A Perfect Day!

Friday, Day 163:  Well, we finished up our visit to Yellowstone today.  We entered the park this morning still hoping to see a moose and get a closer look at a bear.  We were able to do both!  We came upon a momma moose and her two calves just across the river from us.  We watched them for a good while and got some good pictures.  We then headed up to a part of the park that had been closed yesterday, to see if they had opened it today.  On the way, we saw a large number of people with binoculars and large cameras set up gazing into a small valley.  We found a place to park and joined them.  There was a cinnamon colored black bear snoozing behind a log on the mountainside.  You could just see the hair on her back above the log (using binoculars or telephoto lens).  We watched her for a while and every once in a while she’d lift her head up and pose for us.  Then people started getting really excited and pointed a little further down.  A big black bear was ambling down the hill.  He was right out in the open and about 125-150 yards away!  We were able to watch him for a long time and get some great pictures.  The park ranger was there and telling everyone that if he came to a certain point (100 yards) that we would all have to scramble to our cars, but he never came that close.  It was very exciting and fun to watch!  We also saw our grizzly again…even got to see him stand up on his hind legs a couple of times.  He was huge (and about 400 yards away)!  Then we caught a quick glimpse of another grizzly that was only about 175 yards away (and moving away from our direction).  THEN we saw one cross the road in front of us (about 50-100 yards away) and stay close enough for us to get some GOOD pictures!  SO EXCITING!!!  After we left the park, on our way to Cody, we came up on a group of about 7 large rams on the side of the road.  So today I am thankful that we were able to see everything that we’d hoped to on this amazing trip and for a perfect final day.

Moose family

Grizzly!

Cinnamon colored black bear
 

black bear