Now that summer is "over" (back to school!) I've been thinking about the books I read this summer. Naturally, the last one I finished is the one sticking with me the most, although I think that particular book would have "stuck with me" even if it had been the first one I read this summer.
The book was Lauri Lebo's The Devil in Dover, which was billed as "an insider's story of dogma v. Darwin in small-town America". The Dover trial, for those of you who don't know, was the Kitzmiller vs. Dover Board of Education, where Judge Jones ruled that the Dover policy of teaching intelligent design was a violation of the first amendment because intelligent design is a religious concept, not a scientific one. Lauri Lebo was the reporter on the scene.
However, the book was less about the trial than it was about family relationships, truth, and modern journalism. It was quite moving; Ms. Lebo had a difficult relationship with her father in the sense that he, as a fundamentalist Christian, was concerned that his daughter would go to hell if she "believed" in evolution and she, in turn, couldn't understand why her father would cling to his beliefs in the face of overwhelming evidence and the un-Christian behavior of many of the members of the Dover school board who professed to be Christians (lying under oath, for example). I think most of us have family issues, and the book speaks to those.
I also found her analysis of modern journalism to be very worthwhile. These days, journalists seem to bend over backwards to be "balanced". But the fact is, "balance" is inappropriate when one reports the news. Was the U.S. government behind 9/11? There's a group of crackpots who "believe" that - and journalists report it as if it were hard news. Was President Obama elected illegally because he wasn't born in the U.S.? Again, there's a group of people who "believe" that, and so it's news. There is such a thing as truth; and the focus of modern "journalism" on news that sells, rather than truth, is as wrong-headed as can be! Not all sides are equal, and it's the job of journalism to report what's true - and some things ARE true. The nature of science is not up for a vote; the Earth is not 6,000 years old, and we did evolve from an ape-like ancestor.
Judge Jones - a conservative republican - relied on precedent in his ruling. That precedent is that the first amendment to our Constitution establishes a separation between Church and State. Fundamentalists don't like that - they believe we are a "Christian nation" and so they continue their assault on the first amendment, just as they've continued their assault on the nature of science. Both assaults are extremely dangerous, and need to be resisted with every legal tool at our disposal!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
On the way back
We stopped at the national museum of wildlife art on our way into Jackson for an unexpected treat. We were late - about 30 minutes before closing time - and the kind lady let us in for free. It was amazing; certainly deserving of way more than 30 minutes. Lots of world-renown artists from the 19th century and plenty of famous modern ones as well. And it had a spectacular view of the valley. I'll bet it's a sight to behold in the winter when the elk are on the National Elk Refuge just across the way.
We went to our motel and settled in. Then it was time for some sight-seeing and dinner. We had our obligatory pictures taken beneath one of the antler arches in the town square and then wandered around until we found a nice restaurant. We put our name in and gave the waitress our phone # and then Peg and Colleen found a clothes store... Being half-deaf, I missed the call, but realized it pretty quick so I rounded up the girls and we went to a very nice meal outside. We met the owner and promised we'd come back for breakfast.
We did return for breakfast the next day, under glowering skies. Peg wanted to find the consignment and thrift shops, so we located those. I got a book by Tom Brokaw - sort of a follow-up to his The Greatest Generation about the sixties, entitled Boom!. It's an ok read.
We hit the road, a bit nervous because of all the storms. I managed to negotiate the mountain passes south and east of Jackson and we got out from under the rain. We had hoped to make Nebraska, but the rain drove us into a motel at Rawlins. On the way there, we'd seen lots of antelope - many right next to the road. I speculate that, unlike cattle, Pronghorns can easily leap the fences and get to the good grazing on the shoulders of the road. I didn't see any road-killed Pronghorns so I figured they weren't as car-stupid as deer, but then I remembered Junius' Lewis and Clark trip had to be canceled because a Pronghorn committed suicide by running into their van. We also saw a few prairie dog towns.
The next day, we hit the road for home. Stopped in eastern Wyoming at a rest stop along I-80 that was covered with nice flowers, including huge stands of Indian Paintbrush. There was a wildlife refuge right off the rest stop, and though I didn't seen any large mammals, I did see a Golden Eagle flying overhead.
