Yellowstone Expedition Guide, a great purchase

When you think of Yellowstone National Park, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? If it's not the first thing, it's most likely the second thing, it's Old Faithful.
and if someone asked you what was the next most identifiable part of the park, and you didn't answer, bison, bears, wolves, and elk, it probably would be the Grand Canyon and the Canyon Falls.

Having owned property just 35 miles from the park for almost 20 years, Marty and I have been frequent visitors, we've done most of the things that can be done and have seen most of the places and things to be seen. However, things have changed since our July 8th visit. Marty purchased the Yellowstone Expedition Guide at the Yellowstone Association store in Gardiner. Since then, and 2 visits later things have changed. The guide is almost 300 pages long and includes a CD featuring 14 narratives about Yellowstone. The guide has been our companion for the last 2 trips, this is what it looks like, and if you are coming to Yellowstone, stop by one of the Yellowstone Association stores and get a copy, it will be well worth it.

Here are a couple examples of how it has changed our touring of the park. Typically we would enter either at Cooke City or Gardiner, we never missed the Lamar Valley and depending upon the amount of time we have to tour, we would see most or all of the park. But this is how things have changed. We had just left the Canyon area when Marty said to look for LeHardy's Rapids. The "most exciting rapids" in the park where native cutthroat trout leap over the rapids on their way to spawning. We have passed the rapids at least 50 times, never stopping, but this day we did. The trout had already made the trip to their spawning grounds, but look what we saw at the rapids. That's right, pelicans. They were fishing the rapids and after a tough trip through them, they would rest on this island.

As we started down the road to "artists point" for the classic view you have already seen, Marty said we should stop at Uncle Tom's Trail. So what is that I asked? It is a trail that originated in 1898 along the falls. Today it is known as the 328 steps down to the base of the falls and it feels like 2,ooo steps up to where you parked your car. We did the trip, had to make several stops on the way back to rest. The scene was beautiful and exciting. This was a photograph taken close to the bottom of the falls.
Old Faithful was next. We've been there many times as well, and as usual I was trying to get there as soon as I could to be sure we would see the next eruption of Old Faithful. Not so fast Clint, slow down and turn into the Firehole Lake Drive. What's there? I don't think it's a short cut to the geyser. No, but there are a couple of well know geyers there. The Great Fountain Geyser was first and the White Dome Geyser was next. Total drive was 5 miles, a another part of the scenic park we had missed for 19 years.

The day we purchased the guide, we had been in Lamar Valley, and observed an osprey sitting on a nest. With my tripod and camera, I intermittently hiked and took pictures until I though I was about to disturb the female on her nest. When I got home, I tried to make something out of the photos, you knew they were ospreys, the old man was in the background and out of focus, and I could not see any young osprey in the nests. Two weeks later, we returned and I was determined to get a better picture. We started across the field and within 5 steps from the car, mama osprey left the nest. 10 days later, we're back on the scene. This time I got the pictures I had been hoping for. I didn't know until I got home and put the images on the computer that there were 2 youngsters and they looked large enough to soon leave the nest with mom.

I'm sure you will hear more about what we've learned and new experiences as we plan to visit the park again in about a month.

Goodbye Sammy, We all loved you

On June 19, 2010 our first born, Alakhazam, aka Sammy Da Bam Bam, left the Circle B Bar T, to live a life free of pain and join her wonderful Circle B Bar T sire, Alsaan, aka, Al dude. This is Sammy with her sire and dam Khalli when Sammy was quite young.
At the age of 2 Sammy had become a Jr. Champion at her first show only to suffer a life-altering injury shortly thereafter. Thanks to the heroic and dedicated efforts of our veterinarians, she lived a full life with a somewhat compromised back leg until the inevitable laminitis, ulcers, and colic crept up on her. The next picture was Sammy in the pasture before her first show.

In her years at the Circle B Bar T, she became the grandchildren's favorite. She taught most of them to ride, she was the first horse love of many and gave our grandaughter Crissy her first gallop, she saved Crissy when the bridle broke and held on to the bit so Crissy could continue the ride that day. She is pictured below with Crissy and Marty at the Region 6 Championship in Gillette where they performed in the "lead line class".

