Today was our final full day in the park. I hate that feeling. I know we have to go home and live life, but I just wish I could live life in Yellowstone! It’s not easy saying goodbye but I know I will be back. This place brings me a lot of joy and serenity. Its spiritual too. After my grandmothers passing back in March I have felt even more of a connection with the places I love. I realize how lucky I am and I will never forget that.
There is a theme in our travels through the park and we didn’t stray from it this morning. We woke up and it was off to Lamar Valley. The wolves had been active out that way over the last few days, especially up at the den that they have come back to for several years now. Mom and the pups had been hanging close by and we were hoping to catch a glimpse. No such luck this morning but on the way out to Lamar, near Black-tail Ponds, we did spot a lone coyote trotting along!
After our coyote sighting, the wildlife went pretty silent on us. The rest of the trip in Lamar was beautiful though. You wouldn’t find me complaining. After we drove out and back, we headed up to Tower and over Washburn. On our way up, we stumbled upon a well known and loved favorite with the locals and frequent visitors… Rosie! Rosie is a female black bear. She is named after Teddy Roosevelt, being that she is a bear and that she stays near the Tower-Roosevelt Junction area. Her fame stems from generally having more than the average bear when it comes to cubs. Most years you will see her with three to four little cubs. This year she was with her yearlings who were born last year and guess what, there were three of them! We didn’t get too much time to watch her as she moved down the road where one of the rangers had the fun job of keeping people away from them and from stopping on the road. I have so much respect for park rangers, especially in Yellowstone!
After our run in with Rosie, we headed up and over to Canyon and then out to Hayden Valley. There was a rumor of a carcass near the edge of the Yellowstone River but it was several days old already. When we got to the area, nothing was on it. I guess no one was hungry at that moment! We did however spot a pair of Trumpeter Swans enjoying the seasonal lakes created by snow melt along some of the small creeks in Hayden. It used to be that Trumpeter Swans were hard to see in Yellowstone but due to conservation efforts, their presence has increased and that makes me very happy. Such beautiful and peaceful birds. As long as you leave them alone.
After a there and back trip through Hayden it was over to Norris junction where we stopped for lunch and said goodbye to family that had been traveling with us. At this point our luck changed, just as we thought we would be leaving Yellowstone without another big animal sighting.
As we approached the Swan Lake and Golden Gate area it was very apparent, based on the traffic and cars, that we had a large animal sighting in the area. We have been deceived before, watching people lose all sensibility and driving skills to see an elk but this was different. Off in the sage was a big mama grizzly with her two cubs. Score!
The cubs and mom were content, scrounging for grubs and shrubs, and didn’t seem to be in a hurry to move. We were far enough away that my photos weren’t great. As I scanned the scenery around us I noticed two brown shapes moving along the foothills past Swan Lake. After taking a glimpse, we realized it was a pair of adult grizzlies! Five grizzlies in less than half a mile from one another, that’s a record for us! we drove back down the road and pulled out in a safe spot, watching them head up the hillside.
We then turned around and patiently scoped out a spot to pull over safely and watch mama with her cubs. Our patience paid off and we found a great spot, completely off the road and safely out of the way of others. The ranger was allowing people to get out of their cars as these bears were well over 200 yards away. I spoke with her at length and learned that the pair we had just seen were a mating pair, male and female. This isn’t something you typically see, but according to the ranger they are very young and will likely stick together until then end of summer to the beginning of fall when the male will hopefully get the female pregnant and she will have her first cub or cubs in the spring. You see something new each time you come!
Mama Grizz and her cubs out in the sage.
We eventually had to stop our fun grizzly viewing session and move on, but thats ok! What we didn’t know at that very moment was that we would see plenty more. Because evening was approaching and we were hitting that time of day when animals are often out, we decided to test our luck again with Lamar Valley.
The drive from Mammoth to Tower was beautiful but uneventful. After turning off to Lamar Valley and the Northeast entrance, we immediately ran into a crowd at the bridge that crosses over the Yellowstone River. Unfortunately it was a bear jam. One in which mama bear and her cubs were stuck on the bridge and trying to just cross the river and get to the other side of the road. I have a feeling this was the same black bear and cubs we saw the other day, napping in the sage under some trees in this same spot. Luckily the rangers arrived to stop the moronic tourists from trapping the bears by getting out of their cars and walking onto the bridge. You would think common sense prevails but sadly, people will do anything for a photograph these days.
Once the bears crossed and were safely down by the river, traffic flow continued and the rangers kept people from stopping at all. We continued on as well and decided to head out to the Slough Creek area to see if we could do a bit of wold viewing. We must have had excellent luck because as we found an spot and pulled out the spotting scope, the female and several of the pup were out of the den and playing in the brush. Even though it was through a spotting scope, we got to see my beloved wolves! We sat there for a good hour or so, watching and listening to them play and talk to one another. We probably would have stayed longer but a sudden pocket of rain came through and drove us back to the car. We decided we would drive out to Pebble Creek to see what else we could see and then come back.
The clouds cleared quickly and the evening views of Lamar were stunning. The bison were on the move and close to the roads with their babies, most likely moving into safer spots for the evening. Most of the calves were full of energy; bouncing and darting around with one another. They are such a sight to see! Sure they are one of the most common mammals in Yellowstone but they still bring a lot of join and interest.
Bison on the Move
Nudging Baby Along
Just before turning around at Pebble Creek to head back, we spotted a moose up along the foothills across the Lamar River. Because the light was so low and it was too far away to capture, even with my good lens, I didnt get a picture like I had hoped to. But we did see another moose!
We stopped one last time around Slough Creek but the wolves had moved on. We drove down to the campgrounds and back, catching a beautiful sunset on the way back. Several large bull bison were laying in the open meadows, settling in for the night.
Post Rain Sunsets
Slough Creek Sunset
The sunsets were once again spectacular and the end of our day was perfect. I will be sad to leave in the morning, but that is how life goes. We had a wonderful visit in Yellowstone and with any luck we will be back again soon! Until then, I have all of these images and memories to carry home with me.
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Pavement to Trail 