Another rest stop in Nebraska provided some great photos of a nesting pair of Western Kingbirds and their nearly-fledged offspring. Rest stops often have some really interesting natural history stuff if one bothers to look!
One more night on the road - I believe in York, NB - and then on home.
We went to our motel and settled in. Then it was time for some sight-seeing and dinner. We had our obligatory pictures taken beneath one of the antler arches in the town square and then wandered around until we found a nice restaurant. We put our name in and gave the waitress our phone # and then Peg and Colleen found a clothes store... Being half-deaf, I missed the call, but realized it pretty quick so I rounded up the girls and we went to a very nice meal outside. We met the owner and promised we'd come back for breakfast.
We did return for breakfast the next day, under glowering skies. Peg wanted to find the consignment and thrift shops, so we located those. I got a book by Tom Brokaw - sort of a follow-up to his The Greatest Generation about the sixties, entitled Boom!. It's an ok read.
We hit the road, a bit nervous because of all the storms. I managed to negotiate the mountain passes south and east of Jackson and we got out from under the rain. We had hoped to make Nebraska, but the rain drove us into a motel at Rawlins. On the way there, we'd seen lots of antelope - many right next to the road. I speculate that, unlike cattle, Pronghorns can easily leap the fences and get to the good grazing on the shoulders of the road. I didn't see any road-killed Pronghorns so I figured they weren't as car-stupid as deer, but then I remembered Junius' Lewis and Clark trip had to be canceled because a Pronghorn committed suicide by running into their van. We also saw a few prairie dog towns.
The next day, we hit the road for home. Stopped in eastern Wyoming at a rest stop along I-80 that was covered with nice flowers, including huge stands of Indian Paintbrush. There was a wildlife refuge right off the rest stop, and though I didn't seen any large mammals, I did see a Golden Eagle flying overhead.
Another rest stop in Nebraska provided some great photos of a nesting pair of Western Kingbirds and their nearly-fledged offspring. Rest stops often have some really interesting natural history stuff if one bothers to look!
One more night on the road - I believe in York, NB - and then on home.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Nagasaki
Today (in Japan) is the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. The bomb used on Nagasaki was a plutonium implosion bomb - "Fat Man", the bomb my dad worked on at Los Alamos. As a mechanical engineer, and a "snuffy" (low-ranking enlisted man in the Army), his job was to help design and place the high explosive shape charges used to cause the implosion of the plutonium core. He worked on both "Fat Man" and the Trinity bomb.
When I was out in March, helping my sister arrange things as my dad settled into the nursing home, we went through a lot of his stuff and I got a lot of books that he had accumulated about the Bomb. Shortly after we got home, my sister's husband found a letter to my dad written by Oppenheimer thanking my dad for his work on the Bomb. She made copies for me and I made copies which I passed around to my students in my "A-Bomb" course.
An estimated 60,000 Japanese were killed immediately in the Nagasaki bombing, and more died of radiation poisoning in the days following. People still die from the after-effects of the Bomb to this day, and that of course is what distinguishing atomic weapons from conventional weapons (which can have the same or greater initial impact).
As I said in my August 6th post, my dad always felt the Bomb had to be used to end WWII - and I think the evidence supports him on this, though one certainly gets lots of arguments from the other side. I would recommend reading The Making of the Atomic Bomb (pretty technical, but very interesting) and Day One: Before Hiroshima and After to see at least some of the evidence. Emperor Hirohito had to take the unheard of step of directly intervening in the government to get the militarists to stop - and even at that a plot by the Japanese militarists to bomb the ship where the surrender was being signed on Sept. 2, 1945, was foiled at the last minute.
I would also recommend watching the documentary White Light, Black Rain. Let's all hope we can find a way out of this cycle of violence - and soon.
When I was out in March, helping my sister arrange things as my dad settled into the nursing home, we went through a lot of his stuff and I got a lot of books that he had accumulated about the Bomb. Shortly after we got home, my sister's husband found a letter to my dad written by Oppenheimer thanking my dad for his work on the Bomb. She made copies for me and I made copies which I passed around to my students in my "A-Bomb" course.
An estimated 60,000 Japanese were killed immediately in the Nagasaki bombing, and more died of radiation poisoning in the days following. People still die from the after-effects of the Bomb to this day, and that of course is what distinguishing atomic weapons from conventional weapons (which can have the same or greater initial impact).
