Yellowstone Day 2

After a night spent dreaming of large mammals, we hit the road in search of more adventure.  During a brief visit to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, we overheard talk of wolves in the Hayden Valley and quickly headed south.  While there were no wolves to be found, we did spot a very distant grizzly bear on the far west side of the valley!  Sadly, I have no photos as he was too far away, but it was awesome just watching him lope across the meadow.

After an uneventful trip back north, we stopped at Tower Falls where Laura and I walked down to the Yellowstone River.  The large yellow cliffs on the far side of the river are one of many formations that give Yellowstone its name.

After lunch in Gardiner Montana, we took a 'family' photo at the Roosevelt Arch with a newly added temporary relation.  This is the north entrance to the park.

Back on the road, we encountered an elk jam near the Mammoth Hot Springs campground.  It's mating season and the bull elk are assembling their harems.  This good looking male bugled just as we pulled up, then herded his ladies across the road.

After watching the action for a little while, we drove into town, where we encountered this big bull:

He had a prime spot on the nicely manicured green grass - right in the middle of town!  After scanning for threats to his breeding dominance, he finally decided cars and people were no match for his 6-point rack, and laid down in the grass near his collection of ladies.

At this point, we pressed on towards the Lamar Valley to continue our megafauna auto-tour.  Right before the Yellowstone River bridge, we passed this lone bison walking down the middle of the road.  Just as he passed us, he decided to switch lanes and oppose oncoming traffic.

The Lamar Valley is a great place to see wildlife.  In addition to the ever-present bison, there are opportunities to see pronghorn, elk, bears, wolves, and coyotes, in addition to many smaller animals.

At one point I thought I saw a pack of wolves emerge from the woods, but it was just a group of pronghorn.  Even so, the late afternoon light was magical for photography, especially with all the dramatic clouds.

After turning around and heading back towards Tower Junction, we got stuck in a massive bison jam.  There are quite a few large herds in the Lamar Valley, and one group always seems to be blocking the road.

It was awesome watching these humongous beasts pass by.  There were also quite a few calves still staying close to their mothers.  After enjoying the delay, the road finally cleared and we headed back towards Canyon Village.

On the way back, we witnessed this awesome sunset as we approached Dunraven Pass.  Despite my best attempts, I couldn't do it justice: the mountaintops literally looked as if they were on fire.  With some regret we returned to our rooms; tomorrow would be our last day in the park before heading to Cody Wyoming.