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!