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Gray Jay by John W. Uhler - 09 October 1998 ©

Gray Jay by John W. Uhler - 09 October 1998 ©


October 1998 Trip Report





08 October 1998 - Thursday


The crew for our October trip was Carlene, Rachel (also known as the guppy) and myself. We headed north at 3:00 pm and we were excited for our fall trip to the park. This would be our last trip of the year, so we were excited to be going back home, and a little sad that we wouldn't be back until next spring...


We made good time as the construction and traffic were light. We stopped at Smitty's in Idaho Falls for supper and a break from the road. The Grand Teton's were not visible due to low clouds but we had good weather and continued on our way. We arrived at West Yellowstone at 9:00 pm.


We entered the park and made our way to Gardiner, Montana and the Best Western Motel. Thanks to the good folks at the Best Western we had a great stay. Rachel spent her time there in the pool and was making real strides at being able to breath out of water!


We saw buffalo, and a coyote along the road as we drove to Gardiner. It was a nice drive and the roads in the park, although bad, were patched the best we have seen them in recent years. It sure made the dodge and bump ride from Madison to Norris a little easier. We arrived at the motel at 10:15 pm, checked in and hit the sack.


Today we saw: buffalo and a coyote.


Our 'Guppy' Rachel by John W. Uhler - ©

Our "Guppy" Rachel by John W. Uhler - ©




09 October 1998 - Friday


After breakfast in Gardiner, we headed towards Lamar. The sky was clear and temps in the 50's. Just south of the Rescue Creek pullout, there was a herd of bighorn sheep on the side of the mountain. They were down low and the younger sheep were playing tag and making hair raising sprints up and down the sheer mountain side and cliffs. Some started small rock slides that came crashing down into the river. There were 18 sheep that we could count. The ram had large curls and strutted out on a rock outcropping or pinnacle. They were awesome to watch and enjoy. We had never seen or enjoyed anything like it and everyone there was thrilled by the opportunity. Nice way to start our trip into the park!


There were ducks on just about every pond in the park, it seems they are on the migration route south for the winter. We saw a few buffalo but the elk (other than at Mammoth) were still up high as the weather has been nice. They will stay up in the high areas until the snow pushes them down.


We stopped at the turnouts just east of the Yellowstone picnic grounds and did some spotting. No bears or wolves in sight. We headed east to Lamar and stopped and continued to glass the hills and vales for wildlife. We saw some antelope down in the low meadows but not much else. We heard a report that 42F and 103F had been seen earlier this morning but no wolves were around when we were watching.


We ate lunch at the Warm Creek Picnic grounds just west of the Northeast entrance. We were joined by gray jays and squirrels scurrying around looking for food for the winter.


Gray Jay by John W. Uhler - 09 October 1998 ©

Gray Jay by John W. Uhler - 09 October 1998 ©


Since the weather was so nice, we decided to head east out of the park and drive the Beartooth highway. We headed east of Silver Gate and Cooke City. Highway 212 splits to either the Chief Joseph scenic highway or the Beartooth about 8 miles or so east of Cooke City. We climbed the Beartooth and it was a great drive. There are quite a few nice national forest campgrounds along the route. The mountains, valleys and lakes and ponds are fantastic. We drove up past the top of the world and over the Beartooth Pass above the tree line and over the rockies and down the side. We stopped and took pictures of the beartooth and the mountains. We also stopped at Island Lake national forest campgrounds and enjoyed the scenery and the peace and beauty of the area in fall.


We had planned to drive the Beartooth in June of this year for the first time, the road had opened on Memorial Day weekend, but as fate would have it, it snowed while we were there in June and they closed the highway. I heard reports that they had had six feet of snow while we were in the park in June.


The only wildlife we saw was three mule deer on the way back down.


If you have the chance, I would recommend driving the Beartooth in late summer or early fall when most of the snow is gone and you can enjoy the immense mountain range beauty.


