Furr

blacktail plateau ski

2012-01-22T20:39:00.002-07:00

We've been MIA because we've been busy not doing things in the snow...this past week, while the rest of the country was dumped on with snow, we've had 40 degree weather and RAIN. Everywhere you go around here all anyone is talking about is snow, as in "want it, need it."

It's still possible to find snow here on the northern range, though conditions are not ideal. Blacktail had just enough snow and minimal wind, though I was skiing in a long-sleeve shirt and pants: no hat, no long underwear, no jacket.

Send snow. Please.

turning the page

2012-01-02T10:51:00.008-07:00

The last day of 2011 was clear and bright in Yellowstone, with a dusting of fresh snow (finally!). The Canyon wolf pack took down an elk in the early hours of the morning, and were visible for many visitors not far from the road. Electric Peak was covered in snow, under blue skies.

I'm not one for making resolutions, but I've always loved the new year and the feeling of a fresh start that it brings. We're also beginning this year in a new apartment, living outside of the park for the first time in two years (more on that later), hence another fresh change.

The first day of 2012 was cloudy and crisp, but we took advantage of the late afternoon sun to go for a walk in the Absaroka Wilderness across from our new place.

We now live at the base of Yankee Jim Canyon, right in the middle of the valley down below, with the Yellowstone River in our backyard.

Happy New Year!

happy holidays

2011-12-26T08:03:00.004-07:00

We couldn't be further from Yellowstone right...we're spending the holidays in New York City. While our friends are watching the Lamar Canyon wolf pack on an elk carcass in Lamar, we're listening to 1010Wins to figure out which bridge has the least amount of traffic to get us into Manhattan. It's been a long time since I've been around this many people, but it's good to be back.

scenes from december

2011-12-18T20:24:00.006-07:00

sharing the road

2011-12-04T10:17:00.002-07:00

seen on my commute

2011-11-16T21:58:00.001-07:00

mammoth terraces after the snow

2011-11-13T18:56:00.002-07:00

lamar valley

2011-11-11T17:17:00.001-07:00

2011-11-05T10:01:00.004-06:00

Last month I hiked Specimen Ridge, an almost 19-mile hike that has been on my Yellowstone wish list for years and years. Steve has always had this hike on his "no" list, so luckily I was able to convince a coworker to join me.

We hit the trail around 8:30 a.m.

And the first thing we saw were wolves! Members of the Lamar Canyon pack. We paused to watch them for a few minutes, and then continued on.

After a couple of miles we reached a river crossing, at the Lamar River.

And from there it was up, up, up. We climbed until we reached the top of the ridge. There isn't exactly a trail per se, and animals are continually knocking over the trail markers by rubbing against them, which makes it hard to stay with the trail in certain places on the hike.

Lots of wide open vistas.

And then gorgeous views of the Lamar Valley below.

After losing the trail briefly a couple of times, we found a sign that confirmed we were on the right trail and finally getting close to the top of Amethyst Mountain.

We ran into a few bighorn sheep, and they had no idea what we were. They don't see people very often, and they just couldn't figure out what we were doing up there.

Another view of the valley.

Finally, reaching the top of Amethyst Mountain.

Looking south, you can see Mt. Washburn in the right corner, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in the middle.

The second half of the hike had wide open views of the whole area.

A piece of petrified wood--the trail doesn't go through the petrified forest, but we did see a ton of petrified wood as we hiked.

We also hiked past too many sets of antlers to count.

It was hard to tell if you were getting close to the end of the hike, because it just looked like it went on forever.

We hiked past three large herds of bison, who couldn't quite figure out what we were either.

As we neared the end of the trail, a curious pronghorn started to approach us, and we had to clang our hiking poles together to get him to move on and away from us. We didn't see another person during the 10 hours that we hiked, and it was clear that the animals were not used to seeing people up there.

We finished the hike around 6:30 p.m., 10 hours total on the trail, just as the sun was starting to set.

tail end of fall

2011-10-17T21:05:00.002-06:00

osprey falls

2011-10-16T20:07:00.001-06:00

fall in yellowstone

2011-10-14T21:40:00.002-06:00

bull elk with his harem

2011-09-23T22:55:00.002-06:00

tetons escape

2011-09-17T22:11:00.008-06:00

Over Labor Day, we left Yellowstone and headed south to the Tetons. We snagged a campsite at Signal Mountain,

and then headed to the Leigh Lake TH.

While Steve fished String Lake,

I cooled my feet in the clear water.

We woke up early the next morning and watched the sun rise over the mountains at Owbow Bend.

After a big breakfast, we headed to the Lupine Meadows trail head. Near the TH was a cow moose, not impressed by the noisy sandhill cranes nearby interrupting her breakfast.

There were more cars at TH parking lot than I've ever seen before starting hike. We started the climb up to Amphitheater and Surprise, two lakes, to quote Steve, "without fish."

The trail gains 3,000 feet in elevation over 4 miles, and we had great views of the valley below us as we climbed. There was a lot of haze and smoke hanging over the valley due to a fire burning nearby.

As we wound our way up the trail we discovered that we weren't alone--a black bear decided to jump on the trail in front of us, going on its way for several minutes before finally deciding to cede the trail to us and head off into the trees.

We finally made it to the first lake,

and, if possible, the second lake was even more beautiful.

Though as Steve pointed out again, neither lake had any fish in them.

Coming down, the heat of the day burned the smoke and haze off, and we had clear views of the lakes below.

10.5 miles later we were back at the car, headed home.

alarm clock

2011-09-17T22:07:00.003-06:00

Who needs an alarm clock when this guy is underneath your window, bugling up a storm, every morning before 7:00 a.m.?

cache creek

2011-08-29T20:13:00.006-06:00

After I had to cancel on a planned four-day backpack in the Bechler, Steve and I decided to get on out a quick overnight. We hit the trail Saturday night, headed out 4 miles to the first site on the Lamar River Trail.

The sky looked a little ominous, so we walked fast.

Almost there.

Cache Creek, our home for the night.

Steve got our food hung up on up on the bear pole,

and was able to get in a little bit of fishing before nightfall.

The next morning, Steve woke up early and hit the creek. I slept in and then enjoyed coffee in our "kitchen" area, complete with antlers.

We bushwhacked up Cache Creek a mile and Steve got serious about fishing.

Jackpot--a 20-inch cutthroat.

I found a rock and hung out with a book while he fished.

As we headed back to our campsite to pack up, we found a bison on the trail. A very large, cranky bison. We scrambled across the creek and walked in the water until it was safe to cross back over and continue on our way.

All packed up, and headed home.

grizzly at the confluence

2011-08-17T19:31:00.002-06:00

the rivers are fishable (finally!)

