Our guide, Roger, picked us up at 7AM and promised it would be a full day (10-12 hours) adventure. Fortunately, it turned into a private tour with just Frank and me as the tourists. (I guess our timing is a bit early...most of the tourist traffic doesn't begin until late May or early June.)
Nonetheless, we were prepared and ready for the tour that lay ahead. (Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge.)
Elk grazing
Shortly after getting on the road, Roger got word that a family of grizzly bears were out and about. (Holy cow! His first tour of the season and we're going to see grizzly bears at 8AM!)
The big bear we saw was 610. She is the daughter of 399 and has 2 cubs. 399 has had several offspring a few of which have gone missing. In addition, 399 hasn't been seen in several days. 610 has adopted her half-sister and now has 3 cubs.
610 is on the right and cubs on the left
610 on the left.
Others who came to see the bears....professional photographers with super duper cameras!
Quite a bit of snow on the ground/side of the road while traveling through Yellowstone.
Lewis Lake (frozen over)
Some other geysers opposite Old Faithful that erupt a little more frequently, but not as dramatically.
The crowds surrounding Old Faithful.
(During the summer, there will be 2000+ people at each eruption.
We were lucky....there were maybe 100ish.)
"There she blows!"
Click here for video of Old Faithful Eruption.
We are in THEIR home and when an elk, bison or moose are in the road, you wait for them to decide what they are going to do.
After a little more driving, we rounded the bend and a small herd of bison were lumbering along the road.
(They look a little shaggy because they are in the process of shedding their winter coats.)
Entering Lower Geyser Basin
Looks like a ghost town! The hot water from the eruptions killed the lodgepole pines and surrounding vegetation and silica from the eruptions has caused the trees to start turning white.
Dead trees repurposed as homes for swallows.
Bacteria Mat (quite yucky looking, but a vital ecosystem for the geysers)
More of the beautiful colored bacteria
Walking through the area leaves you kind of speechless. How does all of this happen? How is it there aren't huge ginormous volcanic eruptions? But I guess it's better left to the scientists and geologists to explain all this geothermal activity.
Bison hanging out.
Another bison just strolling along.
We stopped for lunch at a very pretty park. During our travels, Roger explained the bison use trees, fences, poles, anything they can to scratch their itches and rub off their winter coats. You can see some brown fur right in the middle of the picture. (And if you click on the picture, you can see trees in the background with similar rubbed areas.)
Mama bison and her calf
The 'nursery' where female bison and calves hang out.
We were told that when a bison's tail is raised it means, "Charge or Discharge". :o)
We continued our travels along the lower circuit of Yellowstone and came to Gibbon Falls.
I purposely didn't crop this picture to show how close we were to the bison.
Just have to wait until you can pass.
Some of the wildlife you can see in Yellowstone.
Is it live or Memorex?
There are two Grand Canyons in this world....this is the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone.
This lone lodgepole pine tree trunk all beautifully swirled and 'bronzed' by the elements.
This artist found a perfect spot on a perfect day to do a little painting.
Typically when you see several cars pulled off the side of the road or in a 'scenic viewing area', it usually means there is something to see. In this case, it was a coyote. We were told that because of it's actions and body language, it was hunting and probably found a small rodent.
Can you spot the coyote?
My, what good camouflage you have!
A panoramic view of the area where we saw the coyote.
And finally, a view of Yellowstone Lake.
As promised, we had a full day in Yellowstone and took in some 'once in a lifetime' sights. Thank you Roger for the great tour!
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