"Chech out west 2018"

[N.AL-Tider]

Great pics and narration Chech.  I wish you were here with me so you could help me enjoy mowing grass. I bet you could photograph and narrate that to make it sound exciting too...   

[Chechem]

NALT, I'd certainly rather being there mowing grass with you.  But I am retired, which means training LF to be independent.  So I'm out here making the most of it.
 

Friday June 8th:

As said in the Daily thread, I caught 10 keeper-sized trout (released because it's post-1996).  But I forgot to take my camera, so you'll have to trust me; they were beauties.    Also watched a mule-deer buck walk the shoreline near my car (I was out in my boat).  Cool.

Then yesterday afternoon I drove to Hayden Valley in hopes of seeing a wolf.  First I stopped at a site along the Yellowstone River where herons nest.  I walked down through the lodgepole pines to the river's edge, set up my telescope, and found 11 nests on an island about 100m away.



But I wanted to see wolves.  They most active just before dark, which come gradually here.  It's not really dark until about 10pm.  So at 7pm I found a parking spot neat Elk Antler Creek, and I walked out about half a mile onto a hilltop for viewing the rolling hills of an extensive plain.  It's where I saw the 2 grizzlies the day before.  I panned with the telescope, and after a while saw a black wolf walking along a tree line (a mile away).  It soon joined a pack of 7 others.  WOW!  As I watched they tumbled in the grass and played, then ran (in a line) across the prairie and were gone.  I took video, which is easier to see.  But here's the best I could do with a hand-held cell phone against the telescope eyepiece.


Here you can see most of them spread in a line.  About half of them are gray; the others black.  Some appear bicolored, but that's the sunshine only illuminating part of the wolf.  Some of the gray ones appear dark here, because the sun is behind them (silhouettes).

Here they are running left across the prairie.  A black one is leading (far left).  Just like dogs, they were playing and rolling on the grass.

[2Stater]

Very cool! 

[ricky023]

Hey those are great pics. Man anybody who ever has the chance to see this type of stuff has to love nature. RTR!

[Chechem]

Right you are, Preacher!

Saturday June 9th:

Fishing today was EXCELLENT.  Saw 2 elk while driving the dirt road to the lake. 
Caught 14 trout this morning; some were fine and dandy ones!  Even caught 2 at once!

[Chechem]

Forgot the photos on my other camera.  Here are elk along the Yellowstone.  The herd started panicking when a coyote showed up to their party.   
They all went to this island and waited.  One big bull crossed right in front of me (silhouette).

[ricky023]

Wow so beautiful. RTR!

[2Stater]

This one looks happy. You must have just told him you were letting him go.

[Chechem]

This one looks happy. You must have just told him you were letting him go.

He's also skinny.  By summer's end he'll be 2-3 pounds heavier.

[Chechem]

Saturday afternoon June 9th:

After fishing yesterday I drove to Hayden Valley in hopes of seeing some wolves.  They were much closer this time (half a mile instead of a mile).  As I watched they chased an elk (which got away), then played along the Yellowstone River.


This is my telescope (it's old).  The wolves were at the base of that distant hill the night before; near the Yellowstone River in these pics (just east of where I am here).


Here they are chasing an elk, which crossed a shallow embayment to get away.  That closest wolf charged into the water after it.


There were 10 of them (5 gray; 5 black).  Same pack I'd seen the night before.


Sorry it's so blurry, but at that distance in the wind it's lucky I got anything.

[Chechem]

Sunday June 10th:

A cold front came through during the night, so it was FAR too windy for fishing today.  In fact it snowed this afternoon, and was party cloudy and cold much of the day.


The day started at 4am.  Here I'm driving the Dunraven Pass (no guard rails - YIKES).  This was taken about 5am through my windshield.


Saw this big ole Black Bear near Roosevelt Lodge.


I hiked up a steep hill to a plateau in Lamar Valley to look across a plain at herds of bison and (hopefully wolves or bears).  Just a beautiful location with lots of wildflowers.  These are Balsamroot.


Found this elk antler on the plateau.  Squint and you can see bison in the distance.


Heartleaf Arnica


Heaven knows; not in my book.  It's a vine that looks like passion flower.


These guys posed on my trail, so I waited until they moved.


Their friends decided to cross Soda Butte Creek and climb the hill beyond.


Shooting Star


Near Pebble Creek I saw this Mountain Goat (mama and baby).  Talk about far away!  They were on a mountain, far up there.


While photographing the goats this little guy (Ground Squirrel) came begging for food.  Sorry buddy, against the rules.  

[bama57]

Beautiful pictures

[Chechem]

Mystery solved.  No wonder it's so pretty; it's a Clematis.  The pretty blue flower's name is:

Western Blue Virginsbower Flower
Clematis occidentalis

[2Stater]

Mystery solved.  No wonder it's so pretty; it's a Clematis.  The pretty blue flower's name is:

Western Blue Virginsbower Flower
Clematis occidentalis

Looks just like one. 

Fantastic pics, Chech! Really enjoying them very much.

[Chechem]

...

Fantastic pics, Chech! Really enjoying them very much.

Just wish I could post the videos of the wolves chasing the elk and playing.  I managed to transfer videos to my laptop (too large to email), but the only way to post them seems to be YouTube.  I started opening an account with them, but found I'd have to use a new email account.  I already have 2, and that's enough!
 

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• ricky023

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