2011-08-13T09:19:00.001-06:00

sepulcher mountain

2011-08-07T20:14:00.006-06:00

Last weekend, we hiked to the top of Sepulcher Mountain. Sepulcher looms above Mammoth, and although we've lived in Mammoth for over a year now we'd yet to climb it.

We hiked with friends and decided to do the hike as a shuttle loop, starting at Glen Creek TH and ending at Liberty Cap/Beaver Ponds TH. As we began the hike, we noticed four mule deer bucks on a ridge in front of us. We watched them, they watched us, and then they decided to make a run for the trail before we approached any closer.

There were tons of beautiful wildflowers on display as we made our ascent,

and we also had a great view of Electric Peak as we climbed.

View from the top, with Gardiner in the background.

Awesome views of Electric from the summit.

The bugs were TERRIBLE--that is a bug-off bandana, not a fashion choice.

More wildflowers as we made our descent,

and a hungry marmot.

About 1 mile from the TH Steve paused at a junction to ask which way he was supposed to go. Somehow I was the only one who noticed the backside of a black bear, not far from where Steve was standing. Luckily the bear was more interested in scratching himself against a tree than he was in us.

Total trip: 11 miles.

wolf testing bull elk

2011-07-24T20:22:00.002-06:00

babies

2011-07-21T23:04:00.004-06:00

the fourth

2011-07-09T11:06:00.007-06:00

Steve and I hit the road for the holiday weekend. While everyone was waiting to get in to the park,

we hit the road for Idaho for some solitude.

Before we left the park, we got caught in a bear jam. A 3-4 year-old grizzly was just off the road, a few miles north of Norris.

We set up camp at the Riverside campground, in the Targhee National Forest.

We made a pit stop at Mesa Falls,

and then headed to the Henry's Fork River, where we ran into this moose.

For 2 days Steve fished,

while I sat on the riverbank, reading a stack of magazines.

carr family visit, part 2 (scenery)

2011-07-02T13:40:00.004-06:00

Beartooths:

Tetons:

carr family visit, part 1 (wildlife)

2011-06-27T20:02:00.006-06:00

lions and bears

2011-06-17T20:37:00.009-06:00

Two weeks ago I hiked up Mount Everts with two coworkers. Mount Everts is the mountain that we see out our apartment window.

There's no trail--we just hiked up the mountain through the sage and then followed along the edge. It wasn't long before we had great views of Mammoth and the Northern Range.

About a mile in we startled a grouse out of the sage. If you've never come across one before, it's hard to imagine how something so small can make so much noise...it sounds like a bear waking up in the grass, and it's hysterical to watch everyone jump straight up in the air, and then realize it was just a grouse.

About 2 miles into our hike we started talking about mountain lions. The official estimate is that we have 14-23 lions in the park, mostly up here in the Northern Range. Lions have been spotted up on Everts before, but they're one of the rarest animal sightings in the park. My hiking partner has lived in Yellowstone for 16 years and has never seen one.

About 10 minutes later we're hiking across open sage, and Terry makes a noise and points his hiking pole. I assume it's a bear and look where he's pointing: about 60 yards away, on the other side of a ravine, I see an animal move behind a tree. Terry finally manages to say "Mountain Lion!" and we watch it, watching us, from behind the tree. And then it took off running along the ridge, and we had a GREAT view of it (in profile) as it ran through a clearing. It was a beautiful, tawny gold color and I swear that its body left the clearing about 5 minutes before its tail did. The tail went on FOREVER. The whole encounter lasted about 20 seconds, but the color of the lion, they way it moved, and its tail, are frozen in my mind.

After a while, we finally managed to gather ourselves and continue on. Great views, but it's hard to top seeing a lion!

The fort, the Terraces, and Sepulcher Mountain.

Looking down on the Mammoth suspension bridge.

Great view of the fort--our apartment building has the green roof on the left.

Incredible views of Osprey Falls from the top of Everts.

Views from the edge.

Electric Peak, with an elk in the foreground.

Mountain lions have always been my animal fear; they're Steve's favorite animal and he's always wanted to see one. He had to work this afternoon, and I felt bad calling to tell him that we saw a lion. While he was at work.

Luckily he'd had a pretty cool encounter that afternoon too. He decided to fish the Firehole River before work, and this cinnamon black bear came out of the woods, swam across the river 30 yards from him, shook itself off, and then wandered into the trees on the other side.

a few pics from the week

2011-06-12T20:14:00.003-06:00

Jackrabbit:

Great Horned Owl:

Elk Calves:

black bear, near tower

2011-06-10T21:10:00.001-06:00

memorial day

2011-05-30T21:26:00.008-06:00

Is it warm where you are? Because it's not here...while the rest of the country is at the beach, wearing shorts, having BBQ's, we're dealing with snow, snow, and more snow.

Here's a shot from the Hayden Valley today:

This week has found many road closures in the park due to weather. The openings of Dunraven Pass and the Beartooth Highway have been pushed back (6/10 and 6/3). There's a rock slide that has indefinitely closed the road between Mammoth and Tower, isolating the NE corner of the park. The East Entrance is only open between 8 p.m. - 10 a.m. due to Avalanche danger, and the roof of the Fishing Bridge service station recently collapsed under the weight of the snow.

We decided to brave the snow and drove the lower loop today. Steve patiently waited out a snow storm

so that he could jump in the Firehole River for a bit.

I snapped a few pics of an Osprey flying overhead before retreating to the comfort (ie, warmth) of the car.

Yellowstone Lake, still very much frozen.

It's always nice to be out and about in the park, but we're ready for some warmer weather to come our way...

2 and 2

2011-05-28T22:51:00.005-06:00

Drove past 2 grizzlies and 2 black bears on our way down to Old Faithful tonight:

elk calf, born in mammoth today

2011-05-25T20:14:00.002-06:00

lava creek

2011-05-22T19:12:00.007-06:00

This morning we woke up to sunny skies and 60 degree temps. Sarah and I decided to hike Lava Creek, a short (5ish) hike that skirts the base of Mt. Everts. It didn't take long before we ran into this guy, trying to scratch off the last of his winter coat by rubbing it against a tree.

After about a mile we crossed a footbridge over the Gardner River,

and the trail followed the river

until we had a great view of the suspension bridge on the Grand Loop Road.

Behind us, we could see the red roofs of Mammoth (that's our apartment building on the far left, green roof).

As we neared the end of the hike we had a great view of Sepulcher Mountain and the Terraces.

Like all of our good hikes, we ended it with chili-cheese fries at the Terrace Grill.

thursday in lamar

2011-05-21T10:59:00.007-06:00

The sun starting to rise over Electric Peak as we left Gardiner at 6:00 a.m.

