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.