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Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Friday, September 27, 2019
Monday, March 11, 2019
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Wildlife Wednesday
I thought I was being all clever, thinking of a new thing to post on Wednesdays. But then I decided to check instagram to see how many people have already posted pics with the hashtag #wildlifewednesday. There are already over 16,500 photos tagged with it. LOL! Obviously, I'm not as clever as I thought. But I'm still gonna try to make this a regular feature. Please play, too!!
This is a cow elk in Yellowstone. She was right at the road and seemed as curious about us as we were about her. I kept my window shut though. I'm sure she's a lot stronger than me, and I didn't want to chance her being so curious about us that she would be tempted to jump in with us.
This is a cow elk in Yellowstone. She was right at the road and seemed as curious about us as we were about her. I kept my window shut though. I'm sure she's a lot stronger than me, and I didn't want to chance her being so curious about us that she would be tempted to jump in with us.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Thursday, June 05, 2014
Dinosaurs and Ovens
There are actual dinosaur fossils in Utah!
In 1909, paleontologist Earl Douglass discovered eight dinosaur tailbones protruding from a sandstone hill in the Utah desert. This discovery was the beginning of a dinosaur quarry that ended up being one of the most productive Jurassic era quarries ever found.
In 1915, Dinosaur National Monument was established to protect and conserve that dinosaur quarry.
There were 10 different dinosaurs found in this area.
This jumbled mess of bones was created in a riverbed. The ranger said that something, perhaps an 85 foot barosaurus, jammed the river, creating a massive dinosaur bone jam, much like a log jam you'll see in any river. Dead dinosaurs from miles upstream would get caught in this jam and couldn't flow further down river. The flesh rotted away, but the bones remained. As years passed, they were covered and fossilized in sandstone. These dinosaur bones are 149 million years old. After millions of years, the earth shifted, pushing the riverbed upwards, making what was originally a flat river, a mountain.
The most common dinosaur found here was the Camarasaurus, a sauropod herbivore. Other dinosaurs found were:
sauropods (herbavores): Apatosaurus, Barosaurus, Diplodocus;
theropods (carnivores): Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus and Torvosaurus;
ornithischians (Beak-like herbivores): Camptosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Dryosaurus.
Phew. That was a mouthful. Did you get all that?
Nevermind all the official names, it was just very cool walking in the same spot that dinosaurs walked. I had never been overly interested in dinosaurs, but physically being in that spot was amazing. And kind of humbling - my (hopefully) 80-90 years on this earth is nothing. But I will make the very most of it, that's for sure!
The rest of our drive through Utah was fairly uneventful.
We saw some nice waterfalls as we got into Provo, but this journey didn't take us to Utah's more famous Arches, Bryce or Zyon National Parks. Another year perhaps.
All of Nevada is desert.
Miles of endless desert.
Pardon the spots. Sometimes you gotta shoot through a bug splattered windshield.
But now and then, you can find a hidden jem in this desert wasteland.
Like these Ward Charcoal Ovens.
They were built in 1876 to turn timber into charcoal to be used for the nearby silver mines. They're 30 feet high and 27 feet in diameter at the base. They were only used for 3 years, till they ran out of timber and ore.
Afterwards, they were used by prospectors and stockmen for shelter during harsh weather. More notoriously, they were used as a hideout for stagecoach bandits.
Here's a simple video I took of the ovens.
This one, lead by a state park ranger, is more informative.
In 1909, paleontologist Earl Douglass discovered eight dinosaur tailbones protruding from a sandstone hill in the Utah desert. This discovery was the beginning of a dinosaur quarry that ended up being one of the most productive Jurassic era quarries ever found.
In 1915, Dinosaur National Monument was established to protect and conserve that dinosaur quarry.There were 10 different dinosaurs found in this area.
This jumbled mess of bones was created in a riverbed. The ranger said that something, perhaps an 85 foot barosaurus, jammed the river, creating a massive dinosaur bone jam, much like a log jam you'll see in any river. Dead dinosaurs from miles upstream would get caught in this jam and couldn't flow further down river. The flesh rotted away, but the bones remained. As years passed, they were covered and fossilized in sandstone. These dinosaur bones are 149 million years old. After millions of years, the earth shifted, pushing the riverbed upwards, making what was originally a flat river, a mountain.The most common dinosaur found here was the Camarasaurus, a sauropod herbivore. Other dinosaurs found were:sauropods (herbavores): Apatosaurus, Barosaurus, Diplodocus;
theropods (carnivores): Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus and Torvosaurus;
ornithischians (Beak-like herbivores): Camptosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Dryosaurus.