She taught us all so much about living life to its fullest and never complaining about the challenges she faced. Whether is was showing off as she posed for this picture with Marty in the saddle and the Beartooth Mountains in the background,

Or her favorite smile after sipping on someone's soda, or trying to get your attention as shown in the pose that most remember by . . . . .

8 days after she passed away, one of her best friends, BBT Majestic Sapphire, was confirmed in foal to "Kordalis". We choose to believe that Sammy galloped to the gates of heaven, turned in her weary body, and flew her sould back to the Circle B Bar T to Sapphire. We now anxiously await, "Sam I Am", Rest in Peace, Sammy.

A special ceremony was held in honor of Sammy when the entire family, both young and old assembled at her grave to say a last goodbye.

Look what we found just walking around

A hike in the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park. We were on our way to visit a wolf den that was dug close to 10 years ago by one of the first females after the re-introduction of the wolves to have pups. To the east we saw bison or if you prefer buffalo, we tripped across several huge antlers from elk, we have seen bears roaming in the area, of course there have been wolves and coyotes. But this day as we were leaving the empty den, someone spotted a bird in a tree. Is that a bluebird? I think it is. As I tried to get a photograph, I was on the wrong side of the tree, the sun was creating a shadow. If I walk around when the sun is providing the ideal light on the subject, will the subject still be there. In the wild, most birds are not used to a photographer roaming around the tree looking for the perfect place to take a photo. Today, I was lucky and this is what I got. So now it's back to the bus and on to our next stop. You will not guess what I found along the way. In the 2 million acres of Yellowstone, you expect to see wildlife, mountains, and beautiful terrain. How about a flower, proudly sticking it's beautiful bloom out of the field, and instead of tripping over it or accidently stepping on it, I took a photograph.

Have you been to Woodbine, along the Stillwater River? If you did, the first thing you saw was the Stillwater River, in the spring as the water flowed from the melting snow in the Beartooth Mountains, in late summer early fall, the beauty of the mountains and a stream still providing water that could end up some day in the Gulf of Mexico. Maybe you were planning on catching a trout, perhaps just a hike, or maybe you hoped to see some wildlife; maybe a moose, or a bear, or a bighorn sheep. Not on this trip, and camera was focused on something you may have seen but would not have said that's why you took the hike. How about this beautiful flower?

and only a few steps away was another one. These are just a few of the pretty plants that appear during the year, and at times there could be an entire landscape with them rather than a random plant here and there.

What would you expect to find in our barn, certainly an Arabian horse, maybe a new saddle, how about a blue ribbon or a trophy, Ruthie the cat or her sister Martha might be home, Barlo or Kenya our 2 great dane dogs, or do you have a new foal. None of these. I have been observing a bird nest being built in one of the eaves in the area where we store the hay, the nest was finished, the female bird was sitting on the next, then it appeared that there might be young ones. Then one day, I see beaks appearing at the top of the nest. I waited, and I waited, then I brought my camera to the barn and took this picture.

Most people what not want these you barn swallows in their barn, but I let nature take it's course. I'll tear down the nest after they leave and hope their family will find a tree or someone else's barn to build a nest next time. I stayed around hoping "mom" would return with some food. I didn't have to wait long, and this is what appeared.

Every one who has seen this photograph was asked, who got the food. If you guessed the second from the left, you are right. In fact "mom" had her head completely inside that ones mouth as she deposited the food.

Just walking around you can see some interesting sites.

