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Today in Parkadise Report
May 10 and 11, 2002


Bald Eagle on the Gibbon River - 10 May 2002 by John W. Uhler ©

Bald Eagle by John W. Uhler ©





10 and 11 May 2002 - Friday and Saturday


Carlene and I left home headed south into the park on our way to visit some friends in Jackson Hole. It was about 10:00 am on a day that started out as a snow white blizzard that broke into a partly sunny day. We saw antelope, elk and bison on our drive from the north entrance to Mammoth. No big horn sheep.


We had a nice drive around and up by the terraces and up Silver Gate and Golden Gate. Rustic Falls was flowing pretty good and looked great. Just as we came out of the canyon, I looked over to the left and there was this large grizzly bear standing on the Bunsen Peak Trail. This was the first time I had seen a bear in this area and said to Carlene," Look at the griz! " She was driving and said, " What griz?" So we pulled over at the next turnout and watched this large griz alternate between walking and sprinting south of the peak in the large meadow. We had been told by a friend that there was a bison winter kill in the area and that a griz had been seen up there. He was definitely right on that one.


We stayed and enjoyed the sight. I was raised back east in Pennsylvania and always dreamed of coming west to the rocky mountains and the wild west. I love bears and the grizzly or great bear is a magical creature to me and fills me with awe. There are so few of them and they have very little space to call their own It is fantastic to see and enjoy watching one. Yellowstone truly is amazing and wonderful.


Common Blue-Eyed-Grass - Spring 2001 by John W. Uhler ©

We continued on our trip and had a fantastic view in the Swan Lake meadows of the snow covered mountains and the great scenery. As we slowly traveled south on the road we kept an eye out for grizzly 264 or Obsidian and her cubs. She had been seen quite a bit between Roaring Mountain and North Twin Lakes. We missed her this time but enjoyed what we did see, which was bison, elk, Canada geese and mallards.


As we were driving along the Gibbon River just before Beryl Spring, there was a bald eagle perched on top of a dead tree. Now my luck had always been that as soon as we stop to take pictures the eagle will wait until I turn on the camera and then fly away. That button must make a lot of noise! In this case, the eagle did not fly away. I was able to take a few photos before he had wind beneath his wings. It is amazing that even the eagle has heard about the net and wants to get on it also.


We had a nice drive along Obsidian Creek and the Gibbon River. We had just a ten minute wait for construction and then drove all the way to Madison with no other stops. Gibbon Falls was roaring and looked more like a falls then the gentle cascade it turns into in summer.


We also got to see Beehive go off from the road as we drove in, so that was exciting as it has been a while since we had seen it. Last year was the first year I had the opportunity to see Grand erupt. All I can say is WOW! There were four or five other vents going off at the save time as the main eruption. It lasted a long time and there was a great crowd there and it was just like fireworks. It was the first eruption that I had been at that the crowd just stood and clapped and cheered when it was over. Very impressive and worth the wait. If you are in the area, please check at the visitor center for the guesstimated eruption time. You could spend a week in the Old Faithful area watching the geyser and thermal activity.


We looked for moose all along the way. Carlene really likes moose and we had not seen one this year yet. We kept our eyes peeled. As we started to climb south out of the Old Faithful area we headed into snow. The snow was all along the road and made for some interesting viewing on our trip. It seemed for some reason that every fifty yards or so, a snow figure would be standing above the rest of the snow packed along the road. We saw a snow moose, a snow elk, snow rabbits and snow goblins along with other snow creatures. It was fun and kept the kids entertained. Oops, we didn't have the kids with us. Oh well, you know what I mean.


We drove to Old Faithful and had lunch at the Snowlodge restaurant. We had a nice meal and had a fun time talking to the buser and waitress about their homes and the park. We talked about where to see bears and wolves and have a great time on their days off.

Ruddy Duck on a Yellowstone Glacial Pond by John W. Uhler ©

We had a beautiful ride through the park and then into Grand Teton National Park. The clouds had lifted and the heavens displayed the majestic snow covered Tetons! They were gorgeous, just breath taking. We again had our eyes peeled for moose but saw none. Bummer!


Grizzly Bear along Obsidian Creek - 11 May 2002 by John W. Uhler ©

Jackson Lake is very very low, the lowest we had ever seen it. There was a lot of snow on the mountains and we hope that that will bring the lake back up. We had a nice mooseless drive into Jackson to the Doug and Janet Colonel's cabins at the Buckrail Lodge. This was our place of abode and the folks there were extremely hospitable. We had a great cabin and enjoyed the Colonel's company, friendship and family.


After our Chinese lunch on Saturday (Chinese food is hard to find in Montana for some strange reason), we headed north for our home. We wanted to see how Rachel and Joseph did without us. The snow creatures greeted us and welcomed us back to the Stone. We had an uneventful mooseless drive to the Old Faithful area and in fact along the whole route today.


Obsidian and Cubs - Spring 2001 by John W. Uhler ©

Just before or south of Roaring Mountain in the meadows there was a large single grizzly bear grubbing for food while tons of folks watched and photographed. I am not sure that it was 264 as the cubs were not there. She should be sending the cubs on their way this spring. They are old enough. I had heard that there was a bore griz in the area that had been paying some attention to Obsidian. So we may have new cubs next year. It has been great to watch these two cubs grow and survive. We had seen her with at least two if not three sets of cubs that did not make it past their first year. These made it and what a thrill it has been to watch the develop as a family to this point.


We took some photos and watched the bear working for its food. It was fun and quite nice to see a great bear coming into the park and now another one on out way home. We had a great trip and time and the wonders and excitement is still there and we are keeping it just for you!





Wildlife Seen on This Trip


Antelope, bald eagle, bison, elk, two grizzly bears, magpies, no moose, mule deer, sandhill cranes and ravens.


Take care my friends until next time!


Lamar Valley Sunset by John W. Uhler ©

Lamar Valley Sunset by John W. Uhler ©


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