Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Mrs. Sissom

Well, we did not actually see lions and tigers, but there were two grizzlies and a black bear. The sights from today were amazing such as bison crossing a river, a blue heron rookery, an eagle and two ravens having a power struggle, a huge bull elk, and white pelicans.

Bison crossing the river

Bison

White pelican

Brad, our guide, also gave us an overview on the geological history of the park. The park began as a super volcano. Our drive started through the lodgepole pine area, continued into mountain meadows, and ended with thermals. The smell was not so great around the more acidic seeps, but the view more than made up for it.

Grizzly bear groupies 

Now, some of you are thinking our group is here to have fun and see beautiful sights. We are! However, our guide has given us so much information on why things happen and the effects of what happens that by the time we arrive back at our cabin, our minds are saturated. Over dinner, a discussion ensues about the information gained from the day. Everyone seems to have focused on a different aspect of the information.

My favorite three things from the day: 

A herd of bison ran to the Gardiner River and swam across with their bodies and  breath steaming. 

Their breathing and snorting could be heard from our location. 

The grizzlies!  

A little girl was whining about not being able to see the bears so our group offered her a scope to look through.  When she located the bear, her exclamation left no doubt to anyone that she saw him.