The critters of Yellowstone

I really hoped to see bear and moose.  The moose eluded me on this trip but I did manage to see a bear and a few other animals of note.  

I managed to have my tripod, remote shutter release and long lens for this beauty.  He was still too far away for a clear shot, but, I wanted to document him anyway. There is something very American about the eagle.

While the pics aren't great, this bird was interesting.  I thought it might be an Osprey, but, I'm not sure about the tuft on the head.  Yellowstone also has Peregrine Falcons, but the underside doesn't look quite right.  I'll have to send the pics to the park rangers and see what they say.

Whatever this bird is, it is certainly beautiful.  (and HUGE!)

This species was abundant in the park.  And, whenever there was a sign that said danger, or no trespassing, or stay behind this wall, there were always a few of this group that would be on the wrong side of the sign.  It was a very diverse group: tour buses that spoke French, Korean, Japanese, German and other languages I didn't recognize. If I visit the park again, I think I would like to go after labor day: fewer tourists, smaller crowds and less traffic. 

This grizzly stopped traffic.  He wandered beside the road and traffic backed up for about a half mile.  He seemed to ignore us and continue with his foraging. Georgy stuck her head out the window and barked ferociously (ok, ferocious for her!) as though she were protecting us.  The bear didn't flinch.

This bear must eat more than berries and shoots: I'm glad we didn't surprise him in the woods somewhere!

These elk hung out at the North entrance to Yellowstone right outside the hotel!

The antelope were cute, they were enjoying dinner at the end of the day near the exit to the park.

Mom kept an eye on her little ones while grazing.

We watched each other until a truck full of kids pulled up.  They had not yet learned the quiet communication methods of the antelope.

The family.

I dunno, I think we're in Idaho...

The mountain ranges and forests are starting to run together!  Idaho, Montana and Wyoming all come together in this region and we seem to have visited each several different times as we worked our way to Yellowstone.  We did make an unplanned jaunt to Idaho Falls because we were due for our 10,000 mile oil change in the Breeze.  Hard to believe that we've put so many miles on this summer.  

We laughed at this speed limit sign: if we were traveling downhill with a tailwind, we might get to 80 mph. :)

I did no research prior to our trip to Idaho falls.  I was expecting something larger (maybe not Niagara Falls, but definitely not Keeper of the Plains size.) These are man-made falls that harnessed the power of the snake river to run the hydroelectric plant.

There is a large Mormon settlement in the area and the temple here and in Rigby were striking: bright white with the gold statue on top.  

The benches along the riverwalk were all different and were sculptures with mosaic.   

There were fields of hay with mountains in the background.  Idaho had big skies just like Montana. 

Just a few more from Montana

I really enjoyed Montana.  Lakes, streams, mountains, meadows, and big skies painted beautiful backdrops for the wildlife.  Montana was a state where you had to travel great distances to feel crowded (population density here is the 3rd lowest in the nation at 6.8 people per square mile!) 

a clear, cold mountain stream

While searching for huckleberries, we enjoyed thimbleberries along the way.  The red berry (top) separates from the seed(bottom). We gently pulled them away from the seed and enjoyed them on the spot.  We weren't quite sure we could get them back to the house in one piece so they were a special treat along the path.

Moths on the thistle.  

We didn't find huckleberry bushes but did find the saskatoon or service berry.  We picked about a gallon and made a cranberry saskatoon jam.  Thanks Ginny for being a patient teacher!

Flathead lake is about 200 square miles and the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi.  I am a fan of the sweet cherries that grow in the area.

Heading eastward along Interstate 90 we would see farms and ranches at the base of the mountains.  They appeared to be small: but average ranch size was just over 2000 acres.  

Parts of the state reminded me of New Mexico!

Highway grades were steep: they dropped about 6 feet for every 100 feet we traveled.  These runaway truck ramps did not look like a fun way to stop. Luckily, we didn't have to try it out!

In Glacier National Park

Part of the Rocky Mountains, Glacier National Park sits on the US-Canadian border.  It has 150 named peaks and 3 separate mountain ranges.  I hoped to see moose and bear on this trip but no luck today!  The skies were a bit hazy: there were a number of wildfires in the distance that spread smoke for miles. 

I love that the highway name is Going to the Sun Road. It took 2.5 million dollars to construct in just 12 years (don't think we could pull it off today!) The park opened in 1933.

Not the moose I was hoping for, but these mountain goats were great fun to watch.

These tour buses are called Jammers and were restored from the original 1930s buses and retrofitted by Ford to run on propane.

We ended the day standing in a pristine and cold mountain stream.  The water was so clear that you could see the colorful rocks as though looking through glass.

Oh Deer! (and dear, and Deere!)

Eureka, Montana is in the Kootenai National Forest.  We had many deer sightings but the moose and bear eluded us!

She just looked at me with a curiosity.  She didn't move and neither did I, then she left as quickly as she came.

The fawns looked so pretty with their white spots.

this deer family had a picnic in a local front yard.  Just a few feet from the front porch.

Looking back as if to say "are you coming?"

John Deere green, but not a John Deere!

Ginny with her summer friends, Nora and Hannah.  Their Dad works for the forestry service and spent the summer in Eureka.  These kids were hysterically funny.