Jenn and I whiffed on Day 3. I didn't feel it was worth its own trip report, so it'll serve as a prelude to a much better Day 4.
Yesterday we drove the northern circuit in what was actually decent weather, but saw very little. Instead of backtracking endlessly, we decided to "do something different" and headed back to Mammoth (no owls) and south to Norris. I stopped there to drop off a Y-net decal with Patty, who runs the Bookstore and is a forum lurker. After chatting with her for a bit we proceeded east toward Canyon.
At Canyon the open fields were ablaze with sunlight reflecting off wide expanses of snow. There was also quite a crowd, including the Dutch contingent. We had a chance to meet Reny and Erik, and then Helene dropped the bomb on us that we had just missed a wolf crossing back and forth through the snow. I imagine she has some nice photos to share.
The next several hours are something of a haze. We found a flock of pelicans in Hayden, but they were scared off before we could get pictures. And really, that was about it in the way of wildlife. The weather down there was pretty poor all the way around and the animals were hiding out all afternoon.
By the time we returned to Tower, we got to hear all sorts of fun stories on what we had missed out on. I was ready to pack it in and write off the day as a lost cause (getting a decent amount of sleep would've been a nice consiliatory prize), but we chose to stick it out. A couple hours spent freezing our toes off with friends while waiting for a very late Rosie appearance put me in better spirits, with more optimism for the following day.
There was a change on Day 4, and things immediately improved with this wolf sighting. |
On to Day 4, which felt different from the get-go. We entered the park and were greeted by the sight of pronghorns chasing each other across the flats near the Rescue Creek trail. Though it was a bit soggy, I had a sense things were going to improve today.
A light dusting of fresh snow covered the higher elevations, but as we continued east the clouds became lighter and less threatening and things started to dry out. A stop at Floating Island Lake produced a moose sighting. A cow was wading along the far shore, still coated with evidence of the overnight precipitation.
Soon after, the usual two bull moose could be seen along the Petrified Tree road, but we kept moving. Up to Tower we drove, and we were the only ones around. I began to wonder what we were missing elsewhere, as we hadn't even seen any fellow Y-netters show up yet. Back past Calcite Springs we finally found an excuse to stop, as Jenn spotted Rosie emerging from the same trees under which she had disappeared the night before.
We stood and watched and waited. She doesn't have the reputation for being a morning bear, so it was a bit surprising to see her at this hour. The cubs, however, were nowhere to be seen.
Twenty minutes and only one car passed before Stacy and her dad showed up. Things continued to be quiet as we watched momma bear grazing on her own. As the crowd grew slightly (Rick and Sandi showed up by this point), we were filled in on some fresh gossip. Down at Petrified Tree, an elk cow had surprised some onlookers by appearing out of nowhere, chased by a black wolf. The folks present jumped out of their car for a better view, which promptly scared the wolf away.
I digested this news as we snapped a few Rosie shots. The cubs were finally seen playing back in the woods. It almost seemed as though they had snuck out of the tree to romp around while mom wasn't looking. The moment she mosied back to check in on them, they scurried right back up the trunk and pretended like nothing happened. Eventually, they came down, avoided a spanking and nursed briefly before the family ultimately disappeared into the woods.
So, what to do now? I still felt as though something big could be happening in Lamar due to the lack of traffic. But instead of going straight out there, I opted for a quick drive back near Petrified Tree. Wolves had been reported in the area the last couple days, and with the most recent incident I figured we had a right to try our luck.
The drive was empty. Even the moose had disappeared. Some folks were pulled over in the small turnaround near the bottom of the hill, but when I asked them about the moose they stared at me quizzically while taking photos and video closeups of flowers. Hmmm.... wrong crowd. I mumbled something about wolves but figured it was a lost cause at that point, so I jumped back in the car and went up the drive toward the tree. Still empty, so back we drove, concentrating on thoughts of what might greet us in the Lamar.
Whoosh! Two shapes sprinted to our left just as we reached the bottom of the drive. One was grayish and rather coyote-like in appearance. The other was... whoa, kinda black! It took me about two seconds to grab my big lens, thrust it out the window and start shooting. Without bothering to check my settings, I fired off as many shots as possible. Only the first image really turned out.
The blackish wolf kept speeding along the hillside parallel to us. The gray had completely disappeared. I threw the car in reverse and took us back up the hill until we got to the turnaround. Alas, the wolf disappeared before we could set up our gear, and just like that they were gone.
