Hazards in the Workplace

Danger can lurk anywhere. Sometimes, the paths we take to the office or to the dining room have to be detoured to avoid all the animals grazing on the green grass found here at Mammoth.

After returning from a hike, this bison was at the end of the walkway into my dorm:

Maybe your job requires ear plugs to protect your hearing or safety glasses to protect your vision. Others have stressful jobs that harm their mental and physical health. Around here, the hazards in the workplace are a little different. I can't say that my job is stressful and I don't think there's much chance of me losing my hearing or sight, but there are other hazards we have to deal with from time to time. Today, this sign was posted on the office door to alert us as we left the office to go to lunch:
There were some elk grazing just outside the door. If some unexpecting person came barrelling out door with their head down, they just might have a spooked elk chasing them!

Touring the Park

Today was Joyce's,birthday and since she is moving to Idaho, we decided to tour the park.

We left Mammoth and headed towards the North East Entrance. We were very fortunate to see lots of animals today starting with these bison and antelope hanging out near Lamar Valley.
At Pebble Creek, we saw these 2 moose munching on willow brush.

We exited the park via the North East Entrance and drove on out to the "big city" of Cooke City, MT. We stopped at the Bearclaw Deli for coffee, hot chocolate, sweet rolls, and their signature bear claw pastries. Yum!

Main Street, Cooke City:

Heading back towards Mammoth, I saw a HUGE black wolf moving swiftly on the side of the road. We pulled over and jumped out. It was being chased by a coyote! We watched them climb up the far hillside until the big black wolf became a little dot. I never got a picture of them because they were moving too fast. We think that the wolf must have been near the coyote's den where there were probably coyote pups.

Once back at Mammoth, we decided to head south towards the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I've got a hundred pics of the canyon, but it never gets old! Here's another:

Then we headed to Hayden Valley. Surprisingly, the bison and elk herds that usually fill the valley were no where to be seen. We did have this nice view from the pullout where we ate our sack lunch picnic:

After our lunch, we headed back home to Mammoth disappointed that we hadn't seen a bear before Joyce left the park. Low and behold, right before we got to Obsidian Cliff, there were cars stopped along the road and people standing at the edges of the road. Right in front of us crossed a grizzly bear with 2 cubs!!!!

We sat and watched the cubs for several mintues. They are adorable!

For dinner tonight, a group met at Rosie's in Gardiner for desserts to celebrate Joyce's birthday:

It was a great day in the park!

After Dinner Drive

I was bored one night and decided to take a drive. I saw this grizzly just off the road on the other side of Swan Lake Flats.

Driving to Gardiner

The small town of Gardiner, MT is located 5 miles north of Mammoth Hot Springs. I drive here pretty often to buy groceries at the Food Farm, the only grocery store in town. Gardiner has zero traffic lights, only one stop sign, and only one chain restaurant - a Subway that is located in one of the 2 gas stations in town. There is a post office, 4 churches, and several gift shops and rafting companies.

However, the drive can be pretty exciting. You never know what you'll see.

On one trip, there were big horn sheep on the cliffs over the Gardner River.

Another time, I saw this wolf on an elk kill at the Chinese Gardens on the Gardner River.
As soon as the wolves are full and walk away, the birds descend. Just so happened that an EAGLE is in the area.

Mammoth Hot Springs - My Home Away From Home

This gray wolf walked right out into the road in front of me as I was driving into Mammoth. They have a den in the area. The houses you see in the background are National Park Service employees who live here at Mammoth.

The bison are calving. The little "Red Dogs" are soooo cute and are one of my favorite animals in the park. We see them all the time here in Mammoth.

I often walk along the boardwalks at the Mammoth Hot Springs which is the main attraction here in Mammoth.

Mammoth as seen from halfway up the Terraces:

There are 305 steps to the top of the Terraces. My goal for the months of June and July is to walk the terraces every morning BEFORE work. We'll see if that happens...it didn't last year...

The view of Mammoth from the top before I go back down 305 steps.

On this particular day, I drove toward Norris after my walk. I spotted my first grizzly in YNP for the 2010 season:

Missing Pics...

I hate uploading pics. I accidentally deleted a few from my previous post and it is too much hassle to add them.


Wyoming:
I love the wide-open landscape of the west:

Here's some heavy-duty farm machinery near Felt, ID on Hwy. 32. I wanted to add this for Dad!

Clarinda and Cari Ann under one of the arches on the town square of Jackson. The arches are made from elk antlers that they shed every Fall. It was very cold, windy, and snowy.

Go West!

I'm headed back to YNP for another summer! Clarinda and Cari Ann rode along with me. We had a great time!

St. Louis Gateway Arch. We took the elevators to the top.

The view from the arch was amazing!!

The viewing area wasn't as big as I thought it would be...the ceiling wasn't very tall.

Busch Stadium, Home of the Cardinals, as seen from the arch!

The first night of the trip, we stayed in Clarinda, Iowa much to our Clarinda's delight!! It was a very nice, small town.

The Iowa countryside was beautiful, but the pics just don't show how pretty it really was. This is along Hwy 2 in Iowa, headed to Lincoln, Nebraska.

DAY 2: We travelled across Nebraska and stopped at the Great Platte River Road Archway Museum that is built over Interstate 80:

The museum pays tribute to the pioneers who travelled the Great Platte River Road to settle the West.

Cari Ann listening to the story of the 49ers. The headsets gave commentary and info as you walk along at your own speed.

Checking the speed of cars passing below us:

Nebraska:

Western Nebraska:

Cheyenne, Wyoming:

Windmills in Eastern Wyoming:

Just before we arrived in Laramie, it started snowing:

We spent the night in Laramie, WY. We had a nice surprise when we checked in at the hotel. Chad had pre-arranged for a gift basket to be waiting for us! It was stuffed full of snacks and goodies for the rest of the trip.

DAY 3: Eastern Wyoming along I-80.

Snow Breaks along I-80 in WY to reduce the drifting of snow onto the road:

At Rock Springs, we got off the interstate and took Hwy 191 North towards Jackson.

We made it to Jackson and then drove into Grand Teton National Park. The Tetons are breathtaking:

We saw two moose:

Then we saw 2 Grizzlies:

Clarinda and Cari Ann in front of the frozen Jackson Lake with the Tetons behind them.

Elk:

We stayed in Jackson at The Parkway Inn. It was very quaint and cute:

From Jackson, we headed northwest into Idaho. The scenery was beautiful!!! We saw a couple of trucks loaded down with potatoes.

As we got closer to West Yellowstone, MT and the west entrance of YNP, we came through a blizzard! This southern girl was nervous!

West Yellowstone, MT: The blizzard had dumped a foot of snow inside YNP, so they closed the roads. We had to take a 3 hour detour up to Bozeman and then through the North Entrance of the park.

Big Sky, MT. Beautiful! On Hwy 89, south of Livingston in Paradise Valley.

We FINALLY arrived in YNP. Clarinda and Cari Ann didn't get to see much because the snow had the roads in the park closed. We stayed a couple of nights in Gardiner, MT where Cari Ann got to swim. I'm so glad they came with me and had a girls road trip.