Spring in Yellowstone means death,

and life.

In addition to spotting a couple of grizzlies, we were extremely lucky to see this yearling wolf from the Lamar Canyon pack running alongside the road.

Last night I was back in the Lamar for a work dinner, and I saw a moose at Petrified Tree, 5 grizzlies in the valley, and a black bear near Hellroaring pullout. Just another work day here in Yellowstone...

first grizz of the season

2011-05-18T21:33:00.001-06:00

sunday

2011-05-15T21:38:00.000-06:00

spring

2011-05-13T21:22:00.003-06:00

run this town

2011-05-07T19:56:00.011-06:00

After stuffing our faces at the food trucks one last time, we hit the road to Eugene. We made a beeline for the Marathon Expo, where I was treated like a VIP by everyone who realized I was from Yellowstone. I think it's safe to say that I was the only runner from Yellowstone in Track Town USA.

I was excited to hit up the original Nike store, but sadly we found out that it's now a construction site. The new Nike Running store had a little bit of a museum built into it,

but I'm sad they tore down the original.

My pre-marathon meal is always pizza, and I remember an old Runner's World that had an article about Track Town Pizza in it.

We ordered a pizza with fresh tomatoes, and the three of us cracked up when it arrived: by fresh we didn't think they meant "we'll put three whole raw tomatoes on top of your pizza after it comes out of the oven."

Race morning started at 5:00 a.m. and Steve dropped us off as close to Hayward Field as he could. I was excited but nervous at the start.

Here we are in our corral, ready to go.

After a brief computer delay, we were off.

Sarah and I were able to run together for the first 11 miles until the half marathon split off from the full.

It was a beautiful day, sunny with temperatures creeping close to the 70's. For a small race, it was fantastic--they handed out Cliff Shots and bananas twice, and we ran along the river with enthusiastic spectators cheering us on. The race finishes on historic Hayward Field,

and there was an announcer calling out finishers' names on the PA as you crossed the finish line. And oh yeah, at the finish? FREE PANCAKES! Along with the biggest and coolest finisher's medal I've ever received.

Eugene was a great #7 for me, and I'd definitely do it again if I have the chance.

While we were in Eugene, I kept seeing people wearing these AWESOME sweatshirts:

I. Had. To. Have. One.

We figured out that they were sold only by a local running store in Portland, and our chances of showering, checking out of the hotel, eating lunch, and making it there by 5:00 p.m. were slim to none. Yet...we pulled off the highway at 4:55 and the chase was on. Steve roared into the parking lot at 5:03 and we all cheered when we saw the "Open" sign still illuminated. He ran in, and I hobbled after him. Sarah snapped this hysterical picture of us exiting the store, victorious.

And with that, we said goodbye to Oregon.

portland

2011-05-06T20:37:00.007-06:00

We woke up in Spokane, WA last Friday and made the final push towards Portland. One of the things we were looking forward to in Portland were the food trucks, and we found our first "truck" at a rest stop about 2 hours from the city.

I'm not sure why, but Steve opted to sleep in the backseat vs. listening to Sarah and I. We left him snoozing in the car and pulled over at Multnomah Falls,

an incredible waterfall along the highway.

Coming from wintry Montana, we couldn't get over how green everything was.

As we approached Portland, we got our first view of Mt. Hood in the distance.

That night, we headed across the river and hit up the "nighttime" food trucks. It didn't take long for all of us to become food truck converts--great food, for cheap.

In addition to hitting up a couple of micro brewery's, we also made our way to Voodoo Doughnut. All three of us had seen the place on TV and we patiently waited in the long line.

I decided on the Triple Chocolate Penetration (chocolate doughnut, chocolate frosting, and Cocoa Puffs) and the Bacon Maple Bar.

Let's take a closer look--mmm, bacon.

Before we hit the road to Eugene, we had to squeeze in one more trip to the food trucks.

I hit up one that was serving Indian food--for $6 I got all of this, plus nan bread.

We spent the 2 hour drive to Eugene dreaming up ways to bring food trucks to Gardiner...

on the road

2011-04-29T11:59:00.003-06:00

We left Montana last night, bound for Oregon. Despite driving through snow all night, we did have a gorgeous sunset over the mountains as we approached Butte:

Last night's stop was Spokane, Washington. Right now we're bound for Portland, where we'll spend the night, before heading to Eugene and the race expo tomorrow.

Before we left the Park, two exciting things happened: 1) we saw our first bison calf of the year, and 2) we got TV! After 1.5 years without it, we now have access to sports (and the Royal Wedding). And it took all of five minutes for us to start fighting over the remote...

moose on the loose

2011-04-25T21:06:00.010-06:00

Though the wind was howling and it was late in the day, when my buddy Ryan called and said he got out of work early and was ready to fish, I was out the door in 5 minutes.

Without much time, we decided to fish close to town, down by the airport behind Gardiner's recycling depot. We had gone out on Saturday and the warm weather meant there some fish rising, but today the wind and cold weather meant there would be no hatches so it was nymphing day no doubt.

While I was still tying on my flies, Ryan was on the water and quickly caught his first trout of the season

As Ryan settled in, I headed downstream and started fishing. I came to a big rock that I had to get around, and as soon as I got around it, I got the fright of my life as a moose that had been sleeping behind the rock, jumped up. Luckily the moose was as scared as I was and we both ran in separate directions.

I don't know if he was still waking up or he figured we were the ones that should leave since he was there first, the moose didn't go far

and even stuck around to see Ryan catch another rainbow (he's the brown spot in the trees in the back left corner)

Leaving the moose behind, we fished a good way down the river. Finally, before we called it a night, I hooked into a nice rainbow

All and all, it turned out to be a nice couple hours on the river.

charlotte

2011-04-24T21:18:00.005-06:00

Last weekend we flew to Charlotte for a family wedding. You know you live in an isolated place when you get excited about the food selection in the airport...especially when that airport is O'Hare. We had less than an hour layover on our way out, which gave us just enough time to hit the new Rick Bayless take-out place in the United Terminal.

I had a torta with braised short ribs,

and Steve had one with pulled pork. We both had mango-lime fresca's to drink, which were awesome. Pricey, but good. Airport dining at its finest...

We left Bozeman in a snowstorm and arrived in Charlotte where everything was neon green. And warm--almost 80 degrees. And humid. We haven't missed humidity at all, and it was a shock to be in it again.

We had enough time to indulge in some Southern BBQ while we were there--mmm fried pickles are very tasty.

And pulled pork. Real pulled pork. Oh how we've missed you.

