Northeast Yellowstone-Lamar Valley

One of the best things about being here at Yellowstone is the unexpected knocks on the door when Anthony comes to visit.  We miss working with him as we did at Great Basin, but touring the Park that he knows so well with him is a delight!  Our second adventure together was an area about 40 miles northeast of Madison in the Lamar Valley.  This area is one of two valleys known for wildlife and it is more remote and less traveled.  We had not ventured that far north yet.  We went over Dunraven Pass below Mt. Washburn to the Tower Falls Area.

Snow is still melting in this area so the Falls was very impressive!  We had a quick lunch at the grill there.  A big waffle cone of the local Montana dairy-Double Chocolate Almond ice cream was a great choice for me!

The Lamar Valley quickly proved itself when Anthony spotted a bear on the ridge.  We dived into one of the last spaces in a pullout to get some pictures. ( If you click on the picture, it will enlarge. ) All my closeups show the bear nose down enjoying his breakfast.

In the next few miles we began to see lots of Bison and calves.  The meadow strewn hills behind the herd made a perfect setting for photos.

The Lamar River makes this lovely valley and Anthony knew a great spot for a walk down to the river edge.  The mud didn't reveal any wolf tracks, but the flowers in full bloom made me want a closeup view.

Terry and Anthony stayed behind to enjoy the river sights and sounds.

The roadway leaves the Valley and gets into high mountains and forests as it leaves Yellowstone and enters 2 small towns, Silver Gate and Cooke City, MT.  We stopped for a snack near this cabin under the still snowy peak at the northeast Park Entrance.

All the beauty we saw in this one corner of the Park made Anthony's comment so true that located anywhere else this would be Lamar Valley National Park.  The entire trip was almost more beauty in a day than we could take in.  We found several trails we'd like to wander next time!!

Old Faithful Inn Flag Ceremony

The Old Faithful Inn is one of those magnificent old log lodges of the National Parks.  It has survived earthquake, wind and fire literally.  If you notice the roofline it has flags and pennants around a rooftop walk.  Each morning and evening an employee raises and lowers the flag.  One of the host couples we work with arranged a tour for us that included lowering the flag.  It was quite an experience!!!!

We waited for our guide in the chairs below the fireplace chimney.  He led us up to the 3rd balcony level and then unlocked the stairs to the 'Crow's Nest'.  The stairs got more and more narrow as we climbed and at the very peak of the roof he took us to the 'Tree House' included by the architect who always wanted one as a child.

Each twisty, curving log was selected by the builders and all came from the Park!  It was a total surprise to find such a space so high in the dark rooftop.  Some light from the top windows is visible in the background!  Before the 1959 Earthquake visitors were allowed to visit this area.  We were assured it was still safe for us - 56 years later!  Below is a view of it and the walkway to it from the lobby.

The stairs are on the far end wall and the Tree House floor and top are visible where the stairs end.  You can see how dark and high it is!  A little scary!  and one of our hosts has a fear of heights, but she pushed through to the flying colors on top.  From the Tree House level we went outside to climb stairs on the roof to the 'Crow's Nest' walkway and flags.

The view across the Geyser Hill is fantastic.  As you can see it was quite windy and cold up there!

After our guide took down the Montana Flag, our two veteran hosts lowered the American Flag, Dave and Terry.

After the lowering, they folded the flag properly and handed it off to our guide!  We felt so honored to be part of the daily ritual and appreciated being invited by our fellow hosts, Liz and Randy.

After we made the even more challenging descent, we headed right to the Lounge/Bar to celebrate the experience with a drink and pub supper!!  It was great to share such a fine time with our fellow hosts in a most unique Old Faithful Inn event.