plows out. I have heard anything from four to six inches but it seems that no matter what is forecasted we only manage to get a dusting here. What snow we do get today can be directly related to the Snow Dance that Judy and Betty did here in the store the other day. We will have to see how much we get and if they have to put some more enthusiasm into their dancing.

First Aid & CPR

Last Tuesday the park service offered a First Aid and CPR course. Myself and three park service employees took advantage of the first class offered. It was an all day class and I immediately noticed that CPR methods have changed since I was certified about 12 years ago. I never had to use CPR (except once on a cat) and hopefully my new certification will never be needed. But in case someone falls to the floor next to me I will be prepared. I also learned how to use the AED, another thing that has been vastly improved from the gel and paddles from years gone by.

My weekend in Lamar was fairly lackluster. I managed to watch a coyote by Floating Island as well as the regular guys (that would be the elk) hanging out on the Blacktail. Monday was even a slower day. It was my first day out in three months were I didn't even manage to see a coyote. I did, however, stop on a overlook in Lamar and listen to wolves across the Lamar River. I never saw them but they made wonderful music.