Up and at ‘em as usual for a day exploring the Northern portion of the park. If you read my last post – “One Word – Yellowstone” – you know that I “camped” in a pull-off just outside the park in Gardiner, Montana. The night was uneventful for the most part, except that around 1:30 a.m. something spoked Ruby (she was going crazy). I went outside a looked around but didn’t see anything, but that didn’t calm her down. I ended up isolating Ruby and Rudy in the back of Amerigo with me. That did the trick – BTW, when I got up there were about a dozen other travelers using the same pull-out for the night. Of course, I was the first one up and the first one out. After all, the early bird ……
The drive back into the park at sunrise was beautiful (even though it was overcast) and I was the only one on the road. I saw my first bald eagle on the drive into the park but wasn’t able to get a picture because I was driving. The only way to describe it is MAJESTIC.
Once I was up the hill and back in the Hot Springs, I was greeted by “Bugle” – a stag Elk. We exchanged pleasantries and I proceeded on.
First stop, Tower Falls. The Falls lay just outside the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone; a narrow fall of Tower Creek that plunges 132 feet into the canyon below. Within walking distance of the Falls is Calcite Springs, which marks the end of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The Calcite Springs are hot enough to bring a mixture of sulfur and oil to the surface through underground fractures, which oozes like molasses.
After the falls I was off to Lamar Valley – a wolf watching destination since the grey wolf was reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995. If you didn’t know, although highly controversial, the reintroduction of the Grey Wolf into Yellowstone has totally revitalized the ecosystem in the park (there are a number of UTube Videos and documentaries on the subject). I didn’t see any wolves but there were hordes of people jockeying for position in an attempt to a wolf. Lamar Valley is also home to buffalo, elk, pronghorn, and both grizzly and black bears.
The drive through Lamar Valley was stunning, and on this day, low-lying clouds highlighted the mountain tops. Plenty of breathtaking views; here are just few:
I have to say, the highlight of the morning came as I was about to leave Lamar Valley, as I approached Tower Junction. Traffic had picked up quite a bit since earlier in the morning but it all of a sudden it came to a stand-still. Thinking that I ran across another herd of buffalo, I came to a stop and much to my surprise, what did I see up on the hill???? A huge Black Bear headed my way. By the way, HUGE is an understatement. He was only about 50-60 feet off the road, just enjoying a morning stroll across the hill.
What else was surprising is the number of really fucking STUPID people there are in the world. People were getting out of their cars to take pictures. The park safety rules are to stay 100 yards(300 feet, 91 meters) from bears and wolves. This WILD bear was well inside 75 feet from the road. These are the same stupid people that make the news when someone gets attacked and then blame the bear – STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. By the way, I stayed in the RV – opened up the Dinette Window and was able to get great pictures – it wasn’t a hard decision – my life is more important than a fucking picture.
After my Bear Encounter of the best kind, I was off to Canyon Village for the night. The drive around Mount Washburn, over Dunraven Pass, was beautiful but a little white-knuckling. Narrow road with steep drop-offs, with other drivers in a hurry and not watching where they were going. The one thing that I have learned, particularly since I got Amerigo, is to never be in a hurry – slow and easy will get you there.
The Canyon Village Campground is great (I made a reservation months ago) – 276 spots with plenty of space between campsites. There are a lot of tent campers here – I hope they came prepared, it is supposed to get down to 28 degrees tonight. I am glad I will be warm and snuggly in Amerigo (I am a big pussy) – I guess everyone does fun shit in their own way.
#dofunshitalways #dfsa247 #yellowstone #nps #resist
One Response
Rick
What a great trip!!!!!