The 'Beartooth' by John W. Uhler - 09 October 1998 ©

The "Beartooth"
by John W. Uhler - 09 October 1998 ©


We supped in Cooke City and then took a nice easy drive back to Lamar Valley. We met Dick and Joanell Feit at the Lamar River Turnout. They had driven in from Minnesota and we expected them around 9:00 pm at the Best Western but they were psyched and had a short nap along the way and drove on into the park.


The turnout just east of the Lamar picnic grounds seemed like a good starting place for looking for bears and wolves. We watched and chatted with Dick and Joanell and others who stopped along the way hoping to get a glimpse of some bears or wolves. After watching for a while, we headed west up the valley to a turnout past the Lamar Ranger Station.


When we drove past the picnic grounds, there was a small group of folks gathered near the bank of the Lamar River. We were going to stop, but decided not to as we noted a dedicated friend and wolf watcher leaving. Big mistake, there were five river otters playing in the river and along the bank... wished we had turned in and enjoyed the chance to watch and photograph the otters. We had been told earlier in the year by the chief ranger at Tower, that she had seen otters on the Lamar River. I guess they are back for the winter.


From this new vantage point, we saw a few buffalo in the valley and elk up in the high meadows and mountain tops. We also saw a coyote working its way east along the river bed. We stayed and watched until just about sunset when we headed west to a turnout about a mile past the Lamar River Bridge.


Cricket by Trout Lake by John W. Uhler - 06 September 1998 ©

Cricket by Trout Lake
by John W. Uhler - 06 September 1998 ©


A small herd of mule deer crossed the road just before the turnout. There were ten deer in the group, does and young deer and a four point buck. This was the largest herd of mule deer we had ever seen in the park.


A herd of over sixty buffalo made its way over a ridge and out in view. We scanned the hillside looking for bears and wolves and enjoyed the buffalo herd slowly making its way east down the valley.


At sunset we loaded up and headed west to Gardiner and the swimming pool at the Best Western. We swam until the pool closed at 10:00 pm and then we visited with Dick and Joanell and planned the following day.


Today we saw: Antelope, bighorn sheep, buffalo, coyotes, ducks, elk, gray jays, hawks, magpies, mule deer, and ravens.


Pilot and Index Peaks by John W. Uhler - 09 October 1998 ©

Pilot and Index Peaks
by John W. Uhler - 09 October 1998 ©




10 October 1998 - Saturday


I was up at 6:00 am and on the road by 6:30 am. Carlene and Rachel were tuckered out so I had to go it alone. I arrived in Lamar at about 7:15 am and went to the Lamar Picnic grounds. I met Lynn and Dorothy Weston there. We had been corresponding via email for a few years and have always been a turnout apart in the park since 95. It was nice to meet and put faces to the electrons and to share the experience. Telemetry was picked up on 103F as she headed east down the north side of the valley. A friend had caught a glimpse of her before she went behind the ridge. We watched and waited but she never appeared in our field of view. She must of stayed on the north side of the ridge to where ever she was headed.


It was also reported that the Rose Creek Pack was back in the area west of Slough Creek. That was exciting news for all wolf watchers. They had not been in the area since early spring, we had seen three of this pack on our April trip and that was all we seen of them this year.


Lynn and his wife moved west up the valley as we stayed and continued our vigil for 103F and anything else. Elk were still up high and there were a few buffalo in the valley. We moved from the picnic grounds west to another viewing area with higher elevation. We noted some folks already there and joined in the fun. They had spotted a black collared wolf lying on the south bank of the Lamar River. They said it had howled for a little while but there was no response back. We arrived at 9:45 am and I watched until 10:45 am at which time I headed back to the Best Western to pick up Carlene and Rachel. Dick and Joanell stayed and watched the wolf until it disappeared into the trees.


From a turnout west of the Lamar River bridge, I saw three coyotes on an elk kill. There wasn't too much left and they were doing a good cleanup job.


Pond Above Mammoth by John W. Uhler - 11 October 1998 ©

Pond Above Mammoth
by John W. Uhler - 11 October 1998 ©


When I arrived at the hotel, Carlene and Rachel were in the pool. I joined them for a while and then we ate lunch and headed back to the Slough Creek area. The buffalo had crossed the road and were now on the south side when we arrived in the area.