It was hard flying through Chicago and not being able to leave the airport to see family and friends (Go Blackhawks!), but we made the best of our time there and hit up Billy Goat for "cheezeborgers"

and then stocked up on Garrett's.

And Eli's cheesecake. And Vosges chocolates. And another mango-fresca for the road.

While we were away, the bison started calving. Visitors have been showing me photos all week of newborn calves, hopefully we'll see one ourselves soon.

the park is open

2011-04-10T18:15:00.008-06:00

We spent most of the week preparing for the Government Shutdown, and what it would mean for us to live inside a closed National Park if it happened. But then at the 11th hour the budget passed, and so we decided that since the park was indeed open, we'd venture out to the Lamar Valley and Cooke City (cheddar bomb burgers!)

As soon we crossed the bridge over the Yellowstone we ran into a few bighorns on the side of the road,

and then watched a lone coyote make its way across Soda Butte Creek.

There were bighorns near the confluence.

A storm was hanging over the valley,

which was the perfect excuse to head to Cooke City for lunch.

Other parts of the country are experiencing spring and warm weather, and it's hard for visitors to understand why the roads in the park are still closed. Here's what spring looks like in Cooke City:

Oh, and when you're inside a restaurant, looking out the window, here's what you see: more snow.

We made our way to Buns n Beds for cheddar bomb burgers, but Steve and I were tempted by the BBQ ribs too. So we decided to split, 1 cheddar bomb burger

and 1 BBQ plate. Worth the drive, as always.

On our way back through the valley, the storm had finally blown over.

eighteen

2011-04-04T20:28:00.006-06:00

The hardest thing about training for the Eugene Marathon has been the weather. While the rest of the country is experiencing spring, it's still very much winter here. And even when the sun shines, there's wind. Sunday's weather was 26 degrees with 9 MPH winds. And those were GOOD conditions.

We've been running on the East River Road, a two-lane road that parallels Highway 89, in the Paradise Valley. Over the course of my 18-miler, it was sunny, they snowy, then sunny, then snowy.

As I pounded out the miles, I saw my first mountain bluebird,

which means spring really is around the corner (somewhere, somewhere). I also had an entire herd of mule deer cross the road in front of me, and apparently ran right past a moose in the river that I was too tired to see.

For about a mile I ran alongside a herd of elk, running above me on the mountainside.

The weather is harsh, the hills are killer, but I'd be hard-pressed to find a more beautiful place to run.

(some) signs of spring

2011-04-02T09:00:00.003-06:00

point of rocks

2011-04-01T09:31:00.009-06:00

When Wendie told me that that afternoon, I was going to have to give back the 8wt rod I had borrowed because its owner was headed down to the Snake River in Jackson, I decided to go fishing despite the snow and wind.

Heading out past Yankee Jim Canyon and into the Valley, the snow stopped and the wind lessened as well. Not having time to head to Livingston or even past Emigrant, I pulled off at Point of Rocks, a boat launch 21 miles from Gardiner. The rocks of Point of Rocks are actually remnants of ancient mud that was created by the Absaroka Volcanic Field, which formed 5 million years ago.

Since, the volcanic rocks right near the boat ramp where jagged and slippery, I decided to wade in about 200 yards upstream of the boat launch. Though my backcast kept hitting the four-foot ice shelf behind me, the fishing was good as I got this brown on one of my first casts.

He was about 17-inches but had a big fat head on him that made him a good fighter. I fished that same run upstream for about 300 yards and pulled out two more browns, including this guy:

After hooking up with two more fish, both of which broke me off before I could land them, the river became too shallow and fast-moving to be fishable with the streamers so I decided to walk further down the river. After about a half mile, I found a nice canyon (which you can see at the top of this photo)

with a deep pool on the other side of the river. There were some small fish rising to midges right by the shore but figuring the big guys were in the deep water, I waded out as far as I could to try to hit the pool on the other side of the river. Even though I couldn't make it all the way, I was able to get out far enough out to find this 16-inch rainbow.

He fought harder than all the browns combined, even giving a nice aerial show as he jumped clear out of the river three times. The picture doesn't do his size or beauty justice.

Since I had to give the rod back, I decided to head back toward the car. This is when I realized that not only were my waders leaking but that one of the soles of my wading shoes was coming off as well.
Still, when I made it back to the first pool I fished I decided to give it one more go to try to get those fish that I hadn't been able to land. Though my shoe kept threatening to send me ass-over-tea-kettle into the 40-degree water, I was able to snag one more brown before calling it a day. I left the rod in its owners doorway with a six, cold friends to keep it company.

brown out

2011-03-30T09:36:00.004-06:00

Despite the snow and cold, I have been fishing a bit the last couple weeks, but in our next of the woods have been catching mostly whitefish. As I always check the Yellowstone Angler's fishing report online, I have been very envious of the guys up near Livingston floating the river and catching huge browns on streamers and heavy rods, so I borrowed an 8wt rod from Wendie's boss and headed up there on Monday.

Despite some good info. from the local fly shops about where to go, the Yellowstone is a huge river (300 feet across in some spots) and it took me a while to figure how and where to fish it. Finally, upstream of Carter's Bridge I waded in and started fishing. I had to go up to my chest in the 40-degree water but after about 100 casts, I got a nice 17-inch brown. Not as big as the ones the guys in the boats have been catching, but better than a whitefish no doubt. I proceeded to throw about another 500 casts but that was the only fish I got.

As it was getting dark, I drove the East River Road back from Livingston. It is a little more remote than the highway through the valley and I saw more deer than I have seen in my life. They were crowded along the road like New York City pedestrians hanging at the street corner waiting for the "WALK" light to come on.

Thankfully, after one more stop to check out some rising fish, I made it back without hitting a deer, which was probably a bigger achievement than catching the fish.

lamar

2011-03-22T20:54:00.005-06:00

While Steve was out fishing, I was taking a course at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch.

The course was about Coyotes & Ravens, but early morning field trips into the Valley turned up a lot of animals. Our first morning's stop was at Round Prairie, where there was a winter-killed bison. There had been a grizzly feeding here for the past few days (the first one spotted this spring on the Northern Range), but there was nothing on the bison when we pulled up. And then...the Lamar Canyon pack (wolves) showed up and we were able to watch them for several minutes as they fed.

And then, from the trees, they started to howl.

Coyotes,

bighorn sheep,

and bison.

It was a beautiful weekend in the Valley.

first trout of 2011

2011-03-21T18:49:00.003-06:00

Got my first trout of 2011 today. Actually got three, this decent rainbow and then two smaller guys - another rainbow and a cutt-bow.

