Wednesday/Thursday May 30/31 Yellowstone

Wednesday May 30

We started the morning out once again looking for #610, but again no luck. We decided to take photos of the juvenile grizzly, this time in the sun with green grass instead of drizzle and snow.

It was a very slow day so we headed up north to find some landscape shots, but with the dreary, cloudy skies, that didn’t pan out either. So before the light began to fade, we made one more pass through the park, again looking for #610. We ended up on Moose Wilson road and we looked for the bedded down pregnant moose but she had moved on, so did we. At the beaver lodge, we found a Great Blue Heron who was fishing. He had been perfectly still until all of the sudden he lunged forward and came up with a nice size fish in his long beak. I did not get a good shot of him but Rick did all right.

Soon after he took off with to eat his dinner, a beaver came out of the lodge and was in a perfect position for photos. No twigs, no grasses in the way.

We also spotted another female moose not too far away and took some nice shots of her.

The night was fast approaching, so we left for the trailer and called it a night.

Thursday May 31

Being our last day, we knew we had only a couple of hours to find something. And we did. Along Cattleman’s Bridge, a dirt road that leads you through thick woods to the Snake River, I spotted an eagle. He was sitting high in the trees across the river. Really just a speck, but our lenses are long so we took the opportunity to photograph him. We set up waiting for him to take off as it was our goal to catch him in flight, like Rick did last fall.

Soon, a raven swooped in, screeching, flying towards him. The eagle chirps. The raven makes another pass in front of him and then lands in the same tree just a couple of feet above him. He is flapping his wings, cawing at the eagle and the eagle responds in kind. It was an interesting display of harassment, for sure! Finally, the eagle grows tired of the ravens hassles and takes off with the raven close behind. They fly down the river out of sight, and we look at each other with huge smiles on our face. What a treat!!

One last trip down Moose Wilson Road, the only wildlife was this cute little ground squirrel putting on a show. He stretched and rolled over onto his back showing me his belly, like little Callie does for me when she wants a tummy rub.

It was time to go and pack up the trailer to move onto Yellowstone. Just as we round the corner about a mile from the RV park, I ask Rick if we can go down this dirt road because “you never know if there is a fox or coyote there.” He says no, we do not have time. Seconds later, just as we pass the dirt road, you won’t believe it, we spot a coyote! We followed him with other curious visitors and got a few shots. She wasn’t moussing, but she answered my wishes, and for that I feel blessed.

Stay tuned. Yellowstone is sure to bring more joy and wonders...

Tuesday May 29 - Grand Tetons National Park

Tuesday May 29

The weather was simply gorgeous. We could actually see the mountains today! For two days, the mountains played hide and seek behind the wintery mix. But today, the mountainside presented bright, white jagged edges covered in fresh snow with wisps of clouds swirling about the tips.  It was a gorgeous day!

We were once again on the search for Grizzly Bear #610 and her cubs. We drove our regular route that included a stop at the old barn on Mormon Road. We then stopped at Blacktail Pond overlook and found a very pregnant moose grazing through the willows. The scene was very peaceful while the sun lit her big, gangly body against the bright, green grass in the valley.

Still on the hunt for #610, we took a dirt road that hovers above the Snake River. It was quite desolate but as we turned a bend we saw a large group of female elk running fast. We aren’t certain but we believe a black wolf caused the panic. Through binoculars I saw a short black furry mess as it chased two of the elk. There just wasn’t enough detail to be certain.

With our tummies growling, we headed back to the trailer with what was to be a quick stop at Pelican Creek for a landscape photo. However, I spied a fuzzy animal scurrying between sage brush about 100 yards away. I lose sight of her and tell Rick, "It’s smaller than a fox and bigger than a ground squirrel!" At 50 yards away, I see her scurrying by again, her tail just twitching like crazy. Finally, I spot her in a tree, still unsure exactly what this creature is. After several minutes of her watching me and me watching her, I finally learn she is a yellow bellied marmot. I take a few photos and she waves me off with her twitching tail. "Okay, Momma. I will leave you alone to your young ones." I can only imagine that is why she scurried across the distance of the meadow like that with a twitching tail to boot.

That afternoon, we make our way to Moose Wilson road, well on the other side of the park. We find ourselves looking down on another female moose. She grazes for a bit, and then beds down in the new growth surrounding the tall willows.

Soon after, a woman from England spots another moose across the creek in dead willow. He finally peeks out and it is a juvenile moose. Rick and I actually saw him earlier in the day crossing the road but he slipped into the woods as quickly as he came out so we did not attempt to take his photo. This time, however, we took plenty of shots of him eating and cruising through the creek. At one point he came too close to the female moose; she stood straight up and kept her eye on him, ready to defend her bed. He realized this and ran to the other end of the creek, finally slipping out of site.