Okay, so Day 4 was a near-instant success and wiped the Day 3 failures off the map. Glad we took care of that quickly.
Off to the Lamar... eventually. We stopped at Wrecker and I chatted a bit with Rod and met Mary, who spotted a male harlequin duck down in the river below. Rod had his scope focused on a couple grizzlies off the distance, and he regaled me with stories about the rare 1980s Communist military binoculars he had used to woo his bride.
A black bear had been seen just down the hill, so I hopped down there for the heck of it, spotting a familiar BEARMAN license plate. I hadn't talked to Kevin in quite some time (and he hasn't been around here), so after reminding him who I was we chatted a bit the conditions. He insists the weather will continue to get better this week, so I expect we could have a magical rest of the trip. ;)
Finally, the Lamar Valley greeted us. The osprey nest was empty (did Bart scare them away?), and on the other side of the valley, the wolves had left the elk carcass at Footbridge. After chatting with Ria and Stacy for a bit, Jenn and I made it as far as Ice Box Canyon before returning. Before Soda Butte, we slowed for a hawk that was zig zagging across the road. Amazingly, it settled on the ground just off the road and perhaps more amazingly, I was able to get a couple shots before it flew away. I always find raptors to be skittish (at least around me), so I have a tough time photographing them. This turned out to be my closest Yellowstone hawk ever.
As the road undulated around steep walls near the Confluence, Jenn caught a fleeting glimpse of something swooping toward us. Suddenly, a huge shape appeared around the corner, and a large golden eagle buzzed over our car before we could even think about reaching for a camera. I pulled around and we managed to watch the eagle land further down the road... right where Stacy was approaching in her van. We all tried to get a few shots before the eagle took off again, circled over the trees and was lifted by thermals high into the sky.
Rosie's cubs showed they're not afraid of heights |
The Lamar experience wasn't over. Halfway through the valley, a healthy-looking (and non-collared) coyote was in hunting mode near some of the flooded areas close to the road on the valley floor. Huskerzpride (whom we had met yesterday at Rosie Central) showed up as we watched the hunt unfold. In careful, measured steps, the coyote worked its way through the soggy terrain. It didn't seem like the best place to hunt with all the water around, since I can't imagine ground squirrels have learned the back stroke just yet. Finally though, the hunter did manage to spot something and dashed forward.
The attempt was unsuccessful, and I think we found his slow stalking back and forth more interesting thanks to some nice reflections created by the overflow in the valley.
At last we left the Lamar and made it through Little America when we came across the Dutchies for the first time this morning. They hadn't been through the valley, so we joined them for one more trip through and then continued on up to Silver Gate for lunch. After lunch (an outdoor meal under partially sunny skies, what a treat!) we parted ways. A couple hours of driving around Cooke City, and then I could finally return to the park. During our final pass through the Lamar I identified the mysterious Y-net truck many of us had spotted in the last few days. Turns out it belongs to Gary (garwar), so I introduced myself and we chatted for a bit before I admitted it was time for me to make a Rosie visit.
Calcite was a zoo, as usual. Rosie was out but the cubs were up a tree. Apparently they had put on a show earlier in the afternoon, and were now all tuckered out 60 feet above the ground. A ton of photographers made it tough to squeeze in anywhere, but Ranger John did a good job of keeping folks in line. Now we just needed the cubs to reappear.
They finally did, and the best photo opportunities came when they shimmied all the way down that tall, tall tree trunk.
By this time, the road was overrun... with Y-netters! Kevin and Laurie had recently arrived in the park, as had Dave ("David"), and we soon recognized Maniuk's orange hat in the crowd as well. We counted at least 17 forum members and loved ones at that gathering. That's officially enough to be counted as a herd I think.
Rosie disappeared back into the woods with the cubs, so half the group gathered for happy hour at Calcite while Jenn and I headed back a bit early to Gardiner. Yellowstone.net was offline, so I concentrated on processing photos before dinner. A knock on our door preceded an invitation from Erik to join Reny, H&R, Bill, Peggy and Bob for dinner down the road. We may have been somewhat loud (half the customers seemed to disappear and they cranked up the music after we arrived), but that's only a measure of the good time we were having. A great ending to a great day in Yellowstone.
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