Tuesday, May 4, 2010.

It has been pretty hectic here for some days now. Jon, Jenn, Pat, Sofia and Zachary flew in on Saturday. That was a long flight for them. But it went pretty well. There was more snow on the ground into the airport than it was at our house. And it is pretty chilly outside.
We have driven into the park everyday since Sunday. There have been some really incredible animal sightings. The northern entrance to the park is in Gardiner, Montana. Then there is the Teddy Roosevelt Arch into the park created by Congress in the early 1940s. Just past the arch is a stream where lots of animals can be seen. Something killed an elk overnight right at the stream and there were 3 wolves and a bunch of ravens eating away at him. When we left the park there was a coyote feasting with the ravens trying to get a bite in.
The higher you go in elevation, the more snow you see. Up here we watched a bear digging near a stream for hours for food. He was there went we first got there, and he was still in that area when we left the park to go home. All of the bears we have seen have been single bears; no mama bears with cubs. They must be in another section of the park that isn't open yet. Tim was in the Grant Park area this past summer. The Park Rangers have told us that area is closed because of high bear activity. The roads are clear for driving, but the walkways are covered. This is the same section of the park that we were at 2 weeks ago with Bill and Debbie. Then there was no snow. And it's been snowing here in the park off and on all day. But we would rather have snow than rain. This is probably the first snow Sofia has seen.
At the west entrance to Yellowstone is the Grizzly Bear and Wolf Discovery Museum. They have a very informative and visual presentation of the wolves and bears. There are interactive exhibits to learn the differences between the black bear and the grizzly bear. The Rangers hide their food in their areas, then let them out to find it. It was raining here so we didn't stay outside too long. Once back in the car we ate lunch and drove back through the park. It's still snowing and they are calling for more snow tonight just in the park. At our house there won't be any.
It was so windy at Old Faithful that her geyser was a little crooked going up. Just outside the visitor center the lawn was full of snow. A perfect place for a snowball fight and a snowman. Pop Pop built a snowman for Sofia and threw snowballs at all of us. Sofia went a hugged the snowman. Pop Pop asked if she wanted to take him home. It's a good thing she didn't hear him. That would be a mess in the car. The car Pat rented is really nice. It's a suburban, has plenty of room, and good traction for the road. The roads are not really bad, but they say you never know when the weather will turn for the worst.
Tuesday we went back to the park and the dead elk had been moved away from the stream but still close enough for us to see. There is still some left, but not much. The scavengers made fast work out of him. Further in the park at another stream we saw a buffalo standing in the stream drinking. About 50 yards upstream there was a bear digging around looking for food. We watched him for about 30 minutes. He even picked up a log to get at what was underneath. It is still snowing and laying on the ground but not on the road. The wind is blowing so hard and it's about 23 degrees outside in the park today. Good thing we have winter coats with us. They say it'll be 8 degrees in the park tonight, but not at the house. We are in a valley where it doesn't get so cold. Last night we lost power for about an hour, but the kids and grandkids weren't awake then. We were glad it didn't stay off for long. Today it went out at about 2:00, but came back on by 5:30. It doesn't get cold in here because of the gas fireplace.
We will probably go to the Lamar Valley tomorrow where the buffalo and wolves are. It is called the Sereghetti of the US because of the lush valley.