We only had a couple of hours of light so we went down the road a bit to find beaver we had photographed last year. Sure enough an hour later, our patience prevailed and we watched a beaver swim out of her large hut into a clump of willows and chewed on a fresh branch. We moved our position several times because she was obscured by twigs and limbs. About twenty minutes later, to our surprise, another beaver made his way over to her. They rubbed noises as they greeted one another and then began to frolic around. They shared a twig, but soon parted. It was an awesome sight. Something we had never seen before

What a perfect ending to a gorgeous day!

Sunday/Monday May 27/28 - Grand Tetons National Park

Greetings Family and Friends!

It is that time of year for our annual spring trip to the Grand Tetons Mountains and Yellowstone Park. We arrived in the Grand Tetons on May 26th Saturday afternoon and was promptly greeted with a wintery mix of rain and slushy snow. We braved the damp, dreary weather to find wildlife but found none. The weather is dreary our spirits are not. We will be here for five days and the weather forecasts a lovely time in the park.

Sunday, May 27
We woke up to a 1 inch of white, fluffy snow blanketing the ground. We drove through the magical wonderland now looking a little foreign to us with this white stuff clinging to the evergreens. The snow was still coming down and we made our way through the park. Obviously the animals were hunkered down so we headed back to the trailer for lunch and a long nap.

We got dressed and made our way through the park, and again, the animals were a no-show. Our tummies were growling so we stopped at Dornans and I had a delicious pizza while Rick ate a great burger. Had it not been for the heavy overcast, we would have had a terrific view of the snow covered mountains. Since the weather was not cooperating, we drove to the city of Jackson Hole and walked amongst other tourists, doing touristy stuff like shopping for shirts and maybe a jacket. My Yellowstone jacket is getting worn, so a new on is on order this trip.

On the way back, the skies were darkening quick and big snowflakes were coming down fast. We spotted a small traffic jam and sure enough a young grizzly cub was feeding on grubs and roots. This cub is the descendant of the famed Grizzly sow #399. We first saw 399 with three cubs in the spring of 2006 on our very first visit. She charmed tourists from across the world.

In 2011, she gave birth to another set of triplets. However, one was separated from the pack late last year and ended up with a sow who had two cubs of her own-#610, 399's daughter from 2006. And then just recently, a boar separated mom from her remaining two cubs. One cub went one way the other one stayed near Colter Bay and that is who we discovered on this snowy evening. Rick tried out his new camera to see if the technical capabilities worked better with less light, as it is touted. Cold and more wet snow ended our stay and we headed back to the trailer.

Monday, May 28
We woke up to another inch or two of fresh snow on the ground but it was quickly melting. We got going and our first stop was to take photos of the snow landscape. Just as we finished, we saw a couple of cars parked in the same location we found the little cub the night before. We followed suit and took pictures of this little guy digging through soft snow looking for roots and grubs. After 40 minutes or so, we moved on to see the rest of the park.

At Moose Wilson Road, we came across a traffic jam I was not expecting. It was a great gray owl that everyone was after. We again followed suit with our cameras and as luck would have it, she flew off. With heavy gear on our shoulders we walk towards this large, majestic creature and finally have just enough time to snap off a few pics before she flew away again.

That afternoon, after a delicious lunch of BBQ chicken wings made by hubby dearest, we had a quick visit with the Newsoms. Earl and Carol Sue Newsom (friends from Wylie) try to meet up with us at least one or two days when we go to Yellowstone. They decided to stop by to say hello before heading on up to West Yellowstone. We see them in four days. No telling what adventure lies around the corner for us. There is always something! Last year it was a baby elk who sought refuge against our car tire in the middle of the road!

We head out looking for new sightings, so we pass up the disorderly bear jam that little guy near Colter Bay caused. It was a circus. I feel for the park rangers. People driving in the other lane to pass other cars in no-passing zones, tourists too close to the bear. We drive through the park and pull off onto a gravel road and we don't scare much up. Rick spots a Ruffed Grouse putting on a show. A couple of elk were grazing.

We take the obligatory drive up Signal Mountain. Found a female elk along the hillside that appeared to be ready to give birth. She was laying down but her belly was big! After coming down the mountain we learned of a bear jam with #610 and her three cubs (remember, one of those cubs belongs to her mother). We drove to the other end of the park only to miss some excitement. Apparently mom was attempting to get a moose calf for dinner. The failed attempt allowed the calf one more chance at a long life. but we never saw the four bears emerge.

We did have a little bit of luck down the road. We found a fox and followed her for about 30 minutes, finally getting some good shots as she came up the hill. It was dark and my photos prove that, but Rick's new camera should have done much better. We don't know yet because we haven't downloaded a software plug-in. And with limited Internet it will be a while before we see his photos.

Well, that is all for now. Tomorrow is another day!