I learned that this valley received an incredible 700+" of snow last winter, and that some of the mountain passes had only recently opened. Spring was late - but wonderful with all the flowers in bloom.
We were delighted to find this Violet Green Swallow at the first stop - the Jackson Hole visitors center.
What a beautiful bird!
We took some short walks, I was really noticing the altitude change, but enjoyed every second of it. We felt that we were really in the WILD west!
AWW, what a sight for sore eyes.
We discovered Moose-Wilson Road leading into the park, and only minutes from where we were staying.
There were willow flats along the road, and I photographed this mama moose from the car. She did not appreciate that...
... as her calf was nearby.
On the second morning we went up to Yellowstone. A 60 mile trip took several hours as we made many stops along the way. At dawn noticed some elk running in our field, and then we heard the howl of a nearby wolf, getting closer.
Actually there was a pack of 4, hunting the elk but disturbed by us. It was very exciting to be so close to these wolves.
I still cannot believe the beauty of this place. I was reminded of my favorite bible verse, Psalm 121:"A song for the upward-journey. I will lift up my eyes to the mountains, from where my help always comes. My help comes from Adonai, Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip off course, your Keeper does not slumber. Watch!-- the Keeper of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. Adonai is your Keeper, Adonai is your shade at your right hand. By day, the sun shall not harm you, nor the moon by night. Adonai will continually protect you from all evil, He will preserve your soul. Adonai will continually guard your going out and your coming in, from now and throughout eternity." (my translation)
Birding here was tough, but we managed 108 species in 6 days. This is a Willow Flycatcher, cute as can be.
The wildflowers were such an unexpected pleasure. These lupines were everywhere, so beautiful with the mountains. (I was testing out a wide angle lens so I had to get down in the dirt but loved it!)
Onward to Yellowstone... a place I had wanted to visit all my life. Everyone should! Do you notice anything dark in the pines?
Yes, it was Smoky the bear! (We didn't see him climb up there, but we were glad to be on the ground looking up at him, rather than up in the tree looking down at him.) Check out the claws!
At lunch we noticed that the Gray Jays are particularly interested in any scraps that may have been left on the picnic table.
This is what I called an "animal jam" - when traffic would stop to allow for viewing of wildlife. The elk just wanted to cross. We did see folks getting foolishly close to some of the large animals.
When we arrived at Old Faithful, we learned it had just gone off. So we walked around the area for about an hour. It was like being on another planet and smelled of sulfur. There were geysers everywhere, so interesting. Several people have been killed falling into these, as the water is boiling hot and the crust of the earth is thin.
There were many colorful ground squirrels.
Old Faithful was so neat to watch, the water shot up about 100' in the air for a couple minutes.
It really is an American treasure.
On the way home we stopped at a stream to look for a special bird called the American Dipper.
Here he is, and this little guy is pretty amazing. It lives in rushing mountain streams, walking and swimming underwater to find food. We really enjoyed watching him.
It had been an incredible 2 days, 4 more to go so stay tuned. (Did I mention the DELICIOUS BISON BURGERS??)
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