Nothing Runs Like a Bear!

I apologize that this post is delayed, due to the craziness

of the holiday weekend. 

My girl is home! Our daughter Ashley makes it a priority to be home from Milwaukee, Wisconsin every year for the 4th of July. We must go explore! 

Dan had Thursday night off, so he and Ashley set off over the Beartooth Pass. They found and photographed mountain goats, climbed down to a waterfall, and explored side roads. 

On Friday, I was able to join the fun. We gave Ashley her choice of activities, and she decided that she wanted to see the wild horses. (Even if it did mean riding the "wretched death machines"!) One of our buddies joined us and let her ride with him in his side-by-side. A "real" seat and a seat belt made her feel much better. 

We parked in our usual spot on Helt Road and set off up the mountain. We came down the switchbacks to Crooked Creek Road and ran along the canyon rim. Coming around a corner, I caught movement off to my left. Bear! It stopped for a second, so I went scrambling for the camera. Of course, the camera had settled all the way to the bottom of my backpack, and I couldn't get it out. By now, the bear had given up on me and lumbered out of sight. Dan had caught up to me and asked if I wanted to chase it. Well... NO! He assured me that all the bears in the Pryors are blacks and that we were safe, so we went as far as the initial meadow. But the bear was not in the meadow, and I did not see which way it went. Chasing a bear into dense underbrush didn't seem prudent, so we returned to the machines and caught up with Ashley and Ronny. 

We stopped for lunch at the Big Ice Cave. We fought off the flies while we ate, then we walked the short trail down to the cave. The cool air coming out of the cave felt so good, and it provided relief from the flies. 

Ice stalagmite in the ice floor of the cave.

Then it was on to find the horses. We spotted a small group and spent some time photographing the baby one before moving on to the main herd up the road. We set up the tripod, and Ashley was happily snapping away when someone told us to turn around. The first group of horses had come to join the rest, and they walked right by us, about 20 yards away! THAT was cool! 

Eventually, Dan pointed out the time (and the miles back to the truck), so we reluctantly packed up our gear and headed out. 

We did have to stop again a couple of times, as we encountered a group of big horn sheep and spied an arch that will definitely require some closer inspection on another day.

 

This picture made me laugh. It reminds me of some
sort of athletic team photo.