6-22-17

We went to bed around 11:00 after the ranger program. Our new fleece blankets added to the inside of our sleeping bags really helped fend off the cold. It also helped that are campsite is back in the woods away from wind. I set an alarm for 7:00 to get moving when the animals were up but like most days I woke at 6:00, well before the alarm. No matter the blankets, 35 still comes in cold and clear when you are leaving your tent. We drove down to the shower house that opened at 7:00 and enjoyed lengthy warm showers.  

We were dressed for the 70 degree day and ate breakfast on the road north to the Lamar Valley. We started a count of animals but when we got to the open valley and Lorelei got to 1500 bison, we quit counting. It was a magnificent sight and we walked down a little off the pull out to a cliff overlooking them. There were babies laying in the warming sun, adults giving themselves dirt baths, babies feeding from their mothers and countless others munching grass. Where one herd ended at the cut in the river, another began on the other side. There were also pronghorn antelope grazing in the same area, some alone, others in pairs and a few with more than three together. We stayed on the hill over looking the herds for nearly an hour. The binoculars that I bought 6 years ago in this very park came in very handy. 

We turned back toward the northern road towards Mammoth Hot Springs. We got caught in one bear jam but the ranger was chasing folks off the road by the time we got there and no bear was in sight. We got in another bear jam and this time Lorelei was able to get out and see a cub, likely Grizzly, up on the hill. She got a couple shots but we don't really have a powerful enough lens to get great ones. 

In Mammoth, we bought post cards and mailed those. We also ate lunch and then drove out to the Roosevelt Arch in Gardiner. This area has change significantly since we were last here. With nicely paved areas for parking, doors on the arch that actually work, and the entire town has grown from what seemed like a hole in the wall to a tourist hot spot. We took our pictures then headed back in towards Old Faithful. We passed a herd of elk grazing and saw idiots standing next to a few elk in the hot springs area. I mean literally within 5 feet. We've actually witnessed MANY people today who were way too close to the wildlife or completely unsafe, literally standing in the road during the bear jam. When you hear about those people who get hurt in the park, don't feel sorry for them. They have no respect. People have been the worst part of the day. I've been surprised by all of the busloads of people on this trip. I do not remember that from the last time.  

We stopped at several spots to walk out to see the sights but didn't hike any of the trails because we wanted to make it all the way around the park since we only have one day. We saw lots of road construction from Mammoth to Norris and even joked that we saw a large Deere and a giant CAT as we were making our way through that. 

We got to Old Faithful just in time to see it go off and then walked over to the Inn for my birthday dinner reservations. My meal was not as special as the special advertised and the waiter gave me dessert for free. Huckleberry ice cream, cake and a berry compote. It made up for the lackluster dinner. 

We drove the rest of the park road back to our tent in Canyon stopping to see a few things and seeing another elk and more bison. We put on pajamas and nestled into our beds for a windier night in the 30's.