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Nancy

And So It Begins....

I was sound asleep when the cries of a calf elk rang in my ears. "Oh great," I thought, "I know what I'm doing on rove: baby-sitting elk!" And then I heard it. A terrible, gutteral noise. The worse sound I have heard all summer (except for a little girl getting a splinter pulled out of her hand - yikes). The sound of.... could it be? A juvenile bull elk just trying to get his bugle on? Hm..... The sound was such a terrible bugle, I thought for sure it must only be a young bull just trying to call. I rolled over and out of bed and stumbled downstairs. Standing at the coffee maker, eyes half closed from sleep, I suddenly realized the terrible premonition, that horrid sound, was NOT a juvenile, but a full-fledged six-point MASSIVE BULL ELK! OH NO!

The bull had his head low to the ground, his antlers long and paralleled against his back. Any easy 800+ pound bull. He was chasing the cows and calves, attacking the poor spike bull, and acting like he owned the town. A bush stuck out from his antlers. With no one else to fight, what other choice did he have but to attack inanimate objects. He let out another rasping gutteral bugle. SERIOUSLY! UGH! What a TERRIBLE bugle! I could hear him panting as he trotted around rounding up his harem. What a disgrace... at least his rack was, well, pretty good, but the last point wasn't very pronounced.

Since then he's been acting like the head honcho of Mammoth, scaring the cows and calves into submission. What a bully. At least his bugle has gotten more dignified sounding. Just wait until the other bulls come to show him what a big old mean bull looks like. They'll put him to shame.

Founder's Day

Happy 93rd birthday to the National Park Service!

Pretty Rangers

A pot-bellied bus driver walked up to me yesterday on the pretense of discussing elk. After he told his story, he looked at me and said, "The Park Service sure is hiring pretty rangers these days. There sure are some pretty rangers here, easy to look at." I'm okay with that, I think. Maybe it helps people listen to me when I tell them not to approach the elk.

Snow on Washburn

Yesterday we drove from Canyon across Dunraven Pass back to Mammoth. In Canyon it was 52 degrees. It dropped steadily as we rose up Dunraven Pass to 40 degrees and finally warmed up to a whopping 55 degrees in Mammoth. On the heights of Mt Washburn, I looked up and saw a fine dusting of snow. Last night it froze at 7,000 feet. It might freeze in Mammoth tonight! Welcome, fall.

Elk Alert!

The elk were everywhere in Mammoth today! There were about 60 of them - a combination of cows, calves, and spikes. Holy elk! Just imagine in 2 weeks when the big old bulls roll into town! Jeebes! It's going to be nuts around here. I can't wait for the bugling though. That's always a good time.

Happy Birthday, Nancy!

I had a really nice birthday dinner party last night! Leigh Anne made yellow fin tuna, cole slaw, and fruit salad, Shari brought a green salad, Heidi brought a cake covered in rose petals, Chris brought limeaide, and Matt brought himself! Yummy food and good company! It was lots of fun to visit and enjoy a pleasant birthday party! I even got a pretty sweet Smokey Bear happy birthday hat! Whoop!

Still Hot

We could really use a thunderstorm here. It's freaking hot. And people still want to go soak in Boiling River. They're nuts. Everyone is a bit dazed, confused, and cranky (meaning the visitors, although some of the rangers are those adjectives as well. I'm mostly dazed and hot.) Maybe I'll go swimming in the Yellowstone.

Owlets Have Fledged!

Like sentinals, the great grey owl parents monitored the progress of their owlets. The owlets lived near the visitor center. They quickly grew and before we knew it reached independence and fledged! They are off in the great wild expanses exploring the world around them! Best of luck owlets!

Wildlife Watching

I audited a wildlife watching tour this morning. We left Mammoth at 6 am and drove out to Lamar Valley. What a tour! We saw beautiful sandhill cranes and many mammals, including two grizzly bears, one black bear, seven mountain goats, two coyotes, and lots of bison. One of the grizzlies forded the Lamar River as we watched. The coyotes took chunks out of a carcass and then played with each other. They ran and leaped all over the place! The mountain goats were perched high on a cliff side - three babies! Wow! What fun!

National Anthem

At the end of the Fort Walk, as we lowered the flag and folded it, one of the people on my tour started belting the National Anthem. It was quite patriotic.

Hot!

It was the first truly hot day today - over 80 degrees. Oh boy! It's a good day for limeaide and tonic. Yesterday we had a good hike up Sepulcher Mountain. It's a 3600 ft elevation gain from Mammoth to the Summit. Great views of the Tetons, Mt. Sheridan, Mt. Washburn, and the Absaroka mountains.

Coyote and Big Horns

A coyote trotted along the stone wall by Roosevelt Arch, then hopped behind it into the park. It move quickly and quietly before disappearing. Big Horn sheep perched on the Gardner Canyon walls. It's amazing how steep of slopes they can climb. The mama and its baby acted casually as they hung out on the steep face.

Flowers Blooming

Lots of flowers are blooming in Mammoth. The spring flowers are dying and summer flowers taking over. Bitterroot, that beautiful plant, is blooming. Lupine, heartleafed arnica, and prickly pear are all blooming too. Pretty!

Graduation Day!

Tomorrow is the big day! I will officially complete my M.S. degree and cruise across the UI graduation stage! Yay! This week has been full of packing, cleaning, and.... oddly enough... relaxing! I've had little school stuff to do, so I've been able to enjoy life in Moscow. What joy!

Master of Science

I passed my thesis defense and am now a Master of Science of Conservation Social Sciences with an emphasis in environmental communication. Graduation is in three weeks!

Sun!

Several days of sun have just the right power to cheer everyone up. This weekend we had two beautiful days of warm, sunny weather. It was perfect for taking Ms. Muffet out on a walk, checking out the crocuses in bloom, and enjoying a refreshing beverage outside. I can't wait for summer (and graduation!!) when I'll be able to hang out in beautiful Yellowstone and enjoy the fine weather.

Snow and Crocuses

The crocuses have been coming up and the snow has been falling down. I guess our new mantra should be "April snow showers hopefully bring May flowers." I've mostly been chanting,"This is good for the water table, water table, water table!"

Progress?

Well, I have turned in a complete draft of the thesis. It's edits from here on out. Only one more month to go until the defense date and seven weeks until Yellowstone!

The End of the K Bar As We Know It

Thursday was a momentous day, a day for mourning, a day for hope. It was the last day the K Bar, in Gardiner, Montana, was open in the state it has been in for at least 20 years. All places need a face lift at some point, but the K Bar was such a classic Gardiner pizza parlor/bar that it is sad to think of it changing.

Its rustic, western decor of beer sign mirrors, low lighting, loud jukebox, and prominent pool table, bar, and pizza oven are going (or getting hidden). The K Bar is becoming tourist friendly, apparently. Does that mean no more river rats and interp rangers allowed to buy pitchers and pizza? I hope not. Does it mean brighter lighting, cleaner bathrooms, and lower jukebox music? Maybe. The cleaner bathroom would be nice. Does it mean the same rustic, comforting feel as the original bar? Probably not.

Supposedly there will still be pizza, and other "tourist friendly" food. Hopefully there will still be Alaskan on tap, pool to play, locals to talk to, and quarters to put in the jukebox. I've been waiting all winter to play "Chattahoochee" on the K Bar jukebox, darn it!

But, all this is speculation. Matthew worked on closing night when the lights went dim in the K Bar. Until the return to Yellowstone in May, we'll have to rely on his updates about the end of the K Bar as we know it.