This is my third time out on the Yellowstone River, but the first time I have lasted more than an hour and half, because it has been too cold or too windy. I got my first fish - a whitefish - of the year last week and caught a bunch of whitefish on Saturday, but on both days the wind was gusting to 20- to 30-mph which made fishing a bit of a pain.

Today's temps got into the 40s and the wind was under control so even though the water is still cold and the fish weren't rising, I was still able to get in a good 3 hours of fishing. It won't last, as we are supposed to get snow for the next 3 day, but it was good to break the ice so to speak.

spring, for now

2011-03-13T20:02:00.005-06:00

Today was our second straight day of sun and 40 degree weather. It won't last, but for now, we all have spring fever. Today I went on my first hike of year on the Rescue Creek trail.

Elk lounging in the sun.

The Gardner River is muddy with the start of the spring run-off.

The trail looked good,

but it was MUDDY.

It wasn't long before we came across a group of bighorns,

and bison in the distance.

It won't last, but we'll enjoy it...until the next snowfall.

mesa: the rest

2011-03-12T11:16:00.008-07:00

Aside from baseball (Kerry Wood!), we were also looking forward to getting some sun. This is what we left,

and this is what we went to. Sun and 80 degree weather!

We were also looking forward to getting some good food. I was ecstatic to discover that there was In n Out in Mesa

and it was our first stop, mmm Animal Style. Just don't ask us how many times were ate there...

Before we left, Mandi asked me what else we were going to do besides watch baseball. "Hmm, Starbucks, eat Thai food...oh and go to a mall!" was my reply. Which we did...because those are things we don't get to do here. But, shamed by Mandi, we also decided to do some sight-seeing that didn't involve baseball or food.

After Sunday's game, we headed out to Lost Dutchman State Park, on the famed Apache Trail.

The Superstition Mountains.

We went on a short hike in the park to walk off some of those stadium hot dogs.

On Monday, before we left, we drove around downtown Phoenix. One last Starbucks, and we checked out Chase Field, home of the D'backs.

Then it was back to the snow...

mesa: the cubbies

2011-03-07T20:43:00.008-07:00

Steve, my dad, and I just got back from spending a long weekend in Mesa. The sole purpose of the trip? Spring Training! Go Cubs Go!

First things first, time to lay out all of our gear.

Day 1: Cubs vs. Padres

Soriano!

HoHoKam Park.

Autograph time...Steve waits patiently while we line the field, pens at the ready.

Sean Marshall:

My dad meeting Matt Camp:

Brett Jackson working the line:

Then we found out that Fergie Jenkins was in the stadium!

Cubs beat the Padres 9-4

Day 2: Cubs vs. Dodgers

Steve waits patiently again while we hunt for autographs...and catches a line-drive while the Dodgers take batting practice!

It's Len and Bob! First televised game on WGN.

Marlon Byrd warming up...

and then signing.

Cubs take the field.

Soto and Dempster, ready to go.

Before we headed down to Mesa, I told Steve that my goal was to get a picture with Kerry Wood. Probably not likely, he said. And then in the 4th my dad and I went down to buy a bottle of water, and who do I spot out of the corner of my eye? WOODY!

Nicest. Guy. Ever.

It took 10 innings, but the Cubs beat the Dodgers 5-3.

february, part 2

2011-02-28T21:25:00.004-07:00

Running--the other part of February. This is what running in winter here looks like.

The sign says "Animals on Roadway."

And it's a little hard to run when they are.

february, part 1

2011-02-26T09:32:00.005-07:00

February got away from me. Steve was in NYC for three weeks, and I kept myself busy with skiing, running, and various social activities planned to keep Park residents from going crazy during one of the coldest months of the year. As I write this, the temperature outside is -20, as in Twenty. Below. Zero. Oh, and 15 MPH winds on top of that.

Running has almost completely consumed my non-work life, but before Steve returned from NYC, and back when it a wee bit warmer, I skied the Chittenden Loop with friends. But first, a pre-ski Cheddar Bomb burger at Buns 'n Beds in Cooke City to fuel up for the 10-miler.

Then we hit the trail. First stop, the winter-deserted Tower General Store and parking lot.

Then we climbed up the road to Tower Campground,

and skied past the campsite Steve and I camped at a couple of years ago. Steve remembers this campsite because there was a heavy snorer one tent away (it wasn't Larry Carr) who kept him up all night, 2 nights in a row. But I digress...

This route is only open in the winter, and as we climbed up the road we had nice views of the surrounding mountains.

We weren't the only people using this road. We skied alongside fresh wolf tracks as we went along...

Which makes sense, considering. I'm guessing a carcass log isn't something everyone expects to encounter when they're out for a ski.

And finally, views of Mt. Washburn in the distance,

before we skied back to Roosevelt via the road.

run run run

2011-01-29T20:49:00.005-07:00

Sorry we haven't updated the blog in a while. The past two weeks have flown by in a blur of activity. And Steve flew out, literally--to NYC that is, leaving me with a fully stocked fridge and total control over our Netflix queue for the next couple of weeks.

The past two weeks were consumed with a) football, though it did not end well for my Bears

or Steve's beloved Patriots. Both of our teams were knocked out by their fiercest rivals, and we've finally moved on. Well, I'm trying to. Please don't bring up the words "Jay" and "Cutler" to me, ok?

The other thing consuming my time? That would be b) running. As in:

Epsom salts (that's a 12-pound box there!) and energy chews have found their way back into my life--a friend and I are training for the Eugene (OR) Marathon on May 1st. This will be lucky number 7 for me, and it's keeping me motivated through winter. Running here has its fair share of hazards, weather and wildlife being at the top of the list. Last week we had bison behind us AND in front of us, and that was in the middle of Gardiner. I'll try to remember to bring a camera with me on my next run.

But then there's this,

the view on our long runs, which we're doing in the aptly named Paradise Valley. Hard to beat.

am i the only one that has this problem when they park their car at work?

2011-01-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

new year's weekend, lamar valley

2011-01-05T20:12:00.005-07:00

merry, merry

2010-12-26T17:51:00.006-07:00

This was our second Christmas in Yellowstone, first in Mammoth. On Christmas Eve we had dinner in the Mammoth Hotel dining room, and we woke up Christmas morning to sunny and warmish skies.

We Skyped with our families, and then opened a few presents.

A Boss and Office combo for Steve:

Awesome new cookbooks to keep me going this winter:

A very Rolling Stones Christmas:

And for me, a dehydrator and jerky gun whoo hoo! Just what this Wyoming girl asked Santa for...

After a breakfast of sourdough waffles, we hit the trail with a friend and skied past elk and bison on Blacktail Plateau (6.7 miles).

Electric Peak in the background.

