Lamar Valley–
Our stay so far in the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park has been filled with frequent, incomparable sights. About a half a mile out into the valley was a bison carcass with many different animals coming to the site to feed on it at different times of the day. For a full five days, in the mornings we watched the Lamar wolf pack at the site. During the day there was usually a visit from at least one coyote to say little of the near constant feeding by the Ravens and as many as three Bald Eagles. In the evenings, like clock work, just at dusk a grizzly would come out of the woods from behind the carcass and feed. The grizzly that fed on pretty much the last of the carcass Tuesday evening was huge and could be seen from the road way with the naked eye despite being a half a mile out in the valley at dusk. Early last Tuesday morning, we were lucky enough to witness five adult wolves feeding on the carcass, this is a sight we’ll never forget.
We were able to see all this from the “enclosure hill” area. Enclosure hill is where the wolves were first held in a fenced area and then released into the park. To us, enclosure hill is a historic area but is not even marked by a sign of any kind. There’s just a nondescript fenced area on a hillside overlooking the Lamar Valley.
We could happily spend all our days here, except of course in the winter (we prefer warmer places in the winter). The Lamar Valley, though it lacks most of the geo-thermal wonders that Yellowstone National Park is known for, is perfect for the kind of adventure we enjoy which is wildlife viewing. We will return here to the Lamar year after year for this reason.
Tips for those interested in viewing wildlife in Yellowstone–
We have frequently been asked “how do you find these great spots like the carcass with animals feeding on it?” Our answer is always the same…just ask. For example, people visiting Yellowstone drove by (going about 45 miles/hr.!) the place where we were watching the five wolves. I’m sure many of those people will leave the park saying they looked but they didn’t see any wolves or grizzlies. Some folks were wise enough to ask “what are you seeing out there?” we would tell them so they could pull over and be as amazed as we.
If you come to Yellowstone and want to see wolves, moose, bear, etc. stop whenever you see folks with spotting scopes all looking in the same direction. People that spend a lot of money on a spotting scope are frequently the people who are pretty good at spotting wildlife and some of them are there to help spot wolves for the Park Service (especially in the Lamar Valley). Most people are friendly and will tell you what they are seeing and let you look through the scope to witness the wildlife being wild for your self.
Cody, Wy.–
Drove the scenic Chief Joseph Highway from Yellowstone to Cody during the week to look around. This is a spectacular drive as is the drive from Cody, Wy. into the East entrance of Yellowstone. The Buffalo Bill Cody Museum in Cody is filled with Western paintings and spectacular sculptures and is well worth a visit. This is a cute little town with many services for the traveler. We are told they have only a “little” snow here in the winter because the winds are so severe the snow seems to be mostly blown away from the town according to some of the town folks we queried. Um, sounds plausible.
Internet Connection–
We are able to connect to the internet using our Millenicom Wi-fi in the Pebble Creek Campground in Yellowstone National Park. This blog was posted via the Millenicom in the campground.
