I'm at that point in the trip where I can't quite remember what I've written or where I am. Well, I just checked and I'm in Salt Lake City tonight with my friend Connie Cowen. We had a great dinner at a little Italian restaurant after touring the Mormon "temple'"area (which we don't quite get, am I allowed to say that?) and I will fill in what I've been up to since we last talked. Last Sunday I drove up from Cody, WY to the east entrance to Yellowstone. Being the city slicker that I am I thought once I was in the park I'd be almost there. But no, Old Faithful Snow Lodge was another 2 hour drive. I found my way there in time to see Old Faithful erupt on time at 5:09.
Monday was my day with Kevin "the bearman" Sanders. I am trying to upload as many pictures as I can because they say it all. We saw a grizzly bear and her cubs, a wolf, lots of elk and buffalo. Kevin is a fascinating guy and if one can see Yellowstone in a day, he is the guy to do it with. He said I'd seen "90%" of what was worth seeing. He was just being nice. You could spend weeks there. Here are the fun facts about him. After visiting the falls area it finally came to me who he looked like..."you look just like..." and he responded...."Larry Bird." Right. They are distant relatives. And, when probing about where he lived and why he had a 2 hr. drive everyday to the park and didn't move closer, he mentioned "did you ever see the movie A River Runs Through It?" Sure. "Well, that's my front yard. That rock where Brad Pitt is fly fishing, I can see that from my living room. " He lives between Big Sky and Bozeman, Montana. I guess he should stay where he is.
He is known throughout the park as the "bearman." He's written a couple books about bear safety, and that sort of thing. Lots of great stories. So, we were out on a trail, he said " so, you can hike 1.8 mi. down this path, I'll get the van, move it to the other end, and hike back and meet you. Okay? What I wanted to do was throw my arms around his waist and beg him not to desert me, but I pretended to weigh the idea for a moment and said perhaps it best if I didn't do that. I asked if I might encounter any bears along route and he said sure, but you'll be okay. We'll never know what might have happened because I trotted right along behind him back to the van.
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| Bear people? |
The Old Faithful Snow Lodge was rustic and full of character and characters. This morning it was 18 out and frost covered my car. Such a surprise. Beautiful sunny day as I drove out of West Yellowstone, thru Idaho and down to Salt Lake City.
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| geothermic whatever |
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| old faithful |
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| mama grizzly |
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| bear butts..mama and babies |
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| lower fall on Yellowstone river |
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| elk |
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| crossing the river |
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| and more buffalo |
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| mule tailed deer |
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