Trip to Yellowstone Lake

The excitement started not long after we left Mammoth on the way to Yellowstone Lake to celebrate our 41st wedding anniversary, which was two days eariler. A large black bear ran out of the woods not more than 12 feet in front of the car. Fortunately, I had slowed down to pass a truck on the edge of the road, or I might be under the jail for killing a bear in Yellowstone. The whole event lasted maybe 3 seconds before the bear disappeared into the downhill side of the woods. He/she was running pretty fast. [You should never try to outrun a bear. You can't!]

We also saw our first wolf just before we got to the Lake Hotel. He took time off from looking for rodents to pose for the camera. An individual wolf doesn't look too intimidating, but in packs, they can take down elk and even an old moose.

The beautiful Lake Hotel is the oldest one in the park - even older than the Old Faithful Inn, which looks very old because it is a log cabin. The Lake Hotel was in disrepair when Lorraine and I were here before, but is now easily the most elegant place in the park. It is a gem. Our version of the hotel was the smaller yellow cabin - which was also very nice, and much bigger than our current "home".

An excellent string quartet plays in the large sun room of the hotel most nights. We enjoyed them while having a drink. We decided we were cut out for that kind of life. The dinner in the dining room was also excellent: bison prime rib for me and antelope medallions with lobster tail for Lorraine. It was a very good anniversary celebration.

We had a wonderful boat ride on the lake on Friday morning. The lake was smooth and the air was crystal clear. We could easily see the Grand Tetons, something like 70 miles to the south.

We took a hike to Storm Point - a rocky promentory on the Lake. It started at Indian Pond, which is named for all the indians who camped there. This was probably a stopping point for Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce, who were running from the U. S. Calvary. It is a beautiful spot. Note the bear warining at the beginning of the trail. The Park Service points out that they aren't responsible for our well being if we meet a grizzly on the hike.

We didn't see too much wildlife, but there was a beautiful red-headed bird near the lake. We also saw bones from a much bigger animal. They had been picked clean by the various predators.

The views along the edge of the lake were spectactular! Note the little inlet from the lake with brown stained water from the tannins in the trees. You can see Lorraine enjoying the view from Storm Point, and another view of it as we walked down the edge of the lake. You can also easily see the Tetons in the distance with snow-covered Mt. Sheridan on the right.

The trail then took us through a forest of lodgepole pines. It was spooky in there, but beautiful in it's way. The trees are all green at the top, but the tops are way up in the air.

As I was packing the car to go, I became aware of a large presense behind me - no, not Lorraine - and I turned to find a big bull bison ambling across the street - followed closely by another. They are the largest American land mammal and are truly imposing. As you can see from the final picture, they get the right-of-way whenever they want to cross the road.

Lorraine says that she will write the next blog. We'll know soon.