spring

the park is open

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.

lamar

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.

new year's weekend, lamar valley

october pics