Happy Holidays!

wolves howling

2010-12-24T22:26:00.005-07:00

Earlier this week I was in the Lamar Valley for work. There was a carcass in the Lamar Canyon, and sometimes you're just in the right place at the right time.

As we stood in the road, the Alpha Female of the Lamar Canyon Pack was howling to the right (north) of us, and the rest of the pack was below us (south) in the trees on the river.

I pulled out my cell phone and used the video feature for the first time to try and record the howling. Unfortunately the camera was tipped the wrong way, but if you ignore the picture and turn up the sound you can hear the wolves. I finally figured out that I needed to flip my cell phone, and I did capture two wolves running on the ice at the end of the recording.

mammoth traffic

2010-12-18T18:37:00.001-07:00

steve and wendie are not discussing football today

2010-12-12T18:47:00.009-07:00

Yesterday brought sun and blue skies; today was dark and gray. But that didn't stop a small group of us from getting out and going off-trail for an afternoon snowshoe.

We started across the road from Blacktail Plateau Drive, breaking trail through the deep snow.

We followed the ridge and slowly made our way down the hill,

past two bison resting in the snow.

We dropped down into the trees, and came out at the site of the Roosevelt summer cookouts.

We pushed on through the snow towards Roosevelt Junction, and passed a large herd of bison.

Tired from breaking trail, we made our way towards the road...and when we popped up onto the road, we found more bison.

On our way back to Mammoth, we passed a big bull moose in the treeline near Floating Island Lake (sorry, no photos!)

The sunset over the northern range was beautiful this evening. A line of elk moved across the flats, with Sepulcher Mountain in the background.

snowy saturday

2010-12-11T16:44:00.003-07:00

we love you red lodge!

2010-12-08T20:58:00.008-07:00

Last weekend we hit the road and headed to Red Lodge to visit our friend (and summer roommate), Patty. Well, before we could pull out of Mammoth we had to scrape the ice off our car...both the outside and the inside of the car. Brr.

Red Lodge sits at the base of the Beartooth Mountains and at the start of the Beartooth Highway. Because the road isn't plowed past Cooke City and the Beartooth Pass closed weeks ago for the season, there's only one way to get there in the winter, what everyone around here dubs "the long way, up and around."

We checked in to our hotel, and Steve reacquainted himself with TV.

Patty invited us to Red Lodge during the town's annual Christmas Stroll, and it didn't disappoint. We decided to get our holiday shopping done during the day, so that we could just focus on eating our way through town in the evening when the stroll officially began. The main street of Red Lodge is lined with great shops that stock a lot of unique and local products, and we made a major dent in our holiday shopping.

Patty took me to Babcock & Miles, a specialty food store that she knew I would love.

I was already giddy over the aisles of olive oils and fancy jams, and then I let out a squeal: they had Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam cheese! A Christmas present to me me me, we haven't been able to find that cheese since we left New York and I couldn't believe they had it.

Around 7 p.m. we hit the main street again for the stroll.

Most of the shops stay open late and serve food--everything from cheese and crackers, cookies, and chili to mini-meals like pork and beans on home made biscuits,

and cupcakes. RED VELVET CUPCAKES! Red Lodge, I love you...

There are fire pits in the street

so you can make s'mores as you wander around. Yes, s'mores stations on every block!

And--only in Montana--a streetside branding station, wood blocks provided.

As we pulled out of Red Lodge on Sunday, we told Patty we'd be back for next year's stroll. But on second thought, I'm sure I'll be back long before that to restock on Mt. Tam cheese.

RIP ron santo

2010-12-03T08:23:00.003-07:00

snowshoe hare

2010-11-22T17:47:00.001-07:00

snow

2010-11-21T19:07:00.004-07:00

hello, winter

2010-11-17T19:03:00.008-07:00

We're just back from a whirlwind trip back East. Now that we're going to be here full-time, we needed to head back to our storage unit (the Carr basement) to get our necessities: skis, winter gear, and my beloved KitchenAid mixer.

After two days in the car, we made it back to Chicagoland. And F-O-O-D. Steve flew back to NYC and fell in love with pizza again.

And I was reunited with Whole Foods!

I tried to restrain myself, but there was no way I was passing up Intelligentsia coffee or Argo tea.

We shopped,

and we ate. And ate.

It was a very quick visit, but we were lucky to see some of our family and friends...and then it was back in the car for another two days of driving.

When we left, the park looked like this:

And when we came back, this:

glacier goats, the end

2010-11-11T12:50:00.006-07:00

We're currently in Chicago, where it's been in the 60's. Back in Yellowstone, it's snowing. We're loading up the car and mentally preparing for the snow that awaits us...

In the meantime, here's the last of our Glacier trip. We woke up on day 3 at Lake Ellen Wilson, and as we prepared breakfast our camp was invaded by very curious mountain goats.

Of all sizes, big and small.

And they weren't just in the kitchen area--we found this guy hanging out by our tent.

We set out again with our new friends, and soon we were climbing up and up, looking down where we camped.

It wasn't long before we met another goat, and he was very interested in checking out Steve and Dan as he went by.

Then we ran into this guy, who liked to pose.

Oh and this guy, who wanted to know what Dan was taking a picture of. I said they were curious, remember??

Then we had another one follow us over the last climb to Sperry Chalet.

Then finally, the chalet was in view. We stopped in to share a delicious grilled cheese sandwich on homemade bread and to get out of the chill. Opened in 1914, this is 1 of 2 chalets that operate in the park. It's 6.7 miles from the trailhead, and guests can either hike in and spend the night (where meals and accommodation are provided), or just drop in for a meal like we did.

Then we hiked out the final 6.7 miles back to Lake McDonald and our car. In the end, we hiked 20+ miles over 3 days / 2 nights, and made some great new friends.

october pics

2010-10-29T21:27:00.006-06:00

glacier goats, part III

2010-10-23T09:44:00.007-06:00

Remember when we went to Glacier? We're finally picking that story up again...

We woke up at our campsite at Gunsight Lake to cloudy skies, but luckily it wasn't raining.

We'd met two other couples who were doing the same route as us, so the six of us took off towards Gunsight Pass, climbing and climbing...

This being Montana, it wasn't a surprise to find snow at the top, even though it was late August.

Looking back at Gunsight Lake.

We reached the top of the pass, and the shelter cabin, quicker than expected. This guy was there to greet us, and tried to extract a toll...or at least entry into the cabin. Sorry, he got neither.

Looking down towards Lake Ellen Wilson, our destination for night 2.

We hiked over, under, and through several waterfalls.

And then we finally reached camp.

First things first--hanging our food. This site had a unique feature, a bear POLE. It took a little practice, but Steve got our bags up there.

Each backcountry site in Glacier has a pit toliet. Normally said toliet would be like a rustic version of a port-o-pot. With walls. Not here.

