Today began fairly bright and sunny, with some clouds. But the big, fluffy storm clouds began to gather and the day cooled off, which was refreshing. The afternoon brought rain storms and some wind, followed by dramatic light on the landscape. I was at Swan Lake Flat, hoping to see Quad Mom, when a rainstorm came in, followed by a double rainbow against the backdrop of sun and rain. Did not see Quad Mom or the beaver but heard that the bears had been there earlier today.
The park is July busy now. It all began on Monday, with lines of cars waiting at the gate to enter the park. The traffic is heavy and there is no shortage of folks stopping at each and every bison along the road to take photos. Plan to take double the time to reach your destination and drive cautiously, as there is a lot of stop and go traffic, along with sudden swerving and stopping. Summer has begun a little early.
Apparently, all of the black bears were out yesterday, causing bear jams for miles. But, today, only a few bears here and there. Picnic mom went through the Yellowstone picnic area and continued east with her two cinnamon yearlings. There was a group of big horn ewes in the same area.
No signals on the Lamars today and no word on the Mollies.
The Junctions were doing their usual thing at the new den site and I saw puppies this morning and evening, along with several adults. The crowds to see the wolves are quite large. And, there are many visitors who are driving up and down Slough Creek campground road, looking side to side, expecting to see a wolf den along the way. Be sure and stop to ask someone as the den is about a mile away from the road, directly west. You won’t see the wolves without help.
A lot of bison moving back and forth across the road in Little America but Lamar Valley was quiet and a single pronghorn buck, close to the road, drew a lot of attention.
Down south, 755 and the yearling crossed the road and went west – no word on them this afternoon.
The grizzly sow and three coy were seen to the west from Grizzly Overlook.
And, Raspberry and Snow were seen near Lake Butte Overlook, only briefly before they went up high and out of sight.
As happens every year, Mammoth is filled with elk and calves but the best time for seeing them is in the evening. People were going up close to the elk but that is not advisable as the moms can be quite ornery.
On a very sad note, a man fell into a pool at Norris Geyser Basin and died. Earlier this week, a young boy was burned in Morning Glory Pool near Old Faithful.
Please be careful out there – respect the rules and have a good time.
Your photos today seem extra wonderful–so tack sharp, and the colors are beautiful. Thanks for sharing your talent and passion.
I’ve been having some fun lately!