Spring In Yellowstone

 Linda and I hadn’t gone on an overnight trip just for fun since the COVID-19 pandemic started, so we decided on a trip to Yellowstone to celebrate her 80th birthday last May.  We were lucky to have beautiful weather, especially since it snowed the day after we left, closing the roads out of there.

Bison herd, Madison River

Now that pandemic restrictions are easing up, there are record crowds at Yellowstone and outrageous prices at motels in West Yellowstone, Montana.  After being stuck in traffic much of our first day we decided on a different strategy for day two, and it worked well.  We stayed in West Yellowstone most of the morning, had a nice restaurant meal for lunch, and took snacks into the park for the evening meal.  The crowds left in late afternoon and we were finally able to find parking spaces at the geyser basins.

Midway Geyser Basin

                                Grand Prismatic Spring

One disadvantage of visiting the park in spring is limited access to many areas because of exposure to bears.  For example, the entire Firehole area was closed because of high levels of bear activity.  As a result, I was unable to visit two sites on my bucket list and we saw just one bear from about a half mile away.  On the other hand, there were plenty of cooperative bison, like this one:

    Midway Geyser Basin Run-off, Firehole River

We visited most of the open attractions on the west side of the park except Old Faithful.  It was crowded and of course we had been there before.  I thoroughly enjoyed some of the lightly used places like Terrace Springs, Sheepeater Cliffs, and Biscuit Basin.  It was also fun to photograph some of the unusual details that may be less obvious than the geysers and blue pools, like dead trees and oddly colored run-off from the hot springs.

Porcelain Basin acidic run-off, colored green by Cyanidium bacteria

Trees killed by hot springs at Biscuit Basin

I hope you enjoyed these photos, but remember, they are copyrighted and can not be used for any purpose without my permission and usually a small fee.

Upper Terrace Spring

Branding Calves in the Bear Lake Valley

 It is hard to believe that I only posted to this blog twice in 2020, but we were stuck at home most of the year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Now we have received our vaccinations and feel better about getting out of the house a bit more.  But I am sure I will post much less often than in the past.

There are several big cattle ranches in the Bear Lake Valley, Idaho.  Calves are born in winter and when spring comes, they need to be branded, ear-tagged, immunized, and more.

The action starts when the header cowboy ropes a calf’s head.  The men and women really enjoy their work and their skill with ropes and horses is amazing.

The unlucky calf is roped around the back legs by a second cowboy, the heeler.

After the calf has been headed and heeled, the horses stretch the ropes tight, immobilizing the calf.  A flanker repositions the rope from the head to the front feet and positions the calf properly for the next step.

In this photo, father and daughter, Chad and Daysha, brand and immunize the calf.  Once the process is started it is done very quickly and the calf is released and usually trots away wondering what the heck just happened.

I thought this photo of cowgirl Daysha with her long blonde braid and a knife on her belt was an interesting way to show one of the tools essential to the job.

Branding day is a big event on a cattle ranch.  Branding proves ownership of lost or stolen animals.  Idaho has strict laws regarding brands, including brand registration and inspection.  A brand is considered proof of ownership.

Please note that these photos are copyrighted and must not be used for any purpose without permission, and usually a small payment.