Critters in Yellowstone

This past weekend Daniel and Marilyn went on an exiciting weekend trip to Yellowstone NP to see critters. We have been many times before of course, but this time we were going with a wildlife guide dude on a little personal tour that we had won in a silent auction at a local charity (Eagle Mount - they do great programs and stuff for disabled kids). So, this time we were looking to learning some things as well as seeing critters. And boy did we do both.

We met our guide Steve early in the am in Gardiner. We had driven up the evening before and had a great Italian dinner in Livingston on the way. Naturally every trip to Yellowstone you will see buffalo, but in the spring you get to see the young calves too:



Some of them still had umbilical cords attached. We tooled around and saw some other critter, including a wolf visiting the scene of an earlier elk kill. Too bad it's tough to get a good pic of wolves because they are always so far off. Later our guide took us on a little hike, and we saw lots of critter (gophers, birds, antelope). The highlight was when an antelope ran off a coyote who we think was stalking an antelope fawn. The antelope kicked him!

There were lots of bones out there:


And we learned how to identify things like what animal they were from, if they were old, and so on. It was cool. He then took us to a grizzly bear den (not active) and I got to crawl inside and check it out. Far out!




We were on constant lookout as the area has lots of grizzly and other critter. There are also large boulders laying around, evidently dropped by glaciers back in the day. Marilyn by a big one with a coyote den under it:



In the evening after dinner we decided to go back in the park on our own and see some twilight critter. It was great. Almost right away, on the road from Mammoth to Lamar Valley, we passed a young black bear on the side of the road. The pic isn't great but the cool thing was we could hear it chewing:


A little further on after crossing the Yellowstone river we saw this bighorn sheep:




After crossing the Yellowstone but before getting to Lamar Valley, you come to an area they call 'Little America'. It is full of critters and is where we had gone on our hike earlier. The scenery is great, too. Slough Creek is over the hills and to the right, where I caught my huge 19" cutthroat trout last Sept:


When we entered the Lamar Valley the sunset was just getting started (at about 9pm). All those brown dots are buffalo (bison, same thing):

As we motored on to the end of the valley to Soda Butte Creek, where the wolves hang out, the colors became more intense:

We did see another wolf at Soda Butte creek (carrying the head of an elk fawn in its mouth!), but again it was a little too far for the camera.

The next morning we had decided to do another day on our own, so we got up early and went into the park again. We stopped at a spot where they wait for a great grey owl to appear every morning, but he never came. This cool coyote did come by, though. I dig coyotes, they are so cool:

On the way back to Lamar Valley I snapped this pic of the mighty Yellowstone River for my friend Ken to try to convince him to come on a backpack/fishing trip. Here it is about to enter the Black Canyon, looking upstream:

The area is crawling with critters, and giant cutthroat trout.

Here are more bison in Lamar Valley:

With the spotting scope I did manage to see 2 grizzlies on the mountain above them, but again way too far off for a picture.

We decided to drive back home the long, scenic way over the Beartooth Mtns. Here we are headed up Soda Butte creek to the northeast entrance of the park:

We stopped for a bit and I flyfished upper Soda Butte Creek, but no luck. Still too cold:

Up in the Beartooths we saw firsthand more evidence of the devastation of global warming, lakes along the road frozen in the middle of June:

It would get worse as we pressed on and it began to snow! Up at the top there is a sign signalling the actual "Bears Tooth", but you can't really see it in the snow and clouds:

Too late for ski season? Not to fear my globally-warmed friends. In late June you can still carve some snowboard turns in the Beartooths. Some happy looking dudes with their boards were eyeing this spot from the turnout where we took this pic:

There was actually a crowd of skiers and boarders lined up to drop into this sketchy-looking bowl. Someone helpfully sprayed down some nice red guidelines to keep the uninitiated from going off the rocks. "Stay outside the lines!!!!!":

Eventually we crossed over and made our way down into the Rock Creek valley:

We drove into Red Lodge and went to the Candy Emporium and got some of their great steak marinade. After more scenic driving we passed by the delightfully named Crazy Mountains near Big Timber (great golf course there, by the way):

And then we arrived home! All in all it was a great trip and we saw lots of critters and learned all sorts of things about how to find them and identify them.