Phew. That was a mouthful. Did you get all that?
Nevermind all the official names, it was just very cool walking in the same spot that dinosaurs walked. I had never been overly interested in dinosaurs, but physically being in that spot was amazing. And kind of humbling - my (hopefully) 80-90 years on this earth is nothing. But I will make the very most of it, that's for sure!
The rest of our drive through Utah was fairly uneventful.
We saw some nice waterfalls as we got into Provo, but this journey didn't take us to Utah's more famous Arches, Bryce or Zyon National Parks. Another year perhaps.All of Nevada is desert.
Miles of endless desert.Pardon the spots. Sometimes you gotta shoot through a bug splattered windshield.
But now and then, you can find a hidden jem in this desert wasteland.
Like these Ward Charcoal Ovens.They were built in 1876 to turn timber into charcoal to be used for the nearby silver mines. They're 30 feet high and 27 feet in diameter at the base. They were only used for 3 years, till they ran out of timber and ore.Afterwards, they were used by prospectors and stockmen for shelter during harsh weather. More notoriously, they were used as a hideout for stagecoach bandits.Here's a simple video I took of the ovens.
This one, lead by a state park ranger, is more informative.
Tuesday, June 03, 2014
Badger
This guy, who looks a lot more adorable than his actual disposition, was hunting prairie dogs. They're agressive and fierce creatures who have few natural enemies.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
North Dakota
Today we drove from the Badlands in North Dakota to the Black Hills in South Dakota.
We started the day at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora. Theodore Roosevelt went to Medora in the 1883 to hunt and become a rancher. As he spent more time in the Dakota Territory, he became alarmed by the damage that was being done to the land and its wildlife. When he became president, he used his authority to protect wildlife and public lands by creating the U.S. Forest Service. During his presidency, he protected approximately 230 million acres of public land. It was in the Dakota Badlands where he developed his national conservancy idealisms.
The Badlands is a very rugged, yet beautiful landscape. We explored the area for about an hour.
We got to see buffalo again, probably for the last time on this trip.
We also saw thousands of prairie dogs in these prairie dog towns.
There were several of these towns in the park and thousands of prairie dogs live in each town.
Here's a cute close up of a family of at least 5.
Then we headed east just a bit more to The Enchanted Highway.
If you like roadside kitch, then this is the road to travel on. Along this highway there are several massive metal sculptures.
You can see how big these things are.
The artist started in 1990 and is still making them today.
This one, titled "Fisherman's Dream" is his most elaborate one to date.
This one is "Grasshoppers in the Field". But there were way more than grasshoppers in this field. Along with the other 5 grasshopper sculptures you can't see in this photo, there were thousands of biting bugs, including my favorite, the nasty mosquito. Getting out to pose for this photo was a mistake because not only did i get bit several times, they wanted to hitch a ride inside the car, too.
But it definitely made that drive much more interesting. I am a fan of roadside kitch.
Driving to South Dakota, the northern plains landscape was enjoyable.
Lots of rolling hills and buttes and the greenest of pastures.
But the conditions are harsh. Winters must be terrible living on the plains. Homes were few and far between, mostly small ranches and farms that were miles away from each other.
There were lots and lots of abandoned homes along this stretch of road that brought us to South Dakota. Some of them had newer homes built near or next to them. There is something romantic about living in the country, maybe because I watched so much Little House on the Prairie when I was a kid. But being the California girl that I am, it was very hard for me to imagine living in this remote area in such a harsh winter environment.
Besides, all those bugs would eat me alive and I wouldn't last a day.
