More Yellowstone

Beaver Pond above Mammoth Hot Springs

Just an update.  We continue to check out the northern sections of Yellowstone.  Yesterday was a nice 5+ mile hike around the beaver ponds to the west and above Mammoth Hot Springs.  Today we drove out to Lamar Valley (where all those Yellowstone wolf documentaries are shot), Tower Falls, and lunch at Roosevelt Lodge.

Tower Fall

It turned out to be a good wildlife viewing day for us, today.  This is our second trip to Yellowstone, and today we saw our first bear.  We learned that what I thought were prairie dogs is actually ground squirrels that burrow and have communities similar to prairie dogs.  We got to go through the same bison jam twice - once traveling east and on the return trip west.  It appears that bison get in the middle of the road

Bison in Lamar Valley

and can't decided which side of the road now has the greener grass.  Then us tourist make it worst.  While someone is parked in the road shooting their hour long video through their sunroof for YouTube on the bear, bison, elk, pronghorn, etc, they're viewing, people in the back get frustrated, pull in the opposite lane run up to the (pick your animal here) site, realize there's something to see, stop in the middle of

Stay!

the opposing traffic lane, and begin shooting their version of the hour long video they'll post to YouTube of the same darn (pick your animal here) the guy next to them is shooting a video of.  Of course there's two vehicles coming from the opposite direction doing the same thing. Consequently, no one else can get by (a good thing if the animal jam is due to bison), and no one who is waiting patiently to get their hour long video for YouTube

will get their chance. 

So that's it from here.  Donna said something about climbing a mountain tomorrow.  Wish us luck!  David