I Saw a Touron in the Wild! - Mama Elk Wins at Lake Yellowstone Hotel May 20, 2021

Mama Elk, Baby Elk, and Touron were all okay at the end.  But more on that later... 

Previously in the Grand Tetons/Yellowstone series:

Grizzly and Wolf Center in West Yellowstone

Jackson Hole, Grand Tetons Day 1, Jenny Lake Campground, Elk Herd

Beautiful Jenny Lake, Foxes and Bears

Lovely Vistas full of Bison and Horses

Mormon Row, Pronghorn Antelope, and Ravens

Wildlife Art, Yellow-bellied Marmot, Colter Bay, and Ground Squirrels

Colter Bay to South Yellowstone

Black Sand Basin and Bison

More Bison, Old Faithful, Biscuit Basin, and Beginning of Artemisia Trail Hike

Hike to Morning Glory Pool! Plus Bison with Red Dogs, Elk, and Coyotes

Fountain Paint Pots and Grand Prismatic Spring

We're back on the road in beautiful Yellowstone National Park!  In my humble opinion, everything about Yellowstone is just magical.  And this drive just proved me right!

A little preview of our title:  Mama and Baby Elk  

Can you see the baby?

The Touron involved did NOT see the baby or she might have made different choices.  But again, more on that later. 

We'll start with a map of where we went on this glorious day after a storm. The pink over the red line is the focus of our drive.  Left Madison Campground pretty early, went to Fountain Paint Pots and Grand Prismatic (last post), and now we are driving the southern-most part of the Grand Loop road. 

I pretty quickly arrived at West Thumb but to my dismay, the parking lots were full since it was mid-day.  So that will definitely be on my next trip's itinerary. 

I kept driving until I found a beautiful beach still bordered by ice on the water!  It was gorgeous.  And what a contrast with the dark, pebbled beach.  It was so peaceful that I just sat for a long while, drinking it in. 

 

I loved the textures created between the ice and water. 

And the textures on the beach were unmatched. 

Love these shots of the Absaroka Range across Lake Yellowstone to the East.  Such beautiful mountains!

And if you look hard at the next photo, you can see a line of beautiful ducks on the shore of the little island(?) or peninsula(?).  Unfortunately for me the distance made it too difficult for me to ID their species.

I love ducks. 

And more ice along the shore along with some cool-looking rocks.  I don't know if it was man made but it was the only formation like this that I could see. 

After I admired the Lake and beaches for awhile, I hopped back into my car and kept driving towards the Lake Yellowstone Hotel which would be my next stop. 

On the way I passed a burn scar area.  It's beautiful, as is most of Yellowstone (if not all), but brought a feeling of thoughtful sadness concerning the previous devastation and loss of animal lives during prior fires. 

But the visible rejuvenation brings out a sense of hope as well.  

Shortly after, I found myself at the hotel. I pulled around the driveway to the back road which stands between the hotel and the lake and spied a group of people in the lakeside parking lot staring towards the hotel - many with cameras. 

Technically the hotel was still closed so I wondered what was going on.  Then I saw a big, beautiful elk on the lawn. This photo is approximately what it looked like to the naked eye although I cropped it instead of shooting it at 50mm.  

Still, the rapt interest with which everyone was looking seemed a little excessive for a lone elk just walking around on the lawn.  So I asked the nearest camera bearer.  And he pointed out a baby elk semi-hidden under a small tree!  

There is a red circle in the photo above, which is where the baby is. Mama was walking around the lawn and grazing and mostly ignoring the people. 

The next photo is a screenshot from a shaky-ass video I took. It shows a lady who I will not call a Touron but possibly should.  She was sitting on the left side of the lawn across a driveway of sorts and just watching the mama elk pace around 

The elk did not seem bothered by her, but if she changed her mind, this lady would have been toast. 

Luckily that didn't happen.  The mama elk continued her lazy circle of the lawn, grazing as she went. 

Ohhh the baby is so cute!!

Although mama seemed relaxed, she was ever vigilant.  She watched the people moving around on the road and it seemed like she looked right at me a couple times. 

Now for the Title Story: Touron in the Wild!

So as I was standing there watching, a car came up and passed in front of me.  It was a family of four:  dad (driving), mom, and two little girls. The Touron was in this car.  

They pulled up beside the driveway where the older lady was sitting and proceeded to ask some of the people if the restaurant was open.  Most people said it was not. 

I took this opportunity to walk down to the little beach on the other side of the parking lot. And I'm so glad I did. 

Did I mention that I love ducks?  I think I did. And what did I see but two beautiful ducks on the water!

Awesome!  A male (right) and female (left).  And as I watched they slowly made their way to shore. 

Barrow's Goldeneye! They're so lovely! And a lifer for me.  :)  

After observing the ducks swim to shore, I headed back up to the parking lot.  When I got to my car, I saw that the family had parked right beside me, and the dad and two girls were standing there looking at the lake.  I didn't notice the mom. 

