On September 15th, our group had a packed day that, in the end, took us to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone after much fascinating in-between. We left Mammoth Hot Springs early, yet plenty of visitors had already gathered at a popular wildlife-spotting site, Hayden Valley, by 7:30.
At that hour the air was chilly, and we bundled up with coats, gloves, and such. (Click on any image to enlarge.)
To avoid disturbing the wildlife, visitors must use adjacent ridgelines and observe through their binoculars, telescopes, cameras, etc.
Some got as close as they could ...
A small group of wolves climbed up the far ridge, but they were hard for me to spot and impossible to photograph. A bison wandered through the meadow below us.
We next headed east through the Lamar Valley.
Roaming bison enjoy the grasses of the long valley. They're accustomed to and ignore vehicles.
Zooming in. The browser is undisturbed as long as we stay in the vehicle.
A little while later we reached a formation known as "Moose Rock."
We're at a junction for heading east or south. We'll do both today, but first east, to Cooke City, just outside the park.
Restrooms are here, and very welcome. Oddly, someone left a boot — one boot — behind.
There's a large gap in my pictures for this afternoon. At Cooke City, we lunched at a coffee & sandwich shop (screenshot from Google).
A short hop took us to the gallery Wildlife Along the Rockies, begun in 1990 by Dan and Cindy Hartman. The Hartmans have documented pygmy owls and pine martens on their property, and Dan has guided for National Geographic and BBC films. Needless to say, their sample videos, artwork, and presentations were engrossing; we bought a book for "Ages 5-9" because of the photos.
After visiting the Gallery, it was time to drive west and south to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
An information sign.
The lower falls, from above. Just like the postcards!
A plaque with a map of the various paths.
Some folks like to take pictures of themselves,
but I concentrate on the features ... the landscape, in this case ...
and the setting.
After settling in and having dinner here, Jack and Steve took us out for a drive in the evening light. Grizzlies have favored locations, and everyone knows about them ...
This evening, a griz was hunting burrowing critters for his evening meal, pouncing on den and bolthole entrances/exits.
Darkness continued to grow, and soon it was time to return to Canyon Lodge & Cabins. It was a busy day from sunup to sundown, and the next day promised to be busy too.
Then it was time to move on: today's agenda had plenty of stops. On the trail back to the vans, evidence -- snagged bison fur -- confirmed that bison wander anywhere they please.
