Yellowstone Trip #3 - Going Out With Style
With the weather cooperating better I was able to make my third trip in to Yellowstone Sunday, the next day. This would turn out to be my last trip to Yellowstone on this adventure. I was planning to stay one last weekend but COVID-19 forced my hand when Yellowstone historically closed on the 24th. Fortunately Yellowstone was kind enough to treat me to a wonderful last day in the park with blue skies, warm weather, and a top notch display of wildlife.
Arriving at the park I made my way right to Blacktail Pond where I knew the action would be. I was not disappointed to find two Coyotes enjoying breakfast on the carcass from yesterday. Overnight the carcass had been drug from beside the small pound into the snowy valley. The two Coyotes were joined by two dozen Ravens who screeched and harassed the Coyotes while trying to steal a bite. for themselves. After many hackles were raised and teeth barred the Coyotes decided they'd had enough and went off to lay down.
With the excitement over I decided to head off and check out the rest of the park. Having only explored the park by car I decided to pull into a nearby trailhead and set out on foot. The trailhead was nearby a stream so I was hoping maybe to spot some wildlife along the stream. This plan proved to have two major problems, the first being it was very much still winter once you got off the road and the second had not counted on this much winter still. Heading out I brought just my Camera and Telephoto Lens and quickly realized I was in over my head. Well maybe not over my head but often in up to my thighs in snow. Turns out off the roads there was still easily a good few feet of snow in a lot of places. One element that saved me even more post-holing was that I was able to follow a set of Bison tracks. My logic was if the snow could take the weight of the Buffalo it could hold me. This for the most part worked well but did create an awkward gate at times. The snow was mostly still over the stream, so even if I had not made as much noise as the Buffalo whose hoof prints I was following, the wildlife activity probably wouldn't have been there anyways. I did find a lot of weather equipment while out there though that seemed pretty neat but I left alone. I made it back to my car from my horrible idea and decided to stick to my car for awhile.
Back in my car I made my way deeper in to the park towards Tower and on to Lamar. The novelty of photographing Bison mostly faded, I enjoyed watching them as they routinely interrupted my drive mostly sans camera. There really is something majestic about them just their sheer size and the proximity to nature they bring. With nothing beyond Bison spotted through Lamar Valley beyond beautiful snowscapes, I decided to head back the other direction.
Having by now figured out the feeding times of our Grizzly friend I decided to pull in to the Blacktail Pond pullout and stop for some lunch and hold down a spot. While I waited I leaned back in the drivers seat listened to my Audiobook and reviewed photos and footage cleaning up any bad or blurry shots. I think I might have even taken a short nap at some point while waiting for the Grizzly to show.
After about an hour and a half someone spotted him and we all went in to action. He was still way up on the opposite hill making his way down but I had my lens on him. Watching through my lens I couldn't believe it he, whether intentionally or not, was now rolling down the mountain. After doing a full tumble he sat up in the snow just looking around. He didn't stop here, fresh from his tumble he began walking sideways along the hillside until he came to a small dip full of fresh snow. He decided to plop down and recline in the snow. After he grew tired of sitting in the snow he got back up and then rolled over in the snow now on his back. He was batting his paws in the air wiggling around just having some plain old bear fun. At one point he found that he had feet and like a baby started grabbing at them with his paws. We all couldn't believe this and many of us were just in tears laughing watching him have fun. Keep an eye on my Instagram for some of these silly photos this week ;)
After about ten minutes of fun he decided it was time to make his way down for lunch. There was a Coyote down near the carcass as he made is way down the hill. Once the Coyote became aware who was coming over for dinner it hightailed it out of there. The Grizzly then proceeded to claim the carcass his own and settled in to enjoy some ribs. He was interrupted a few times and had to swat away some Ravens who got too close. Once done he made is way back up the mountain stopping again for a moment to sit in the snow.
Knowing the Grizzly wouldn't be back until dusk when the light was gone and having spent a lot of time in my car waiting for him I decided to head back in to Mammoth and try stretching my legs again. This time I picked my adventure a little wiser and decided to explore the Mammoth Hot Springs boardwalk. Still mostly covered in snow the area was a steamy wonderland bathed in gold from the setting sun. The springs had a sulfuric scent to them but were covered in beautiful pastel textures. I made it all the way up to the top to a lookout that overlooked all of Mammoth, WY. Beyond I could see the entrance in to the valleys I had driven back and forth on so many times the past few weeks.
Once back to my car with the sun getting lower I decided it was time to head out. I passed by some deer in Mammoth enjoying dinner, but it wasn't until I was almost out of the park that I found an animal I had been looking for the whole time. Elk! The only Elk I had seen until now had been deep in the woods as I was driving and I had been unable to photograph them. I took someone to hang out with them and snapped of some, alright a lot of, photos. There were half a dozen or so does enjoying some shrubbery. About I kid you not 50 feet from the exit of Yellowstone I finally found the bull Elk. He was grazing just beside the road with a full rack still on his head. On par with the silly wildlife antics of Yellowstone I had experienced today the Elk decided to use his antlers to scratch an itch near his uhh male bits. I guess when you can't reach it otherwise you have to improvise.
Overall looking back at things I do not know if I could have asked for a better experience than Yellowstone gave me during these past trips. Even though I only saw like 5% of the park Yellowstone truly is an amazing place. This trip was a wonderful learning experience and pushed me further with my camera and exposed me to many areas I can still grow in. I can not wait to go back and explore more of the park and spend more time with its wildlife. Once things begin opening up and travel and crowds are safer I hope to make it back, but until then stay tuned for my other adventures!