As I said in my August 6th post, my dad always felt the Bomb had to be used to end WWII - and I think the evidence supports him on this, though one certainly gets lots of arguments from the other side. I would recommend reading The Making of the Atomic Bomb (pretty technical, but very interesting) and Day One: Before Hiroshima and After to see at least some of the evidence. Emperor Hirohito had to take the unheard of step of directly intervening in the government to get the militarists to stop - and even at that a plot by the Japanese militarists to bomb the ship where the surrender was being signed on Sept. 2, 1945, was foiled at the last minute.
I would also recommend watching the documentary White Light, Black Rain. Let's all hope we can find a way out of this cycle of violence - and soon.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Hiroshima
Just realized it's August 6 - the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. My dad worked on the A-bomb in WWII at Los Alamos; he worked on "Fat Man" which was dropped on Nagasaki 3 days after Hiroshima.
He's always been somewhat reticent about his experience, though we got him to talk for the video camera about 15 years ago and I show that tape to my students when I teach about the A-bomb. He's always felt that the U.S. should have used the Bomb because it forestalled the invasion of Japan.
He's now in a nursing home, and on our last visit I saw him get emotional about this for the first time in my life as he talked with the hospice chaplain about his life.
The history of the Bomb is really a history of war - we try to set "rules" (no civilian populations will be bombed from the air without warning, for example) and then when we get more involved the "rules" go out the window. From my own experience in war, the only "rule" is kill or be killed. Pretty sad...
He's always been somewhat reticent about his experience, though we got him to talk for the video camera about 15 years ago and I show that tape to my students when I teach about the A-bomb. He's always felt that the U.S. should have used the Bomb because it forestalled the invasion of Japan.
He's now in a nursing home, and on our last visit I saw him get emotional about this for the first time in my life as he talked with the hospice chaplain about his life.
The history of the Bomb is really a history of war - we try to set "rules" (no civilian populations will be bombed from the air without warning, for example) and then when we get more involved the "rules" go out the window. From my own experience in war, the only "rule" is kill or be killed. Pretty sad...
Yellowstone, Tetons continued
Sorry for the unintended break - domestic duties take precedence!
After West Thumb, we headed for Old Faithful - along with half of the known Universe. It's amazing how many people can suddenly appear after seeing relatively few folks on the road. It was a real traffic jam at Old Faithful, so I grabbed the first parking spot I saw and we headed to the Ranger Station for information and a map. Peg wanted to take a look at the historic Old Faithful Inn, and it was a fortuitous choice. She got some nice pictures of the Inn and we discovered a porch where one can sit and have refreshment and watch Old Faithful without the fuss. Just before, during and after Old Faithful erupted another geyser about 100 yards away erupted in just as spectacular fashion. A lot of folks were focused on Old Faithful and so missed the other eruption. Anyway, we got our obligatory photos and video as well as photos of a pair of ravens either courting or arguing - you can't tell with ravens! Then we went downstairs and had lunch in the bar - which, like the rest of the Inn, was really nice. And we beat the rush!
On the way back to Flagg Ranch, we went through a mountain pass festooned with wildflowers, so we got some nice photos of those and water lilies. The water lily photos were nostalgic, as Peg had taken photos of them at this spot with her film camera 30 years before. Those of you who have a water lily card of Pegs are looking at one of those 30-year-old photos.
Back at Flagg Ranch, Peg and I walked down to the Snake River and watched some fly fishermen and some kids swimming in the river before the mosquitoes drove us away. We hopped in the car and drove down Grassy Lake Road (another nostalgic trip from 30 years ago) looking for critters. Found a deer - I think a Mule Deer - in a meadow and watched a spectacular sunset.
Peg and I woke in the middle of the night and took a "star stroll". Just a little ways away from the cabins, the sky revealed its glory; the Milky Way was almost bright enough to read by.
