Today we took a pleasant drive thru parts of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Other than road construction, the drive was uneventful until we saw the bear. We don't know if it was a grizzly or a black bear, but it was near the road, rooting around in the underbrush. You can always tell when there is an "animal watch" happening at these parks because traffic backs up. A bear usually causes a big traffic jam as everyone wants to see the critter.
The only other critters were a herd of elk, some bison, and a bald eagle sitting in a nest. The traffic jams for these critters was just about as big as it was for the bear. Generally, the wildlife viewing is very good in these 2 national parks.
Tomorrow we head for Great Falls, Montana,where we need to get new batteries for the RV. It will be one of the longer drives we'll make in one day on this trip. We try to drive between 200-225 miles a day, but tomorrow we'll drive about 260. It will mean an early start, something we are not good at getting.
Happy trails!
Monday, July 6, 2009
On the Road -- Again
Yep...we're on the road again. This time, Vinnie and the Big Guy are taking us north to Alberta. When we land in Canada we'll meet up with friends and RV/camp 3 Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks.
Watch this space for wonderful pictures of Mt. Rundle, Lake Louise, Mt. Edith Cavell, the Icefields Parkway, Lake Maligne and more. Lots of eye candy where we are going.
Watch this space for wonderful pictures of Mt. Rundle, Lake Louise, Mt. Edith Cavell, the Icefields Parkway, Lake Maligne and more. Lots of eye candy where we are going.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Independence Day Blooms
In my futile effort to chronicle when each flower shows up, I am adding some more to the mix. Yesterday we had lots of rain and while I looked for flowers before the rains came, I did not see any. Today, there are new flowers.
There's a white clump that I think is either Queen Anne's Lace, Yarrow, Buckwheat or Yampah...these are all in the carrot family, and I cannot tell one from the other.
A Meadow Buttercup appeared, with it dainty yellow bloom.
Two other yellow flowers popped up that I cannot identify. One has a teeny-tiny bloom, about 1/4 inch across.
The other is not much bigger.
I cannot find them in my "best" book, which is "Plants of the Rocky Mountains" by Kershaw, MacKinnon and Pojar!
I am always surprised at the intricate details I see when I take a close up of a flower or leaf. This is an aspen leaf.
What makes the aspen leaf quake or shake, is the shape of it's stem. Instead of being round it's square. With the slightest breeze, the leaf shakes. When all the leaves in an aspen forest shake, it sounds like running water. It's a very soothing sound.
I'm also surprised at all the defenses a pretty little flower has. It's filled with barbs and spines and little pricklies. Here's a salsify (also known as "goat's beard") up close and personal. It looks like it's ready to fight a war!
There's a white clump that I think is either Queen Anne's Lace, Yarrow, Buckwheat or Yampah...these are all in the carrot family, and I cannot tell one from the other.
A Meadow Buttercup appeared, with it dainty yellow bloom.
Two other yellow flowers popped up that I cannot identify. One has a teeny-tiny bloom, about 1/4 inch across.
The other is not much bigger.
I cannot find them in my "best" book, which is "Plants of the Rocky Mountains" by Kershaw, MacKinnon and Pojar!
I am always surprised at the intricate details I see when I take a close up of a flower or leaf. This is an aspen leaf.
What makes the aspen leaf quake or shake, is the shape of it's stem. Instead of being round it's square. With the slightest breeze, the leaf shakes. When all the leaves in an aspen forest shake, it sounds like running water. It's a very soothing sound.
I'm also surprised at all the defenses a pretty little flower has. It's filled with barbs and spines and little pricklies. Here's a salsify (also known as "goat's beard") up close and personal. It looks like it's ready to fight a war!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Six New Blooms
Wildflowers seem to bloom in a predictable order. Every year I chronicle when a new blossom appears in the summer, and this week is the week for Paintbrush,
common sunflowers,
wild rose
and salsify
...and sure enough, when I went looking for them this morning, they were there.
I also saw a cone flower, just beginning
and some red clover.
The geraniums, flax and lupines are still blooming and there are more today than there were yesterday. All that rain has brought a bumper crop of blooms.
In case you are wondering...all of these wonderful flowers grow here in a little corner of Wyoming!
common sunflowers,
wild rose
and salsify
...and sure enough, when I went looking for them this morning, they were there.
I also saw a cone flower, just beginning
and some red clover.
The geraniums, flax and lupines are still blooming and there are more today than there were yesterday. All that rain has brought a bumper crop of blooms.
In case you are wondering...all of these wonderful flowers grow here in a little corner of Wyoming!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Orderly Progression
Seeing the wildflowers emerge is always a treat. While I feared they might never pop up, they have. First came the lupines,
then the wild geraniums,
and today the flax appeared.
On the "not so wild" side of the garden are the phlox I planted last year.
Then there are the dandelions!
then the wild geraniums,
and today the flax appeared.
On the "not so wild" side of the garden are the phlox I planted last year.
Then there are the dandelions!
Geranium Journal
The palest of pink petals hides the deep purple veins. Mother Nature always has little surprises.
Monday, June 22, 2009
UP
We saw UP tonight. It was not the movie we thought we were going to see. Instead of a lighthearted cartoon, it was sad. We came out of the theater looking for the kleenex box in the car. This is one case where the trailer and the movie were at complete odds. Read COTTonLINE to find out more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)