Yellowstone NP

FINALLY - we were able to get into Yellowstone NP ... but only the west & north gates were open. EVERYTHING else was still closed -campgrounds, day use, south to Grand Tetons... but we took advantage of what was open and shared a 12 hr day trip with the maint supv & his wife.
A few photos for those who need/would like a little cooler weather...... it was low 30s.

Climbing into the park it was just like going back into the old, old west time period !! So many photo's, so little space!


Snow banks & hot pools all around us....

We were really lucky when this pair of wolves came down off a far hillside. We watched as they traversed down... and soon they crossed the Yellowstone River and then the highway just in front of us !!!!

Several coyotes stopped for "photo ops".....

One road took us to views along the "Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone" with waterfalls flowing into ice banks.


On other roads we saw elk herds....
...lots of bison roaming the meadows, stopping traffic & w/ new calves !
Of course we HAD to view "Old Faithful" geyser..... and took a tour of the old Inn ! It's gorgeous inside..... not gaudy.... but several stories of wonderfully polished timbers, old wood everything ! What a great day trip...... especially since Farrel & Brenda are both from this area..... we had our own private tour guides... thanks so much !!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

TO ALL !!

JAC AND BV

Lots of assignments..... some not going on our resume !!!

Ok.... we're assisting with lots of projects... besides our main duty of checking water levels & well guages. Some.... we're NOT going to put on our volunteer resume..... only because we might have to do them again !!!

A fun one was helping with a planning meeting.... staff are working on their 10 year plan and met for 2 days here at the refuge. We cleaned & scrubbed the shop, raked, found supplies & generally tidyed up the HQ. 1st day we went out for pizza (30 min away). 2nd day..... BV offered "US" to cook the meal !!!! So he grilled fajitas (chicken & beef), got the beans going and I made spanish rice, pulled all the 'fixins' together & we set up food service in the "clean" shop!




Another fun project with helping with "Grouse Days". Every year the town of Dubois celebrates the time period when the sage grouse come into the area to find mates. What a show the males put on !!!! Anyway, the refuge participates by offering a tour and setting up an educational display at the school. Gee, guess what Jac volunteered to do ????? Yep, staff the booth !

Of course, our main duty is keeping the waterways & canals clear of debris..... we enjoy this, takes about 3 hours each day as we drive the refuge..... and we get to keep track of the elk, moose & all the birdlife. Next blog will be an update on all the animals.....

Over a few days..... we helped build fencing and added 2 new gates into the refuge from a local farm. Good thing staff had use of a tractor that drilled the post holes and set the gates...... we put in the posts, wired it and bolted it all.

Right now we are helping to dig holes to add new metal poles to guard the fuel station. Not a job we want to list...... But then again, we do get onto the refuge.... here's one of the wells we check that is currently pumping H2O into the southeast side..... just look at that well water..... how I wish I could take this home with me!

Water... a trip into the foothills !

Water is a huge issue here... just like in Texas. When we 1st arrived.... the creeks were dry & everyone was awaiting the snow melt. We had a big rush of water from the mtns the last 2-1/2 weeks ... but now, suddenly little flow is coming thru to the refuge. At the right, BV is inside the diversion gates cleaning out debris..... the water is not even running over into the main channel.

Concerned about the lack of flow, we took a day trip into the foothills to check the flow of Camas Creek and look for possible "diversions"...... right now the refuge has 1st priority on water, but many others also rely on the creek ... so, we were looking to see if there was any flow being diverted for private use.
It required going thru not only public, but also ranching &farming land.....we had gates to get thru as we made our way up to the foothills.
Temperatures dropped to 27 deg as we traced the creek....
ice was still built up along the sides, but the snow line was high up into the mtns.... which means not much more runoff is expected.
We checked & noted various locations where water was being diverted from the main channel... possibly for livestock, ranching or farming. While the refuge has priority, those with livestock cannot be denied water..... the "watermaster" now must determine who gets how much. It was a great opportunity for us to get out and learn more about the area, see some gorgeous Idaho country, streams and valleys.... that from the roadway..... you would never know existed.

Our local residents..... who are they ??

We have been blessed with seeing an abundance of wildlife..... however we've found that they are quite skittish and not "being paid" to stand still for the tourists !!! Every day is a new day.... with new sightings .... near & far. Recognize the following animals ??