To Lamar Valley with Melissa on 9/12/2013

The ride started out leaving Mammoth like any other day. I waited for Melissa to get off work so we could hop in her Honda Element and take forth an adventure. We came across Elk Creek, a couple miles before coming to Roosevelt lodge, and there were cars everywhere on the road. I thought two things out loud: Is it a grizzly or a moose. Elk Creek is home to an old grizzly named Scarface. I met him in the spring time and the ranger regulating traffic had said he looked a little weak and wasn't sure how long the 20-25 year old bear had left in him. But it wasn't a bear; it was to moose. After navigating through traffic and finding a spot on the road we got out and had some help from a tourist spotting one of the moose. It was about 2-300 yards out behind a tree. I had to walk along the crowded road for some time to take this picture of it.

From there we hit Little America where a couple cars were pulled over for this cute little pronghorn, (antelope), was chilling out. I snapped a photo and we moved along before my eye caught glimpse of something gray in the distance.

We had spotted some sandhill cranes pecking at the ground from about 1-200 yards away. Once we pulled over and I started taking pictures and Melissa looking through the binoculars, it wasn't long before others were pulling over asking what we saw. That's how traffic jams are created out here in the park. If you see one person looking through binoculars/scopes/taking pictures, everyone will stop and start to ask. Most people are very helpful telling others what they see but now and again you come across a person or couple who are there for themselves and not the park who can be rude from time to time about it. This summer was filled with the helpful people and I do not recall any who were rude like last winter.

We made it out to Lamar Valley near sundown and saw some cars pulled over with some people on a hill looking across the river. We made a U-turn and found a parking spot. We were notified of a bison carcass about 200 yards out that had passed sometime that day. We waited and waited while others had come and gone, but the only animal that was near it was a small coyote. The coyote was biting at the ass-end of the bison, (the weaker hide?), but had no luck on opening the hide. At one point in time, it had grabbed the tail and started to yank it as if the coyote were going to haul away the two ton carcass back to it's den. The sun had gone down and we made our way back to Mammoth hoping the next day we would see some wolves. It was two days before wolves and bears were over the carcass.

Photos had made it to the newspaper on how great of a sight the circle of life could be. Photographers and tourists had the opportunity of taking a photo with birds, wolves, coyotes and bears all in one picture without the help of Photoshop and I had to work.

With-in the next day or two I will have a second part about the all day adventure to the bison carcass with some great photos.