I made a fast and furious weekend Yellowstone trip 12 thru 14 July 96. I left home at 5:18 pm and arrived at Slough Creek campgrounds at about 12:45 am. I was up at 5:00 am and scouting the hills and vales for wildlife - specifically the bears and wolves.

I went to the first turnout or parking area just inside the Slough Creek road and did not see much of anything. This is where we last saw the wolves on our June trip. The elk and buffalo were gone, so I figured there was a good chance the bears and wolves were gone also.

Next, I drove down the Lamar Valley road to the second turnout and again did some searching for wildlife. There were a few elk and buffalo, but the large herds that were there in June were gone also. I headed down to the turnout past the Ranger Station/Yellowstone Institute. I saw a very large herd of buffalo and some elk in this area but no wolves or bears.

Then I decided to go to Mount Washburn since it was still early in the morning and see if my luck would change. There were a few families wildlife watching at each turnout. I stopped and did my part, but no one that I know of saw any bears or wolves. There were lots of elk in the valleys, there was one large herd of about 300 elk and then another good size herd just up the mountain side from it. The elk were chirping, mewing and bugling. It was neat just to sit back and listen. I visited with a family from Virginia who had just arrived the night before and they were also hoping to see some bear and wolf activity.

While we were talking, a group of coyotes began to bark and howl above up on the hillside. We all turned and started to glass the area to see if we could determine what was happening. As of a sudden, in response, another group of coyotes started to bark and howl in response. They were down in the valley below us in the woods. But where they were situated, acted like a megaphone and the barking and howling was very loud and echoed down the mountain side.

Three coyotes came out on the hillside below us and slowly made their way down into the valley. I guess to join the other members of their clan. It was fun to visit and share this experience. It seemed like all the buffalo were in Lamar Valley and the elk were on Mount Washburn.

I then decided since it was still early in the morning, to go back and see if anything was going on in Lamar Valley. I drove down to a turnout that is by the confluence of the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek. This is where I first saw the wolves last year in June. I took my breakfast with me and sat on the hillside and watched the buffalo, elk and antelope eating, playing and meandering around the valley. The baby buffalo were playing tag and butting heads as were baby antelope. They were fun to watch. No bears or wolves though.

At a little after 9:00 am I decided to head back up the valley to the camp site. I stopped at the turnout just before the Ranger Station to see if I could spot anything. I looked over on the mountain side on the south side of the valley. I saw two dark animals running after each other in a meadow. They had just entered a burn area when I lost them. They were really moving, so I knew they were not buffalo, I got a little excited. All of a sudden they came barreling out of the woods on the other side. I ran to the van and grabbed my telescope and set it up. There they were, two grizzly bears. A mated pair (don't ask me how I know). One was large about one third larger than the other bear. They ran, played, ate and mated. I watched them for almost two hours as they were out in a large meadow. It was kind of unusual, they normally find some food and head back into the woods. It was a thrill as I have never seen a mated pair before. I had them all to myself, no one stopped to see what I was watching - their loss. When they headed into the woods again, I packed up and went up the valley. There were a couple families parked in one of my favorite spots, so I stopped to see if they had seen anything.

No bears or wolves had been seen. I had a very nice visit with a family from Key West, Florida who were on their annual trip to the park, and another with a family from Nevada on their first trip to Yellowstone. We went back to the turnout by the ranger station to see if the bears had come back out, but they were gone. We had a nice visit and shared experiences and then parted company.

I drove to Tower to visit with some friends from Texas who are bear and wolf spotters. I then drove to Mammoth to get some info from a ranger friend and some other friends. On my way back to Lamar Valley, there was a traffic jam just before the Gardiner River Bridge. It seemed that a herd of elk cows and calves decided to take a swim in a pond just off the road. They were fun to watch. The calves would get a running start and jump into the water and splash and splash until it got too deep and they would just swim to the other side or turn around and start all over. There was quite a crowd and the elk did not mind us watching and taking pictures and video. It was cool!

I drove back to Slough Creek to see if anything was happening there. Nothing at all. Where the elk, buffalo, wolves and bears had been was now occupied by fly fishermen and others. I went further down the valley and stopped at the second turnout in Lamar Valley and watched for wildlife with a couple from Switzerland. It was nice to visit with them.

As I was driving to the next turnout, a couple cars were pulled over and people were taking pictures. I pulled over and saw a coyote and a pup playing on the hillside. I got out my camera and took a few pictures. This was the first time I had ever seen a coyote pup. The pup and father played right there in front of us. The pup would sneak away and then run back and jump on his father and grab his nose or ear and wrestle. It was fun to watch and film. An individual from the Yellowstone Institute had stopped and gave me the info on the father. She had tracking gear and was watching his activity. It seems that this was the second time today the coyote had crossed to the north side of the road. But when play was all done, the father and the pup crossed the road just behind us and headed down into the open meadow of Lamar.

A friend from Idaho dropped by and we visited. He had seen the Druid Peak wolf pack this morning around the Soda Butte area. He had also seen a sow grizzly and cub in a meadow on the mountain side in the same area. We visited and watched for a while, but nothing was happening where we were, so we decided to move down the valley to where he had seen the wolves and bears.

While watching for wildlife, Ranger Rick and David a friend we had met last year pulled into the turnout. We visited as Bill (the friend from Idaho) told Rick all about the wolf sighting this morning. The Druid Peak pack had been seen in the same general area Friday and Saturday morning (around 5ish). We then went up to the area I had been at this morning on the hillside above the Lamar River to see if they may come out again. They did not show up. We all went to our cars and headed to our different destinations. It was nice to visit with old and new friends again in Yellowstone.

This ended my July 1996 trip. I headed home enriched by the friends I had met and the wildlife and beauty I had seen, experienced and shared. Yellowstone is magical and beautiful! I love it!