15 October 2008

Welcome to Yellowstone





This is Ranger Dennis. We had a nice chat, because there are not really a lot of people here. He convinced me to take the day and drive to 4 of the 5 entrances to have a good look at everything. He also told me this place can get very crowded in the summer months....and he warned me that there would be wildlife everywhere as they take over the park this time of year. Fine with me, I can stay in the van as long as necessary. I did make it to 4 of the gates.....North at Gardiner (which is just south of the blocked Beartooth Pass I tried to cross yesterday; West at Madison near where the coyote and I are camping; East at Cody where I entered the park; and South at Moose Falls where I will head into the Grand Tetons when I leave my animal friends behind in Yellowstone.

I saw a hundred hot springs today, and this is just one of them. I picked it because I liked the name, Dragons Mouth. It even has a steady roar like a dragon. Wait a minute, there are not dragons in this park are there? Very near my campsite I found this little lizard (or was it a baby dragon) lying dead in the snow. By my reckoning he was stomped by a bear.

And, I have no idea what this bird is, but he was sizing me up and down. I think it is some kind of crow/chicken hawk/vulture thing. It was not afraid of me, that is for sure.

Oh, another note. Friend Chris G., it appears that the roads to and at Glacier National have turned to winter. Other than that you suggestions for the journey have been spot on excellent.

2 comments:

Baba Doodlius said...

I think that's a miniature jub-jub bird. They're not scared of anything.

Anonymous said...

The bird is a raven. They are very common in these parts.