Aspens and Elk

Overlooking the Terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs

Hurray for fall! What could be better than a day in one of my favorite places during my favorite season? Michigan fall will always be THE best for me, but Yellowstone National Park plays a pretty good second fiddle. 

My objective for this trip was simple ~ golden aspens and rutting elk. When we want to make sure that we see elk, we head straight to Mammoth Hot Springs. We hiked there back in June and saw them, so we returned to the Beaver Ponds trail and started up. It was a great day for a hike: cool but not cold, partly sunny, and once we left the Terraces, we saw only four other people. I was a little disappointed that the aspens hadn't turned much yet, but we did find a few to photograph.  


After we had hiked more than two miles, we still hadn't seen any elk, despite plenty of sign ~ tracks, scat, and flattened grass where they had bedded down. I was just starting to think that we weren't going to see them when a very distinctive sound cut through the quiet air. Nothing else sounds even remotely like the bugle of a bull elk. We quickly set off in the direction of the sound. An elk bugle can carry a long way, so there was still no guarantee we would locate him. But we sure were going to try. After nearly a mile of quiet stalking with frequent stops for listening, we finally spotted our quarry ~ a nice 5X6 bull with a small harem of cows. We carefully worked our way closer and got some pictures. But he wasn't the only bull in the area. We were hearing more calls from right, left, and in front of us. So we moved cautiously through the trees and soon spied another bull, then another and another. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon stalking one bull after another. (Better than hunting, because there's no bag limit!) Even as the shadows grew longer and we knew we had to head back, another bull would bugle nearby and we were hard-put not to set off in pursuit once more. 

Bull Number Two

Leaving Mammoth, we felt sorry for the crowds of people taking pictures of the elk on the courthouse lawn. Yes, the bull that they were seeing was bigger than any we had seen, but I couldn't help but feel that I was the lucky one. 

These little bluebirds added to the day's entertainment. 

Elk shed their antlers every year. Dan found this nice specimen. 

A Close Encounter

Camping in the Pryors for Labor Day weekend... what could be better than that? As regular readers of the blog already know, the Pryors are a favorite destination of ours. But this weekend, we got the whole banana split AND the cherry on top! 

Having hauled the camper down after work on Thursday night (Friday morning, really), we were on the trail by the time that we are normally just pulling away from home. It was a beautiful day, and the morning quickly slipped away. We stopped to eat lunch near a small stand of pine trees with the entire valley visible below. Dan spotted a brilliant auburn pine squirrel and went back to the machines for a camera. He came back only to discover that the squirrel had disappeared. So he finished his lunch and stood looking out through his binoculars. I walked over to join him, still munching on my apple. Just then, I caught movement off to our right. Ears! Coming up out of a watering hole, three heads appeared. Wolves? No, BEARS! A momma black bear and her two cubs had been startled by something and were loping along in our general direction. They weren't running hard, but they weren't stopping, either. Dan had the shutter clicking constantly. The bears kept getting closer, and Dan reached down and flipped the thumb loop off of the .41 magnum, just in case he needed to fire a warning shot. We kept expecting them to notice us and veer off, but at this point, they were actually coming right at us! By now, I was directly behind Dan, watching over his shoulder. (I kept wondering if she was after my apple!) Dan kept taking pictures until the bears were about 50 yards from us, then he yelled out, "HEY!" Boy, did Momma Bear hit the brakes! She looked at us for a moment, then led the cubs away. Well, then... Weekend made! 

This is my favorite of all the pictures. I just love the running cubs. 

Saturday morning, we were joined by a buddy and we set out to ride. And did we ever ride ~ like 75 miles! We covered pretty much the entire Pryor Mountain Range! We left our campsite on the south side, rode over the switchbacks and nearly to the Crow Reservation on the north end, then decided to go see the sheep and horses on the east side. I finally got to explore the arch that Dan and I have seen off Syke's Ridge Road, and on the way out, we were treated to a spectacular lightning show. Unfortunately, we didn't beat the storm back to the camper. The whole way home was a cold, wet ride. But we had dry clothes in the camper, so it really wasn't so bad. All in all, it was a great start to fall! 

Got Truck?

As a matter of fact, yes, we do!

