Life on the High Plains

 Something quite extraordinary happened in Yellowstone last week.  A grizzly brought down a magnificent bull elk in the Yellowstone River in Hayden Valley. **Full Disclosure:  The pictures below were taken by friends, not me. The bear has not left the elk since he killed it.  He has partially buried it to cache it.  When he's not eating on it, he's sleeping on it. Some other inhabitants of the valley think it's time he shared. I wish I were going to be around longer to see when and if the grizz decides to share the carcass. Survival of the fittest!

My time in Yellowstone is drawing to end.  I've got eight more days here.  I have mixed feelings about leaving.  Of course I want to go home, but I greatly enjoy living in my little Yellowstone "bubble".  My co-workers are all like minded individuals who care about the park and believe in science and global warming.  I'm going back to a rural, conservative area that has different opinions.   The passing of RBG had a profound effect on me.  As a woman I have so much to be grateful for because of her.  Seeing what's happening to this country in the 24 hours since her passing has left me disgusted. Enough of that, let's get to my most recent hike in Yellowstone. I like to hike on the trails that are on the outskirts of Yellowstone.   One of my favorites is the Fawn Pass/Bighorn Pass trail. In the spring the meadows are filled with wildflowers.  It's especially beautiful now because of the autumn colors. In the summer, however, I a...

 I had my heart broken a little bit a couple weeks ago.  On our way to Jackson Hole we decided to go through Idaho Falls. First we drove by my parents old house.  My dad always kept the house and yard pristine.  I was surprised to see the new owners had removed all the landscaping around the front of the house. Then I noticed they had removed almost all the trees from the backyard.  My dad always called the backyard a box of trees.  Their yard was always the place for the summer picnics for family and the many organizations my parent's belonged to.  Everyone loved the shade the backyard provided. So if the trees have been removed from the backyard, why is the trampoline in the front yard?  The grass didn't look great and there were numerous vehicles and trailers parked in the driveway and in the street in front. Lesson 1:  Don't go visit mom and dad's house ever again. Then we went for lunch at my dad's favorite Mexican place--Jalisco's. I'm ...

 On one of days in Jackson Hole we checked out a local Forest Service hiking area--Cache Creek on the outskirts of Jackson Hole. You know a trail is going to be good when it starts with a beautiful boardwalk like this. This time of year when the berries are ripe you have to be especially watchful for bears.  They're in hyperphagia right now because they need to consume as many calories as possible to prepare for hibernation. There were several trails in the this area for use by hikers and mountain bikers.  I absolutely hate sharing the trail with bikers--I can't tell you how many times I've almost been run over.   Luckily, on this day all the bikers we encountered were extremely polite. The wildflowers are almost gone since fall is about to arrive, but there were a few we got to enjoy. The trails had lots of "connector bridges" to other trails.   Luckily they were well marked. There was one steep section--Irv convinced me to give it a try and I did it!...

 Last week I got to spend a few days in one of my favorite places on earth--Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  I've been going there my entire life...even before Jackson became a getaway for the rich and famous. My husband and I like to hike, but we don't want to be around hordes of people.  One day we ventured to a less traveled area of Grand Teton National Park to hike out to Phelps Lake.  Before pulling into the parking lot we encountered a bear jam.  Yes, there was a bear hanging out right by the trail head we were going to.  That's what bear spray and lots of talking if for when you're on a trail, right? There are several trails that take off from the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve off the Moose-Wilson Road.  The preserve is a 1106 acre preserve that was originally known as the JY Ranch.  It was purchased by John Rockefeller in 1927 as a family retreat.  Over the years the family donated the land to expand the Grand Teton National Park.  The...