We moved into Gros Ventre campsite #2 just after lunch, covering the 1046 miles from St. Helena in a day and a half. Scattered groups of pronghorn along the way were the only wildlife we saw; our much-loved bison were AWOL. We hoped they’d show up the next day or so in time to treat our St. Helena friends to a welcoming bison jam.
The owl fledglings had left the nest cavity in the cottonwood tree, spring budding wild rose bushes now bore the ripening red hips of fall and the campground was filled with large rigs running noisy generators. No wonder wildlife was scarce. We wouldn’t visit again over Labor Day weekend.
But the mountains remain immutable and awe-inspiring, the air clear as spring water and the clouds spectacular. We began our first two mornings with long bike rides, breathing hard as we made our way up the long hill from Moose to Windy Point and eventually Jenny Lake. An elk bull with a nervous harem threatened to charge us along this route last year, but we were too early for the rut this time and the meadows were empty except for late-blooming wildflowers of purple and saffron.
Friends Daphne and Chuck arrived with a shaker of icy martinis and excellent Napa Valley wines. We made campfire chicken and dumplings in Terry’s Dutch oven with tomato salad and farmers market corn on the cob, ending the evening at a ranger talk on wolves, where we compared the feel of coyote fur with that of a wolf.
Morning dawned with a pair of moose in the meadow. One of the bulls seemed to spot a small willow just off Happy’s stern and made his way steadily through the sage toward his intended breakfast until suddenly he was just feet away, looming above us. We spooked, he spooked, and while we ran for the door, he bounded across the road just as Daphne and Chuck drove up.
We didn’t get our bison jam, but had a close encounter with a herd enroute to a cookout breakfast on the Snake River where we whiled away the morning watching mergansers and kayakers make their way swiftly downriver as the sun ducked in and out of the clouds.
More campsite martinis, an excellent Penang curry in town and lots of laughs ended our brief rendezvous before we went home to head our separate ways the next morning; our friends off to Idaho and Terry and I north through Yellowstone.
After a morning walk to discover a beaver lodge near the campground, we headed north through Yellowstone, where wildlife did not disappoint. There were elk in the woods and elk lounging on the grounds at Mammoth Hot Springs; there were bison galore, including a meandering herd in the Hayden Valley which held up traffic for the better part of a mile, just because they could. We’re spending the night in Mammoth, one of our favorite spots in the park. After hot showers at the hotel and Wilcoxson’s graham cracker ice cream, we drifted off to sleep while a family of coyotes held a spirited discussion on a nearby hill.
Pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/happytwo.mcwilliams/HappyHeadsEast1?authkey=Gv1sRgCJzWjNz0roOJ-QE&feat=directlink
2 comments:
Looks like a lot more people there this time of year. I love that area best. Your photos are great! Patti
Love your posts and your photos! Can't wait to go to Jackson Hole on the 12th. Just saw a Discovery Channel show about moose and how very dangerous they are and how they are coming into towns and swimming pools, etc. They will charge on a dime and you're dead meat if you're in their path. Some of the footage was harrowing. Be careful! They say you shouldn't even drive after night falls and if you are driving and see them (or even one) you should get the hell out of Dodge! Drive carefully! Look forward to the next update!
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