We continued down the valley and setup our scopes at the turnout across from the Lamar Ranger Station. We saw one antelope, two bald eagles (they were impressive), elk up high on the mountain and a few buffalo scattered around the valley.


Just as the evening was winding down, clouds had been moving in and a storm was brewing. The wind dropped in to remind us that fall was here and winter was just around the corner. The wind gusts were strong enough to blow over spotting scopes and we all had to hang on to keep them from being damaged. It was a drastic change from an Indian Summer to winter.


That is about how the day ended. We watched and visited until the sun went to bed and mother nature blew us a kiss good night, well is was more like a slap, but I didn't want to get mother nature in trouble... We packed up and headed to Gardiner for a late supper.


We have been snowed on on all our October trips and just to let us know that the weather is consistent, we drove through snow flurries on our way back to Gardiner. Nothing really hard, just enough to keep the record going for consecutive October trips with snow. It was not as cold or near as much snow as years past, but snow none the less. We made it back to Gardiner with no problems.


We had a nice supper at the Gold Mine Restaurant and then Rachel wanted to swim to unwind from a hard day of wildlife watching.


Today we saw: Antelope, two bald eagles, buffalo, coyotes, ducks, elk, mule deer, magpies, northern harriers or marsh hawks, ravens and one wolf of the Druid Peak Pack.


Looking East from Soda Butte Cone by John W. Uhler - 09 October 1998 ©

Looking East from Soda Butte Cone
by John W. Uhler - 09 October 1998 ©




11 October 1998 - Sunday


Rachel had a touch of the flu during the night, so we were up most of the night. Not a good night for sleeping. Since Rachel wasn't feeling well, we decided to take a nice slow drive out of the park to our home away from home. There was no snow on the ground but the mountain top were caressed in white with a sign of things to come. As far as snow was concerned, this was the best October trip we have had, nothing on the roads and a clear beautiful day to head home.


Last year we had to wait in Mammoth for the road from Mammoth to Madison to be plowed open. This year it was clear and dry, except for a little ice in the shaded areas. But I am sure it melted off as the day warmed up. Mount Washburn was closed from the storm last night. You will have to check when you enter the park if it has reopened.


We stopped above Mammoth to take some pictures of the signs of fall, gold, green and brush brushed in a light coat of sparkley white. Nice contrast of colors and the changing seasons of nature. Fall is beautiful in the park.


Buffalo and elk were out in the small meadows along the road and bid us a fond farewell for the year. The meadows were all covered in frost with light tan trails zig zagging across them where wildlife had crossed on their way to the morning feeding areas.


Signs of Fall by John W. Uhler - 11 October 1998 ©

Signs of Fall by John W. Uhler - 11 October 1998 ©


The Gibbon and Madison Rivers were low and slow and beautiful flowing ribbons through the valleys and meadows.


Canada geese and ducks were all along the Madison as were folks enjoying the beauty and flyfisherpersons were out enjoying the end of the season. We really hated to leave and wished that we were one of the vehicles headed in the opposite direction.


We were greeted by the Grand Tetons at Harriman State Park on the high plateau and they escorted us to Rexburg, Idaho. On just about every pond and lake along the route home there were ducks and Canada geese and in the sky, flocks of flying sandhill cranes making their way with us south for the winter. We will see you all next spring when we all migrate north to our spring and summer home.


So ends another great trip with family and friends and nature and wildlife in a special place we fondly call home. Until next time friends, take care and be safe. See you in spring!


Today we saw: Buffalo, Canada geese, a coyote, ducks, elk, hawks, mountain blue birds, ravens and sandhill cranes.




Wildlife Seen on This Trip


Antelope, two bald eagles, buffalo, Canada geese, coyotes, ducks, elk, gray jays, ground squirrels, mountain blue birds, mule deer, northern harriers, the fun loving ever present ravens, red tail hawks, sandhill cranes, trumpeter swans and one wolf - of the Druid Peak Pack.


Ponds Above Mammoth by John W. Uhler - 11 October 1998 ©

Ponds Above Mammoth
by John W. Uhler - 11 October 1998 ©





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