Thursday, May 14, 2015

Yellowstone and Tetons . . .



Lamar River in Yellowstone

Yellowstone and the Wildlife . . .

Yellowstone's wildlife was abundant. Bison dotted the landscape, as well as ground squirrels, ravens, pronghorn, moose, marmots and mule deer. We also came across a pair of swans swimming in the river.
Our first wildlife in Yellowstone - shedding his winter coat

Beautiful large elk

Yellowstone Bison

Large Bison shedding his winter coat

We searched and searched for bear but kept missing them. A couple of times we came across cars parked along the side of the road  with numerous photographers taking photos. I assumed they had spotted either a bear or wolf, but there was nowhere to pull our little rv over to park. Very crowded places.
Mule Deer crossing the road



Trumpeter Swan on Fire Hole River

Ground Squirrel at Lamar River in Yellowstone

I did spot a wolf one day but he was too far away and there was no where to park to capture his pic either, but I did get a good look at him.


Yellowstone and the Hot Springs . . .

Hot springs abound in Yellowstone, from the Mammoth to Paint Pots and everything in between.
Steamboat Geyser

Hot Springs along Fire Hole River

Mammoth Hot Springs and Gardner, MT below

Mammoth Hot Springs

Artists Paint Pots

A Drive thru The Tetons . . .
We took a day to drive down to the Tetons . . . beautiful drive past Yellowstone Lake, Jackson Lake, Jenny Lake, the Teton Mountain Range, Colter Bay Village and then downtown Jackson Hole. It was a long drive due to the road closure around Old Faithful, but well worth every minute. We were only in the Tetons for a short while and I wish we had taken the time to stay at least a couple of nights there. So much to see . . . I feel like I missed a lot. That will be another trip out West, to spend time in the Tetons.
Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake with Mountains in background
The Teton Mountain Range
Mount Moran
Guy with a large sculpture outside the Teton Visitor Center
Antler Arch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Jackson Lake
Leaving the Tetons


Departing Yellowstone for the Big Horn . . .
Our stay in Yellowstone was special, but we had to get on down the road. Our last night brought a snowfall that worried us as we headed out toward the Big Horn Mountains, but fortunately the roads were just slushy. As we drove further toward the East Gate the snow became deeper and then just disappeared all of a sudden as we headed into the Big Horn Mountain Range.
Early morning snow as we depart Yellowstone thru the East Gate
Our only bear sighting as we were leaving
Overlooking a little frozen lake on the East side of Yellowstone

Mountain Range on East side of Yellowstone that we had to cross

Big Horn Mountain Sheep













We had given up on seeing any bears when we spotted a black bear on our way out of Yellowstone near the East Gate. He was a little distance from us and my 300 mm lens couldn't pick him up very well, but you could clearly see he was busy digging under the snow for food. Perfect end to our Yellowstone trip and then as we got a little further down the road we came across a Big Horn Sheep beside the guard rail and of course I got a pic of him - lousy as it was because we were moving. But a pic all the same worth treasuring for memories.















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