Back in Jackson & A Weekend in Yellowstone

We flew into Jackson on April 26th. It was a beautiful day.

Deplaning -

The Tetons, reflected in the airport windows -

On the drive from the airport, we spotted a small herd of elk along Fall Creek Road.

And another herd, resting closer to our place.

The view from our back deck, the next morning -

Yes, that's snow next to the hot tub!

We headed out for a drive and spotted a pair of trumpeter swans,

Most of the swans have left for their northern range.

We also saw another herd of elk, still on the Elk Refuge, even though they had discontinued feeding on April 8th. Some appear to be reluctant to migrate away from the free food.

Just past Kelly, we spotted this herd of elk, making (eating) their way from the Elk Refuge.

A red-tailed hawk, hunting.

Four moose in the distance.

A mountain blue bird.

The following morning, we headed to the Grand Teton National Park. As we left the house, we spotted a small herd of mule deer waiting in the trees to make their way across Fall Creek Road.

And trumpeter swans in the waterway at the entrance to Jackson, which is part of the Elk Refuge.

Elk on the Elk Refuge with the Sleeping Indian in the background -

A moose along the highway -

Trumpeter swans in the Grand Teton National Park.

Mount Moran

Signal Mountain Lodge was still snowed in.

This is Pilgrim Creek . . . 399's neighborhood. It's snow covered right now, but eventually (hopefully) 399 will emerge in this area with new cubs, once she determines it's hospitable for them. Fingers crossed!

A dashing raven.

"You talkin' to me?"

Leeks Marina & Pizzeria were also still closed.

Further up the road, the Tetons tower over a frozen Jackson Lake.

This raven found an edible morsel in the snow.

Struttin' his stuff.

Christian Creek, adjacent to Jackson Lake Lodge.

A moose grazing in the sagebrush, close to the airport.

On April 29th, we packed up the car and headed over the Teton Pass toward Idaho . . .

. . . and the West Entrance to Yellowstone!

Sandhill cranes! We'd never seen them in the Park!

We spotted a very pregnant coyote having breakfast -

Heading toward Mammoth Hot Springs, on our way to the Lamar Valley -

The Lamar River. It looks like the flood they had last year deposited tons of rocks in the riverbed.

We spotted a black bear . . .

. . . who entertained us with it's backscratching / scent marking.

We headed out of the Park, past Silver Gate and into Cooke City. We were saddened to see that our favorite little lunch spot, The Beartooth Cafe, didn't survive the aftermath of the flood. The washed out roadway from Yellowstone to this area brought vehicular traffic from a couple of thousand a day to just a few. We're gonna miss that little spot.

On our way back onto the Park, a fox ran across the road in front of us. I didn't have much time, but I did manage to snap a quick photo.

We drove through the Lamar Valley several times. Here are some random shots of the area.

One area where the road washed out during the epic flood . . .

. . . that same area coming back the other way.

Soda Butte

We drove back to Gardiner for the night.

Our hotel - the Absaroka Lodge.

The view from our hotel.

During a quick walk around Gardiner -

We had a nice dinner at Wonderland Cafe and a quiet night at the hotel. We were up before the sun and headed back into Yellowstone. We were on a mission!!! Along the way, we got confirmation that it IS red dog season!

Check out the frost on these guys.

Late afternoon the day before, as we were leaving the Park, we pulled over where a group of folks was waiting and scanning the landscape. They were watching and hoping that a grizzly or a pack of wolves would to return to a kill just off of the roadway, at that pull out. We left the hotel at o-dark thirty, hoping to get there early enough to catch something on the kill. But this grizzly beat us to the scene and had gotten his fill. It was heading away when I got these shots.

As he continued in the distance, it walked by a pond where two sandhill cranes were fishing.

We also spotted a pronghorn, trying to stay warm.

Ice Box Canyon . . . living up to its name.

Doesn't this bison just LOOK like a bully?

I've seen enough Instagram videos of how mean these guys can be to worry me that this one stopped & stared at us!

We even saw a moose! We very rarely see moose in Yellowstone. This one was at Elk Creek.

As we drove back and forth through the Lamar Valley, I spotted something in the distance. I thought it could be a wolf. Turns out it was a coyote, and it was howling to another coyote in the distance.

As we were heading out of the Lamar Valley, we spotted another black bear.

This shot was a little intimidating. He looked directly at me. I was out of the car at this time.

Don shot this photo as the bear crossed the road.

A chill chisler.

Gibbon Falls

This roadside waterfall drops 84 feet over the rim. Let's see it in action . . .

Heading back home, via Idaho. The Tetons from the other side of the mountain range.

Once we were home, Don spotted a ruffed grouse in the driveway, grabbed my camera & took these shots.

This beautiful bird has been hanging around for about a week. It turns up in the front yard, along the driveway, in trees and on my trail cameras behind the house. It sure does get around!

That night, our trail cameras caught a fox in the backyard.

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It's great to be back home at Moose Point Lodge! There is always something exciting going on!!!

Take care & have a great week!

Love, Barbara