The birth of a new season

Our most current trip to Yellowstone National Park started on June 7th. We arrived via the Beartooth Highway and were overcome by the amount of snow that still existed at the top of the mountains. We traveled thru the Lamar Valley and arrived at our destination, Chico Hot Springs for dinner and a dip in the hot springs. We returned to Yellowstone on the 8th and had just passed through the northwest entrance, on our way to Mammoth Hot Springs, when we noticed a single car parked along the side of the road looking into the rocky slope. The image that you see, is what they were watching.
A herd of Big Horn sheep and their 2010 crop of babies were strolling along the rocky ledges. The young ones were having fun, jumping ahead while the mothers tried to lead them along the cliffs. I soon discovered 3 of them had found a nice big rock as a platform. I immediately took this photograph as it was only seconds later that they had jumped off the ledge and were running around the slopes. They are very sure footed to maintain their position on the side of the rocky mountains.
On to Mammoth. We were out of coffee and we needed to take a pit stop before we ventured south toward Lake Yellowstone. I missed the turn and as I attempted to correct my error I noticed a lot of people with cameras on the street ahead. Not wanting to miss anything exciting, I drove on to find that a female elk had just given birth to a fawn. Immediately, I parked the car grabbed my camera and starting taking pictures. We observed most of the things that happen during the birthing process and I took close to 75 photographs recording the various events. The next three were our favorites. This is the young calf, moments after it's birth, attempting to get up as it's mother licked it to give it strength and encouragement. I labeled this, "I love you Mom"
Soon after there was another new arrival at the scene, of course there were more people as the word spread of the fawn's arrival, but this arrival was not a twin, it was a magpie. They do have a symbiotic relationship with elk and we soon observed the real reason for it's being there was to help get rid of the afterbirth. Hopefully, this would prevent wolves and bears from getting the scent and perhaps attacking mom and the new fawn. I'm not sure if the mother was inviting the magpie, introducing it to the fawn, or hoping with would leave.
The next order of business was for the calf to get enough strength to stand up and get some nourishment. The calf was quite awkward and it took some time for it to maintain it's balance long enough that it could get near mother's milk and have it's first meal. This is usually the first critical step in the life of the newborn, and this youngster passed the test as seen in this picture.
Before the day was over, we saw something new on something old. Each year the bull elk lose their antlers in the late winter, early spring and soon the growth of the new antlers begins. This guy is very proud of his new growth and is looking forward to sparring with his fellow bull elk to then earn the right to sire some calves for the 2011 season.
It was a great trip, Yellowstone abounds with other new life and another year of tourists.

6 Days ago . . . . .

In the last 6 days we have had winds that approached 50 mph, day and nite. Marty and I have spent the nights in the bedroom in the basement to avoid the loud winds and get a good nite sleep. Yesterday, the weatherman said the winds would slow down and that an artic cold front would be arriving soon. By 9:00 PM there was enough of this stuff covering the pastures that we took hay into the paddocks for the horses to eat. This is what we saw as we looked out toward the Beartooth Mountains. Yes, this is the southern view, it's still snowing with another 2 to 4 inches due today.

With the cold wet snow and a temperature of 25 degrees, the animals would prefer the 50 mph wind. This picture is an example of what our trees look like. The birds are all huddled above the ground and I'm sure they're hoping for some warmer temperatures today. The expected high is 38. The horses are in the barn until 10:00 AM, the dogs are in the house with us, and Ruthie and Martha, the cats, are in the tack room.

and you asked, how much snow did you get. I took the yardstick into the yard and you can see for yourself (14 inches so far) This is with an expected additional 2 to 4 inches today. The ground is not frozen, so there as been some melting, when I shoveled off the walk it was sloshy underneath but it will not get warm enough to show much of a melt until Saturday. The slow melt means moisture in the ground and all we need after that is some warm weather. None is predicted for the next week.

April what brings May flowers?

I started to the barn this morning to spread the manure. This is not the correct answer to the question, because I have to spread the manure in pastures far enough from the house that there is not an after effect. It was not raining, it was too cold for the flower seeds to hatch, it was too cloudy to get any germination, yet I still had to spread the manure and it was April 30th. This is what I saw . . . . .


and yes, I had to hook up the tractor to the spreader and drive thru 30 MPH winds with a wind chill of 10 above, because there was more manure to be cleaned out of the barns. So you say, that wasn't much snow. How about going to the other side of the barn, the south side toward the mountains and take a look at the Beartooth. As you can see, the visibility was less than a mile. The only good news is, we needed the moisture and there has been a lack of snow in the mountains, which means the rivers and streams will be lower than usual, but good for fishing.
See you in May.

Controlling the robins during mating season

In an earlier post, I made comment about the robins pecking on our windows. I wasn't sure the motivation, so I studied the problem. It goes like this. In the spring, prior to the female robin laying her eggs, the male is in a very protective mood. He may see his image, ie: a reflection in a window glass and thinks it is a competitor infringing on his territory. Being protective, he attacks the image expecting the competitor to leave. This goes on until there is not reflection or the female has settled in her nest and has laid so eggs. This becomes very distracting when you are inside the house and they start attacking at sunrise, and throughout the day, or until there is no reflection. This is what Clint did to end this foolishness.