The advantage of not having walls? This was the view...

After we set up the tent Steve hit the lake and fished until dark.

glacier goats, part II

2010-10-04T15:14:00.007-06:00

On day 2, to drop our car off where our hiking trip would end up, we got up early enough to grab some breakfast and catch the sunrise at the appropriately named Rising Sun.

After a long drive over to the west side of the park, we grabbed a hikers' shuttle up to Logan Pass, where we grabbed a second shuttle to take us to our trailhead, which was only about 10 minutes from where we camped the night before.

While most of the hiking we have done in Glacier was along wide-open alpine trails, the Gunsight Lake trail featured more meadows, lush valleys and even a couple river crossings.

The hike was pretty uneventful, though we did meet a hiker that had heard there were some grizzlies in the area, and we saw lots of fresh bear scat that was full of fresh berries like the ones lining the trail. But we never saw a bear and after about 5 miles, we came to a clearing

and just around the bend we got our first glimpse of Gunsight Lake

and the waterfalls that keep it full of icy-cold water

Since we got there before a lot of the other campers, we got a prime campsite, just up the hill from the lake

Once we got our site nailed down, it was time to fish. Since I couldn't see any fish from the shore, I decided to do a little wet wading. It was tough going at first, mostly because of the wind, but once the gale subsided to a breeze, I started getting some hits. My first hook-up was with a real nice fish, but it broke off before I could get a look a him. After that I had a bunch more hits, and landed five trout from 10- to 14-inches, all rainbows.

We called it quits around sunset
and headed to the communal eating area where we got to know our fellow campers. Interestingly, everyone either seemed to be some sort of doctor or medical profession or from Seattle, sometimes both. We had a great time getting to know everyone, seeing what everyone else was eating (some dude had beer and pizza) and sharing stories, before we hit the sack right before it started to pour.

2010-10-03T17:33:00.007-06:00

We haven't posted in a while, which I know because my dad pointed this out to me yesterday. The past two weeks have been a little crazy--I just accepted a full-time, year-round job with the non-profit we moved out here to work for. Tomorrow I go back to a regular, M-F gig. We moved this week too, leaving behind our mountain view of Bunsen Peak for a new view of Mt. Everetts. On Thursday we moved into an apartment building, built in the 1930s, in Mammoth proper. We can now walk to the Visitor's Center, though we have to look both ways when we leave our apartment building to make sure there aren't any elk hanging out on our lawn.

Though it's October, we've had a heat wave here in the park for the past week. If it weren't for the changing colors, it would be easy to forget it's now fall. Here are a few recent shots, and we'll pick back up with the Glacier trip soon.

glacier goats, part I

2010-09-08T16:45:00.010-06:00

Sorry we've been M.I.A. for the past while. We've been on the move for the past two weeks, starting with our trip up to Glacier.

We left early on a Wednesday morning and drove north through Montana. We left the main highway after a couple of hours, and traveled on two-lane roads through cities we'd never heard of. One city we had heard of was Choteau--home of the Grizzly Bear Marathon, and where we stopped for tasty burgers at the Elk Country Grill. Much to Steve's dismay, our brief stopover in Choteau has revitalized my interest in running this marathon, and I was chanting "Grizzly. Bear. Marathon." as we pulled out of town.

After six-and-a-half hours over windy roads we finally reached the park. Luck was on our side, and we were able to snag one of the last campsites at the Rising Sun Campground, on the East side of the park.

I was itching to get outside, so I dragged Steve up to Logan Pass and onto the Hidden Lake trail.

Last time we were here I saw a ton of mountain goats on the trail, and I was hoping to see them again. First off was a huge, huge marmot:

And then bighorn sheep:

And then GOATS:

beartooths

2010-08-24T11:43:00.007-06:00

I like to be outside. As much as possible. When I'm not outside, I'm reading about routes and trails and trying to figure out how we can get there.

Somewhere along the way, I don't remember when, I read about Black Canyon Lake in the Beartooths. I remember seeing a picture of a beautiful blue lake that was supposed to be full of fish. That's all I needed.

Steve and Sarah picked me up from work on Wednesday afternoon and we headed to the trailhead, which is 9 miles south of Red Lodge, MT. It took about 3 hours to get there, with the construction and the winding Beartooth Pass, but we finally hit the trailhead around 4:30 p.m.

We hiked along a creek for 5 miles,

until we came to Lost Lake, where we set up camp.

We even had time for a fire before bed.

The next morning Steve got up first (surprise!) and fished the creek until he got me up and moving. As we were getting ready for breakfast a huge snowshoe hare ran through camp, and was promptly followed by a pine marten who'd been chasing it. It was the first pine marten we'd ever seen, and we watched him for a while and he watched us before scampering off.

Sarah and I hung our packs and we set off for Black Canyon Lake. There's no trail to the lake, and after 30 minutes of wandering we finally figured out which way to go. That was UP, with an intense bushwhack through the forest as we climbed. We finally came to an opening in the trees/canyon.

All that stood in our way was a huge boulder field.

Every time we got to a rock shelf we thought that we'd see the lake. But we didn't. So we just kept scrambling.

And then...finally, there it was. With Beartooth and Grasshopper glaciers visible as well.

Steve didn't waste any time and pulled out his fly rod. He pulled in huge trout after huge trout. He even caught 2 at once. And his last fish was his biggest--not a bad way to end the day.

It was 7 miles back to the TH, and down we went. We found an easier way back down through the boulder field, and then found a semi-trail that led us back through the forest, minus the scratches and bruises from the way up.

Tomorrow we head to Glacier to backpack Gunsight Pass. I have us camped at two lakes along the way, but I fear the fishing isn't going to compare this...

jam!

2010-08-21T12:49:00.006-06:00

We just got back from a backpacking trip in the Beartooth's (more on that later), and we had a package waiting for us when we got back here...a box of homemade jam from my friend, Amy! Can't wait to dig in, once Steve and I can agree on which jar to open first.

schumachers take wyoming: part II

2010-08-21T11:44:00.008-06:00

On Day 2 of Niki and Adam's trip we went looking for wildlife in the Lamar Valley.

Though the wolves weren't out, we did see (thanks to Adam's eagle eye) two large grizzly bears hanging out on the far side of Soda Butte Creek. A little further down the road we saw a black bear crossing a hill. The mama bear was quickly followed by two small cubs bounding after her.

With the sun starting to set, we rigged up the rods to give Adam a fly casting lesson on Soda Butte. He got the fly cast down with no problem but the previous day's rain had made the river too muddy for him to catch anything.

