On The Road to The Lamar Valley (and the search for wildlife)
/It may be cliche, but what a difference a day makes! Sunshine and warmer temperatures made it the perfect day to search for wildlife at Yellowstone. Our mission - to find a herd of bison at the Lamar Valley, home to many of the parks resident mammals. I had a good feeling about this since we spotted our first bison barely 15 minutes inside the park!
The valley is at the far northeast region of the park, giving us ample time to enjoy the scenic drive. We stopped at Gibbon Falls which has an 84 foot drop and a magnificent view.
Less than 30 minutes down the road we spotted more bison!
According to the National Park Service, Yellowstone is the only place in the United States where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times. They are the largest land mammal in North America with adult males weighing up to 2, ooo pounds. Reason enough to respectfully seek out these magnificent creatures for memorable photos at a safe distance. But first, a stop at the popular Mammoth Hot Springs. The unique formation of the limestone is unlike any other in the park. From a distance the white mineral build up looks like snow! The mineral residue builds up rapidly, causing the features to change quickly and constantly. It’s why the Hot Springs terraces have been described as living sculptures. Breathtaking.
By now it was really starting to warm up - i had to buy a t-shirt to change into, since I had dressed for cooler temps! We got back on the road, soaking up all of Yellowstone’s beauty until we found a quiet pull-out to park and have the lunch we packed, continuing with our safety theme of minimal contact.
By now it was getting close to 1:30 pm and I wasn’t sure how many bison we would see at Lamar Valley. I shouldn’t have doubted myself, because within moments we came upon herd after herd after herd!
No sooner had we begun the long drive back, to our amazement, a small herd of bison decided to meander down the hill and cross the road!
The only thing that could top all that excitement, was a scoop of refreshing ice cream from the Yellowstone General Store back in Mammoth Hot Springs.
A long, but satisfying and productive day, we did what any campers would do after dinner - make s’mores!
More Yellowstone adventures tomorrow!