I was back watching Mama Elk when, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a bright pink shirt to my left and saw the mom walking up the driveway to the back porch of the hotel!  Luckily Mama Elk was on the right side of the lawn. 

We all watched her in fascination, wondering what she was trying to do.  She seemed completely oblivious to the Elk Mama and the possible danger she might be in.  

She went up to the porch and peered in a few windows and knocked on the doors. There were mutterings amongst the people on the road.  

And then?  She began to walk back down.  The Elk Mama was walking towards the left side of the lawn.  She saw the bright pink shirt!

And then it happened:  Mama Elk started to trot towards the women with increasing pace. The people on the road - myself included - started yelling out to the women, trying to let her know she was in danger. 

Her children started crying and the husband asked me what was going on.  I pointed out the Elk Mama and told him she had a baby hidden so she would be protective and possibly fierce. 

It took the woman a second to realize what all the yelling was about.  And then she saw Mama coming towards her and she smartly turned around and ran back to the porch!

Mama Elk looked like she was trying to figure out how to get up there so the woman went to the right side of the porch and hid behind one of the pillars. 

That's her arm in the red circle.  lol  She was up there for about 5-8 minutes with Mama Elk completely fixated on her and stepping back and forth.

Suddenly the previously locked porch doors came open and the staff quickly called for the lady to come inside!  

After a few minutes, we saw a bright pink shirt come out of the doors that were halfway down the building.  I pointed it out to her husband who quickly bundled the girls into the car and drove down to pick her up.  

A happy ending to a semi-moronic story.  lol

And with that, I decided it was time for me to head out as well. On to our next destination - Fishing Bridge and the icy mouth of the Yellowstone River. 

The original bridge was built in 1902 but this one was built in 1937.  It is no longer a fishing bridge; the bridge was closed to fishing due to the decline of the cutthroat trout.  But you can still observe fish from the bridge. 

I did a lot more driving on this day and saw a lot more wildlife and gorgeous scenery.  But I think we'll end this post here at the mouth of the Yellowstone River with Yellowstone Lake and the Absaroka Range in the distant background.  

See you next time!  Be well and be kind. And go on adventures! :)

xoxo

Nikon D600 28-300mm Nikkor lens

Nikon D7200 150-600mm Sigma Contemporary lens

Some photos Sharpened/Denoised with Topaz Photo AI

From Gorgeous Grand Tetons National Park to Amazing Yellowstone!! It's Time to Cross the Border! 5/18/2021

My too-short twenty-four hours in Grand Tetons was coming to a close!  I was heading north towards the South Entrance to Yellowstone, but still had a few more sights to see in beautiful Jackson Hole.

But first, why don't you click the links below to catch up on the drives through the amazing beauty of Grand Teton:

The Gorgeous Views of Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons with Elk Herd Cameos!

Jenny Lake and Foxes and Bears!

Wild West, Abandoned Cabins, and Bison!

Mormon Row - Beautiful Barns and Pronghorn Antelope!

National Museum of Wildlife Art - Amazing Sculptures in a Glorious Outdoor Setting!

After leaving Jackson and the National Museum of Wildlife Art, I once again traveled the beautiful Teton Park Road but this time I turned left onto the John D Rockefeller Parkway/Highway 191 to continue north towards Yellowstone.  This was previously untraveled road for me since, as stated in my previous posts, I had turned right before to head for Oxbow Bend  and South 191 to go back to Jackson.  

I was running a bit low on time as I wanted to be at Madison Campground by 6:00 in case there was anything wrong with my reservation (my anxiety kicking me in the ass as usual).  So I didn't really plan on making a lot of stops, but there were a few I just couldn't resist!

My first stop was at the Willow Flats Overlook. Such a beautiful, wide-open space filled with so many different ecosystems.  There is a trail through part of it from the Jackson Lake Lodge which is just down the road.  I really hope to do some hiking on my next trip and this will be top of the list. 

If you look just above the dip in the Willow trees on the left (just below the clump of pines in front of the lake), you can just make out a herd of Elk laying and grazing in the flats.  

If you hike the trail through Willow Flats from Jackson Lake Lodge, you end up in Colter Bay.  Obviously I drove, but was really happy I stopped in Colter Bay.  For starters, it's an amazing little village with grocery stores, a laundromat, campground, etc.  All tucked away so you don't even see it if you stay on the main road (except for signage of course). 

I pulled in as my last stop just to see what it was like.  I'm so glad I did.  

There is a "swimming beach" at Colter Bay and of course it was too cold for swimming on this Spring day.  

But there was a father and his son just checking out the beach.  The young man wearing his red shirt as he threw rocks into the blue water just popped to me - especially with the mountain towering over him.  Papa is off to the left - both just enjoying discovering nature. 

This was my last view of the Teton Range and Jackson Lake - as you get back on the highway, you find yourself in dense forest and foothills as you head north into Yellowstone. 

As I turned around near the campground, this cute little Uinta ground squirrel chewing on some grass caught my eye!  

