'Getting Out More'

The seasons here in Yellowstone include the invasion of huge swarms of mosquitoes from early June until early July.  We couldn't really get out much when the bugs ruled, so it is nice that they have moved on especially when Terry's uncle Rex came to visit.  On the evening of his arrival he asked us about wildlife in the campground and we said it had been a month since we'd seen bison roaming through.  An hour after he left we heard a strange bleating and looked out to see our now frequent guest Princess.

Rex's visit gave us a chance to visit the Midway Geyser Basin in the cool of early morning.  The cool air makes the hot pools such as Grand Prismatic steam blue and orange as the bacteria causing the color lifts from the pool.  It is an amazing sight!

The early morning light also made the Firehole River in the distance an eye catcher on this crisp morning.

The next day we headed north over the Dunraven Pass toward the Lamar Valley.  The clouds were just lifting from the mountains to the east.

The Lamar Valley did not disappoint with lots of bison and a mother black bear and her twin cubs.  I was too busy watching the very busy bears to get a photo, but the grazing bison were content in their summer home in the hills.  The grassy hills studded with pines make a perfect setting.  We were so happy that Rex came to visit and we could explore with him.

About 2 weeksWe also had a nice hike to Cascade Lake.  On our first attempt about a month ago the mosquitoes turned us around.  So it was nice to cross three lovely, dry, flower covered meadows to the Lake.

The Lake was full of jumping fish, dabbling ducks and osprey diving for their lunch.  I sat and stared while Terry tried to make a radio connection with his Western states network.  The net came in loud and clear, but the hills around kept his signal from getting out.  Maybe we'll find a better spot.  The wildflowers were everywhere and you can see the1988 fire damage on the hill across the lake.  The large pines giving us shade were not affected.

We hated to leave such a lovely spot.