We packed up and left for the Tetons the next day. We stopped at Jackson Lodge - another fortuitous choice! The upstairs lobby had a spectacular view of the Tetons. While Peg and Colleen shopped, I watched a bull Moose wander through the willows having brunch. Bought a cup of joe, and the barista told me that around 7:30 that morning a wolf had been present hoping to pick off an elk calf (there was a large herd of elk in the meadow and it's calving season). The shopping opportunities were too great for the girls, so I grabbed a camera and walked around the lodge. Got some nice shots of a Weidemeyer's Admiral (related to the Lorquin's Admiral I'd photographed in Washington). Dropping the girls off in the shops, I walked towards Lunchbox Hill where J.D. Rockefeller, Jr., himself use to have lunch and look at the Tetons. I saw and photographed a Boisduval's Blue on the way up the hill, plus some nice Indian Paintbrush. At the top, a Variable Checkerspot paused briefly and I got a few photos, thinking this was my only shot at that species. Boy was I wrong - there were lots of them up on the hill, probably searching for mates. "Hilltopping" is a typical behavior for many butterflies; hill tops become singles bars for butterflies since they're easily recognized foci in what otherwise might be a confusing landscape.
There were other species there as well, including a dusky wing (species unknown - you often have to have the butterfly in hand, pinned and dissected to determine species in that genus), Edith's Coppers, Blue Coppers (I know, seems like an oxymoron), a Lilac-Bordered Copper (the first of that species I've seen in my life!), a Garita Skipperling, a fritillary that didn't want its picture taken, and a satyr that also was camera shy. I also photographed a few blues - perhaps one of the dotted blues I'd been looking for in Washington. Peg and Colleen called me on my cell phone (there's a difference between today and thirty years ago!) and came up to see what I was up to. On the way down, I met a man who worked as a dispatcher and he pointed out that the elk herd was running. A grizzly (unseen) was also trying to pick off a calf and split the herd as part of its hunting strategy. We had a nice talk, and Peg and Colleen joined us as we talked. He liked Grassy Lake Road a lot, which Peg and I have fond memories of from past years.
We went back to the Lodge for one of the best meals of my life - buffalo and a chile relleno. Colleen had the chicken pot pie, which she said has ruined pot pies for her for the rest of her life it was so good. Peg had Thai Chicken, which was also good but paled in comparison to what I had. Our waiter was from Poland (a lot of staff at these places come from all over the world) and we had a lot of fun.
After lunch we made a brief foray up Lunchbox Hill again, then it was off to Jackson Hole.
After West Thumb, we headed for Old Faithful - along with half of the known Universe. It's amazing how many people can suddenly appear after seeing relatively few folks on the road. It was a real traffic jam at Old Faithful, so I grabbed the first parking spot I saw and we headed to the Ranger Station for information and a map. Peg wanted to take a look at the historic Old Faithful Inn, and it was a fortuitous choice. She got some nice pictures of the Inn and we discovered a porch where one can sit and have refreshment and watch Old Faithful without the fuss. Just before, during and after Old Faithful erupted another geyser about 100 yards away erupted in just as spectacular fashion. A lot of folks were focused on Old Faithful and so missed the other eruption. Anyway, we got our obligatory photos and video as well as photos of a pair of ravens either courting or arguing - you can't tell with ravens! Then we went downstairs and had lunch in the bar - which, like the rest of the Inn, was really nice. And we beat the rush!
On the way back to Flagg Ranch, we went through a mountain pass festooned with wildflowers, so we got some nice photos of those and water lilies. The water lily photos were nostalgic, as Peg had taken photos of them at this spot with her film camera 30 years before. Those of you who have a water lily card of Pegs are looking at one of those 30-year-old photos.
Back at Flagg Ranch, Peg and I walked down to the Snake River and watched some fly fishermen and some kids swimming in the river before the mosquitoes drove us away. We hopped in the car and drove down Grassy Lake Road (another nostalgic trip from 30 years ago) looking for critters. Found a deer - I think a Mule Deer - in a meadow and watched a spectacular sunset.
Peg and I woke in the middle of the night and took a "star stroll". Just a little ways away from the cabins, the sky revealed its glory; the Milky Way was almost bright enough to read by.