We started the day at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora. Theodore Roosevelt went to Medora in the 1883 to hunt and become a rancher. As he spent more time in the Dakota Territory, he became alarmed by the damage that was being done to the land and its wildlife. When he became president, he used his authority to protect wildlife and public lands by creating the U.S. Forest Service. During his presidency, he protected approximately 230 million acres of public land. It was in the Dakota Badlands where he developed his national conservancy idealisms.The Badlands is a very rugged, yet beautiful landscape. We explored the area for about an hour.We got to see buffalo again, probably for the last time on this trip.We also saw thousands of prairie dogs in these prairie dog towns.
There were several of these towns in the park and thousands of prairie dogs live in each town.Here's a cute close up of a family of at least 5.Then we headed east just a bit more to The Enchanted Highway.
If you like roadside kitch, then this is the road to travel on. Along this highway there are several massive metal sculptures.You can see how big these things are. The artist started in 1990 and is still making them today.This one, titled "Fisherman's Dream" is his most elaborate one to date.This one is "Grasshoppers in the Field". But there were way more than grasshoppers in this field. Along with the other 5 grasshopper sculptures you can't see in this photo, there were thousands of biting bugs, including my favorite, the nasty mosquito. Getting out to pose for this photo was a mistake because not only did i get bit several times, they wanted to hitch a ride inside the car, too.But it definitely made that drive much more interesting. I am a fan of roadside kitch.Driving to South Dakota, the northern plains landscape was enjoyable.
Lots of rolling hills and buttes and the greenest of pastures.But the conditions are harsh. Winters must be terrible living on the plains. Homes were few and far between, mostly small ranches and farms that were miles away from each other.
There were lots and lots of abandoned homes along this stretch of road that brought us to South Dakota. Some of them had newer homes built near or next to them. There is something romantic about living in the country, maybe because I watched so much Little House on the Prairie when I was a kid. But being the California girl that I am, it was very hard for me to imagine living in this remote area in such a harsh winter environment.Besides, all those bugs would eat me alive and I wouldn't last a day.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Beartooth and Little Bighorn
Onward ho.
Today's destination is North Dakota. The last of Jimmy's 50 states, he's visited all of them. As we crossed the border around 9pm, we did a little ceremonious whoo hoo. Now his task is to get me to the rest of my states, 7 more to go after the conclusion of this road trip.
But before we got to North Dakota, we had to drive over the Beartooth Highway, which takes us through the northern most part of Wyoming and Montana. It traces a series of steep zigzags and switchbacks, along the Montana-Wyoming border to the 10,947 ft (3,337 m) high Beartooth Pass.
You can probably guess why it's called Beartooth Pass.
The route also offered some of the most stunning views of the Rockies.
Today our wildlife sightings were of smaller animals.
An adorable prairie dog.
Very friendly chipmunks. People obviously feed these critters because they came right up to us in multiple locations.
A cute marmot.
And these interesting prairie grouse. We've never seen these before and aren't quite sure what they're called.
But the most emotional part of the trip so far was visiting Little Big Horn Battlefield.
There's no way to summarize what happened here on June 25-26, 1876 between the US Army and the Lakota, Cheyenne, Sioux and Arapaho tribes. I can't just say 'basically it was them against us and very bad shit went down.' Who is them, and who is us and who do we have the compassion for? What I can say it was overwhelmingly emotional for both jimmy and I to be there and walk through the battlefield. We hardly said anything to each other while walking around, except with tears streaming down my face I said "I do not like this place." Jimmy quietly replied in agreement "no."
Today's destination is North Dakota. The last of Jimmy's 50 states, he's visited all of them. As we crossed the border around 9pm, we did a little ceremonious whoo hoo. Now his task is to get me to the rest of my states, 7 more to go after the conclusion of this road trip.
But before we got to North Dakota, we had to drive over the Beartooth Highway, which takes us through the northern most part of Wyoming and Montana. It traces a series of steep zigzags and switchbacks, along the Montana-Wyoming border to the 10,947 ft (3,337 m) high Beartooth Pass.
You can probably guess why it's called Beartooth Pass.The route also offered some of the most stunning views of the Rockies.Today our wildlife sightings were of smaller animals.
An adorable prairie dog.Very friendly chipmunks. People obviously feed these critters because they came right up to us in multiple locations.A cute marmot.And these interesting prairie grouse. We've never seen these before and aren't quite sure what they're called.But the most emotional part of the trip so far was visiting Little Big Horn Battlefield.
