More from Yellowstone

Thought I would write a quick blog about the happenings here. No photos this time but hopefully I can get some uploaded soon!

* We had our first bison hit of the summer on 5/23. I hate when they get hit. Of course, the cars that hit them are toast after but, generally, the bison are pretty bad off too. They often are so injured that Park Service has to put them down.

* A bear was hit more recently. It was a grizzly. I heard he was able to limb off the road but didn't make it in the end. I think he was actually put down by Park Service but I'm not positive. I hate when people aren't paying attention in the park - and are typically driving too fast.

* 7 wolves took down an elk near the Blacktail area - between Mammoth & Tower. A kill is always a great time to see the animals. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see these wolves. I never have much luck with wolves.

* There is a mama black bear and yearling hanging out near Tower. There was a mama and cub in the same place last year so I suspect it is the same pair. Recently, the two were hanging out fairly near the road. Of course, there was a huge jam of people watching them. While they were there, a diesel truck drove by and scared the yearling up a tree. He climbed up a fallen tree and wouldn't come back down. I wasn't there but saw photos of the mam standing on her hind legs trying to get him down. He wouldn't budge. The mama ended up leaving him in the tree and walking over the ridge. I suspect he eventually got down and found his mama.

* There is another black bear and cub near Tower. She has been spotted between Calcite Springs and Tower.

* On the Canyon side of Dunraven Pass, there's been a griz mama and 2 cubs. She's been putting on quite a show for the public. She is often near the road and creates huge jams.

* I brought 7 dresses to Yellowstone. Yes, that's 7 more dresses than you need in a national park. Fortunately, I got to wear one recently when I went to the Old Faithful Inn for drinks with the girls. It was a really fun night.

* There was a roll over near Lake a couple weeks back. The car ended up about 40 feet off the road. Thankfully, the driver was fine.

* There has been a couple pantie incidents. One night, Dan was cleaning the women's restroom and found a pair of dirty panties in the "treasure chest." (Treasure Chest = tampon/pad collector.) Another morning, Gregg and I were walking to the station and came across a pair of panties laying on the ground outside the women's restroom. They were covered in blood. It was great fun finding and picking up bloody panties.

* I got to see a Great-horned owl in the Mammoth Village. She had a nest there and I've heard has 2 owlets. I wasn't able to see the babies but got a good view of the mama. I think I got a good photo too. I'll post as soon as I get it uploaded to my computer.

* I got to see a raven's nest on the cliff at Golden Gate. It's a huge nest but took me quite awhile to find. Some photographers told me about the nest (and the owl's nest) but even knowing where it was didn't make it easy to find. I wasn't able to see any of the birds - adult or babies - so I need to go back soon. I've heard there were 5 or 6 chicks. Though chicks is the correct term, I prefer to call them ravlets.

* About a week ago, 3 wolves (the Canyon Pack) dug out a coyote den. I heard they dug all day and got all the coyote pups. It's sad but I guess it is nature. At the end of the day, only one wolves was left digging and 2 coyotes ended up chasing him off.

* I think I already mentioned that there is a grizz with 4 cubs. She frequents the Swan Lake, Golden Gate, Hoo Doo area. Thankfully, all 4 cubs are still with her - though one of the cubs is much smaller than the other 3. I haven't actually seen them yet but get frequent updates from my photographer friends.

* I talked to some photographers today and they told me where to find a mountain bluebird nest. It;'s very close to our dorm so I'm hoping to look for it on the next nice day. It should be a nice walk.

* It's been raining forever! I've heard it has rained 24 days int he last month. It is sucking. There is even more snow in the forecast for tonight. I am so ready for some sunny days.

* After a very raining morning, yesterday afternoon was actually a little nice. I decided to drive over Dunraven Pass in the afternoon. It is one of my favorite drives in the park and also leads to some of the prettiest parts of the park. I got rained & hailed on as I drove over the pass but it was nice once I got to Tower. I ended saying hello to my co-workers at the Tower Station and then climbing the hill behind the station. It was a really nice walk and I got to see a huge variety of things while I was up there. There was a HUGE bison patty and tons of elk poop. There was literally no where to step without stepping in poop. The entire hill was covered in poop - from old & white to new & brown. It was crazy. I also saw some old rusted tin cans, some very pretty wildflowers, several bleached bones, some ground squirrels and a Mountain Dew bottle. Of those things, something seems very out of place. Not sure why someone would litter in a national park. I brought the bottle back down the hill with me and it is now in the trash. I also saw a very pretty sparrow on the walk. She was brown with a red bill and black & white head. I need to look her up.