Bison - not a buffalo. (I still make the mistake of sometimes referring to these as those.) Marvelous, massive creatures; responsible for most of the traffic jams in the park.
Grand canyon of the Yellowstone, with Yellowstone Falls
Our first morning into the park - not even a mile in when the traffic came to a crawl. I was not in vacation / relaxation mode yet - was driving in NYC traffic only days before and quickly found myself frustrated by the delay, believing that either there were too many people already in the park or that the the folks up ahead were enjoying a wildlife spectacle that was sure to be over by the time we got to wherever it was happening. But then it happened; a park ranger was up ahead at a side pull-off that was full, trying to keep the traffic moving instead of waiting for an open spot. And as we approached a car pulled out and we pulled in to see this; a small herd of elk being chaperoned by this incredible bull!. My camera ever at the ready, we hopped out of the car and gazed with wonder from the bank of the creek. And I quickly lost my annoyance at the traffic jam, overcoming my FOMO.
We were here in September, towards the tail end of the bison rut, so we got to observe a few of these jousting matches (while keeping a safe distance).
Old Faithful - we thought we broke it...long story!
Lamar Valley - out of the house at 5 AM with hopes of seeing the wolves! There were numerous vehicles pulled off the side of the road and everyone was abuzz because they were there. When we finally found a place we could park, I grabbed my tripod and gear, running to an overlook and there they were in the valley far below. Only problem was in the excitement I forgot my 2x teleconverter that would have boosted my 600MM lens to get much better shots. Happens to me too often when exciting things happen that I'm photographing. I forget critical settings or to check the ISO or what not. But anyway, we saw the wolves!!!
Why are the pronghorn hanging out in the valley with the wolves?!? Because wolves cannot catch them at their running speed of 60 mph!
Grand Prismatic Spring... simply incredible!
More amazing thermal features - the travertine terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs
A Youtube star - the crazy elk of Mammoth Hot Springs.
Waterfalls; there are 45 named waterfalls in Yellowstone - and hundreds unnamed.
They are iconic - including the fly-fisherman in the foreground.
The biggest (and most chill) bull elk we encountered.
Yellowstone Lake with the Abrasoka Mountains in the background, snow on the peaks already. It was a cold September day.