If you can see my reflection in our bedroom window as I'm taking this picture, you can be assured that the robin saw his as well. The difference is, there is a photograph of a crow that has been printed and pasted to the window. The robin said,"this is not a friendly picture" as he saw his own image in the window. The robin left and went to another window. We now have crow prints on all windows which he thought was his territory. No more pecking on the windows.

Proof of the eating is in the pudding, they say. Well, in years past there have been several robin nests around the house which I was not allowed to destroy until the young robins had fled the nest. There are no new nests. Thank you Mr. Crow.

The rest of the story

There must of have been a number of you who decided that the contest to determine where the picture of ducks was taken was a sham or figured it was on the Circle B Bar T Ranch and didn't participate. There were a number of you who did and the winner was Scot Billings. Scot and his wife Peg were the people who we purchased Barlo from and they traveled all the way from Michigan to deliver him to us just 8 years ago. Scot said, "it must have somewhere between the Circle B Bar T Ranch and Fishtail", and he was correct. The reason that I didn't tell you the complete story was I knew it would be a give away if knew what was happening the day I took those pictures.

I left the house with my camera by my side in the pick up truck. Shortly after I left, on the Grove Creek Road on the way to Fishtail, I spotted the mallards, stopped the truck and took the first pictures, not far from there were the Western Meadowlarks. Had I told you I was on my way to Fishtail or shown you the next picture, it would not have been a difficult decision determining where I took the duck pictures. Yes, it is spring in Montana, and almost every pasture has calves in it. These were not totally dependent upon their mothers and were assembled in the sun near the hay.

There are pigeons everywhere and I have not been fortunate enough to get close enough to get a good picture. That day as you know by now was a good day for Clint the photographer and guess what was waiting on a fence post along the road. I have to say, it was a great picture.

One of the signs of spring is the arrival of the cranes. It is usually late March or early April that they arrive. They come in pairs as the "sand hill cranes" mate for life and before fall they have hatched at least 1 if not 2 or 3 young ones. They leave when the young ones can fly and we wait for spring for their return. I had seen them and heard them for at least a couple of weeks, but it wasn't until I got closer on my trip to Fishtail that these 2 posed for me. I was also fortunate to have my 400mm zoom lens.

and what else do we see in the pastures in the spring? Baby lambs. Number 55 was only a few days old. You could tell that by it's size and shape. Another give away as to it's age is the fact that it still has it's tail. The tails are removed, the rancher calls is docking, to prevent the lamb making a mess in it's wool when it goes to the bathroom. This one is a cutey as they all are.

I had to get out of the truck to get the picture of the lamb. As I was walking by some trees along the road, a very small bird started jumping from limb to limb. It was not the least bit intimidated by my presence and allowed me to take a series of pictures, this one being my favorite. At this point in time all I knew about it was that it was small, black and white, and let me take it's picture.

When I got home, I had to get my Audubon Rocky Mountain field guide for birds to determine what it was. After several debates with Marty, we determined it was a Black-capped Chickadee.

Needless to say, it was one of the most fun and fulfilling 5 miles drives I've had in a long time. Hope you enjoyed it as well. I also saw deer and rock chuck and smelled a skunk. As you can tell I'm having fun with my new camera, more to come.

Where did I take these pictures?

If you can determine within 250 miles of where I took these pictures, you could win a photograph. One of these or any photo that Clint has taken. All you have to do is send an e-mail to me at circlebbart@nemont.net and tell me where I took these pictures. We will recognize the winner and let them choose a photograph for the best answer. As you examine these 5 pictures you need to look at not only the subject but the surrounding area before you make an entry. The water, the landscape, and the potential area's. This is the first picture. It is a mallard duck, prim and proper. If you think a close up will help in your decision process, double click on the image for a close-up view.

As I had completed taking a series of photographs, this being my favorite, I was fortunate to capture this guy as he tried to evade my camera. However, I was ready and I got him as he tried to escape. Yes, I was lucky, but this picture is as much a function of my new camera as it is the photographer. Luck enters the equation as well. Where do you suppose I was standing when I took this.



Do you have an idea where I took these pictures? Perhaps a picture of his girl friend and her surroundings will give you a hint. Does the color of the water give you a clue. It's too early for her to be on a nest or have ducklings, it's more like mating season.