We packed up and left for the Tetons the next day. We stopped at Jackson Lodge - another fortuitous choice! The upstairs lobby had a spectacular view of the Tetons. While Peg and Colleen shopped, I watched a bull Moose wander through the willows having brunch. Bought a cup of joe, and the barista told me that around 7:30 that morning a wolf had been present hoping to pick off an elk calf (there was a large herd of elk in the meadow and it's calving season). The shopping opportunities were too great for the girls, so I grabbed a camera and walked around the lodge. Got some nice shots of a Weidemeyer's Admiral (related to the Lorquin's Admiral I'd photographed in Washington). Dropping the girls off in the shops, I walked towards Lunchbox Hill where J.D. Rockefeller, Jr., himself use to have lunch and look at the Tetons. I saw and photographed a Boisduval's Blue on the way up the hill, plus some nice Indian Paintbrush. At the top, a Variable Checkerspot paused briefly and I got a few photos, thinking this was my only shot at that species. Boy was I wrong - there were lots of them up on the hill, probably searching for mates. "Hilltopping" is a typical behavior for many butterflies; hill tops become singles bars for butterflies since they're easily recognized foci in what otherwise might be a confusing landscape.
There were other species there as well, including a dusky wing (species unknown - you often have to have the butterfly in hand, pinned and dissected to determine species in that genus), Edith's Coppers, Blue Coppers (I know, seems like an oxymoron), a Lilac-Bordered Copper (the first of that species I've seen in my life!), a Garita Skipperling, a fritillary that didn't want its picture taken, and a satyr that also was camera shy. I also photographed a few blues - perhaps one of the dotted blues I'd been looking for in Washington. Peg and Colleen called me on my cell phone (there's a difference between today and thirty years ago!) and came up to see what I was up to. On the way down, I met a man who worked as a dispatcher and he pointed out that the elk herd was running. A grizzly (unseen) was also trying to pick off a calf and split the herd as part of its hunting strategy. We had a nice talk, and Peg and Colleen joined us as we talked. He liked Grassy Lake Road a lot, which Peg and I have fond memories of from past years.
We went back to the Lodge for one of the best meals of my life - buffalo and a chile relleno. Colleen had the chicken pot pie, which she said has ruined pot pies for her for the rest of her life it was so good. Peg had Thai Chicken, which was also good but paled in comparison to what I had. Our waiter was from Poland (a lot of staff at these places come from all over the world) and we had a lot of fun.
After lunch we made a brief foray up Lunchbox Hill again, then it was off to Jackson Hole.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Yellowstone and the Tetons
After a night at the Flagg Ranch we returned to Yellowstone. By the way - get an annual pass if you plan on visiting National Parks, National Monuments, National Forests. Eighty bucks and it covers all the fees; a great deal. Our goal for the day was to see the West Bluff Basin, Yellowstone Lake and Old Faithful.
We stopped at Lewis Falls which was a beautiful spot. The Lewis River at this point meanders through some great meadows, and the falls is quite nice. There were quite a few Violet Green Swallows cruising around and nesting under the bridge. Then it was on to West Bluff. We hadn't planned to spend a lot of time there, but the place is fascinating. Colleen said it was her favorite place so far. There were two Elk does wandering around right next to the boardwalk; seemed a bit risky to me because the crust can break plummeting whatever broke it into boiling water. But the elk seemed to know what they were doing (browsing!) and pretty much ignored the people.
I took lots of photos of the pools because I wanted to document the thermophiles growing there. These are Archaebacteria ("Archaes" for short) that have the ability to survive - and thrive - in extreme conditions. They're a separate domain of life, named Archae- because they seemed to be much like the most ancestral forms of life (3.5 billion years old). Turns out they're actually more closely related to Eukaryotes (which includes us) than they are to the Eubacteria. Anyway, they make some spectacular colors in and around the hot water pools. I also managed to film an Edith's Copper - a specialty of this part of the country.
Oops - just remembered I have to take the trash out! I'll be back...
We stopped at Lewis Falls which was a beautiful spot. The Lewis River at this point meanders through some great meadows, and the falls is quite nice. There were quite a few Violet Green Swallows cruising around and nesting under the bridge. Then it was on to West Bluff. We hadn't planned to spend a lot of time there, but the place is fascinating. Colleen said it was her favorite place so far. There were two Elk does wandering around right next to the boardwalk; seemed a bit risky to me because the crust can break plummeting whatever broke it into boiling water. But the elk seemed to know what they were doing (browsing!) and pretty much ignored the people.
