 |
|
| Bull elk |
Animals are just as plentiful here as they were at Grand Teton. We stopped to look at some thermal features and the next thing we knew a bull elk with enormous antlers was bugling away close by. A little further on we were able to photograph a mule deer, so called because of their long ears, by the side of the road.
Some two-legged animals standing in the Yellowstone River also caught our attention and we decided to investigate. It turned our they were post-grad students from Utah State Uni conducting research into aquatic creatures.
 |
| A bison-jam |
Before leaving home I had booked a four hour wildlife tour for today. This took us to the Lamar Valley in the north east section of Yellowstone. The driver was excellent and very knowledgeable. We saw lots of bison, in fact they are so plentiful that we don’t even bother to stop now. At one point our progress was stopped by a bison-jam. Eight or nine of the animals wandered onto the road and refused to move so traffic in both directions was halted for about 15 mins. Apparently you’re not allowed to blow your horn at them as it “frightens” them – well so National Parks say, and they rule with an iron fist. The bison stayed on the road until a motorist in a rental mobile home decided to run the gauntlet and gradually edged them off the road. It was all quite entertaining as a young female passenger from one of the cars decided to taunt the buffalo. I would have liked to see how fast she could run if they’d shown any interest. The highlight however was the three bears we saw – only one of which I was able to photograph. Helen was quite disappointed as she was too short to be able to aim the camera out the top window. Despite her displeasure it was still a worthwhile trip.
Now that USA schools have all restarted and colder weather is approaching, some of the facilities and services are starting to close down. The down side of this is that it significantly reduces our meal options (and increases costs) and all the ranger-run tours have finished as well. Despite this the place still seems very busy – I hate to imagine what it must be like in the peak season.
