Observations Off the Beaten Path in Yellowstone-- A Short Walk Along the Madison River, late July I'm a volunteer in the park and work on identifying and helping to eradicate exotic plant species which enter the park on vehicles, visitor's shoes, and horses on the trails. I was looking for bull thistle on a trail close to the road. When I was ready for a break from my weed watch I followed a

Recent Black Bear Sighting On May 16th in the area of Tower Junction, I enjoyed observing these two black bears (they sometimes come in a shade of cinnamon brown) as they tried to satisfy their big appetites following a winter burning their fat reserves while asleep in their dens. These two were making their way across an old lakebed which is drying up as we enter a fifth year of drought.

100th Birthday Celebration for Old Faithful Inn On May 7, The Old Faithful Inn opened its big red doors for its one hundredth season. For the celebration, Yellowstone's Superintendent, Suzanne Lewis, convened various dignitaries to extol the praises of this venerable inn which overlooks Old Faithful Geyser and the many thermal features on Geyser hill. To mark the occasion, the old yellow

Rare winter sighting In mid-February, I was snowshoeing in the Tower Falls area when I came upon a story in the snow of a recent wildlife event. To understand the story I had to study the several clues in the snow. Along the Yellowstone River there was evidence that a bird had been killed: a few gray feathers in one spot and blood a few feet away. Near the feathers were the foot prints of

Skiing Yellowstone at 14 below zero! January started out with super cold temperatures in this part of the world--and lots of snow. Good news for an area that has seen drought for 5 years. On January 5th, dawn registered at -30F in many spots around Bozeman, MT, north of Yellowstone. It was a gorgeous, ice crystal-clear day and I headed down with a friend to Yellowstone's north entrance where

Welcome to my Yellowstone Journal! Once a month I will be posting an entry of my recent observations and other news from Yellowstone National Park. Check my website's photo gallery for photos of some of these observations. Spring Grizzly Sighting--Norris Geyser Basin On April 18 the park roads reopened to vehicles after the winter season. This is a great time to watch for spring wildlife