The Road Less Traveled

Day 8 - Last Day in Montana (and we have mud pots!)

After a good dinner and a good night's sleep, we were both ready to get on the road again. We left around 10:00 and went straight to West Yellowstone then back into the park. Our first stop was in the Geyser Basin at the Fountain Mud Pots. These Mud Pots aren't much to look at but they sure put on a good sound show. With the extra rain during the week, most of the Mud Pots were quite "noisy" and sputtered and spouted mud everywhere. Don't ask me why I like these , but I sure do!

After viewing a few mud pots and geysers, we turned toward Fishing Bridge, past Mary Bay and towards the East Gate of Yellowstone. There was very little traffic in this direction. We were surrounded by Buffalo as we passed the bridge. They were walking up the road, laying on the side and running through the trees and if one decided to cross the road, the whole herd would follow. We saw lots of calves with this herd.
We stopped for a rest at Sylvan Pass because Keith was convinced there were Big Horn Sheep on the mountain. We didn't see them at the first stop, but a mile down the road when we stopped again, there they were. Seven ewes at the top of the mountain, out in the sun and walking toward the summit. We had to use the spotting scope to watch them. It was great to see them!
We made our way back to the Fishing Bridge and stopped for an early dinner. We then headed back to Tower, hoping to see some more wildlife in the late afternoon. We got as far as Hayden Valley when we stopped to ask what everyone was looking at and we heard "wolves". We pulled the truck in and didn't have to go any further. We spent the next several hours watching and waiting for the 5 wolves to show themselves. We found out later, that these wolves are considered a group rather than a pack, because they have not yet made a den or raised pups. They relocated themselves in the Hayden Valley after being pushed out by a larger pack of wolves in Mammoth. After climbing to the top of a hill and setting up the spotting scope, we were rewarded with a great view.
After sunset, we headed back to Big Sky and to pack up for home. We had the best time in Montana. So much to see and so much to do!!

Critter Count: Big Horn Sheep, Buffalo, Elk, Wolves