Elk Horn Cemetery (Part 2)

An "elk horn" cemetery of a different sort
(If that doesn't make sense, you probably didn't read Part 1)

When we made our plans to go to Yellowstone this weekend, we were hoping to have a first timer in tow. Unfortunately, that didn't work out. Since we had spent the night in Bozeman, and we had to get home somehow, we decided to go through Yellowstone anyway. Because the entrance at West Yellowstone is actually about as far from home as we can get, we backtracked a bit to Livingston and entered at Mammoth. Our only plan for the day was to work our way generally homeward. 

Without a set agenda, we ended up on Blacktail Plateau Road. It is one of our favorite drives, and its season is short, so why pass up an opportunity? We parked the car and set off on foot. NOW we understand why this area of the park is closed during the spring when the bears come out of hibernation. It is very apparent that the elk winter here, and the winter-killed elk becomes quite literally an all-you-can-eat buffet for the bears! We found sheds, bones, and even half a dozen or more skulls with antlers still attached. The only kind of elk we did not see was a live one. In fact in our four-mile loop, the only wildlife we saw was a solitary coyote. 

The heat and the hike tired me out, and I stared rather vacantly out of the window as we made our way across the rest of Blacktail. Until I spotted the bear in the trees just off the road, that is! Wide awake, I yelled at Dan to stop! We backed up, but the trees made it really hard to get a picture of the bear. It moved a little deeper into the trees, and I was saying that it was still fun to see one when the bear actually turned back toward the road. I climbed up through the sunroof (since the bear was too close to get out of the car) and got some better photos. We then left the bear jam that we had created, much more satisfied with our day. 

We turned toward Lamar Valley and Cooke City with plenty of daylight left. Just after getting through a sheep-jam at the Yellowstone Picnic Area, we came around a corner and spotted some antelope. Well, what do you know... BABIES! I tried all spring to spot a baby antelope, without success. Now we had at least three, and the shutters were clicking again. 

After a while, my heat and sunlight induced headache returned and we again turned toward home. But we'll be back!

Elkhorn Cemetery (Part 1)

This spring on our annual camping trip to Pipestone, we talked about making a side trip to Elkhorn. But alas, it did not happen, so when Dan suggested it for this weekend, I was all for the idea. 

Friday afternoon found us wandering around the semi-ghost town. We found picturesque relics even before reaching the town itself, and the bees and butterflies also kept us entertained as they worked their way from thistle to thistle. 

Eventually, we arrived in the city proper.  While most of the properties are privately owned, two of the buildings - Gillian Hall and Fraternity Hall - are open

to the public. Some of the other historic buildings are easy to photograph from the street, and the few property owners that we did encounter where gracious enough to allow us to take a few shots on their places as well.

After exploring the town, we bounced our way up the rough road that lead to the cemetery. There was no one else around, and we enjoyed the peace and quiet as we stopped at each grave marker. Death is truly no respecter of persons... we saw many tombstones for babies and children (mostly victims of a diphtheria epidemic in 1888-91) as well as those of people who lived a long time. The tombstones varied from plain wooden planks to intricately carved monuments. The dates ranged from the late 1800's up to as recent as 2015. 

As so frequently seems to happen, our time and daylight ran short before we were really ready to leave, but at least I can finally cross Elkhorn off of my ghost town "to do" list. 

Our Very Own Yellowstone

 

 Not every time that we head to Yellowstone National Park do we have a set agenda, but yesterday we were off to Trout Lake to try to find otters. We were out the door by 8 am and in Red Lodge by 9. The Beartooth Highway is probably our favorite route to Yellowstone, and this time, it was definitely the shortest route to our destination. 

Of course, you know the old saying about best laid plans... The parking lot at Trout Lake was full beyond capacity. We have found that the best way to truly enjoy a day in Yellowstone is to be flexible, so we traveled on to Blacktail Plateau Road. We hiked this area once before and photographed some shed elk antlers, so we re-visited the sites. The first set was nearly undisturbed, and we continued to the hillside where we had found 8 to 10 sheds in a concentrated area. We were dismayed to find them ALL gone! But as Dan was looking around for them, he realized that there was a black bear directly below us! The wind was in our favor, and the bear had no idea that we were there. So, we sat down on the hillside and ate our lunch while the bear ate his. Eventually, the bear moseyed off into the underbrush, apparently for an afternoon nap. We returned to the car, commenting that it is amazing how you can have even Yellowstone all to yourself just by hiking a little bit. 

With the afternoon waning toward evening, we returned to Trout Lake. It was still busy, but we managed to wedge the Suby in and we were off. The trout were indeed spawning, but the otters were nowhere in sight. We turned toward Buck Lake, and oddly enough, we were once again alone except for the birds. Unfortunately, we still didn't find the otters, but it was a beautiful, peaceful spot to end our day! 

Buck Lake

 ~ Bonus Pics ~

I don't have a bird book,
 but I am pretty sure that these are called golden eyes. 

FINALLY, I got a red-wing black bird
 to sit long enough for a good photo!