Passing thru Yellowstone
June
6 & 7, 2015
After the Tetons we spent a couple of nights in Yellowstone, hoping to
see some wildlife.
In the rapids of the Yellowstone River downstream from Fishing Bridge
we saw these Harlequin Ducks. They would swim in the rapids and dive
for their food.
Entering Hayden Valley we encountered a "buffalo jam". Herds of
buffalo are almost everywhere, and when they get close to the road,
cars slow down to a crawl, creating a traffic jam.
One of the buffalo. These seem to spend their time either eating or
sleeping, and move only slowly from one area to another. This guy is
pretty scraggly, not having lost all his winter coat.
This year the National Park Service, both at the Tetons and in
Yellowstone, are advising people to carry bear spray when they go out
on hikes. You can buy it in the gift stores, or even rent it, which we
had not seen before. Rental is not cheap - $9 per day or $30 per week.
We did buy a can of bear spray in Cheyenne on our way here; it was $35.
So far, it has worked perfectly; we haven't seen a bear since we bought
it.
Tower Fall, at 132 feet, is one of the higher waterfalls in Yellostone.
It is named Tower Fall because of the tower-like rock spires near the
brink of the falls.
Another buffalo, this one in Lamar Valley, keeping his eye on me as I
try to edge closer for a photo.