Okay, the next picture is a Meadowlark. It was taken the same day as I took the photographs of the mallards. It is quite obvious that this bird was sitting on a barbed wire fence, of which we have none on our property. Here's perhaps another hint, the Western Meadowlark is the state bird of 6 different states in the west. Could I have been in Oregon, maybe Kansas, or do you think maybe Nebraska, you say that is too far away, perhaps North Dakota, or Wyoming. The sixth state is Montana, but where you would find mallard ducks with the surroundings that you have seen in these pictures in Montana.

Well, I did have a lucky day wherever I was. Just as I had finished taking the pictures, the bird took off and I got it in the air.

Now, study the 5 pictures carefully and send an e-mail with you best guess.

It wasn't spring in Yellowstone

We headed for Chico Hot Springs and Yellowstone National Park on March 30th. Had a heavy snow in Chico the evening of the 30th, a lot of snow was still on the ground when we got to the park on the 31st. After bragging about spring was on it's way a few days ago, I should have realized that April Fools day was coming up soon and that winter wasn't over yet. Well, as we entered the park, we saw this big elk, it looked funny. Yes, it was missing it's antlers, this was probably one of the guys that we had seen on our last trip, but he sure looked different. Notice where the antlers are normally affixed to the skull. The antlers will start growing at the rate of 1 1/2 inches per day, and it will not be long before this guy looks like an impressive male again.
Before we left, guess what we saw. Not one but two guys still sporting their finest. I'm sure it will not be long before these are gone as well, but for now, he's got bragging rights.

If you have been reading about the wolves in Lamar Valley, you will not be surprised that Rick McIntyre and and wolf watchers were within a couple miles of Mammoth Hot Springs, not in the valley that once sported 37 wolves. Competition destroyed part of the numbers and now the mange was about to eliminate them completely. I'm sure, as fertile a hunting ground as Lamar has been, it will not be long before some new blood enters to establish a name for themselves. But in the meanwhile, guess who has taken over. As we drove thru Lamar, we saw no wolves but we did see several coyotes and then we saw a fox.

Yes, in their favorite spot on top of a rise near the Soda Butte was a group of Big Horn sheep. They are still in the lower parts of the park until spring returns the lush pastures to the higher elevations. If you look back on the blog, you will see a picture of only the horns of a Big Horn. This time I got the whole thing.

The best was saved for last. The male elk are losing their pride and joy. The females are waiting for spring and the birth of their calves. This one happened to find a new friend who it appeared was ahead of the rest, getting the winter house cleaning done early. The magpie had comfortably rested on the neck and head of this female elk and while I was taking this photograph I noticed the magpie had found something in the fur of the elk that it was enjoying. Those bugs probably wished they had left earlier, as the magpie was having a feast.

Instead of going back to Yellowstone on April Fool's day, we headed home early, as winter was for sure taking over. Snow, windy, and cold. Not a good day for prospecting or enjoying the park.

We did see a bear who was out of hibernation and plenty of bison.

Sure signs of spring in Montana

As you drive down the roads of rural Montana at this time of the year, it's a sure thing that you will start seeing young calves in the pastures with their mothers. We will probably still be seeing day old calves at least until May, but the pastures are getting full and the calves are a sure sign.

Several days ago, I started hearing a pounding noise on our bay windows, at first I thought it was one of the dogs scratching or gnawing on something. Then I followed the noise to one of our large picture windows to discover a robin flying into the window. He could have been telling me they had returned for the spring and summer but experience tells me he saw a reflective image in the window and was either attacking it or trying to get in the house. Here he is in a resting position before his next attack.
The other site driving down the roads are herds of deer. You will see in this photograph that the girls have accumulated around the "man of the hills". You should also note that there is only one of these guys with the antlers. For now this is his harem, and you better not mess with his women.
There are calves, birds returning from their winter habitat, the female deers have selected a mate to share with their lady friends and there are many other critters starting to show up. If they have been around, they have found a warm comfortable place to stay, not to far from food, but now that it's getting warm and the snow is about gone, they are venturing out. This one was walking down the middle of the Grove Creek Road as I headed home the other day. I gave him a wide berth and waited for him to realize that I needed to get past him before I proceeded home.

As the days are getting longer and daylight savings time means it's darker later, we know that there will be at least another snow and that summer is next.