Our last day in America's oldest park began with a hike to Trout Lake, where the resident otters put in a brief appearance, and ended with a couple of black bears – one in the sage and one in a meadow. Yellowstone was generous with bear sightings this year.
We returned to Grand Teton and checked into one of our favorite view campsites at Gros Ventre, visiting the resident baby great horned owls, now huge fledglings out of the nest and flexing their wings. A new moose calf has been born in the campground and an elderly bison has moved in to spend his last days.
We’ve had two long bike rides on Jackson Hole’s wonderful series of paved bike paths, riding past herds of elk and nesting osprey. The nightly ranger programs have resumed at the campground’s amphitheater. Last night’s talk was on ungulates – animals with hooves – illustrated not with Powerpoint slides, but with hides, antlers and skulls.
Even though I earned my junior ranger badge a couple years ago (no upward age limit, thank you) I always gather some new factoids from these presentations. Who knew that moose can dive 20 feet to find underwater vegetation or that elks pass along their particular antler configuration to their offspring?
The sun has been intense, the meadows are beginning to bloom with larkspur and balsam root and it’s hard to believe we woke up to snow a few weeks ago. Returning from a ranger walk this afternoon, Terry picked a bunch of dandelion greens for dinner out on Antelope Flats while I took wildflower pictures. The short Teton summer is nearly here and it’s time to head for home. Pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/happytwo.mcwilliams/TetonFinaleSpring2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCJXa05Dg3MDZZg&feat=directlink
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