Living the Dream

I am sitting at my desk watching two squirrels chasing each other up and down the pine trees just outside my window. A rather large bison has been wandering around our RV park lately. We cooked out last night with some friends and just before we were to eat our dinner a bison strolled by. You never know what to expect. We had a red headed woodpecker with her baby making a home in a dead tree next to our trailer . They were fun to watch and of course I would run out to take photos. Coming back from work yesterday there were several deer grazing just off the road and last week going to work there was a young grizzly bear strolling near our home. Hey, this is their park!

On Tuesday we jumped on the bike and headed off to Old Faithful. This is about a 90 mile round trip which offers some beautiful landscapes. Being on the bike you get to see so much more than being in the car. Watching Old Faithful go off is always fun to see. Claire was in the Old Faithful Inn shopping in the gift store. Wouldn't you think that because she works in a gift shop she wouldn't want to visit another one? Oh well! She claims the merchandise is different, and she likes to see how things are displayed. I decided to sit on the outside, second level of the inn soaking up some rays and taking pictures. Did Claire buy anything? What do you think?

The week was busy with a fire that was only about 8 miles from the hotel. They were very aggressive fighting this fire since it was early in the season and the park was full of visitors. Perhaps they learned a lesson from last year's fire as we were put on a red alert for a possible evacuation. Hundreds of firefighters were camped out nearby. The helicopters would fly them back and forth from their tent sights to the fire. These firefighters are called "Hot Shots". They are very brave and work extremely hard. The helicopters would pick up water from the lake, fly over our home, and drop the water on the fire, a few miles away. Within a few weeks they eventually got the fire under control with a little help from a rain shower. We now appear to be fire-free for the moment.

Tomorrow, Claire and I plan to head into Lamar Valley to hike to Trout Lake. I did this hike three years ago and it offers beautiful views of the mountains, tons of wild flowers, a small lake with active trout, and a family of otters. The hike is up hill and a little hard for us Florida folks, but we will stop often to catch our breath then push on. The hike to the lake is about 1 mile and the end result is very rewarding. Of course I will bring the camera.

Trout fishing opened up on the Yellowstone River and attracts a lot of fly fisherman. We were sitting in the trailer listening to my scanner and heard that there was a body floating in the river. As it turned out a fly fisherman in his 60's, lost his footing on a rock, filling his fishing waders up with water which pulled him under down, drowning him. The water moves very quickly in the area where he was fishing and he could not recover. Due to the fast moving water it was extremely difficult for the rescue squad to recover the body. Finally after several miles he was retrieved. This is rugged country with lots of animals, raging rivers, hot thermal pools, canyons, mountains, and much more.

Friday night we had our annual employee appreciation night. We were treated to a steak dinner and a dance. The dance is called "Wolf Night" for reasons unknown to us! Everyone dresses up in costumes similar to Halloween. Music is played by a DJ and everyone dances the night away. It is a fun night for all. Claire and I wore our bikers outfit. We left for home around 11:30pm as we had to get up a 5:30am to prepare for work on Saturday. Life here is filled with work and play, and it is wonderful!

Bike ride to Cody, WY

July 20, 2010. On our day off we thought it would be fun to take the bike to Cody, Wy. It is about a 175 mile round trip and the day was perfect. Going to Cody requires us to leave the high altitude and drive down many winding curves, through mountains and forests. It is a beautiful drive with so much to see. Riding the bike puts you in the outdoors where everything comes to life. You see so much more than being in a car and the smell of the fresh air gives us a natural "high". As you get closer to Cody you feel like you are in Arizona as the topography changes dramatically. The foothills are treeless and the colors become red. A lot of pronghorn, big horn sheep, and mule deer love this area. We passed several ranches with horses grazing alongside the deer. We go through Wild Bill Cody State Park where there is a lake and a very impressive dam. Once we travel through the tunnel we arrive in Cody. The town is small and very western. It also has a Walmart! Great for Claire! Home Depot where are you? Not in this cowboy town. We played tourist and walked around town visiting the little shops. I checked out cowboy boots, belts, and hats, and even a snake skin. We had lunch in town, spent too much time in Walmart, and then headed back to our home in YNP.

As we approached Mary Bay, which is about 7 miles from our RV park, we encountered a grizzly bear just off the road. He was eating flowers and rooting for grubs. We watched him for about a half hour but he was also watching us! I shot around 50 - 60 photos and decided to get back on the bike and head home. We topped off the day cooking BBQ ribs on the grill and drinking a glass of wine. What a wonderful day! We had sunburned faces and bugs in our teeth[just kidding!]

Finding the elusive "Tomato Soup"

July 14, 2010. Today was the day that we would find "Tomato Soup" This thermal hot spring is unique due to it's color. Most thermal features are blue or green, some rusty in color, but this one is as red as tomato soup. Last year Claire and I attempted to locate this awesome thermal pool, but alas, we could not find it. This year we solicited the help of my friend Larry who is from Colorado. I have been working with Larry the past three years in the gift store. Larry is also a photography nut like me. The only problem I have with him is that he has a bigger and better telephoto lens then me. Claire, can I buy one too? We also had Abel, a young man from Singapore whom I work with and Shannie a young lady from Malaysia that Claire works with. They were very excited to come as this was a new adventure for them. By the way, the hike is 6 miles round trip as long as you don't get lost.

We drove just past Old Faithful to the area that we would start our hike. This hike is unmarked and Park Service does not want visitors to hike in the area. The ground that we walked on is quite thin and one wrong step could put you through the thin crust into boiling water. Remember, we are in a Caldera and an active volcano is below us. Since Larry was our guide, and the biggest one, we thought he should lead. He had done this hike before and had a pretty good idea where we needed to go.

