More of the Absaroka Range of the Rockies as we drove down Hwy 89 toward Yellowstone NP. Our RV park is about 34 miles north of the north entrance. Our destination today was the Beartooth Scenic Highway. The quickest way to get there was through the northeast section of Yellowstone. We had been in Yellowstone for a week in 2007, but felt this return trip was a bonus. If we didn't have a Golden Age pass, we might not have been so enthusiastic. If you don't know, these lifetime passes to national parks and monuments are available to everyone 62 and older with proof of birth and citizenship and $10. Who says that our government doesn't do enough for us? Smile. The pass and ID allows one car full of people to enter. So a couple only needs one pass. Yellowstone costs $25/per vehicle without the pass.
We have been trying for days to capture a photo of a windsock. They are everywhere in Montana and Wyoming. We have a phone app that can tell us the wind speed and gusts wherever we are. I love technology.
This Gardiner, MT, the gateway to the north entrance to Yellowstone. It was cute, touristy, and busy.
We drove a ways and didn't see any bison. We were beginning to think they lived south and west, where we had seen them in 2007, when a small herd appeared. There were more than these three, but they were too scattered to capture in one photo. They looked pretty scruffy because they are shedding their winter coats. It got to almost 90º today, so we bet they can't wait to get rid of their thick fur.
We turned east at Mammoth Hot Springs, but could capture a distant photo of the highlight of this area of the park.
There are many attractive buildings at Mammoth Hot Springs. This is the hotel.
If you do not want to tour the park on your own, you can pay to ride in an updated 1930s Ford bus.
This is a real elk along the road in Yellowstone. There were others nearby, but this one seemed to pose for us. We couldn't be picky about the lighting. However, we saw people who had left their cars and approached the herd! These animals will charge! I hope none of these people were ever my students.
We saw recent fire in several parts of the park in 2007. Here is an example of re-growth that Ted, with a BS in Forestry, says is about 6 years old. He only hopes the regrowth will be a little more astutely managed to avoid a repeat of this disastrous scenario. Right before this we saw a Grizzly!!! I felt, that no matter what else we saw, the day had been a success. Since there are only about 40 wolves in the whole park, I didn't expect to see one.
As we approached the northeast entrance to Yellowstone, we came upon this herd of bison, which turned out to be one of several in the Lamar Valley. It was a jaw dropping sight. We watched them run, roll in the grass, and tend their young. Then, it was on to our primary objective.
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