The next morning we were up early to hike up Mount Washburn. It was beautiful day for a walk and soon we were passing people (and pikas)

left and right as we climbed to the fire tower on top of the mountain.

After making it to the top we had some time to relax

before we decided to head back down where it was warmer and less windy.

After we dropped Wendie off at work, we hiked into the Gardner River canyon so that Adam could get back on the water. It didn't take him long to get his casts going again, and was soon fishing like a pro. Sadly, though he hooked three fish, my instructions about landing a fish weren't up to snuff, and all three got away before we could get them in hand.

Though we didn't want to get skunked, when the wind started picking up and the sky clouded over we decided to get out of the canyon before it started pouring.

Since the weather held, we decided to try one more spot, a small pond behind our house. Just as we were going to get out of the car and try some casts, a small black bear popped out of the woods about 15 feet from the car. Instead of fishing, we snapped some photos and let him have a run of the pond.

After we picked up Wendie from work, we headed down to the K-Bar for some burgers and beers. Luckily, they had a couple of Team Chicago's new favorite Montana beer, Bent Nail, chillin' in the fridge, which was a perfect way to end the day.

Hopefully the lure of Bent Nail will get the Schumacher's back to Wyoming again!

schumachers take wyoming: part I

2010-08-12T10:38:00.008-06:00

Niki and Adam flew in from Chicago last Wednesday, and day 1 found us in the middle of the bison rut in the Hayden Valley,

and a stop a Mud Volcano.

Lunch at the Lake Hotel Dining Room (mixed game sliders for me and Adam, yum),

where Niki discovered her new favorite beer.

Then we hit the Storm Point Trail.

We stopped at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone for a few photo op's at Artist Point.

When we pulled back into Mammoth that night the elk were relaxing in front of the chapel--I think this one's giving Niki the eye...

As we left for dinner we ran into this small cinnamon bear across the street from our house.

And then we chowed down at the Raven Grill.

tuesday morning

2010-08-03T21:40:00.005-06:00

birthday summit

2010-08-01T16:41:00.007-06:00

My friend Sarah's birthday was on Thursday, and we decided to climb a mountain. Call it the Montana way to celebrate a birthday.

We drove up out of Gardiner, through Jardine, and then hit the trail in the Gallatin National Forest.

The wildflowers were in full bloom,

and we had about 6 miles until we reached Fish Lake and the base of Monitor Peak.

Norris the dog wasn't sure about the climb up the mountain,

but the views were worth it.

Looking up, where we'd just been.

This hike was 13.2 miles, which brought my hiking total to 103 miles so far for the summer. I hit my 100 miles next to this strange little pond.

That night a group of us took Sarah to Chico Hot Springs for dinner. For the first time in months I asked, "So what are you wearing tonight??" The biggest fashion dilemma around these parts normally is whether or not to leave the legs on your zip-off pants on--or zip 'em off. But we managed to clean up, dress up, and stay awake through dinner, and then soaked in the hot springs. Pretty good way to celebrate a birthday if you ask me...

family fun

2010-07-28T06:55:00.009-06:00

On Day 1 we waited till Wendie got off work before heading out to check out the Park. Since AJ had never been here before, we decided he needed the full-on tourist tour. That meant hitting the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the Upper and Lower Falls right smack in the middle of the day.

Even with all the people around the Lower Falls did not disappoint

Next we drove back over Dunraven Pass and made our way to the Lamar Valley. A quick stop at Trout Lake proved fruitless for otter viewings but it did provide a lot of wildflower pics.

Our next stop was suppose to be dinner but it turned out the power in both Silver Gate and Cooke City was out ,which meant we had to head back into the Park to get some grub. This proved fortuitous since when we made it back into the valley we ran into this grizzly right along the side of the road

A little further down the road AJ got his first view of wolf, the all-white, alpha-female of the Silver Pack. We could see her through the scope as she didn't even budge when a grizzly walked up beside her and decided to lie down right behind her.

We got up early on Day 2 and headed for Grand Teton National Park. We broke up the journey with some stops here and there.
Down in Hayden Valley we got a quick eye-full of a black wolf before we made our way to Mud Volcano and, next, West Thumb Geyser Basin, where Fishing Cone Geyser was still underwater

while Black Pool looked bottomless in the early morning light.

Cruising into the Tetons we grabbed a tent-site at Signal Mountain and then headed to Taggert Lake to do a hike.

The trail cut over a small cascade and through some pretty alpine meadows

and afforded us some great views of the mountains

We made sure to snap off some family photos for Marilyn

(can you tell which brother doesn't tan well?)

After some wilderness time we hit the big city (relatively) of Jackson, WY. As all first timers must do, we made AJ have a beer while sitting in one of the saddle barstools at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar.

Our reward for a long day of driving and hiking came in the form of some surprisingly good (and spicy) Thai food.

On our way back to our campsite we stopped off at the Mormon
homestead to try to get the iconic photo of the Tetons with the old barn in the foreground. Sadly, a haze from a fire burning over by Jenny Lake put a blanket over the mountains in the background.

The next day we were again up early. Though we didn't see a moose and missed a bear on Signal Mountain by just a couple minutes, we did have the perfect morning light to snap off some farewell shots of the Tetons.

some shots from this week

2010-07-21T21:21:00.002-06:00

catching up

2010-07-12T12:02:00.008-06:00

It's been a while since we posted. After the excitement of the Carr family visit, life went back to normal. Which mostly means: work, work, work. June saw a record number of visitors to the park, and it certainly kept us busy.

The good news is that it finally stopped raining, and summer has officially come to the mountains. After my parents left I hit the trail with two friends for a girl's hike--13 miles through the Black Canyon of Yellowstone. The hike starts near Blacktail Lakes

and goes past Crevice Lake,

and then through the Black Canyon itself. It was HOT--no shade. I slept very, very well that night.

The next day we picked up our friend Ryan at Old Faithful and headed South. We hiked the Lewis Channel loop, 12 miles.

We stopped for lunch on the shore of Shoshane Lake.

The hike back was on an old service road,

and from the scratches on this tree it was clear we weren't the first ones to pass this way.

We spent the 4th of July in West Yellowstone, MT. We perused the shops and I bought something called a mug mat--when you live in the middle of nowhere, you become very excited to shop, no matter what's on offer. That is my only defense.

But that mug mat must've been lucky, because look what we found! It wasn't the same as being at the Taste of Chicago (sniffle, sniffle), but hey--I got my 4th of July hot dog!

There was a parade through the main street of town with lots of floats

and something I've never seen before--if you look closely at her hand, you'll see she's not throwing candy, but that is an actual chicken wing in a ziploc bag.

Don't believe me? My friend Gina caught the bag, and here's a close-up.

Only in Montana...