Our Favorite YNP Campground has REOPENED

As I mentioned in the last post we returned early due to the power issues in Tin Can Allie. Thankfully it was a quick 'fix'...at least we think it is fixed. The problem seems to be an incompatibility problem between the oldest lithium battery and the two newer ones. Before we left Utah the old battery was only showing 3 volts on the meter and the other two were at 8 volts...that's really B.A.D. We disconnected all the batteries from each other & the trailer before hitching up & hitting the road. 

Once back in town all the batteries were rechecked...the newer two had recovered back to 13 volts, but the older one displayed a code "check with customer support". Well that can't be good & certainly seemed like a quick fix...remove the old one and hook just the two new ones together. All three batteries worked well during our last camping trip this past August so we are not 100% sure the solar system is actually fixed. 

Everything charged back up fine in the driveway so we thought we'd look for another camping opportunity close to town. As luck would have it Yellowstone's Mammoth Hot Springs Campground reopened on May 24th. 

North Entrance Road post flood

It has been closed since June 2022 due to the 1 in 500 year Flood. We were camping in Mammoth and actually left the day before it hit. 

We decided after returning to camp late afternoon to pack up & head home. Between the weather calling for heavy rain throughout the night and next day, Bridger having Giardia & a grizzly wandering around camp looking for elk calves the decision was pretty easy...as it turned out we dodged a very big event. 

The rain started as we hitched up the trailer with both Yellowstone & Gardner Rivers looking very angry as we left the Park. These shots were taken in August 2022 when the Park allowed you to hike or bike out on the destroyed road along the Gardner River. We biked in and then hiked a bit further along the canyon. 

North Entrance Road post Flood

We were awestruck at the devastation to the roadway. Water does what water does and made a new path through the area...wiped out the sewer lines and moved rocks that we never thought would move in our lifetime. 

After being closed for two years the campground opened while we were in Utah. Since no one anticipated it opening there were sites available for the week. Bridger went back to his spa and we headed to the Park. Perfect weather to test the system and our new cameras.

June has always been a great time in the Park. The early wildflowers are blooming and everything is bright green. The weather is usually cool so lots of animals are out & about during the day. After getting the trailer all set we wandered off to see what critters we could spot during the late morning.

Trumpeter swan on nest as mate feeds nearby

First stop was Swan Lake to see if the Trumpeter Swans had a nest. Not sure if it is always the same pair, but the last few years there has been a successful nest on the lake. Even during the flood year when it looked like the nest had been flooded cygnets were hatched and fledged before the lake froze in October. 

This year there is another nest in the same spot as last year's nest. One swan was sitting on the nest with the mate swimming nearby. We could not tell if any eggs have hatched since the swan did not get up off the nest. Unfortunately, We never saw any cygnets.

However, since we were there a few photos of 5 cygnets have surfaced on a Yellowstone site we follow...we've got to head back & check it out soon.

Pair of trumpeter swans at nest

It is always difficult to decided where to head next...toward Hayden Valley or back toward Tower Junction. We decided to head toward Hayden Valley and have a picnic somewhere along the road over Mount Washburn. The Park wasn't crazy busy which was a surprise...no bear or bison jams which was nice. 

Harlequin drake sits on rock

After our lunch we decided to see if one of my favorite birds, Harlequin ducks were still hanging out on the Yellowstone River. They usually show up in May and hang around until late June.

The drake is such a beautiful bird when the sun is shining brightly on its feathers. A bit tricky to get a good shot of them since the sun never seems to be in the right spot. 

The female is a drab brown color with white cheek patches. We seem to see very few females so have assumed they are sitting on nests. No idea where & we've never seen any ducklings. 

Female Harlequin

This duck has the ability to 'swim' through rapids in search of food. In the Yellowstone River they hang out in the middle of Le Hardy Rapids during June. 

According to Cornell's All About Birds these ducks pick out the most dangerous whitewater areas to breed and feed which leads to these ducks living with broken bones. Its nuts watching them move through the rough water. This year there were only four hanging out on a log and a couple of others swimming the rapids. 

Harlequin ducks...one in the rapids

After some time watching their antics we headed off to Mount Washburn and toward Lamar Valley. Hopefully we could spot a bear or two somewhere along the way. 

Black bear

As luck would have it just before reaching Tower Junction we spotted a young black bear eating its way along a hillside. The Tower area has quite a number of black bears. We rarely pass through without at least one sighting. The jam wasn't too bad for a bear jam. Most people moved along fairly quickly on our side which was quite surprising. 

A few shots were taken as we waited for people to start driving in front of us. Black bears never seem to look up...just keep their mouth open and eat whatever comes to them.

Bald eagle

A Bald Eagle was spotted in Little America. It was sitting on a rock facing toward us. Most people just kept going, but we pulled over to watch for a bit. 

Most of the time the big birds never take flight if we stop to shoot pictures...always seem to mess with us & take off when we drive away or turn the camera away from them. Bald eagles are fierce looking birds...those eyes are a bit scary.

Sandhill cranes with 2 colts

Little America has a number of birds at the various ponds this time of year. The Sandhill cranes were out and about with 2 colts this year. It is the second time we've been lucky to spot their young. Goofy little things with extremely long legs. 

The red-winged black birds were none to happy having the family move through the wetland area. Diving and squawking didn't seem to bother the adults as they ate bugs. The colts were a bit more concerned about all that action overhead.

Blackbird attack

Blackbird's not happy

Cinnamon black bear

As we headed back to camp for dinner we came across a courting pair of black bears. At least we think that's what was going on between a beautiful cinnamon black bear and a fairly large black bear boar. This is not the first time we've found bears courting in the area. 

The cinnamon didn't stick around too long and kept moving away from the boar. It appeared that the boar was content to hang back and follow from a distance. We feel pretty certain we'll be seeing this guy quite a bit over the next few days.

Black bear boar

Elk

Once we got to camp we had some of the local neighbors wander by as we had dinner. A much larger female elk headed across the old road into the campground. After a few minutes 2 much younger ones crossed and followed her through camp.  

We wondered what the elk were thinking after not having any campers for 2 years. Afterall, it had been a good long break from the tourons invading their space. They certainly didn't seem to pay much attention to us at the table or anyone else. 

 

Elk looking for the others

Young elk crosses road toward camp

Tomorrow we're going to head into the crazy busy portion of the Park and my least favorite area... the geyser basin. I'm less than thrilled at the prospect, but hopefully we can find some quiet on a hike to Mystic Falls.