Since there is no trail we try to follow the stream which meanders through a beautiful flower filled meadow. In the distance we see a large wooded area with a wisp of steam rising up. That is where we have to go. Along the way we have to climb over hundreds of fallen trees, jump over streams of hot water, tip toe through a wetland, forge through trees and at the same time climb over more fallen trees. Along the way we see Bison and Elk Bones. Claire is in her glory and is trying to collect these bones to bring home for the kids to see at the school where she teaches. Now you can't remove rocks or bones from a National Park so I am seeing a Ranger escort her off to jail. But you know Claire, she just keeps on collecting those bones.

We are now beyond the stream and we encounter several deep blue thermal pools and a bubbling mud pot. This was pretty cool watching the mud bubble and spit. We are now starting to climb a rather large hill and soon approach the wooded area that we need to go through. Now we are in the pine and fir trees, climbing over roots, limbs, trees, and some bones. At this point even Larry is not sure which way we need to go but we keep going. We come out into a clearing and find a display of bones and a Bison skull. Are we in Indian territory? Are we the next victim? That was fun and we posed for pictures and had a hard time getting Abel & Shannie away from it all. Ahead we come across an orange thermal pool. Could this be Tomato Soup? Larry said no, it's one of four thermals but it was not tomato soup. We stumbled across two more and still no Tomato Soup. Larry could not understand where the heck it was as we are deep in the forest and everywhere you look, its all the same. He told us to rest while he searched the area. So we drank water, ate oranges and apples that Claire supplied and enjoyed our view of this pool that looks to me as Tomato Soup.

We hear Larry in the distance, "I found it". So we tell him to keep talking so we can follow his voice. Out of the thickness we stumble into the spot where the elusive "Tomato Soup" was. What an awesome sight for sore eyes, sore feet, sore legs, sore back, man we are tired. After taking several photos and commenting on how neat this was it was time to leave. Three miles back to our cars. We have to follow the same path as we know it is safe and we can not wander off our trail. We did make it back and we were so happy that we were able to do this hike. Would I do it again? Yes I would as this hike gives you so much to see and only a few eyes have seen "Tomato Soup".

Exploring the "Stone"

July 9, 2010. Today Claire and I hopped on the bike and did a 100 mile drive. The weather was great with temps in the 70's. Our first stop was at West Thumb which is located at the southern end of Yellowstone Lake. There is a boardwalk that allows you to walk over the thin crust of the many thermal features in this area. This location is one of my favorite spots to visit. From there we headed to the Tetons which is always a treat. We stopped off at the Teton Lodge and had lunch on the deck which gives you wonderful views of the Teton Mountains. Heading back to the park we saw several Elk grazing on the side of the road. Today was a great day for a bike ride. Tuesday was also a day off for us and we headed to Livingston, Montana to get vittles. The drive to and from Livingston puts you in a valley where there are many ranches. One stop we made was to an old saloon which dates back to 1902. We had a beer and burger and met a couple who had a Montana 5th. wheel trailer like ours. They were staying at a RV site nearby. We understand that this place is a meeting hall for many of the local Wranglers. Well, one old boy came in, wearing a dirty old white cowboy hat, cowboy boots, neckerchief, wranger jeans, vest, etc. He just got back from his job of rounding up cows on a ranch that he works at. He comes up to us and says, "What are two beautiful ladies doing with these two ugly old men?". He was just kidding, and was a hoot to talk to. It was like he just came out of a John Wayne movie. I would love to come back to this place in the evening to meet other characters like him. When we got back into the park which is Mammoth Hot Springs, we were treated to a bunch of Mama Elk and their babies. So you can see when we have a day off we take advantage of it since there is so much to do and see in the "Stone". Tuesday which is our next day off we plan to go with a couple of our friends to find Tomato Soup. This is a thermal pool where the water is as red as tomato soup. This is a hike that requires knowledge of the area as it is not a marked trail and the ground is quite thin. One wrong step could put you into a thermal pool of temps over 100 degrees. We pretty much have to walk where the Bison walk to make sure that we are on solid ground. This hike is unknown to visitors of the park. Looking forward to this exciting and dangerous hike. Tomorrow our retail staff from the Hotel and Lodge will have a pizza party at the employee pub. There is always something to do and it is impossible to get bored. Life is good.

Looking for Bears

July 02, 2010. Today we thought we would look for bears as it was the beginning of a beautiful day. At work the other day I had heard that there was a mother Grizzly with three cubs feasting on a fresh kill which was an Elk. We also heard that there were two wolves that were interested in the kill and looking at the young cubs as a possible meal. The mother Grizzly had put the three cubs on her back to protect them from the wolves. She did win as the wolves gave up and left. Knowing where the bear was we drove into Hayden Valley looking for the bears. We saw a group of people about 1/4 mile into the valley and we knew this was the spot. We hiked out there and were treated to the mother Grizzly and her three cubs. The wolves were not there but a Coyote was. He too, was interested in the fresh kill, but he also gave up. I got some good photos and was thrilled to watch these Grizzlies in there natural habitat. The Grizzly bears are easier to find as they tend to roam in the open valleys not like the black bear that prefers the wooded areas. We went up to an area called Roosevelt where they have a lodge and dude ranch. We had lunch there and I had a Elk Burger which was outstanding. We spent some time on the front porch sitting in rocking chairs and enjoying the scenery. Heading back to our home site we did see a black bear in the woods. I was able to get a photo, but being a black bear it is hard to get a clean shot. Another great day in "God's Country.