I took lots of photos of the pools because I wanted to document the thermophiles growing there. These are Archaebacteria ("Archaes" for short) that have the ability to survive - and thrive - in extreme conditions. They're a separate domain of life, named Archae- because they seemed to be much like the most ancestral forms of life (3.5 billion years old). Turns out they're actually more closely related to Eukaryotes (which includes us) than they are to the Eubacteria. Anyway, they make some spectacular colors in and around the hot water pools. I also managed to film an Edith's Copper - a specialty of this part of the country.
Oops - just remembered I have to take the trash out! I'll be back...
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Wyoming
We drove through Montana after our stop in Kellog. Highlight was re-viewing a billboard we'd seen on our way out to the Olympic Peninsula advertising a "Testicle Festival". No, it wasn't an advertisement for an "adult" bookstore - instead it was advertising a "Rocky Mountain Oyster" festival. For those of you not in the know, when cattle are raised for beef, most of the males are castrated (making steers) and the testicles are used to make Rocky Mountain Oysters. When I had a girlfriend in Colorado, there was a bar east of Ft. Collins that had all you could eat R.M.O. and good country music (and beer) on Friday nights. I indulged and they weren't bad (a little rich for my taste). They're cut into strips and deep-fried.
We arrived in Gardiner pretty late, but pressed on - taking pictures of the "Roosevelt Gate" on the way into Yellowstone. The ranger told us it would be probably 3 - 4 hours through the park to our destination (the Flagg Ranch located between Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. As it was pretty late, we stopped at Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge to call Flagg and change our reservations for the following night and Monday and then inquired if Mammoth Hot Springs had any vacancies. After a bit of shuffling, it was determined that they didn't, but they gave us a listing of motels in Gardiner, so we reserved a room there.
With that taken care of, we had a bit of time to explore the Springs. When we had arrived at the Lodge, there were a number of elk right on the Lodge grounds (with a couple of rangers stationed near by to keep folks from bothering them. As we walked up to the Springs, we saw an elk fawn calling for its mom. A little later, we saw an elk doe across the road on a hill - perhaps the missing parent. Saw Killdeer investigating the water for dinner. I initially thought they might be a different plover - maybe Snowy Plovers - but looking at the photos proved they were Killdeer.
A rain shower drove us back to the car and then back to Gardiner. Amazing sunset on the way back to the motel. Once settled in, I went out to take some evening photos over the mountains from the motel parking lot.
The next day, it was on to Yellowstone. Almost as soon as we got in the park, we spotted a Pronghorn Antelope pretty close to the road. These critters are hard to photograph as they usually run - but this one posed nicely for both photos and video. Not much further on, we saw a bunch of vehicles stopped - usually the sign of some interesting wildlife. Sure enough, there was a Black Bear near the road, gathering breakfast from the berry bushes. Got a bunch of nice photos and video of him before pressing on.
There were tons of Uinta Ground Squirrels by the roadsides (some on the road - permanently). We stopped at some ponds to check for waterfowl and spotted Ruddy Ducks and Coots, in addition to the ubiquitous Uinta Squirrels (one of which we photographed eating rose blossoms). A bit further on, we saw a hawk with one of the squirrels in its talons. We went to the petrified tree and photographed lots of flowers. A couple from Michigan were using their spotting scopes to look for woodpeckers. We talked with them and learned that they were watching Williamson's Sapsuckers - one of which flew to a tree nearby as we talked. I was unable to get a photo - but saw the bird pretty clearly. They were hoping to see the Red-breasted Sapsucker, what with all the dead trees, but hadn't yet.
We moved on over Dunraven Pass. Colleen was wearing a "Eureka College" T-shirt and when we stopped at the top of the pass, a man turned to us and said "I went to Eureka College for a year!" Turned out he was a roommate of a student we knew back in the '80's. I was distracted by a Hayden's Ringlet which landed in the parking lot, but Colleen and Peg had a nice conversation with him and his family.
We hiked a bit of the Washburn Peak trail, photographing Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, flowers and a couple of butterflies (Greenish Blues - my attempts to photograph a species of Colias - probably scudderii - failed because they never landed). We also saw a chipmunk and several Clark's Nutcrackers.
Then it was on to Canyon Village and lunch, then to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the falls. Buffalo were right next to the road, so Peg got some nice shots - and we all took tons of photos of the falls and the canyon. Again, only a few butterflies were seen, and none landed where I could get a picture. I did see a fritillary - probably Callippe.
