The fastest way to find wildlife in Yellowstone is to first locate the gaggle of humans. This rare specie will more than likely have a camera way too powerful for their own good, a giant RV, and potentially be wearing Hello Kitty (which I didn’t realize they made in adult sizes.)
When approaching such animals, I highly recommend toning down the cynicism and instead asking such brilliant questions as, “So, what are you guys looking at?” and “What’s up?”
In this case, they were staring at a buffalo that had been recently taken down by a pack of wolves. Other animals were circling, waiting to feed. Also, a bald eagle was in a tree.
That teeny tiny brown dot in the river is the poor buffalo.
That teeny tiny black dot in the tree is a bear. Thankfully, another gaggle of tourists helped us with this sighting. I have no idea why the bear was in the tree, but he sat there for quite a while, occasionally moving his head. I later saw what I think was a grizzly, but it very well could have been a quick buffalo at a distance.
These antelope were everywhere. We managed to see some big horn sheep today too. Even though I like to come across as someone who could handle any sort of outdoorsy adventure thrown my way, I was a little worried this Yellowstone trip wasn’t going to be my thing. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Down to a Bullwinkle, we saw just about everything.
We even managed to get in a good hike and at 7,000+ feet, my little heart was racing. We’ve thoroughly conquered this park and seen just about as much of it as I imagine humanly possible in such a short period. I can’t wait to return.
Next time, I’ll learn to fly fish. I’ll bring a tripod. I’ll spend lots of time staring and the stars and certainly spend more time on my feet and outside of a car. I’ll spend gobs of time in the Lamar Valley, one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever been.
Montana: A+.
~K