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Coyote
A lone coyote crossing the road in Yellowstone NP This morning started with another quick breakfast, then off to explore the northern section of the park. The plan included Mammoth Hot Springs then taking the loop over to Roosevelt Lodge for horseback rides. That’s where the plan ended…
The drive up to Mammoth was beautiful. I remembered from my trip 10 years ago this particular stretch of road was where we often spotted the most animals. We were not disappointed this time either. Patty spotted the first, a lone coyote, near the road, a little shy of cars and people, but not too unnerved to change its course. It paused long enough for several photos then meandered on its way.
Next came a traffic jam which is a sure sign of animals in the road, usually elk. This time a black bear, wandering car to car made its way right in front of us! David panicked, thinking our little vehicle, packed with today’s lunch of sandwiches and fruit, would become its target. Fortunately the little yearling just brushed the side of the car, and kept on his planned course down the middle of the road.
We arrived safely at Mammoth but that’s where the plans changed. The
Bear
A black bear yearling in the road as he makes his rounds, car to car. No handouts this day! car’s transmission failed and would not go in reverse. We enjoyed our picnic lunch surrounded by elk that graze the lawns at Fort Yellowstone and within sight of the hot spring terraces which have changed a lot in ten years! Park officials have to cover the potted flowers, shrubs and tress with wire cages to prevent the elk from devouring these yummy treats.
Our hope was that giving the transmission time to cool we might be able to nurse it back to the campground, but that was not to be. We eventually called for a tow, but our faithful AAA membership let us down. They are not able to come into the park, and even though we were FIVE miles from the park entrance, we couldn’t get help. They transferred us to the park safety officials who sent a tow truck from Canyon, 1.5 hours away!
We piled in the tow truck for the almost two hour ride back to the campground. This gave us plenty of time to solve our next problem. While putting the car on the tow truck we noticed the steel belts were coming through the front tires. The only place in the park
Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces
The calcium carbonate deposits from the hot spring form these spectacular terraces which change from day to day. Yellowstone NP with a repair service was at our campground -God is good. The mechanic stayed late to give us new tires so we could head out of Yellowstone a day early to get the transmission worked on.
Karen and Patty broke camp while David and Bill tended to the mechanical issues. We hit the road at 8:30 pm intending to head as far south as we could before having to stop. A minor disappointment was not being able to fully appreciate the Grand Tetons as we made our way toward Salt Lake City - but again, God is good ALL THE TIME. The sun setting behind the snow capped Tetons gave us one of the most spectacular views I’ve ever witnessed. Grand Teton is almost 14, 000 feet high and the rest for the range is between 12 and 13,000 feet in elevation. In the mist of the late evening is appeared as we were literally at the end of the earth!
David drove on until we reached Jackson Hole where we stopped at a grocery store for Patty’s soy sauce, something we had been trying to find since Portland. We took a vote and decided to stop for
Elk Buck
An elk buck on the roadside at Canyon Village, Yellowstone NP. the night, camping out in the Albertson’s grocery store parking lot - another first for us! We didn’t see much of Jackson Hole as we drive through town in the dark, but Karen and Patty saw enough to know they WILL be coming back! -Karen
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