And the deer and the antelope play....

It was our last day in Jackson, WY and was as interesting as the previous four days. To begin the day we missed a turn and headed east instead of north. An extra 40 miles of driving, but Robert Frost would be proud of us. As we returned to the main highway we came upon a half dozen cowboys and cowgirls--the real thing--herding about 75 cattle from one pasture to another. In order to get the job done they had to cross our highway. Traffic from both directions stopped and tourists jumped out with their cameras to record the event. When you look at the pictures take note of the steer with big horns. I believe he could have cleared the road quickly if he had gotten away from the herd. It's amazing to watch these experts work their cutting horses. It's big livestock country in Wyoming, but this is the first time that we've seen a herd being worked.

Today we saw mule deer for the first time and also saw "Bullwinkel". Moose are in abundance in Yellowstone, but sightings are not as common as elk, bison and deer. We also saw a bison with a new born calf. I suspect that the calf was only a few days old as it was staggering around trying to get it's feet working together while trying to nurse. If you look carefully at the two consecutive pictures of mother bison, you'll see the calf underfoot.

We had lunch at a small restaurant at one of Yellowstone's lodges. Again we were surprised to discover that our server was a student at the College of Charleston and the host attended the University of Georgia. Everywhere we've turned we have run into young people from our neck of the woods. Almost all of them are summer help. This particular lodge had one summer worker that is 85 years old. We may apply for jobs there next summer.

Now for a little drama! During the afternoon as we began to work our way back to Jackson, we saw a bison charging what appeared to be a large dog. We got the glasses out and discovered that it was a wolf stalking one of the calves. The wolf only retreated a few feet after the bison stopped his/her charge. Apparently the wolf had been stalking for an extended period of time. We watched this cat and mouse game for about fifteen minutes until the wolf went off after smaller prey. Several other vehicles had stopped also to watch the drama.. The wolf was first spotted about 150 yards from the road by a young child. We've seen this situation over and over where a preteen first spots the wolf, moose, elk, etc. There are three pictures of the wolf and the herd, but they will need to be enlarged to spot the wolf at work.

We ended the day at the rangers' headquarters where elk and deer grazed in the yards and tourists attempted to station themselves so that they could be photographed with the animals in the background.

Sadly we depart Jackson Friday morning, but we will be seeking new adventures the next ten days in Utah and Colorado.