Wildlife viewing

Snow blower on Beartooth Scenic Highway
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We had a leisurely morning.  Paula caught up on her blogging, sitting in our room overlooking Lake Yellowstone. We left the hotel about noon for wildlife viewing between Tower Junction and the northeast entrance to the Park.  On the trip north to Tower Junction, we again ran into a “buffalo jam” in Hayden Valley.  The cars on the road were backed up for miles and traveling at less than 10 mph.  Many people came to the park for the Labor Day weekend, and it was much busier today.

Blogging overlooking Lake Yellowstone
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Lamar Valley is in the northeast part of the Park.  There are miles and miles of rolling hills covered with grass and sagebrush, with mountains in the background.  Lamar River runs along the highway and there were many wetland areas.  Thousands of buffalo were grazing in the valley and we observed an artist sitting in the sagebrush painting.

Three mountain goats and one antelope.

Buffalo Jam
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Soda Butte is a travertine mound located in Lamar Valley.  It was formed more than a century ago by a hot spring.

We drove out of the Park and into Wyoming and Montana, via the Beartooth Scenic Highway.  This was a beautiful drive and the magnitude of the mountains and valleys will take your breath away.  Near Beartooth Pass, elevation 10,947, we took pictures of the mountain tops and snow patches at eye level.

Painter in Lamar Valley
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This road is closed in winter.  It isn’t had to understand why.  We observed snow markers throughout Yellowstone, but these near the Pass were exceptionally tall, and on a cliff at that.  A few miles further down the road, we were impressed with two huge snow blowers equipped with chains.  They were ready for action.

Soda Butte
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We stopped in Cooke City, Montana, on the way back to Yellowstone Lake and had a meal at the Beartooth Café.  The rainbow trout was quite delicious.

On the trip back, the only wildlife spotted, with the exception of buffalo, were three mountain goats and one antelope.  Apparently the wolves keep many species out the park, but not the buffalo.

Beartooth Pass
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