There's no way to summarize what happened here on June 25-26, 1876 between the US Army and the Lakota, Cheyenne, Sioux and Arapaho tribes. I can't just say 'basically it was them against us and very bad shit went down.' Who is them, and who is us and who do we have the compassion for? What I can say it was overwhelmingly emotional for both jimmy and I to be there and walk through the battlefield. We hardly said anything to each other while walking around, except with tears streaming down my face I said "I do not like this place." Jimmy quietly replied in agreement "no."
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Grand Finale
Today was our last day in Yellowstone.
We woke up at 4am in the hopes to spot some wolves. From what we read, it was unlikely because there are so few wolves in the park, only about 80-90. But Jimmy learned that the Lamar Valley would be the likeliest place to spot them. They're usually out in the early morning sunrise and at dusk. So we headed out before sunrise, not really expecting to see any but hoping for the best. But the Lamar Valley is teaming with other wildlife, so even if we didn't see any, it would be a beautiful sight regardless.
Pronghorn sheep and buffalo.
When we got to the valley, we had no idea where to stop. Jimmy said to find a group of people with scopes and binoculars and we'd stop near them.
So when we saw this big group of people that looked like they knew what they were doing, we pulled the car over. Turned out they were part of the Yellowstone wolf project that oversees the restoration of wolves in the park.
But Jimmy and I were too shy to actually ask for specific information, but we happened to be standing next to them so we did a bit of eavesdropping. Early on, we heard about a bear, but nothing about wolves. And we didn't see the bear, either.
But within 5 minutes, Jimmy saw this one lone wolf on the far side of the lamar River! It was at least 1/2 a mile from us, but we were already super excited to see it! She was beautiful!
Then about 5 minutes later we saw another wolf walking the opposite direction on our side of the river. We watched him till he crossed the river, then we lost sight of him.
But most of the people were looking in the opposite direction that we were. So Jimmy started scanning the area that their scopes were all pointed and noticed a bunch of crows hovering around a big mound of something. Then he spotted the 2 wolves nearby.
You can see the crows and the mound of something on the left, and the 2 wolves on the right. They are at least a mile away from where we were standing.
We were so excited to see them together! It really is unlikely to see them at all since their population is so small.
We knew that there must be a carcass where that mound was because of the crows. And when Jimmy looked through his binoculars, he could see glints of red. Then we noticed that the 'mound' moved, so it was another animal, we assumed another wolf.
But we were wrong.
The 'mound' stood up and we realized it was a grizzly bear! The wolves hovered for a while around the bear and carcass, but didn't seem to chase off the bear or visa versa. They stayed in the perimeter.
But then some bison came in towards the trio. The bear left right way, didn't want to mess with the buffalo. We assumed because he had already had his fill.
But with the bear gone, the wolves quickly went in for their meal. The bison tried to threaten them, but the wolves stood their ground.
You can see the bear leaving at the top of the photo.
One of the bison would chase one of the wolves. But the other bison didn't chase the other one away, just stood guard. They tag teamed each wolf, but while one wolf was being chased, the other one ate.
This lasted for a while, but the buffalo gave up and the wolves were left to feed till they were full.
We stayed and watched for over 2 hours.
We don't know what the carcass was. I'm completely guessing, assuming it was a buffalo because of how aggressive the bison were with the wolves. But that is a total assumption.
One of the guys on the wolf project talked to a group of teenagers about how they track them so we walked over to them and listened in. The 2 wolves we saw were male and female from a pack of about 7 or 9 wolves. They have collars that help locate where the wolves are. Their territory is about 30 miles.
We saw a few more things that morning and afternoon before leaving the park. But we sure were glad that we woke up early, despite how tired we were the rest of the day. It was a great way to end our Yellowstone adventures.
All of my photos are pretty blurry. They were really far away and I had my camera on full 300mm zoom. Jimmy saw them with his binoculars that makes things about twice as zoomed in as my lens does, and once he spotted her, I pointed my camera in that same area and just hope for a good shot because I really couldn't see anything besides a black dot through my viewfinder.
