Over the Highway, and into the Park...

... to Yellowstone we will go!

This post is heavy to photos.

Not sorry. :)

Yellowstone National Park is one of my favorite places on earth. Yes, it gets crowded. Yes, tourists often put on a splendid display of stupidity. But all in all, the scenery, the vastness of untouched wilderness, and the abundance of wildlife make the small irritants just that ~ small. 

We are always glad when the Beartooth Pass opens in the spring. Not only is it the shortest, most direct route, but the fun of the drive and the spectacular scenery in all directions make it a destination in its own right. To correct myself, the highway is the shortest, most direct route in mileage. It took us five or six hours to get from home to the park entrance. We stopped to chase a goat, to climb the rocks at the summit, and to photograph two waterfalls and a lake. 

Eventually, we DID make it into the park. My main photo objective for the day was baby animals. We went by several herds of buffalo before we found one with babies in it close to the road. Ever alert for the bison with an attitude, we set up the tripod and took pictures until I figured that I had enough to have something good. Baby buffaloes ~ check. 

Dan was the one to spot our next subject - a female bighorn sheep contentedly nibbling the grass on a shady hillside. After taking another bunch of pictures (good thing we don't have to buy film anymore), Dan decided that we should climb to the top of the hill to see if the rest of the flock was hanging out up there. So we climbed. Can you guess what was over that hill? Another hill. We walked probably a mile before we spotted a small group of sheep yet another half-mile or so away. We decided to return to the car and make our way to Mammoth to look for elk calves. 

Mammoth is always over-run by elk. But not today. We spotted all of three elk resting in the shade near the headquarter buildings. So much for babies! We moved away from the crowds around the hot spring terraces and headed up a hiking trail into the woods. It was early evening, and we met only a few other hikers. Perfect! We met one family on their way out who told us that there were elk ahead. And so there were. Still no babies, unfortunately, but we did have the animals all to ourselves. Presently the rumble of thunder, and maybe a rumble in my tummy, chased us out of the woods. We got to the car just as the rain started coming down hard. We got just enough of a break in the rain to get inside the restaurant before the deluge continued. By the time we started for home, the rain had mostly stopped, and the clouds made for a beautiful sunset.