New Beers Soon: Minnie Bit'er and Otie-meal Stout!

Looks like poochie has had a tough day of brewing some tasty beers. Can't wait to taste the results!

Easter Skiing, Hiking, and Golf

It seems that spring is finally here. The weather has finally warmed up (50's!) and the snow in the valley is melting fast. But there was still plenty of snow in the mountains so it was time to head up for the last day of skiing and to clean the locker out and bring the gear home.

Just to think, this was last week and now the yard is almost green:

We headed up to Bridger for our last ski day on Saturday. It was nice and warm and sunny. The road was completely dry and full of Lance Armstrong wannabes in their brightly colored nut-grabber pants on the way up. Sure, the snow was the consistency of a well-chilled Slurpee but the crowd was light (even for Montana standards) and it was a fun time. Since it was the last day I went for something crazy and rode my backcountry cross-country skis. It was exciting, even though I biffed several times (unable to stop/steer).

Beautiful Marilyn on the slopes:

Here we are at the top of Pierre's Knob, you can see the delightfully named Crazy Mountains in the distance:

If you are thinking to yourself, "Gee that looks like a long way down, how is he going to do that on cross-country skis?", the answer is "On my ass."

The next day, on Easter, after church we decided to take Reagan on a hike up Drinking Horse Mountain and then go hit some balls at the golf course which has just opened for the season. Here poochie has treed a couple of squirrels - boy was he excited!

Further up the mountain, a man and his dog. You can see the Tobacco Root Mtns way in the distance:

Marilyn takes a break while poochie looks for critter.

After summiting the mountain we went to the golf course to hit some balls and try out the new clubs we had gotten for Christmas. My new driver from Marilyn was fantastic (maybe my slice is gone now), and she tried some putting and chipping with her brand new putter and chipper.

All in all it was a great weekend and hopefully the nice weather will stick around for good. But no, looks like maybe snow on Tuesday. Global warming, you know.

*** ANNOUNCEMENT ***

After successfully drinking the second batch (a porter) and getting ready to bottle the third (nut brown ale) and brew the fourth (IPA), it is time to formally announce the founding of:

Tasty beer and a damn good looking dog too.

Cross Country Skiing up Specimen Creek

I have been slow to get around to this "exciting" new activity. Actually, "exciting" is not exactly the word since there are plenty of things that would be more fun than sitting in front of a computer typing this stuff in. However, it does seem like the most efficient way to get pictures and related stories about adventures here out to family and friends. As I said in my brief and unsuccessful California gubernatorial campaign, "I promise good times!".

So, 3 weeks late, on to the first adventure:


My wife's friend's son, Chris, and I decided to go for a xc ski up Specimen Creek. The crick is in the NW corner of Yellowstone NP, in what I call the "free section" where Hwy 191 passes thru the park south of Big Sky on the way to West Yellowstone. We decided upon this adventure because the previous weekend, for my birthday, we had gone with my wife and a friend of ours on a xc ski up Fan Creek, which is just up the road. The other reason of course was to check out the area for some flyfishing opportunities in the spring/summer. I had meant to go this way last year and fish it and never got around to it.



So the adventure begins. Just past the trailhead the trail leads into some open forest. Chris leads the way up the trail.











After a time the trail drops down by the crick in the head of a large meadow. The snow was plentiful, as it had dumped just a day or two before. The springtime temps were warming up into the mid-30s.

More skiing through open meadows with Specimen Creek winding through.

Eventually we came to this spot, which drops off steeper to the right into the crick than it looks. That, plus it was icy due to the warm sun and subsequent re-freezing at night. It was challenging...not quite hair-raising but challenging. Chris was smart and went to the right of the trees. I took the "high road" and wound up having to bomb down hill thru the trees. Fun!

At last we came to our lunch spot, with the high mountains harboring Sportsman Lake beyond. Specimen Creek forks about 1/4 mile ahead.

Chris enjoys a tasty, hard-earned beer with lunch. Sadly not one of my home brews. Next time.

On the way back we took a slightly different route (the "real" trail judging by the blazes on the trees) and got to bomb down some nice little hills. Good for amateurs like us!




All in all it was a good trip and a fun time. Hopefully I will be able to continue this effort with more pics from future adventures! Enjoy.