mountains and mammals

the view from a stop along the road to Signal Mountain

Took a trip to Grand Teton National Park yesterday.  I think I had forgotten just how stunning these mountains are.  Having lived so close to the Absarokas, Bridgers, Gallatins and Crazies in Montana, those in Wyoming were floating somewhere in the back yard of my memory, not so much front and center.  Glad to have refreshed my recollection.

Mount Moran

evening light on the Tetons with the Snake River aglow below

Aside from the mountains and overall gorgeous view of the Snake River Valley, we also saw a black bear from the car, very close to the road.  We could hear its footsteps and see pine needles stuck in its fur!  We made a stop at the Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center in Moose, WY where we were allowed to handle full-sized animal pelts - black bear (very soft ears), grizzly bear (thick, coarse fur), fox (wouldn't ever do it or support it, but I understand why people have worn them around their neck), mountain lion (good gravy, what a long tail), coyote (feels just like a pet dog) and wolf (big feet and a great, deep coat of fur).  Inside, we watched a simulation of how the mountains and valley were created over millennia.  We also got to touch swatches of fur from many critters such as moose, pronghorn, lynx, bobcat, mule deer, bison and elk.  

I may have said more than once in the past that I would love to pet a bison, but I wouldn't ever actually do it.  I've imagined sticking my fingers in the halo of brown that surrounds their head and poofs out between their horns.  But I value my life more than my desire to do so, and thankfully the National Park Service provides opportunity for people like me to  touch things.  I like tangible. 

trees and sky reflected in the Lewis River

En route to the Tetons, we made a stop and were treated to pretty scenery, a pika sighting, and a golden-mantled ground squirrel perched on a rock.

a pika

I read a lovely children's book yesterday about a pika who wanted a tail just like marmots and pine martens have.  This photo makes me think of the story.  Look at those ears and little round bum!  The book is titled A Pika's Tail: A Children's Story About Mountain Wildlife, written by Sally Plumb.

As a former tour guide / driver in Yellowstone, I know I shouldn't anthropomorphise animals.  But doesn't it look as though these flowers could have been picked for purposes other than sustenance or nest building?

Sometimes it pays to be the early bird

Lone Star Geyser.  Looks a bit otherworldly to me in this shot.

check out the rainbow in the mist to the left

Ahh....the Firehole.  I've spent many an hour sitting by this river.

Woke up this morning at 5:30 - way too early for a day off.  I went with it and got a lot done before breakfast and a ride to Lone Star geyser.  It is one of my favorites in Yellowstone.  It's an easy bike ride or walk on an old road which is still in pretty good shape.  It follows alongside the Firehole River and comes out to a clearing where the geyser's cone is the prominent feature against rolling hills and pine trees.  I had the place to myself for a bit and then had the pleasure of meeting a family of four who waited with me for the eruption.  I just love it when kids are excited by the park itself - not so much the gift shops or the ice cream cones but the thermal features and the wildlife.  These were two such kids.  So, an enjoyable bike ride, an hour spent with friendly strangers, and a geyser eruption to boot.  Oh, I saw a heron and a snake while on the trail as well.  

 What more could the day have in store?

Old Faithful eruption at sunset on August 10th

 

A nice weekend away

My friend, Sheri, and I left the park this past weekend for some shopping and respite from busy park life.  We went to town - well, two towns actually - and spent the night at a guest ranch deep in Paradise Valley with another good friend and her doggie.  We ate at a few restaurants, bought some much-needed supplies, saw grizzly bears, received some Portuguese Water Dog love, had some lovely girl time, got haircuts, spent time in the small Montana town I used to call home and then took our time returning to Old Faithful.  

Lots of of conversation and laughter along with singing and dancing in the car.  What more could two ladies want?  I mean, aren't friends the best?  Sheri and I spent a few summers and a winter together at the South Pole, and I persuaded her to come to Yellowstone.  So glad she's here!  I'm also very grateful that I got to catch up with my friend Trina.  We spent several summers and winters in Yellowstone together, and I have had many of my best, most fun adventures with her.  Plus, she makes the best pancakes I've ever tasted, she taught this Yankee how to make good Southern-style sweet tea, and she served me my first ever Brussels sprout.  How blessed I have been!