Unfortunately, in my excitement and hurry, I didn't get the right focus.  :(  He's not perfectly clear but you can still see how cute he is with his little grass sticking out of his mouth!

So I took another.  He looked at me like I was the paparazzi.  lol  

He is not amused.  haha  So I left him in peace and headed north.  I soon reached the entrance to Yellowstone!  The line was pretty long for mid-May, but not too bad and it moved pretty quickly. 

As I'm driving up the now increasing windy, forested road, I start seeing SNOW!  So happy and excited!  This California flatlander (for the most part) doesn't get to see much snow.  And it was so gorgeous settled into the Snake River canyon!

I cannot even express how beautiful it was!  And my photos probably don't do it justice.  

And of course, I along with pretty much everyone else on the road, had to pull over at Lewis Falls, the first waterfall you can see from the highway. The sky was dramatic, the air was brisk, and the 30-foot falls and surrounding river were so beautiful and - even with the small crowd - peaceful.  I sat here for a little bit, I'm not going to lie.  

After stopping at Lewis Falls, I didn't really stop again for a bit.  I just enjoyed the windy road through truly stunning forests.  

Frankly, I was determined not to make many stops.  As I mentioned earlier, the anxiety that is becoming more and more of a driving force in my life was making itself felt.  I had received a confirmation email for my Madison campground campsite, but it only listed one night - not the two that I had reserved.  So my mind was pushing me to get there to make sure I had a place to sleep.  

I was tempted to stop as I passed beautiful Lewis Lake which was halfway covered in ice and snow.  I've never seen anything like that before and I actually do regret not stopping for even five minutes to enjoy it.  

But I didn't.  (I regret this.)

I was tempted again when I came to the turnoff for Old Faithful.  I should at least stop and see what's there, right?

But I didn't (I didn't regret this like I did Lewis Lake). 

But when I saw the steam from Black Sand Basin?  I couldn't resist stopping.  I squelched my anxieties and pulled right over.  And I'm so glad I did!!  

We'll explore Black Sand Basin geyser area and my very first Yellowstone bison UP CLOSE and personal!  In the next post.  :)  But I'll leave you with this little teaser. 

xoxo

Nikon D600 with Nikkor 28-300 lens & D7200 with Sigma 150-600 Contemporary lens

Morman Row - The Most Photographed Barn in the World - And Well It Should Be!! Grand Tetons National Park

Mormon Row!  Amazing!  Awesome abandoned, historic structures set against the most beautiful backdrop one can imagine.  It's a photographer's dream!  For very good reason.  

But as usual, click the links below to see the rest of our amazing adventure!

The Beginning

Grand Tetons - Elks, Cranes, and Amazing Vistas

Tetons - Jenny Lake, Foxes, and Grizzly Bears

Jackson Hole - Bison, Horses, and Gorgeous Views

And now, back to Mormon Row.  To read more about the area, click HERE for the National Park Service article and HERE for the Wikipedia page.

This beautiful area is just off of Antelope Flats road and well worth a stop even if you aren't a photographer or barn lover. 

And there's more than just one barn.  There was a whole settlement here from the 1890s.  This is the Thomas Murphy Barn.

On the day I was there, they were working on the "Pink House" and I later saw a video (which I can't find now) of it being moved. Apparently, they began preservation work on June 16th per this article in the Gillette News Record.  Since I didn't get a shot of the work and house, here is one in the article:

Photo credit:  Ryan Dorgan News & Guide

But the shots of the other settlement buildings I got made me pretty happy. :)

I'm not sure of if this house has a name or known affiliation. 

This next shot is the John Moulton Barn beside the Pink House.  I took this from a ways down the road and had to photoshop out the cab of a Semi that was sitting there to work on the Pink House which is one reason the "emphasis" of the photo is on the tree, but I still like it. 

This is one of my absolute favorite shots.  This was on the far side of the settlement and there was no one over there while I was there.  Most everyone was around the Pink House and the famous Moulton Barn.  

I walked through the field full of bison paddies and twisted and crouched to get a lower, weirder, perspective.  Then I desaturated a bit.  I love it.

 And this is it.  

The most photographed barn 'in the world' (I do not attest to the veracity of this statement). And this is the shot most similar to everyone else's shots.  Although there are some amazing shots out there during the different seasons, with bison, etc.  But this is the basic shot and angle. 

And then there's this take.  Shot from the other end of the road, through the trees.  I love it. 

And here's a meta shot of what the experience is really like!

Earlier, there were as many as 15 people outlining the barn with even more trying to get some distance shots from further away. Good luck with that!

Just down the road, I was lucky enough to see a couple of lovely Pronghorn Antelope!

My last shot for the day...of course one final view of the Moulton Barn - this time shot from even further away.  

And that does it for my visit to Mormon Row!  In the next post we'll return to Jackson and visit the National Museum of Wildlife Art!

xoxo

Nikon D600 and D7200