Friday morning was a joyous occasion at our house -- We got our truck back! Because we weren't exactly sure when we might get it, we hadn't made any concrete plans for the weekend. All I knew was that I wanted to go play outside! So after a mad scramble to get ready and a much later start than I had hoped for, we were underway. Despite our tardiness, the camp spot we wanted was miraculously still unoccupied. As we sat in our camp chairs by the river eating lunch, I could feel the week's stress slipping away with the water's foam. 

With lunch out of the way, it was time to ride. As we approached the Benbow area, Dan asked if I wanted to ride the Jeep Trail. It is a rocky, challenging, but gorgeous ride through aspen groves and pine forests, with a stream crossing thrown in just for fun. Dan found some fairly fresh bear tracks, but we never caught up with the maker. (Leaving me equally relieved and disappointed.) We did run into the Partridge Family. Or the Grouses, or the sage hens... whatever. It was fun to hear the hen and chicks call back and forth to each other. 

Later in the evening, as we sat playing cribbage in the camper, a sudden gust of wind tried to rip away our awning. We rushed out into the wind, lightning, and spattering raindrops to put it up. Unfortunately, it was but an indication of things to come. The wind was still screaming when we went to bed... and at 3 am... and ALL. NIGHT. LONG! 

The bear was here!

When morning came, we were joined by friends with four wheelers. Let the games begin! We had hardly driven out of the camp site when Dan slammed on the brakes. BEAR! It quickly changed its mind about crossing the road and disappeared back into the brush. Oh well, the day was young. While we never did spot anymore wildlife, it was still a great day for four-wheeling. The wind had finally died down and the sun was shining. We rode about 40 miles, splashing through puddles and streams and bouncing over rocks. The whole time, I just kept thinking about how much I was enjoying just being out again. 

I only said that we did not get rained on.
I never said that we did not get wet! =)

After a group supper back at the camper, we packed up and started the caravan for home. We had driven barely five miles when something big and black crossed the road in front of us. Yep, bear. It climbed over the guard rail and down the bank to the river. I am jealous of the fisherman who had the perfect angle for pictures. I didn't get any pictures, but nonetheless, it's always fun to see them. Maybe next time...

Where there's smoke, there's fire.
I am not sure where the fire was,
but the smoke created a pretty sunset. 

Distracted by a Waterfall

I hate weekends with limited playtime, but with obligations both Friday morning and Saturday afternoon, we knew we didn't have many recreational options. With the truck still at the mechanic's, camping and four-wheeling were out anyway. So, we headed up the Beartooth Highway to hike. 

Earlier in the week, we had thumbed through our hiking book to find something on the Beartooth plateau. Dan found the perfect hike - the trail to Becker Lake - almost no elevation gain, not too long, ending at a lake. What's not to love about that? 

We weren't the only ones eating lunch!

After stopping for sandwiches in Red Lodge, we started up the mountain. We were determined to do things differently this time, not the same old, same old. Therefore, we ate our lunch in a pull-out overlooking a pond where we had never stopped before, then we made a bee-line for Island Lake Campground. Again, this was new territory, and it was the starting point for our hike. Island Lake was just the first of a string of lakes. We followed the shore line of Island Lake to the shore of Night Lake, then on past several more small lakes. Not all of these lakes, however, are labeled on the map in the hiking book or on the GPS. At this point, we were a bit confused: we were supposed to be looking for a "faint, overgrown trail" in "a wet meadow just after Flake Lake." Well, then... we have been walking in said conditions almost since we left the parking lot! And just which of these lakes is Flake Lake?

While we stood studying the book, the lake, and the GPS, we noticed a small waterfall on the other side. Dan asked if I wanted to climb to the top of it. Ummm, NO! So we continued on up the main trail. But I found myself constantly glancing back at the waterfall. Well, ok, forget Becker Lake. Let's go climb the waterfall.

The whole falls was just a series of little ones
like these. 

It really wasn't as steep as it first looked, and being late in the summer, the water flow was not torrential. It was actually a lot of fun to rock-hop back and forth across the falls and to work our way up the boulders beside them. In fact, the rocks were really quite well stair-stepped, although a few of those stairs had a pretty steep rise to them. We finally came to the top and found a tiny lake surrounded by yet-higher peaks. Of course, Dan was ready to climb them, too, but it was getting late, so we hopped from rock to rock across the lake and started back down the other side. 

The source

Walking along the lakes back to the parking lot, with no other sound except the lapping of the waves along the shore, I was not one bit disappointed that we didn't get to our original destination. There's always another day!

