Glacier National Park

On our next day in Glacier National Park, we packed a lunch and used the shuttle bus system to go from the west side of the park to the east side and back (no large RVs allowed on the narrow mountain pass roads). We made several stops along the way to admire the views, take photos, hike, and check out the visitor center on the east side.

The kids got to play in the snow on the 4th of July!

Our hike gave us a great view of a lake, some jagged mountains with snow fields, and Jackson Glacier in the distance.

:) Connie

Rainbow

Our first day in Glacier National Park was rainy (the first rainy day of our entire trip), but the rain created a spectacular, intensely colorful double rainbow:

By the time I got the second photo below, it was starting to fade a bit, but it was pretty cool to have the whole arc right over our camper! :)

:) Connie

Grant-Kohrs Ranch

After our stay in Cody, we headed northwest and stayed two nights in Deer Lodge, MT, right next to the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site. The ranch was donated to the National Park Service by the Kohrs family and has been kept in operation as an educational site for visitors to learn about ranch life. We went on a wagon ride tour of the ranch and learned about the farming, animal handling, land maintenance, etc involved with a working ranch.

We also enjoyed hands-on exhibits and ranger-led talks about the ranch buildings, equipment, chuck wagon, ranch life, and animals. The girls even got to try on some cowboy clothes:

:) Connie

Rodeo!

On our last night in Cody, we went to a rodeo. Here is a short sampling of the craziness we witnessed: :) Connie

Buffalo Bill Historical Center

After Yellowstone, our next stop was Cody, Wyoming... home of "Buffalo Bill" Cody. This is a town that embraces the history of the wild west... with saloons, rodeos, country music, and museums. We visited the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, which has five museums in one large facility: 1) Buffalo Bill Museum, 2) Yellowstone Museum of Natural History, 3) Western Art Museum, 4) Plains Indians Museum, and 5) Firearms Museum.

:) Connie

Tioga Sightings! (part 3)

I have succeeded in capturing more photographs of the rare and elusive Tioga! I know that you will be overjoyed and awed by these exciting glimpses of the Tioga in its natural environment! Here the Tioga is sighted from a distance in a Dam parking lot (the Glenn Canyon Dam to be precise):

In the following shot, I have captured an image of parasites infesting the Tioga! I believe the parasites may have a symbiotic relationship with the Tioga. I will study this phenomenon further to determine if this is indeed the case! Fascinating!

Here I have managed to capture a photograph of the Tioga feeding at a watering hole! Note the other local creatures clustered around the Tioga...

The Tioga has been attacked! A (very attractive) human creature has disabled the Tioga! Hopefully the AAA will have mercy on the poor Tioga and restore it to health once again.

Fear not my loyal readers, the Tioga appears to have regained its stride and here can be seen exploring the desolate deserts of the Dinosaur National Monument.

Stay tuned for more excitement as I continue my quest to follow and document the wonderings of the wild and wonderful Tioga! - James Bossert, field photographer, JRTB News Channel 1

Yellowstone Wildlife

The most remarkable feature of Yellowstone is the abundance of wildlife. In our days visiting the park, we saw: bison, coyote (no photo), pronghorn (no photo), elk, bald eagle, grizzly bear, and moose (a mother with baby). Here are a few of our wildlife photos:

While we were at a picnic area, we noticed that most of the trees in the area had fresh bear scratch marks on them:

A few minutes later, we got in the camper and drove down the road a bit... and saw this grizzly bear come out of the woods and go for a swim in the river. Now we know who was making those marks on the trees!

:) Connie