Day three started a little later than days 1 and 2. We rolled out of bed around nine, grabbed some breakfast in West Yellowstone, and found our way past the west entrance by about ten. We didn’t have much of an itinerary; just a vague mental list of things we hadn’t seen yet.
We pointed the car in the general direction of Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon and began making our way lazily across the park once again. Somewhere along the Grand Loop Road past Madison, something caught my eye. It was slinking through the tall grass about 50 feet off the road, and I brought the car to a quick stop. It wasn’t bulky enough to be a bear, and the coloring was all wrong for either a bobcat or a mountain lion. All I could see clearly was two triangular ears floating above the tall grass, and for just a moment I thought I was going to get my first glimpse of a wild wolf.
Instead, this coyote emerged from the brush. It saw us, paused momentarily, and began a bee-line straight for us. We’ll never know how close it would have gotten, since a Ford Excursion packed with a small tribe chose this precise moment to round the bend behind us. Within seconds the scene exploded with kids and excited shouting, and our canine friend disappeared back into the grass faster than you can say “Mormon Fundamentalists”!
A little bugged, we jumped back in the truck and moved on. We hadn’t gone more than a couple miles, though, when Shauna thought she had seen something in the trees. We turned around and spotted a truly massive bull elk lying in the grass scarcely thirty feet off the road.
We had just enough time to snap a couple photos before the hordes descended. A car pulled up behind us, followed soon thereafter by another, and another. Within minutes the place was a circus complete with clowns and fools. People were getting way, way too close and the elk finally decided that it had had enough. It stood up, threw its head back, and crashed through the deadwood at a run. More people are hurt in Yellowstone each year by elk than by bears and mountain lions combined.
Finally we pulled into The Grand Canyon, at inspiration point. We hiked around a little bit, snapped obligatory photos at the overlook, and made for Yellowstone Falls where we did pretty much the same thing.
Inspiration Point...notice the storm clouds gathering.
Yellowstone Falls
It was all completely stunning, but, the mob seemed to diminish it somehow. It was hard to feel inspired when someone's sticky, Ice Cream plastered 6 year old was stumbling over me to get a closer look.
As we left the madness of Canyon behind for Mt. Washburn and Antelope Creek, the sky was beginning to grow dark. By the time we hit Dunraven pass it felt like dusk, and the temperature began to drop like George Bush's approval ratings. As we reached the summit, and as views of the horizon unfolded, I tuned to Shauna and said something like "This is gonna' get ugly"...
More to come.
1 comment:
The Dancing Nigerian say:
You use funny words - are you a mormon fundamentalist! How dare you tease such valuable humans.
Your reference to Bush like falling temperatures is clever.
How rare to see wolves in space!?
Nonplussed means confused and puzzled. Is that what Shauna was in London? I thought she knew it well and was comfortable!
You seem like a sexy man - we must meet for lamb saag!
I go, as always, naked into the wilderness, big toes lifting high to clear the tall grass. My God Jaboo is with me always. May he tenderly care for your suffering soul sweet Sterling.
Post a Comment