Me, Nate and Sheri hanging at the Pole, nearing the end of winter 2010

Ori girl relaxing on the porch

the ranch where we spent the night - it is as peaceful as it looks

Electric Peak just after a storm

 

More images from the park

this tree was begging to be photographed against Yellowstone Lake just after sunset

Storm Point trail

the ground cover is a mixture of colors near Fountain Paint Pots, almost like an Impressionist painting

beautiful bull bison traveling along the Madison River

love the colors in this photo - a perfect time of day at Lake

Self-care

The idea of self-care is something I aspire to.  You know, putting myself first, eating well, allowing only positive self-talk, partaking in hobbies & activities I fully enjoy, finding time to be creative, exercising, seeking solitude and moments for reflection, journaling, practicing gratitude, living in the moment.  These are all things I try to do, need to do, want to do.  But all of these things I just listed, no matter how beneficial, rewarding or valuable, sometimes seem like another to do list. 

Does anyone else feel that way?  

This is what I kind of feel like doing this afternoon - sleeping so hard that being on the floor of a loud, rumbling C-17 couldn't keep me awake.  This actually is a photo of me, asleep en route to Christchurch, NZ after spending 13 months at the South Pole.  Boy, was I tired.

I especially feel that way when my body is telling me to take it easy.  To sleep in.  To relax.  To just be.  And even more so when I'm living in this amazingly beautiful place.  It can be really difficult to give myself permission to look inward for what it is I need that could truly fall under the umbrella of self-care when I'm simultaneously fighting off feelings of guilt for not wanting to do a whole hell of a lot.  Today is one of those days.  

This is what I would like to be daydreaming about today - hanging at the beach on the South Island of New Zealand.  This is part of the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin.

But you know what?  Instead of beating myself up for not loading up my back pack and hiking into the back country for miles and miles today, I'm going to do what will put my mind and soul at ease, not to mention my feet and back.  I'm going to write post cards & letters.  I'm going to consume more chapters of the book currently on my e-reader.  I might go take a leisurely drive or walk to sit by a river later today....or not.  I'm going to go to bed early.  I'm going to take a long, hot shower and shave my legs.  I might treat myself to dinner at a restaurant.  I'm likely going to daydream a little.  And anything else I choose to do today is going to be on my terms, for my benefit, for my peace of mind, and that is more than okay.

Doesn't this look like a yummy plate of stir fry made with loads of fresh veggies and love by Tim?  If only I had a kitchen, some groceries and the boy here with me.

 

This is who I'd like to be spending and ending my day with.  (On the beach in Florence, Oregon during a road trip back in 2008.)

Relaxing in the park

These are a few of my favorite places to take deep breaths, listen, enjoy the breeze, welcome any wildlife that chooses to show itself and relish the stillness.  My Calgon-take-me-away spots.

Those of you who know the park are fully aware that this last spot isn't an easy one to have to yourself.  But it is possible to avoid the crush of people and imagine the Lower Falls is there solely for your viewing....at maybe 6 a.m.!  Sometimes just looking at this photo is enough to instantly let go of any stress in my day.

Yellowstone critters, big and small...and a view

a bull elk grazing near Canyon Village

a killdeer on the shore of Yellowstone Lake, just off the boardwalk of West Thumb Geyser Basin

Bighorn sheep ewes and  lamb on a steep hillside across from the Gardner River

an American white pelican fishing on the Yellowstone River - these birds have a wingspan of about nine feet!

my first black bear of the season strolling through the sage near Highway 191 where it passes through the park

an obstinacy of bison in Hayden Valley - love those little red dog calves

A bison rolling in the dirt.  It is believed that they do this to coat their fur to prevent insects from biting them.  I enjoy watching since that giant hump of bones, fat and muscle prevents them from rolling completely over and they stir up great clouds of dust.

One of my favorite views in the park.  These are the wide open spaces I dreamed about while living in New York for most of the last year.  Even the prettiest of river valleys cannot compare to this landscape.