1125 September 3, 2024 West Yellowstone, Montana

We had some early morning rain. I was brave enough to walk the short distance to the dumpster by myself.

This squirrel kept me company while I washed the RV windshield. He was busy gathering foodstuff. Winter is coming!

We left Threemile CG behind and traveled to the East Entrance of Yellowstone.

We made a stop along Yellowstone Lake.

We stopped again to browse in the Yellowstone General Store. The store was stocked with all kinds of things that Grandma and PopPop could buy for little boys! We had fun shopping.

We stopped again along the Yellowstone River. We ate breakfast here while watching bison out and about and holding up traffic.

We had seen this interesting rock formation yesterday but did not stop. We got out to look today. It looks like a miniature volcano sitting on the riverbank. Water and steam spews from the top. It looks like a kid’s science experiment.

Because we drove this way yesterday, I was able to really enjoy the scenery today without taking quite so many pictures! We sit up higher in the RV and this vantage point gives us better views. through our big picture window.

We took the West Entrance Road and we were treated more beauty.

As we neared the town of West Yellowstone, we entered Montana. There were lots of dark clouds up ahead and we saw flashes of lightning. We stopped in a large public parking lot and unhooked the Jeep. We made our way to Yellowstone Cabins and RV and pulled into our site. There were some plump raindrops for a brief time and then the storm was past. We are looking forward to being here for the next 4 nights.

I worked on the blog much of the afternoon while Tim rode his bike around the town. When he got back, he wanted to go to the store for some fruit and veggies. We got what we needed and then walked through town, wandering into shops.

Tim drove to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. This place is a non-profit wildlife haven for animals that were either injured or habituated to humans. These animals would have been euthanized but for this place. The mission is to care for these wounded animals and animals otherwise not able to return to the wild. They provide education to visitors about bear safety and wildlife conservation. We took in the exhibits and then a short bear film.

These grizzlies are HUGE!

We went outside and Spirit, a 28 year old female grizzly got into trouble near Whitefish, Montana where she got into unsecured food. The rangers tried to relocate her several times but she kept returning to her source of easy food. Neither the bear nor the people in the community changed their behavior enough to allow her to remain free. We watched Spirit forage for hidden food in the enclosure. It was cool to watch her in a habitat the resembled home for her, doing what bears do. It is also sad that she has to be there. We could definitely tell that she was well cared for with great energy and a thick and shiny coat.

We heard the wolves before we saw them. The fire company sirens went off and the wolves all began to howl. They were quiet and lazy for the most part. When they lay down in the tall grass, they are very difficult to find.

The last wild wolf in Yellowstone was killed in 1926. There was a program in 1995 to reintroduce 31 wolves to the park in 3 different locations. Since then, the wolf population has been as high as 174 but lots of factors cause that number to fluctuate.

We walked though the bird sanctuary.

There was a golden eagle, a pair of great horned owls, a pair of bald eagles, a turkey vulture, and a red-tailed hawk. Most of the raptors had mice waiting for their dinner.

Cutthroat trout are an important part of the ecosystem in Yellowstone.

We watched otters cavorting in their “river.”

As we were leaving, a loud bell rang and Spirit returned to the gate that led out of the enclosure.

After the naturalists hid more bear treats, a pair of bears, Bo and Corum, were allowed to come and forage for fish and fruits. These bears were also placed here because they became habituated to human food and were not able to be successfully relocated. If they had not been sheltered here, they would have been put down.

The last display in the center was of these destroyed coolers and trash cans. This facility participates in a program to determine if containers are bear safe. The materials to be tested are put into the enclosure with the bears. The bears have 90 minutes to determine whether or not the product is bear safe…or not.

These wild animals serve as ambassadors to help educate people so that other bears can stay wild. We learned a lot…hopefully others will learn as well…

After watching the bears eat, we were hungry. Tim had found a Mexican food truck on his earlier bike ride. We were able to sit outside and enjoy our meal.