While we never did see any large mammals, the smaller
creatures were happy to entertain us.

Make sure that you click on this one to view it full-size.
  I just love the movement of the water coming off the rocks. 

A Dry and Dusty Day

Don't look down!

With our truck still out of commission, we figured we'd be stuck at home this weekend. But, no, not so! Rick once again donned his mask and cape and came to our rescue. He swooped in with his big, white (diesel) steed and we were on our way.

We returned yet again to the Pryor Mountains. Rick hadn't ridden Burnt Timber or Sykes Ridge Road and wanted to go that way. He was driving, remember, so we were going wherever he wanted. (Not that we minded.) The only bad part was the dust ~ thick, choking, heavy dust. (I was leading, so the guys got the worst of it.) 

The wild horses were scarce on this trip. We saw just a couple of small groups and a few single ones. I was beginning to think that the sheep weren't going to put in an appearance at all. When I did finally spot them, they didn't exactly pose for a group photo like last time. They just kept walking, and I was a little disappointed at the lack of photo opportunities. Until, that is, we followed and caught up to them again. They were perfectly posed on high, rocky points with nothing but the sky and the far-away valley behind them. We watched in awe as they picked their way down the nearly vertical cliff and disappeared into the brush below.

Just room for four feet

 

Feeling much more satisfied with our day, we went back to the machines, back to the dry, dusty road, back to the truck, and back home. 

Best Laid Plans

Black Mountain Fire Lookout

Yay for long weekends! Thursday morning found us leaving town instead of heading to work. Ever since we tent-camped in the Big Horn Mountains a couple of years ago, we have been wanting to get back and explore more thoroughly. This was our weekend to do that! Despite a "check engine" light and a slight delay, we got the camper set up by mid-afternoon. We had spotted a fire lookout on the way in, and we just happened to be camped on the road that led up to it! Wow! Black Mountain Lookout Road was a baptism by fire! Is this what I can expect on every ORV trail in the Big Horns?!? I was very glad for my independent suspension, power steering, and high clearance (all the reasons that we chose the Polaris machines in the first place), as well as any experience that I have gained over the last two years of riding! I finally cried "Uncle!" and we set out on foot to finish the climb. I didn't feel quite so bad about chickening out when we came to the ATV parking area just a tenth of a mile further up the road. But the view from the top made all the effort worthwhile! 

Friday was all about the riding. We rode over the mountains, among the trees, and through the river. We rode main roads, jeep roads, and ORV trails. We saw lots of cool scenery, but I wanted animals. I was especially eager to see moose. We were nearly back to camp late in the afternoon before I finally spied one. She was, however, rather shy and didn't hang around for pictures. Fortunately, we came across a second one a couple of miles later, and this one cared not one little bit how long we wanted to stand watching her and taking photos. After a while, we decided to head back to camp and get supper. With dinner over, I wanted a campfire. I stepped out of the camper and found myself nearly face-to-face with a young mule deer doe. She paid us no mind as she went around the back of the camper to graze in the little meadow behind us. I thought at one point, she might just join us at the fire! 

Peek-a-boo

The trail that we rode on Saturday might well have been my favorite of all three days' riding. It was mostly easy riding without being boring, it followed a river most of the way (always a plus), and it led us to a photogenic young bull moose. Since we wanted to get an earlier start for home than we sometimes do, we limited our miles for the day, and by 4:30, we were pulling out for home. 

Because of the trouble with the truck on the way in, Dan was carefully watching gauges on the way out. Everything was fine until after we got gas in Greybull. Not more than a couple of miles out of town, the engine started to chug and the light came back on. So we pulled over and prepared to wait it out. (Hey, it worked the first time.) After a while, we tried again, only to stop again just a few miles later. So we waited again, even longer. Third time's the charm, right? WRONG! Time to call in the Lone Ranger! We put out a distress call to our good friend Rick, who came to our aid. So much for our early start ~ we pulled into Laurel just after 2 am. And, of course, wouldn't you know it, we had to wait for a train. At that point, we just had to laugh. How else could this story end? 

Ummm... where's the bridge? 

A bit of history: This structure is called a splash dam.
Loggers would hold back the water until conditions were right to "flush"
the logs down the river to sawmills in the towns below. c1905

Smiling rock :)

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.