Yellowstone Park, WY: Yellowstone's Grand Canyon

Woke up to a beautiful morning so we decided to pack a lunch and get into Yellowstone Park while it lasted. As always, lots to see and do in Yellowstone. Saw several very cool waterfalls today as well as more wildlife.

In fact, only ten minutes into the trip on the way into the park we hit another bear jam. Another black bear up on the hill, working his way through the woods. Very visible since he was wandering in one of the sections that burned in 1988.


Turns out the ~50 fires of 1988 caused extensive damage in the park as it burned some 150,000+ acres. That year there was a terrible drought that kept everything bone dry. Then the 'storms' started. In the mountains you can get the storm without the rain, usually referred to as dry lightning. If that lightning hits the ground you have an instant forest fire.


Apparently fire is a natural part of the cycle here in the wilderness. The fire clears out the underbrush and some of the older, taller trees, making room for new growth. In fact, the Lodge Pole Pine, the most common tree in the park, has a seed cone that stays closed until the heat from a fire causes it to open, effectively reseeding the forest.

So the fire of 1988 happened 20 years ago (notice my incredible way with mathematics) and you can see the reseeded forests and at the same time you see the remains of the burnt out forest sticking up above the reseeded forests. It's been twenty years and the fire damage is still evident.



After a long day of exploring more of the park's waterfalls, geysers, mud pots and an area called the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone" we started towards home. On the way we hit a Bison back-up. There were about 25 Bison along the road and two of them were fighting. Lots of head butts, throwing up clouds of dust by pawing the ground, and a making strange grunting noises.


After losing two fights one of the Bison started heading our way with a strange look on his face. Soooo, we decided to take off before he decided to pick a fight he knew he could win -- with a car.


These Bison really made MLA's day. She loved watching the Bison give themselves a dust bath by rolling on the ground. And she enjoyed watching the Bison fight each other. Lots of fun watching several tons of muscle head butt each other. And the horns looked especially sharp on these bulls.

We heard the elk are just starting to fight as a part of their rut so we will try to locate them tomorrow evening. The rangers warn you not to get too close; every year a tourist's car gets gored by an angry elk out to show everyone he's the boss. We will definitely enjoy from a distance.....


See Ya!