Regardless of how ready we were to see wildlife, our first bison sighting took my breath away. Just seeing one of those massive creatures in its natural environment, even at a distance, was thrilling. In time I learned to be more selective in raising my camera. On one trip we hit a long backup of cars. Chad’s brother Jedd responded 
to the wait with, “I demand a spectacle!” A few minutes later we came over a rise and were greeted by a herd of bison, several of which were just feet from the road. After one of the furry beasts crossed the road right in front of us, Jedd declared the spectacle satisfactory.
On another trip across the park, a backup revealed a majestic elk standing near the road in a pose so perfect he could have been a paid model. His shoulders were massive, the velvet on his antlers still visible. 
Despite the many warnings not to approach wildlife, people poured out of their cars to get as close a shot as possible of the beautiful creature. We were lucky enough to get ours from the safe vantage point of the car.
In addition to frequent bison and an occasional elk, deer, or coyote; squirrels, birds, and geese were plentiful. A black bear or two also appeared along the road as we traveled through the Park. The more we saw, the more we were anxious to see. One morning each Chad and I ventured out early with his siblings in pursuit of wolves and bears. While the wolves refused to show themselves, 
we both saw a mother grizzly bear with her cubs – a truly amazing site. Even in the presence of such a formidable animal, some of the spectators let their fascination lead them far closer than we would have been comfortable. At least we didn't see anyone trying to feed the bears - a phenomenon I understand was common back 
when my grandfather visited the park in 1931!
While the wolves would have been a welcome sight, we’ll stick with our conviction that it’s best to leave something new to discover on the next trip. Even on our way out of the Park we were in for a treat – a cute little red fox, dancing around in 
a meadow on the side of the road. We won’t soon forget the wonderful wildlife of Yellowstone.
Next up - Yellowstone: Family Time
2 comments:
How lucky to see Grizzly bears - and a mother with cubs, no less! Very special. All of your sightings were fun to read about. :)
So Steve and I went backpacking in Yellowstone, right in bear country and we saw absolutely NO WILDLIFE! Talk about frustrating. So I guess in order to see wildlife you just drive around in your car...Forget about backpacking in the high countries of Yellowstone...so what I'm trying to say is I'm jealous that you got to see such incredible majesty. Good for you!
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