We woke up at 4am in the hopes to spot some wolves. From what we read, it was unlikely because there are so few wolves in the park, only about 80-90. But Jimmy learned that the Lamar Valley would be the likeliest place to spot them. They're usually out in the early morning sunrise and at dusk. So we headed out before sunrise, not really expecting to see any but hoping for the best. But the Lamar Valley is teaming with other wildlife, so even if we didn't see any, it would be a beautiful sight regardless.
Pronghorn sheep and buffalo.When we got to the valley, we had no idea where to stop. Jimmy said to find a group of people with scopes and binoculars and we'd stop near them.
So when we saw this big group of people that looked like they knew what they were doing, we pulled the car over. Turned out they were part of the Yellowstone wolf project that oversees the restoration of wolves in the park.But Jimmy and I were too shy to actually ask for specific information, but we happened to be standing next to them so we did a bit of eavesdropping. Early on, we heard about a bear, but nothing about wolves. And we didn't see the bear, either.
But within 5 minutes, Jimmy saw this one lone wolf on the far side of the lamar River! It was at least 1/2 a mile from us, but we were already super excited to see it! She was beautiful!Then about 5 minutes later we saw another wolf walking the opposite direction on our side of the river. We watched him till he crossed the river, then we lost sight of him.But most of the people were looking in the opposite direction that we were. So Jimmy started scanning the area that their scopes were all pointed and noticed a bunch of crows hovering around a big mound of something. Then he spotted the 2 wolves nearby.
You can see the crows and the mound of something on the left, and the 2 wolves on the right. They are at least a mile away from where we were standing.We were so excited to see them together! It really is unlikely to see them at all since their population is so small.
We knew that there must be a carcass where that mound was because of the crows. And when Jimmy looked through his binoculars, he could see glints of red. Then we noticed that the 'mound' moved, so it was another animal, we assumed another wolf.
But we were wrong.
The 'mound' stood up and we realized it was a grizzly bear! The wolves hovered for a while around the bear and carcass, but didn't seem to chase off the bear or visa versa. They stayed in the perimeter.But then some bison came in towards the trio. The bear left right way, didn't want to mess with the buffalo. We assumed because he had already had his fill.
But with the bear gone, the wolves quickly went in for their meal. The bison tried to threaten them, but the wolves stood their ground.You can see the bear leaving at the top of the photo.
One of the bison would chase one of the wolves. But the other bison didn't chase the other one away, just stood guard. They tag teamed each wolf, but while one wolf was being chased, the other one ate.This lasted for a while, but the buffalo gave up and the wolves were left to feed till they were full.We stayed and watched for over 2 hours.
We don't know what the carcass was. I'm completely guessing, assuming it was a buffalo because of how aggressive the bison were with the wolves. But that is a total assumption.
One of the guys on the wolf project talked to a group of teenagers about how they track them so we walked over to them and listened in. The 2 wolves we saw were male and female from a pack of about 7 or 9 wolves. They have collars that help locate where the wolves are. Their territory is about 30 miles.
We saw a few more things that morning and afternoon before leaving the park. But we sure were glad that we woke up early, despite how tired we were the rest of the day. It was a great way to end our Yellowstone adventures.All of my photos are pretty blurry. They were really far away and I had my camera on full 300mm zoom. Jimmy saw them with his binoculars that makes things about twice as zoomed in as my lens does, and once he spotted her, I pointed my camera in that same area and just hope for a good shot because I really couldn't see anything besides a black dot through my viewfinder.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Why is Yellowstone called Yellowstone?
This is kinda pathetic, but we din't realize this till about 40 minutes after walking around the area of Yellowstone that's called "The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone"...
Jimmy said "Do you think this is why it's called Yellowstone?"
Well, we don't know for sure, and I'm waay too tired to look it up right now, but it does seem pretty obvious that's why it's called Yellowstone, right?
The Yellowstone waterfall is in the Grand Canyon part, too. That's the Yellowstone River carving its way though the canyon.
It's much more yellow than it appears in those photos. It was a very cloudy day. In fact, we had a downpour within a few minutes after getting back in the car. But the canyons are also orange, pink and brown. But the dominate color is yellow.
We saw a lot more stinky geysers and springs today, too. The Midway Geyser Basin had 2 of the biggest and probably the most beautiful spring.
