Kicking the Winter Blues

There is one thing to be said for Montana winters... While Mother Nature may throw some really nasty weather at us, she generally doesn't stay angry for long. We have spent the last two weekends stuck in the house, so I was particularly glad to see that better weather was predicted for this weekend. 


Yellowstone has been calling my name ever since the aborted birthday trip (see Deer John), so we decided to give it another go. We got almost to Big Timber before we pulled off the interstate for pictures.



The Crazy Woman Mountains are probably my favorite local mountain range. They rise abruptly from the valley floor with minimal foothills to obscure them. But they are not easy to photograph. It is very difficult to keep a "clean" foreground. We took several exits and side roads before we got the view we wanted. 

Despite being distracted by mountains, then eagles, we were still in Gardiner by mid afternoon. We got our annual pass at the gate and headed for Lamar Valley. We had just enough daylight left when we got there to photograph a trio of big horn rams on the hillside across from the river. 

Saturday morning found us returning to Lamar Valley. A server where we ate breakfast told us that a group of bull moose hang out at Round Prairie (just past Lamar) all winter, and I was also absolutely certain that this was the day that we would find the otters. 

The first photo opportunity of the day was a small bachelor herd of big mulie bucks. Since there was no way to get off the road, we drove to the next pullout and turned around. Dan dropped me off, and to my pleasant surprise, the deer did not bolt. In fact, they seemed rather curious. They even stuck around long enough for Dan to get a few shots when he came back to pick me up. 

When we reached Lamar, there were quite a few people looking down into the river where the otters are said to play. Surely, surely... but no. I had once again just missed them. The moose proved equally elusive, but we consoled ourselves with the pictures we had already gotten. Besides, a trip to Yellowstone is always enjoyable, especially on a nice, sunny winter day. 

I'm sure that Mother Nature has not thrown her last tantrum for this winter, but the break was much appreciated! 

*** Bonus Pics***