Yellowstone's Lamar Valley Dec 2009.
December 26th I left Great Falls for a four day trip to Yellowstone's Lamar Valley, as is the case for every trip I have taken in Montana and Wyoming it was a great experience.
I stayed at the Super 8 Motel in Gardiner Montana only a mile or less from the north entrance to Yellowstone Park. The best economy motel I have ever stayed at and the best cup of plain coffee I have had since I hit Montana. The trip from Great falls to Gardiner was a great one. There was very little snow on the ground till I reached the Showdown Ski Resort area just sixty miles from Great Falls then the snowbanks were almost as high as my truck. Forty or so miles later I came off the mountain and back on the plains with little or no snow cover on the ground. I think that is what fascinates me most about my new home state, the way the terrain keeps changing from mile to mile. You can drive for hours and hours without getting bored. I know many of you out there would like to move here but don't even think about it, as I have said before the state is all filled up you can visit but you can't move here. If you feel the need to be near and I don't blame you if you do, Wyoming has lots of openings. Have I mentioned that I am a very selfish curmudgeon, well I am. I thought I should tell you that because I hide it so well. Now back to my trip, After coming down off the mountain back on the plains I saw four bald eagles setting on four consecutive fence posts two adults and two juveniles, by the time I stopped the truck the two juveniles and one adult took to the air but one adult stuck around to pose for some pictures that are posted below. Not much further down the road
I saw what I think was an immature Prairie Falcon in the road lunching on a road kill rabbit. Lucky for him it was not my lunch time, I don't share. Have I mentioned that I am a very selfish person? After checking into my motel I was ready to start my three day adventure into Yellowstone's Lamar Valley. Things could not have went better I saw bison, big bull elks, big horn sheep, herds of female elk and wolves. Yes wolves! Not the first time that I have seen a wolf I saw one a few years ago way out in the wilderness of northern Quebec. However the wolves were the highlight of the trip for me. Not only did I see one but I heard them howl, that was a first for me. I got a few pictures of a black wolf and when I got home I noticed that there was a white wolf in the pictures as well. I never saw him when I took the pictures because he blended in so well with the snow and they were so far away. Yellowstone, like Montana gives you a new picture post card with every blink of the eyes and a National Geographic moment with every tick of the clock. How can people choose to live elsewhere? Hope you enjoy the pictures below.
Taken on the way to Yellowstone's Lamar Valley
In Yellowstone and Yellowstone's Lamar Valley
Wolf pictures, they are not good pictures but they are my favorites and the curmudgeon in me says it is my web site and I will put on what I want. So there!
That curmudgeon seems to sneak in here every now and then but I am back in control again and feeling very sorry for what he said. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
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