Life on the High Plains

Yesterday I got to visit the recently completed Uncle Tom's Overlook along the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park. This is the first really good look I've ever had at the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River. These falls are almost as good as the Lower Falls. After leaving the Upper Falls you go downstream for a mile or so to.... ...Artist's Point which has the very best view of the Lower Falls (in my opinion).  In this location the view is perfect, so perfect that it look like a painting. This is just one of the features of this Park that make it my heart and soul.   Linking with Skywatch Friday

This week I ventured to Harriman State Park in Idaho.  It's a fly fisherman's paradise although I just go there to hike.   The serene Snake River flows through the park.  Those are the Tetons in the background. There was a family of pelicans enjoying the sunshine. And then they decided they had places to go. These huge birds took to flight and luckily I captured it. There they go! Linking with Skywatch Friday

This work we started working 4-10 hour day shifts which means we get three days off!  It couldn't have come at a better time.  Working the west entrance gate at Yellowstone is stressful this year.  There's not much lodging available inside the park which means everyone is staying in the border communities and they travel to and from the park each day and come through the gate.  The line to get in is sometimes an hour+ and you know how wonderful people can be after they've waited in line for an hour. Anyway, I decided to make a trip into the park on my first day off.  My plan was to hike to either Fairy Falls or Mystic Falls.  A grizzly attack at Fairy Falls earlier that morning (woman was knocked down and raked, but was okay) eliminated Fairy Falls and a lack of parking at Mystic Falls did away with that one too.  I passed the Daisy trail head and decided to take it to the Upper Geyser Basin.  This trail is a foot path and one of the few trails th...

At the Midway Geyser Basin in Yellowstone you will find the Grand Prismatic Spring. It's one of the most beautiful features in the park. Just today two women were found guilty of leaving the boardwalk at Midway and walking on these delicate thermal features.  They were fined, sentenced to a couple days in jail and had to pay reparations for the damage they caused.  Plus they are banned from the Park for two years.   If you travel about a mile down the road from Midway you will find the Fairy Falls Trail head.  From there you can take the trail to the overlook. Beautiful! Linking with Skywatch Friday

This was my view earlier this week as I drove through Grand Teton National Park. I work as a seasonal ranger in Yellowstone during the summers so I hope to have many such views to share with you. The Balsamroots are in bloom right now in the Tetons.  They only bloom in June and they are amazing! Linking with Skywatch Friday

Okay...I've made it to West Yellowstone and I'm all set up in my site.  I worked two days then got a day off.   I'm in the same site that I had two years ago.  They had assigned me to another site, but when we got here we found out that the sewer line was broken so they moved me to my old site.  Yay!  Sad thing is that the campground is nearly empty.  No neighbors.  It's eerily quiet and kind of lonely.  The visitor centers are closed, the back country offices will not open at all this year so only about 25% of the usual staff is here.  The west gate is severely understaffed...it's going to be a strange season. Restaurants are open here.  The Wild West Pizzeria is a must stop if you're in West Yellowstone. The beer is cold and relatively inexpensive. Irv and I come here for the Butch Cassidy pizza.  Barbecue sauce, pork n beans, red onions, chicken and cheese on the best crust ever! The next night we went to Bullwinkle's. ...

This was our welcoming committee not long after we entered the park yesterday...a mama grizzly and two cubs!  (These were taken from the safety of our truck with a telephoto lens.)