You can't tell from my photo here, but this Grand Prismatic Spring was breathtaking, even though we could only see it from the side. Interestingly, the steam that was coming off it reflected the blues, greens, yellows and oranges of the geyser.
Check out this amazing photo of the same geyser from above...
I got this image from here.
But this day wasn't just about the land.
Oh no.
We saw even more wildlife today.
Within 20 minutes of entering the park, we saw a bunch of people pulled off the side of the road. That's always a huge clue that something's been spotted. Jimmy said "Unless it's a bear, we should keep going, we've got a lot to see today." In other words, if it's just bison, we won't stop. Which after you've been here for a day or 2, you realize how many there are, you will see them everywhere!
Well, low and behold, it was a bear!! We stopped just in time to watch it walk up a steep hillside before disappearing from sight.
By the way, this may look like a brown bear, but it's called a black bear. Because grizzly bears are also called brown bears. That's not at all confusing, is it?
Watching bison cross a river is definitely worth stopping for and watching. That was super cool.
And watching baby bison run around and play was also worth stopping for and watching for 10 minutes or so. They were kicking up a lot of dirt running around and chasing each other. It was absolutely adorable!
We saw a lot of elk, too. But this was the only one we saw that had a full big rack of antlers. He's looking pretty regal, isn't he?
We were just about done with our day in the park. We got caught up in some road construction, so we were backed up in a long line of cars. Which we are actually grateful for because we spotted this HUGE guy sauntering along the hillside...
Now that is a grizzly bear! He was huge and just walking along, practically oblivious to the cars and the construction around him.
We were in Yellowstone for 10 hours on our 2nd day in Yellowstone, and going the whole time. We even brought lunch with us to eat while viewing the sights.
And tomorrow's adventure starts at 4am!
Jimmy said "Do you think this is why it's called Yellowstone?" Well, we don't know for sure, and I'm waay too tired to look it up right now, but it does seem pretty obvious that's why it's called Yellowstone, right?
The Yellowstone waterfall is in the Grand Canyon part, too. That's the Yellowstone River carving its way though the canyon.It's much more yellow than it appears in those photos. It was a very cloudy day. In fact, we had a downpour within a few minutes after getting back in the car. But the canyons are also orange, pink and brown. But the dominate color is yellow.We saw a lot more stinky geysers and springs today, too. The Midway Geyser Basin had 2 of the biggest and probably the most beautiful spring.
You can't tell from my photo here, but this Grand Prismatic Spring was breathtaking, even though we could only see it from the side. Interestingly, the steam that was coming off it reflected the blues, greens, yellows and oranges of the geyser.Check out this amazing photo of the same geyser from above...
I got this image from here.But this day wasn't just about the land.
Oh no.
We saw even more wildlife today.
Within 20 minutes of entering the park, we saw a bunch of people pulled off the side of the road. That's always a huge clue that something's been spotted. Jimmy said "Unless it's a bear, we should keep going, we've got a lot to see today." In other words, if it's just bison, we won't stop. Which after you've been here for a day or 2, you realize how many there are, you will see them everywhere!
Well, low and behold, it was a bear!! We stopped just in time to watch it walk up a steep hillside before disappearing from sight.By the way, this may look like a brown bear, but it's called a black bear. Because grizzly bears are also called brown bears. That's not at all confusing, is it?
Watching bison cross a river is definitely worth stopping for and watching. That was super cool.And watching baby bison run around and play was also worth stopping for and watching for 10 minutes or so. They were kicking up a lot of dirt running around and chasing each other. It was absolutely adorable!We saw a lot of elk, too. But this was the only one we saw that had a full big rack of antlers. He's looking pretty regal, isn't he?We were just about done with our day in the park. We got caught up in some road construction, so we were backed up in a long line of cars. Which we are actually grateful for because we spotted this HUGE guy sauntering along the hillside...
Now that is a grizzly bear! He was huge and just walking along, practically oblivious to the cars and the construction around him.We were in Yellowstone for 10 hours on our 2nd day in Yellowstone, and going the whole time. We even brought lunch with us to eat while viewing the sights.
And tomorrow's adventure starts at 4am!
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