Bicycle Days

Sunday was a great bicycle day, as was today, so we biked to lunch both days. On Sunday we took a long bike ride first, then rode to the Granite Falls golf course for a hot dog.

Kent in front of the snack bar.

Their chili dogs are great. Made with Dillon´s chili, they are a meal in a bun. We each had one of them and then waddled on home.

Today was equally great biking weather, so we road to Dillon´s for lunch. They have great specials, and I rarely get to go there except on the weekends. Today the special was Taco Salad, which Kent had. I had a half order of Nachos, which I have never had here. Yummy.

The swan in the photo isn´t real, which is a disappointment. The Association rules forbid us from putting out plastic flowers or yard ornaments, so I think they should have real swans. So do the coyotes.
But at a distance they look real, and unless you´ve read this fine print, you probably think they are.

Sun City Grand Wildlife

It is time to leave Yellowstone behind and get back to reality. The trip had only lasted a week, but I managed to write about it for a month. Plus I am now working on the Yellowstone scrapbook. Getting a lot of bang for those dollars. :)

But now that the hot summer is over, the snow birds and other wildlife are returning to Sun City Grand. It's time to put the vacation behind me and focus on the local fun.

The Harris Hawks are back. I have seen them flying and yesterday saw three of them perched on streetlights. They are always a treat to see. The photo above was taken last year. I hope to get an even better picture this year, but this one will have to do in the meantime.

Harris Hawks are sociable, unlike the Red-Tail Hawks that we saw in Ohio. You can usually see all three Harris Hawks together. When I was driving into Grand yesterday, they were perched on three light poles, all in a row, next to one of the golf courses. Guess it was lunch time.

This photo is my favorite. This visiting coyote was on my back porch, and she had a pup with her, too. The pup is at the top of the photo, but hard to see. This was taken in 2006. Since then I have seen lots of coyotes, including one on my walk on Friday morning. But this is the only one of two that I saw on my porch, and the only one I was able to photograph. I keep hoping she'll come back.

This Great Horned Owl was sitting in my neighbor's yard one summer evening in 2007. It had been extremely hot for days, but that night the wind began blowing. It was hot air, of course, but at least it was a great breeze. This fellow perched on the stump and spread his wings out, apparently to get cooled off. I was amazed! He stayed there for over an hour.

They stay in Grand all year, but I rarely see them. But we have been hearing them the last few weeks since we have been able to keep the windows open. One night the whoooo's were so loud that he (she) must have been in my neighbor's tree.

A couple of nights ago, Kent and I were walking at dusk. One of them flew about 10 to 15 feet in front of us. He was totally silent. No swooshing or flapping of wings at all. Just a whisper of air as he glided by. A few minutes later, when we were on the walking trail, we saw him again. This time he was perched on the high wall that separates Grand from Highway 303. A great hunting site.

Currently, the best SCG wildlife are bobcats. I have not yet seen one, but other people have. In fact, one of Kent's friends sent photos of a bobcat and two kittens that were hanging out on his porch. How lucky is that! He doesn't live far from us, so I am keeping my eyes open. And buying cat food.

The Yellowstone Adventure Ends

1. 
   
   
   On our last night, at Chico Hot Springs Resort, we had a prívate dinner in the Wine Cellar. While we dined on gourmet meals, we talked about the future of wolves in Yellowstone.
   We have spent a week together and become good friends and traveling companions. Tomorrow we will return to our normal lives. Already I miss the wolves and the fun I have had on this trip.
   

Chico Hot Springs Resort

Our last night was at Chico Hot Springs Resort in Pray, Montana. What a great place!

Step back in time in their lobby.

Spent some time here!

Lake Yellowstone Hotel

This is a grand hotel by Lake Yellowstone. It was built in 1891 and has been restored to look like it did in the 1920´s. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Our room was very pretty and had a view of the lake. Plus, there was a really cute bear cub on the bed, which of course I had to bring home with me. The proceeds from the sale of the cubs helps support the Yellowstone Foundation. Too bad the cub wasn´t real.

Kent in front of a Yellow Bus. The original buses started touring Yellowstone in 1936, but they were discontinued in the 1950´s.

When the buses were sold, the Skagway Streetcar Company in Alaska bought 8 of them for its company. In 2001, they returned the vehicles to Yellowstone, and now they are touring again. We didn´t get to ride in one, but we did see one at Mammoth Hot Springs. Looking good, Kent!

Some of us in the Sun Room before dinner. I treated myself to Duck, which was excellent. Afterwards, we had drinks here with Pete and Mel, a young couple from England, while a pianist played the Grand Piano. A wonderful evening.

Arnica Fire

        When we first arrived in Yellowstone, the Arnica Fire was mostly smoke.   This photo was taken from the Lamar Valley, looking toward the fire, on Friday.  Occasionally we could smell the smoke, but it appeared to be a very small fire.  ´

        Studies have shown that small, controlled fires are needed for many of the ecosystems.  So the current trend is to keep it contained but allow it to burn itself out.  

     On Saturday, however, the winds picked up and the day grew hotter, which allowed the fire to grow.  The same weather conditions occurred on Sunday.  Roads had to be closed and more aggressive measures taken.  
     We were scheduled to go to West Yellowstone on Sunday and to Old Faithful, but we couldn´t get there with the road closures.   We ended up staying the night in Gardiner, but no one minded.   The hotel was very nice.  It overlooked a stream, and dinner was great.
      The next day we were able to get to Lake Yellowstone, pictured above.   The fire was clearly visible from there.   As we got closer to the hotel, we could see the sprinklers wetting down the trees in an attempt to keep the hotel safe.   It was an eerie sight.

    If you look closely, you can see the bucket hanging from the helicopter.   The firefighters were getting water from Lake Yellowstone to pour onto the fire.   The weather was forecasted to turn cold and snowy on Wednesday, which would end the fire.   In the meantime, the firefighters worked to contain it. 

       The fire burned approximately 9300 acres, or 14.5 square miles, according to the newspaper I bought.  Fortunately no one was injured, and the fire didn´t damage any structures.  

       The firemen said that if the rain and snow came on Wednesday, it would be a season-ending event.  That´s fireman-speak for ´´the fire will be out soon´´.    And it was.

Norris Geyser and the Dragon´s Mouth

Because of the forest fire, we didn´t make it to see Old Faithful. However, Yellowstone has many lesser-known geysers, vents, mud pots, and other interesting features.
The Norris Geyser Basin had plenty of steamy sites. They were very colorful, and the aroma of sulpher added its own ambiance.

Kent in front of Emerald Spring.

The Dragon Mouth Spring was in a different location, closer to Hayden Valley. It was very noisy and steamy--a great Dragon!