Thursday, July 18, 2013

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park. Drove into Yellowstone from North entrance. Had spent the night before in Bozeman, Montana. Went through the Roosevelt Arch on North entrance.

Old Faithful
Waited an hour to see the 150 ft to 180ft geyser. Good thing there was ice cream to eat while waiting.



Camped for two nights at Canyon Village on edge of caldera with rim of grand canyon about 1,000 ft walk.

Hayden Valley in middle of Yellowstone was were most animals could be seen.
 Elk, Moose and deer were seen daily.
I have been told there are 5,000 buffalo in Yellowstone N.P.
Buffalo could be seen "dusting" themselves in a dry powdery pit to clean there backs. 


Elk were common in Hayden Valley.
People would gather around and sometimes get too close. 
People could be seen being stomped on or knocked over by a swing of the antlers.
There are medic clinics in each village of campgrounds and cabins were people stayed.




Geothermal steam and flowing boiling water would flow from the hillside constantly.










Hundreds of people would be waiting for Old Faithful geyser to blow.




Mud Pots are bubbling



Other Mud Pots are called Painters Pots since the mud was watery like paint.
 Sulfur Geyser - smelly fumes burn nose and lungs while standing nearby.


 






Yellowstone River
There would be men in hip and chest waders in the river fly fishing.



Rocky boulder bottoms of river made the water churn a white foam as flows down hill.




Lower Water Falls are the largest of six water falls in Yellowstone N.P.



  I enjoyed getting up early watching bison leaving the forest cross the Yellowstone river to the prairie grass. You could see the young bison kick up there heels in excitement to be go to eat in the morning.
In the evening the bison would run off the prairie down to the river to get settled for the night in forest.




Buffalo would cross the road at 7 pm to go back to forest on other side of Yellowstone river. 
Five hundred buffalo ford the river some with head under water blowing water into air
 trying to catch their breath was very interesting.



Some buffalo would stand or lay on the hot ground near thermal geysers.




Need to cross the Continental Divide to drive the 35 miles South on Hwy 89 to Grand Tetons to stay at Grant Village Campgrounds.






Tetons Cathedral Mountains


The Pinnacles from highway 89.


Reflection of Tetons along Jackson lake.

Grand Tetons with snow.  Evening were a welcome cool 46 degrees at night.

South of Grand Tetons close to Dubois were I stayed at a house for the first time in 10 weeks.
Dr Stewart and his wife Judy were nice enough to put me up for two days.

 
 Momma moose and baby moose on the Stewart property when I first arrived from Grand Tetons.


Prong horn antelope on Stewart property, Warm Spring Mountain near Dubois,Wyoming.
100 miles South of  Grant Village campgrounds in Grand Tetons.

Mule deer on Warm Spring mountain at 8,700 ft on Stewart property.

Pinnacles of  mountains along Hwy 89 South of Grand Tetons.


Next drive to Cheyenne, Wyoming on way East to Nebraska to spend another night in a house.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Victoria, BC The Downtown Parliament and Waterfront.



While walking downtown Victoria there are many sights to see.

The Capitol of the Province of British Columbia in downtown Victoria.


War Memorial in front of the Parliament building.



 Provincial Park and Monument

 Yukon Territory - British Columbia - Alberta

Quebec-New Brunswick- Nova Scotia


Prince Edward Isle - NewFoundland- Northwest Territory



 
Waterfront across the street from The Empress Hotel


 Air Taxi on the bay across the street from The Empress Hotel.


 Parliament Building with Totem poles.


 Parliament Building


 Provincial government building for British Columbia.



The Empress Hotel where "High Tea" is served in the afternoon.



 Glass bottom boat



 Natural History Museum




Captain Cook the explorer. Complete with birds on his head.

 Prince of Whales - Whale Tours