We'd had a perfect day, a nice hike, and had already seen plenty of wildlife. After chowing down on Babyback Ribs (I highly recomment them!) at Roosevelt Lodge, we drove to the Lamar River for a short walk.
This antelope was hanging out by the river.
Her baby popped up out of the brush.
Mama urged baby to move along. She didn't want him too close to those nosy tourists.
Yet another tourist pleaser was this grizzly. Yes, that's the road in the front of the photo. See how close he was? Less than 100 yards, I would guess. A ranger was there, making sure no one approached the bear, which was a good thing. Some people were out of their cars. We took our photos through the window.
He looked thin. Maybe he was an old bear. It's unusual to see a grizzly near a road, especially so close.
The grizz was fascinating to watch. But the big find of the night was this:
He was running beside the road. He looked like a wolf, but wolves usually stay well away from cars, people, and roads, so we were thinking he had to be a coyote.
Then again, he sure looked like a wolf. Turned out, he was, indeed, a yearling wolf. The wolf watcher police came along in a truck and said they'd used a pellet gun to chase the wolf away from the road, an aversion technique sometimes used to keep wild animals wild, and to keep them from getting run over by traffic.
Well, that was the find of a lifetime. We certainly didn't expect anything more. But yet another wildlife bonus came our way.
This black bear was hogging up on berries maybe 50 feet from the road. Way close, for a bear.
Again, a ranger was there, monitoring tourists, trying to keep them out of trouble. The bear didn't seem to care one way of the other. He was really enjoying his berries.
 |
| Black Twinberry, a bear's choice |
We'd had a more than full day. Back we went to our little cabin at Roosevelt Lodge. It's not what you'd call a 5 star accommodation. The bathroom is in a communal building, and you can see light through the cabin walls. However, the bed was clean and fairly comfortable. We slept well, with visions of bears, wolves, and antelope dancing in our heads.
amazing photos....what fun adventures you have....
ReplyDeleteFantastic pictures Janie. I really appreciate this tour knowing that we are heading that way soon. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteWhat a visual feast of wild life:-)
ReplyDeleteVery much enjoying your photo journey. I too would be excited at the wolf sighting.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why the wolf was so close to the road. Is this going to be hard winter for wildlife?
ReplyDeleteHehe. That cabin is a real cabin not at all what some people around here call cabins or cottages these days.
Wow, watching the cycle of wildlife in Yellowstone from the safety of your car couldn't get much better. Yet those animals could get in trouble being so close to some of the tourons who venture too close. Glad to hear there were Rangers around.
ReplyDeleteI stayed in a similar cabin by Old Faithful Lodge in the 80s.
How neat, Janie... You really did hit the jackpot. Love the little cabin ---and glad that you just 'dreamed' about the wolves and bears... Didn't want them to come to sleep with you, did you???? ha ha
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
Please call me the next time you visit Yellowstone....apparently all the critters LOVE you!!!
ReplyDeleteThe wolves are so elusive, what a great photo capture. And the bears? And the antelope? And baby back ribs???
:)
Your visit could not have been any better!
You must have a wild animal magnet! You got some great pictures. Do you think you'd like some company the next time you go to Yellowstone?
ReplyDeleteAnother amazing trip. Awesome that you saw a wolf and interesting how they avert it away from the main roads. I didn't know that.
ReplyDeleteloved the extra's--I think the coyote was my favorite bonus shot. What a fun trip.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great visit! Wolves have been scarce here this year--I think FWS killed more while they were "protected" than hunters did when they were classed as "game."
ReplyDeleteWow, you saw so much wildlife!! Very cool.
ReplyDeleteGreat finds. I've never seen a grizzly at Yellowstone but several black bears. I'm glad a ranger was there. I've seen tourists do some stupid stupid things and get dangerously close. I think they think that they are at a petting zoo.
ReplyDeleteThe wolf is a great find. I've never seen one there (or anywhere else in the wild).
That's so great that you got to see a wolf!! We looked for them in Lamar and Hayden Valleys as the word spread that a pack of 5 had been spotted near bison carcasses. We always looked the day after such sightings and I guess the packs had returned to their dens.
ReplyDelete