Hot springs and valley views

Well, whatever faux illness I had seems to have gone away, thankfully. When I woke up this morning in Gardiner, MT, it was chilly...mid-20s! Before leaving town, I stopped to snap a few pics of the Roosevelt Arch. President Theodore Roosevelt actually laid the cornerstone of the arch when it was constructed by the U.S. Army back in 1903. While admiring the landmark, I noticed a couple elk helping themselves to some of the local greenery.  Then, it was onward for my second day at Yellowstone National Park.

I spent a couple of hours revisiting Mammoth Hot Springs.  After driving to the Upper Terrace area, I strolled along the boardwalks admiring the sights. I also saw a little bird...I'm pretty sure it was a Yellow Rumped Warbler...checking out the hot springs, too.

I also took some photos of Palette Spring in the Lower Terrace section. The formations are so beautiful, it's really hard to take a "bad" picture.

Next, I traveled east through the Lamar Valley area of the park. It was my first visit to the valley and I had heard it was possible to see lots of wildlife there. I saw a lot of bison...most from afar...but, that was it. Still, it was an amazing sight, especially the bison wallowing in mud pits.

A little further down the road, I stopped to check out a rock formation known as Soda Butte. There was a bull bison across the road, which I thought was a sufficient distance away from me. Well, that quickly changed when it decided to cross the road. A pickup truck had to stop very quickly to avoid hitting the animal, and I stood behind my car as a safety precaution.

Since Beartooth Highway was closed, my alternate route was another scenic route on State Highway 296, also known as Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. Just as I was about to make the turn, some mule deer crossed the road in front of me. After they passed, I parked near the intersection, and walked back with my camera too see if I could get a few pics. I found out the deer were just as interested at looking at me!

My alternate route proved to have more than enough impressive scenery to satisfy. For one brief moment, I thought I might see a wolf, thanks to a kind trucker's tip to some of us stopped at a scenic overlook. Alas, when we arrived at the two black cattle that he described the wolf was eyeballing, there was no wolf in sight. Oh, well.

Tomorrow, I'll be back in civilization, so to speak. The good weather has been holding up so far. I hope it continues as I have many more outdoor adventures to go!