Posted by Jenny on August 21, 1997 at 07:57:01:
In Reply to: Re: Another GREAT trip! And my trip report (long but hopefully interesting) posted by Patrick Henry on August 20, 1997 at 20:02:06:
: Nice Report!!!!!!
: Sounds like you had a great time.
:
: : Saturday August 9th. We arrived in the park at around 3:30 in the afternoon and headed toward Bridge Bay. Perhaps the most striking thing to me was the beautiful wildflowers everywhere I looked. There were SO many! As we approached Fishing Bridge Junction, we noticed a group of people on the road. We stopped to see what was up and discovered a grogeous grizzly in the meadow just North of the junction. Ranger Browhide (sp?) explained that he was one of a set of twins. Him and his brother are 3 years old and had tried feeding in the backcountry, but, since they are young, they were chased away by older bears. Having grown up near Fishing Bridge, they resorted to the prime vegetation in the area. I didn't mind! Made some great photos! We proceeded to camp.
: : Sunday August 10th. We headed out in the morning for Fishing Bridge, hoping to spot the grizz again. He wasn't around, so my neice signed up for her Jr. Ranger stuff. We headed to the Canyon and hiked around a bit. I was suprised to see SO many osprey this year. We were able to see an osprey nest with chicks with our spotting scope. They were cute! We then headed to Norris where we walked around and saw one of the geysers go off (I forgot which one. It goes all the time and thrills people by splashing water on them). We finished with a quick look at Old Faithful. As we headed back to camp, we stopped again at Fishing Bridge and were again treated to watching the grizz root and graze.
: : Monday August 11th. We woke to find that it was somewhat cloudy and rainy in the park. So we headed out toward Reclamation Road. This is a wonderful drive through the South end of the park. It starts at Flagg Ranch and ends in Ashton, Idaho. It is a rough dirt road, but well worth the drive! We stopped several times to photograph the wildflowers. Toward the end of the trip, we came to Indian Lake. This is the COOLEST looking lake! It is quite big and COMPLETELY covered with blooming lily pads. It is quite a sight and shouldn't be missed. We ate a quick lunch in Ashton then headed for Mesa Falls. It is still in Idaho, but is a short 16 miles from the town. This is a beautiful waterfall. We then headed up toward West Yellowstone and were treated to a HUGE bull moose grazing on willows. We were getting good pics when a bee scared my nephew and he danced around, startling the moose and sending him into the trees.
: : Tuesday August 12th. We went to West Thumb and walked around the hot springs. This was the first opportunity I have ever had to view Fishing Cone out of the water. We proceeded to Mammoth and a visit with the Yellowstone Association. Then we headed for the Blacktail Plateau Drive. It was rather unpopulated with cars, so we took our time. Toward the end of the road, we spotted three rather large bull moose. Afterwards we headed for the Lamar Valley to try and spot wolves in the area that John suggested... but no luck :( As we were leaving the valley we watched a nice looking dark brown black bear in the meadow right next to the road.
: : Wednesday August 13th. We spent the day in the Tetons. Saw some moose, bald eagles, great blue herons, and trumpeter swans. We finished the day with an evening program at Bridge Bay on Bears.
: : Thursday August 14th. We strolled around the Black Sand Basin. We then stopped at Norris Picnic Area and ate lunch while watching yet another bull moose. We then headed to Lamar Valley. Along the way, we stopped to listen to Ranger Rick's wolf talk at Tower. My nephew had his book "A Society of Wolves" signed and personalized by Rick. We sat in the Lamar Valley with a group of wolf watchers for several hours. Finally, I spotted a grizzly sow and her 2 cubs up on the hillside behind the Buffalo Ranch. I was watching them for a short while when Ranger Rick called out "Wolves!" My heart jumped to my throat as I watched wolf #39 and one of the Druid Peak pack's pups come out of the trees! This was my first experience seeing wolves. A chill went down my spine and my hair stood on end (funny sight considering it is long... hehehehe). We watched the pack for a short while before they disappeared. I will never forget that experience!
: : Friday August 15th. We toured the Old Faithful and Upper Geyser Basin area. We saw the tail end of a Grand Geyser erruption and saw Sawmill erupt. We went on out to West Yellowstone for some shopping and along the Madison River, we stopped to photograph Trumpeter Swans and a Bald Eagle. We then tried to spot wolves in Lamar again. We caught the grizz sow and cubs as they went over the ridge, but then it started raining and it was much too cloudy and foggy to view anything.
: : Saturday August 16th. Our last full day in the park and we headed out to hike into Pelican Valley. This is a very pretty hike. It follows the treeline for a few miles, occassionally going in and out of the trees, then breaks out into the open valley and Pelican Creek. We weren't fortunate to view any critters but saw LOTS of bear scat along the trail and saw a coyote at the trailhead. We then went to West Yellowstone for dinner at Pizzza Plus (good pizza) and then took the long way back into camp, stopping in Hayden Valley to watch another grizz just above Alum Creek.
: : Sunday August 17th. Our trip was over. I think this was one of our best wildlife viewing trips! Is 8 a lucky number? I didn't want to leave, but work was waiting at home.....
: : Well that's it! Here is what we saw wildlife wise: 5 grizzlies, 1 black bear, the Druid Peak wolf pack, elk, muledeer, moose (mostly bulls), rutting bison, 2 coyotes, trumpeter swans, great blue herons, bald eagles, osprey, redtailed hawk, golden eagle, sandhill cranes, pelicans (of course), and pronghorn (I'm sure I missed something somewhere).
: : Hope this didn't bore y'all too much!
: : Nan
Nancy,
What a great trip! We are leaving Texas tonight for Yellowstone and you helped fuel my excitement about my trip and all the wildlife possibilities. I can't wait to check out the Lamar area for wolves. Thanks for all the details.