On through the Hayden Valley, where a bunch of folks were stopped looking at a Grizzly. We didn't stop as the traffic was pretty bad there. A little further on, another traffic jam disclosed the presence of a coyote. We asked one of the people stopped what everyone was looking at and he said "wolf". I thought so too, but on reviewing the video and photos I'm sure it's a coyote.
Getting tired out, we moved on - stopping at Grant Village to refresh and observe a forest fire. We drove on to Flagg Ranch and settled in for our 2-day stay there with a nice view of the Tetons.
We arrived in Gardiner pretty late, but pressed on - taking pictures of the "Roosevelt Gate" on the way into Yellowstone. The ranger told us it would be probably 3 - 4 hours through the park to our destination (the Flagg Ranch located between Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. As it was pretty late, we stopped at Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge to call Flagg and change our reservations for the following night and Monday and then inquired if Mammoth Hot Springs had any vacancies. After a bit of shuffling, it was determined that they didn't, but they gave us a listing of motels in Gardiner, so we reserved a room there.
With that taken care of, we had a bit of time to explore the Springs. When we had arrived at the Lodge, there were a number of elk right on the Lodge grounds (with a couple of rangers stationed near by to keep folks from bothering them. As we walked up to the Springs, we saw an elk fawn calling for its mom. A little later, we saw an elk doe across the road on a hill - perhaps the missing parent. Saw Killdeer investigating the water for dinner. I initially thought they might be a different plover - maybe Snowy Plovers - but looking at the photos proved they were Killdeer.
A rain shower drove us back to the car and then back to Gardiner. Amazing sunset on the way back to the motel. Once settled in, I went out to take some evening photos over the mountains from the motel parking lot.
The next day, it was on to Yellowstone. Almost as soon as we got in the park, we spotted a Pronghorn Antelope pretty close to the road. These critters are hard to photograph as they usually run - but this one posed nicely for both photos and video. Not much further on, we saw a bunch of vehicles stopped - usually the sign of some interesting wildlife. Sure enough, there was a Black Bear near the road, gathering breakfast from the berry bushes. Got a bunch of nice photos and video of him before pressing on.
There were tons of Uinta Ground Squirrels by the roadsides (some on the road - permanently). We stopped at some ponds to check for waterfowl and spotted Ruddy Ducks and Coots, in addition to the ubiquitous Uinta Squirrels (one of which we photographed eating rose blossoms). A bit further on, we saw a hawk with one of the squirrels in its talons. We went to the petrified tree and photographed lots of flowers. A couple from Michigan were using their spotting scopes to look for woodpeckers. We talked with them and learned that they were watching Williamson's Sapsuckers - one of which flew to a tree nearby as we talked. I was unable to get a photo - but saw the bird pretty clearly. They were hoping to see the Red-breasted Sapsucker, what with all the dead trees, but hadn't yet.
We moved on over Dunraven Pass. Colleen was wearing a "Eureka College" T-shirt and when we stopped at the top of the pass, a man turned to us and said "I went to Eureka College for a year!" Turned out he was a roommate of a student we knew back in the '80's. I was distracted by a Hayden's Ringlet which landed in the parking lot, but Colleen and Peg had a nice conversation with him and his family.
We hiked a bit of the Washburn Peak trail, photographing Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, flowers and a couple of butterflies (Greenish Blues - my attempts to photograph a species of Colias - probably scudderii - failed because they never landed). We also saw a chipmunk and several Clark's Nutcrackers.
Then it was on to Canyon Village and lunch, then to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the falls. Buffalo were right next to the road, so Peg got some nice shots - and we all took tons of photos of the falls and the canyon. Again, only a few butterflies were seen, and none landed where I could get a picture. I did see a fritillary - probably Callippe.
On through the Hayden Valley, where a bunch of folks were stopped looking at a Grizzly. We didn't stop as the traffic was pretty bad there. A little further on, another traffic jam disclosed the presence of a coyote. We asked one of the people stopped what everyone was looking at and he said "wolf". I thought so too, but on reviewing the video and photos I'm sure it's a coyote.
Getting tired out, we moved on - stopping at Grant Village to refresh and observe a forest fire. We drove on to Flagg Ranch and settled in for our 2-day stay there with a nice view of the Tetons.
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