Gardiner (Yellowstone NP - Lamar Valley)

This morning I left at first light to visit the Lamar Valley. I was particularly interested in sighting wolves as they are known to inhabit this region. I saw lots of bison and a couple of coyotes. Piggybacking on other more experienced people, I was able to see a few wolves. They were far away and elusive. And they didn’t hang around. The couple I tried to photograph were but a speck in my 700mm lens, and backlit to boot. I saw far more people with spotting scopes than with cameras. Apparently trying to find the wolves is a thing - folks spend hours, days, weeks looking for them. I spent some time with Stephanie and Scott. They live in Wyoming and knew what they were doing. Never mind the photo, I was pleased to have seen a few. I think capturing a decent photo is a much more serious endeavor than driving a road for a day.

This is my last day in Montana, such as it is. Because I can’t drive through Yellowstone NP, I have to go around and stray into Idaho to get to Jackson Hole, where I will have limited access to Grand Teton NP. As such, I will spend a couple of nights in West Yellowstone to break up the drive.