Sightseeing Day:
- Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center
Up and out this morning by 9 AM. Called to make reservations for our three tours, but we were told that the Grand Tetons tour was a no-go. The smoke from the California fires and the Red Lodge fires had made it impossible to view the Tetons. So, I hope we can do this on our way home. But, the Lower and Upper Loop tours are now booked.
Off we went to a local restaurant for breakfast that Ken recommended. It was a very nice atmosphere. But, oh, so very slow.
We had planned to be at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center by 10 AM. We got there right on the dot. We had been told that feeding time was 10:30 AM. So, we certainly didn’t want to miss that! When we arrived, we were told it was 10:45 AM. So, we walked around in the center for a while. They have displays of stuffed bears, front and back paws, and touchy-feely displays of fur and skins. It was all done quite nicely and not gruesome. It was a great education on the comparative size of these bears. We were quite surprised by the enormous size of a polar bear. We thought a grizzly was the largest bear, but not so.
The feeding was very different than we had anticipated. The children that are visiting the park sign up to feed the bears. I know this sounds scary, so let me explain.
The children pay $2 for the opportunity to feed the bears. The park attendants give the kids an informative talk on bear safety and conservation. The attendants explain how bears like to forage for their food, so the kids are told how to hide the food. The bears are then removed from the open area, and the children are let into the same area. It was fun to watch the kids hide the food under rocks, logs, in bushes, etc. Meanwhile, the numerous Ravens that fly in and out of the open habitat area watch carefully. While the kids are hiding food, attendants also hide buckets of vegetables and other nutritious foods.
After the kids are done hiding the food and leave the area, the bears are sent back into the habitat. They quickly begin to search for the food.
You should have heard the squeals of excitement as each child or parent recognized when the bears found their specifically hidden snack.
The Ravens then scavenge what the bears leave behind. The Ravens are also fed dead rabbit pieces, so you could see them strip the fur and indulge on their snacks. It wasn’t gross.
Across from the bear habitat is a wolf enclosure. You can view the wolves by standing on a platform that overhangs their habitat. In addition, you can go into a building that has one side of the room all glass. This glass wall allows you to view the wolves from indoors in inclement weather.
When we were finished viewing the bears and wolves, we ate our late lunch (will be our dinner, too, as it was now 2 PM) at a Mexican restaurant in town. The food was good and overly plentiful.
Our next stop was to drive to the ranger station at the West Yellowstone Entrance to view a video (hopefully) that give us an overview of the park. When we got there, we were told the closest station was 14 miles down the road. We drove to the Madison Ranger Station only to find out it's mostly a book store with a few displays. Bah Humbug. However, it was a beautiful drive and we did enjoy getting a touch of what we will see tomorrow and the next day. Here's a display of horns and antlers we found interesting.
We also took this cute picture of a Yellowstone squirrel. Gotta love those critters!
We arrived back at the RV about 3:45 PM. I finally reached the owner of the WiFi company late this afternoon. He said that he would not recommend we access the system because the signal is very weak and he has not updated his authentication certification (mostly because he’s been busy--is he a great business man or what!). He said he would be installing a new antenna tomorrow. Bottom line, we are on our second day without any Internet. Bah Humbug.
While I was on the phone with the WiFi company, Dave began the process of put up the new blinds I had purchased. Well, wouldn't you know it, I bought one beige and one white blind. Duh. So, he can only put up the beige one. At least the blind that was missing half it's slats is replaced. Guess that means I'll have to find another Home Depot and exchange the white one. Looks so nice and will hold up much better than the vinyl blind. Now, I can have some privacy in the evening. :-)
Dave received a phone call this evening from a Bertha Thornton who is a relative in Portland, Oregon. Peggy Thornton, from Lambert, MT, (whom Dave had spoken to a few days ago) called Bertha in Portland and told her about Dave’s search for relatives. Bertha is 85 years old and she is the daughter of Dave’s grandmother’s brother. She is mentally sharp and is anxious to meet Dave. Kenny Thornton, whom we had waited to hear from on Friday before leaving Glendive, is Bertha’s brother. (I know this doesn’t mean much to a casual reader of our blog, but I have to record these things before “I” forget them!) We hope to be in Oregon within 5-6 weeks and will plan to stop and see Bertha.
Early to bed tonight as we have to meet the tour van at 8:45 AM. We are really anxious to see the geysers.
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