Wildlife Count for May 13 Yellwostone Trip Pt. 2

The first pic in this last group is of a young bighorn just down the road from Tower Falls. There were three of them that came down the cliff scaring the hell out of us because of the sing that said "Danger - falling rock" and the cloud of dust and rock they rained down on the road.

The next two pics have black bears you can actually see! The first was right along side the road in the Lamarr Valley. The second one was in the river off the highway. Had to use the digital zoom to get him into frame.

The next pic is a bald eagle. He followed the road for quite a ways, but the first chance I finally got to pull over and stick the camera out the window, he was pretty far away. If you click on the picture, you can still make out the white head.

The last picture is of one of the last animals we saw when we left the Park through Gardiner. When we came in, there were perhaps a dozen or more elk in the Mammoth Springs campground having breakfast along with more than a few bison chowing in between tents.

Major animal count for the day:
1 Grizz
3 Black Bears (1 w/cub)
2 Mountain Goats
1 Bald Eagle
3 Bighorns (with little horns)
1 Peregrine Falcon in nest w/4 eggs (in Yellowstone Canyon north of Tower Falls)

Wildlife Count for May 13 Yellwostone Trip Pt. 1

Ok, some of these you need to just trust me on. We had a great day in Yellowstone as far as spotting wildlife. About the only thing we didn't see were any wolf. We were in the Lamarr Valley near Soda Butte where a gaggle of people were pulled over and we asked if they had spotted any wolves and this pri---, I mean JERK of a guy looks at Jenn and sniffs, "Yes, wolves," and turns his back on us. We didn't want to stop and peep through his spotting scope.

The very top one of the Lamarr River has a grizzly on the other side of the river. we watched him through our binoculars for about 20 minutes or so until he waddled up into the trees and we lost track of him.

The second one with two white dots in the middle of the picture is two mountain goats. I pulled the car over to take some pictures of the waterfalls that were coming down the canyon walls. When I got back to the car, there were a few people looking into spotting scopes. I asked if they were watching the falls and the snowslides we kept hearing and they said no, it was a couple of mountain goats they had their eyes on. The picture you see was taken just like that. I was playing with the digital zoom and took their picture without even knowing it. We watched them awhile throught the binocs, too.

The third picture is one of three or four trumpeter swans we saw.

The fourth pic has a mama bear and a baby bear. Jenn got out and watched them for quite awhile while I hovered over our sleeping beauty in the back seat. By the time I went to look, I was watching only the mama, the cub was hidden behind a tree. They're both there in the middle of the triple-clump of trees.

The last pic of of some pronghorn and bison grazing and sunning.

"How Good I Slept"

6:46 am? I let you guys sleep in! lets get to the Park! Damn, this bag is warm! How'd you guys do? 

Snug and Warm

This is how he slept...hat on like Mom and Dad and face buried inside the sleeping bag. 

Colter's First Night in a Tent

At least since he was three months old, that is. We stayed at the KOA in Paradise Valley, so we'd be only about 45 miles from Yellowstone. Colter stayed up til after 10:00 but went to sleep right in between Jenn and I and slept through the night in the warmest sleeping bag in our tent. Jenn and I weren't completely prepared for the cold, but he was bundled just right. 

This Is Why We Moved

Okay, granted, this was taken back at the beginning of May, so that makes me a little late on posting some new pics. But I'm gonna go nuts with posting to catch up. And yes, I am damn near bald now. I told Jenn in the beginning of May to take the last clip off of the trimmer when she did my hair. She's now cutting it Marine style...right to the scalp. I've gotten to the point where if I have about half an inch growth I feel like a hippie! Not gonna happen in the winter, though...I may just grow it long enough to see if I can see curls again.

PS - taken at the Spanish Peaks trailhead where we saw the wolves.

Are You Happy You Moved?

 

Reading, writing and arithmetic

We've been in Bozeman now for almost three months. For the past three months, Colter has been attending speech therapy weekly with a speech pathologist whom he loves. For about the last month I've been keeping track of his "new" words. We started with "mama" and "dada" and have quickly progressed in the last two weeks. Funny thing is he started "school" about two weeks ago. Maybe it's just a coincidence but I wonder if it doesn't have to do with him having to communicate his needs to someone other than the two people who know what he wants without having to say anything, mommy and daddy.

Here's what he's been working on...

moo
baa
neigh
meow
woof
up
down
on
off
in
out
blue
done
go
yep
more
help
bulb
hoo hoo (owl)
he also knows just about every sound of the alphabet and can count to 5 with his fingers

"New" words this week...
hi
bye-bye
mama up
dada up
bubble
green
no (here it is, the end of the world as we know it!)
gone
uh-oh
light

Of course we're ecstatic he's picking up new words but he's also hitting the "terrible twos." Tantrums, throwing and adimantly saying "no" are just a few of the things we get to look forward to each day.

Jackson and Jackson

This is my friend Mike's little boy, Jackson. Jackson is three months older than Colter. When we took Colter on vacation when he was only three months old, one of places we spent the day in was...Jackson. I had to get him a shirt with his "name" on it. I can't believe it was 18 months ago we got Jackson his shirt. Colter's almost ready to fit into the Huber University t-shirt Grampa got him. 

Cutie patootie with a capital C

 

A is for apraxia

As most of you know Colter has been seeing a speech pathologist. There's nothing better than the doctor's telling you they think something could be wrong with your child. The term they used was apraxia. Of course, since he's only 22 months they cannot tell us for sure but have told us that if it is apraxia we're getting help at an opportune time. We've been trying to keep it all in stride. I haven't researched apraxia for the simple reason being that I don't want to know. It's too early to tell if that's what it is so I just want to let things progress or not progress as they may and listen to the pathologist.

