Day 30 - nature in all its raw glory

We started the morning with a final trip to Old Faithful. It was raining so the kids enjoyed a Ranger talk in the visitors centre and we saw another eruption and then headed off.

We were planning a fall to Mystic Falls. On route we found this guy -

This good size male Grizzly was chewing on the head of a dead Buffalo. We were one of the first cars to stop and watch him. Quickly there were about 50 people watching. The bear was about 50 yards off the road and seemed to not mind us all as he continued to pull bits of the skull.

After 5 minutes or so he looked up, sniffed the air and started to run. At first I thought he was running straight towards us (as did most other people) so there was a panic as everyone sprinted for their cars. Thankfully the bear starting running away from us - at quite a pace.

With our heart racing we set off for Mystic Falls. We parked, organised the kids & Jack, got some snacks and set off for this 3 mile hike. 500 yards in there was a sign "Trail closed due to Bear activity - DO NOT ENTER". For once we obeyed the sign. Having just had a close encounter with a Grizzly (did you see his claws!) we did not want another one.

So we headed out of Yellowstone, having seen 50% of the worlds Geysers, towards the Grand Tetons.

If Yellowstone was unique The Grand Tetons were simply stunning.

A series of mountains rise up from the lakes and form jagged peaks. As we arrived the sun came out and the views were amazing.

We had a walk along the edge of Lake Jackson to take in the views and look for animal footprints in the mud. James has a guide to animal footprints (and their poo) so we worked out there had been Elk, Buffalo, Deer and Wolf along the edge of the lake.

We stayed night at the Lake Jackson Lodge - a fantastic location. Perched on the edge of Willow Flats and with views to die for, we sat and enjoyed a beer/gin & tonic as Elk and Deer wandered beneath us. With the help of the binoculars we spotted a black bear and a few Moose.

After dinner we went for a drive to find more wildlife. For a while we saw lots of Elk but were hoping to see something more exciting. So we headed up to the top of a nearby mountain as the sun was setting.

A few corners in and a Grizzly ran in front of the car - we missed him easily and enjoyed watching him run through the woods. Onwards, up into the snow line until we got to the top of the mountain.

As we got out, a group of photographers were getting into their car and said "You just missed a pack of Wolves take down a baby Elk - it was awsome."
We were gutted to have missed this so sauntered up to the viewing platform hopeing to at least see the wolves.

Well, we got lucky. Although far away (500 yards) we got a great view as the mummy Elk returned to help her stricken calf. The wolves were not happy and started attacking the large Elk. To escape the Elk run into a lake - up to her knees. The Wolves kept attacking and the Elk fought back until a stand off emerged. The Elk standing knee deep in water and 6/7 Wolves standing on the shore - just waiting....

This photo has been blown up - so the quality is poor. But you can see the Elk in the water and 3/4 wolves near her. On the waters edge another 3/4 wolves wait.

We spoke to a local guy who was watching all this who explained the wolves do this for fun. They don't eat the Elk - they just leave them to die and get eaten by birds/bears/coyotes. The Wolves were re-introduced about 10 years ago and there is a lot of controversy about them.

We just thought it was amazing to see nature at its raw best.

On the way down the mountain we had an encounter with a Grouse and a Black Bear.

When we finally got to bed we thought we'd had quite a good day as nature goes. The restaurant manager in the hotel had been working there for 3 weeks and not yet seen a bear. In our last few days we had see 4 Grizzlies + 1 cub; 2 Black Bears; 2 Moose; a pack of Wolves; hundreds of Elk and Deer and lots of Squirrels, Chipmunks, Eagles. We think we did well.

Ken