Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks
DAY 9

This was our last day in Yellowstone. We bid our Yellowstone.net friends good-bye and headed to the Tetons and Jackson (where we will be flying out tomorrow morning). But before I get sad about that, let's take a trip through the parks today.

This is the Frontier Cabin that we stayed in at Lake Yellowstone. It really is bigger than it looks.

We drove back up through the Lamar Valley where we found this Blue Heron at Alum Creek.

On the way to see the wolf kill we found several cars pulled over to the side of the road near Canyon -- usually indicates a bear. Sure enough, there was a grizzly in the woods.

There was no activity at the wolf kill. They had been back around 6:15 AM and we were still sleeping at that time, so we headed south toward Mary Bay. I pulled over to take a picture of some pelicans doing synchronized feeding -- very strange behavior (I thought), and next thing you knew we had a pelican jam on the roadway. Also odd was how they tilted their heads to the side when they went into the water. Maybe they weren't feeding afterall, but just rinsing out their mouths (fish-breath can be bad).

As we headed south we saw some folks with scopes at Trout Creek and stopped to see what was happening. Two grizzly bears were far on a distant hill. I know, the picture is small and they are butt-shots, but this is just proof of my story. This is a sow and year-old cub.

Between Mary Bay and Sedge Bay we saw a cinnamon-colored black bear in the trees.

As we passed by a thermal feature at Mary Bay we saw a coyote disappear into the steam.

At Pelican Creek we saw this Osprey flying over the water.

We hit the road for Grand Teton National Park. We were welcomed by a moose in the willows across the road from Jackson Lake Lodge.

At Oxbow Bend (Snake River) I saw another Blue Heron. I caught it diving its head under the water going after a fish.

As we drove near Jackon Dam, we saw people with cameras running to take a picture of sea gulls and a lone sandhill crane in the field to the right, while on the left was the real action. Just seconds earlier two grizzlies had killed a baby elk and they were chasing off the mother and some coyotes. We saw them running around in the field, then dash off to swim across the Snake River with the elk kill still in one of their mouths. It was a distance away, but again just proof of the moment.

On a tree back to the left was a hawk. Before I could get a picture, it flew off. I still got a photo, though.

After a late lunch we drove up Pacific Creek Drive looking for more moose, but it was probably still too earlier for most of them to be out feeding. I ventured out and looked for beavers on Pacific Creek. Here is one of three lodges and dams in a very short distance of one another.

We drove into Jackson to check on the fox den but all was silent. We checked into our motel and jumped back in the car for one more moose. We found this little lady on the way to the Gross Ventre (pronounced grow vont) camp ground.

The weather started looking nasty. I guess I forgot to tell you that we again had rain, snow and heavy sleet falling on a couple occasions today. Here is rain on the Tetons.

Back in Jackson we saw these adorable Canada geese chicks. Mom and dad were nudging them along.

We're back at the motel. Sharon is packing and I am posting. We are heading home tomorrow. How sad to leave this wonderful place! How happy we will be to return next year!