It's tough for a little guy his age. He has so many things he wants to say but just can't seem to get the words out. Of course this causes frustration on his and our part so to help him out he uses certain signs so he can communicate his needs. "Eat" and "more" are used on a daily basis. We've moved on from just signing to making the letter sounds along with the sign. Example, "mmmm" and the sign for "more." He picks up the signs and the sounds like nothing so that's promising.

Words he's picked up this week:

Moo
Ba
Walk (when prompted to add the sounds "whaaaa" with "ck)
Bue (for blue)
and something that sounded like "Lola" (from the cartoon "Charlie and Lola")

wildlife sighting #2

Same day at the Spanish Peaks.

Crane, Denny Crane 

Wildlife sighting

We spotted this heading home from the Spanish Peaks. No it's not a dog...or a coyote...it's a wolf! Actually there were three that were on the hill in front of us as we rounded a turn. They scattered uphill, then, after watching us for a few moments headed up over that hill. This picture doesn't do it's size justice since we were totally caught off guard and scrambling for the camera.

I love the smell of sulphur in the morning

If this doesn't just melt your heart. A father and son at the thermals in Yellowstone; a place you can toot and nobody will know. 

We're not in Minnesota anymore

This is called a "bison jam." During peak season in Yellowstone this activity can jam up traffic for blocks. Luckily, it's not peak season and the tourists aren't around to clog up the roads yet. It was 50 degrees and beautiful. 

True to his namesake

I think Colter's a natural. We didn't hand him this stick. He picked it up himself. It must be the genes. 

Mama's Little Helper

I'm never buying toys again. A broom makes him happy. A broom, people! I'm grinning ear to ear right now. On to the bathroom. Let's learn to clean the toilets! 

Can you smell the clean air?

Now this is a park! Just look at that view. This is about a mile and a half from our place and right across the street from Grandma and Grandpa Simmons' new townhome. 

150,000 and Counting

This Sunday, our Monte Carlo rolled over 150,000 miles. We got the Monte in the summer of 1998 and promptly took it on vacation to Red Lodge, Montana. Starting with that first trip to Montana, here's all the places our beloved Monte had been:

• Trip to Montana


• Trip to Minnestoa


• Trip to Canada


• Trip to Denver & LA


• Moved Back to Minnesota


• Two more trips to Montana (with one more side trip to Canada)


• One last trip to Montana with 3-month old Colter.


• And lastly, back to Bozeman.
  

Sure It's A Nice Sculpture, But Is It Art?

I saw this little guy on my way back into town on Monday, but haven't had a chance to post it til now. I'm really excited about seeing more wildlife than just dead racoons on the side of the highway like you see every two miles in Minneapolis.

Of course, anyone looking for more information on the song that's going through everyone's head that reads this can go here.

Sunrise This Morning

This is the view from my hotel window at 6:32 this morning. I wish I had had the camera last night so I could have gotten sunset. We had about four inches of snow starting about 5:30am (i know cuz i was on my way to work then) til 10:00 or so. Then the sun came out and we hit the mid-40's. There's something wonderful to be said about weather like that. Miss you, Jenny and give Colter a big hug from Daddy. 

Downtown Miles City

Here's a few pics from downtown. I've always loved the neons on the bars on Main Street. Took some pictures and sampled some wares afterwards. Had a few Bud Lights and a pizza and went to bed.

Coming from helping manage a liquor store, a few observations:

1. Montanans aren't too keen on Miller products. In every cooler, Bud Light outweighed Miller Lite at least 4:1 in shelf space. There was NO Miller Genuine Draft/Light.
2. Coors Light was a close second.
3. Tequila is not apparently as big here as in The Cities. Two bars didn't even have any behind the bar and one had a "generic" label gold tequila that wasn't even open.
4. The bars don't fill up until after 11:30 or so one server told me. One bar (Range Rider) wasn't even open Sunday or Monday because of how little traffic they get.
5. Very surprised at the amount of "Brokeback" jokes being told. Figured everyone out here might have had their fill by now. 'Course, this is Montana, not Wyoming.

Subs at 7am? Yes! And biscuits and gravy, too!

Can I just say that the Miles City, Montana Subway rocks! It opens at 7am for breakfast. Not a big deal for some folks, but for someone who can't stand eggs and thus has an impossible time getting breakfast, this was a godsend!

And yes, I'm serious about the biscuits and gravy.

The Historic Olive Hotel in Miles City, Montana

I decided to stay in the Historic Olive Hotel in downtown Miles City. Always wanted to do that and it was kinda cool in a kitchy way. Turns out I'm actually related to the new owners. They bought it from an Indian company that owns chains all over the States. The old company never put any money into it, so it was beginning to look a little raggedy around the edges. She told me how they just put in a new boiler and all the rooms would have individual heat. They're working on moving the bar back farther in the lounge so they can set up a new dancefloor in time for the Bucking Horse Sale in May. The dining room will be a big draw for the hotel and will be open next week. Dad and I are going to meet in Miles City in a couple of weeks, so we're gonna stay there for the night.

Here's some pics from the Historic Olive Hotel:

• The first pic shows the lovely decor.
• The second shows the gentle upslope at the end of the bed.
• The third and fourth are to be looked at together to see just how small the bathroom was. Note in one of the pics the edge of the toilet and how close to the shower it is along with the bathmat. In the other, you can see the towel on the floor. Snugglin' close.
  

Oh yeah...forgot my pillow there today, too.