I am not sure my wife found it as funny as the last fishing story and she certainly did not record it, but on the fourth day in the park we got up early. We intended to make it from Grant Village to the Yellowstone River and a stretch of the river where fishing is allowed in the Hayden Valley. After readying the pole, I checked the surroundings and started to head down (maybe with my head down) the path that led to the river. What I had not seen and probably should have was a huge male bison quietly walking toward the trail I was walking on with our paths about to intersect. When I noticed him, I was way too close, and turned immediately around and hurried back to the car. I must have had a look on my face, and once I made it back to a safe zone, it made my wife and a few other spectators shake their heads with disbelief and even chuckle a little. The bull never acted like I was a threat; he kept moving at the same pace with his enormous head swaying back and forth as he walked. Eventually my path was clear. I headed back to the river and gave fishing a try.
After another unsuccessful attempt without a bite, I packed up the fishing pole and we headed north up the valley to a region where fishing is not allowed (for good reason). It is one of my favorite parts of the park for wildlife viewing. There are good pullouts overlooking the river valley and I have seen predators from those vantage points in the past. When we stopped at one of those pullouts, there were a few people lined up with binoculars and spotting scopes. There wasn’t a big crowd, and at first nobody was seeing any bears, but eventually someone exclaimed, there is a grizzly over there. It was way across the valley on the other side of the river. People started describing where to look. I wouldn’t have seen it, but there were others there that saw the bear cross the river earlier that morning. They were patiently waiting for it to make an appearance again and it did not disappoint. Even with a good camera and a long lens it is hard to get a good photo at that range. The picture above is proof that there are grizzly bears in the region, but it is not easy to tell the difference between them and a rock or bush at that distance; except that rocks and bushes stay put, and bears sometimes move. Unlike the story I posted about 399 and her cubs, I was able to take my time and get a few shots, though none are worth bragging about.
I appreciate a good image of wildlife, because I know the work that goes into consistently getting great photos. It is not just a matter of luck. I would like to be as good as Thomas D. Mangelsen, or Joel Sartore, but try as I might, I can’t compete. I will keep trying. It still gives me satisfaction, kind of like fishing; even when I don’t get what I am after. I feel lucky to be there. I guess that’s why I am the “try to see it all guy” and not the “See it All and get a Great Photo guy.”
For a few photos from the last two days in Yellowstone, click here. May your way not be complicated by a big bison in the path to your intended destination. If it is, please allow him to go first. My father would say, “keep your head up and look where you are going.” That’s good advice too!
Finally, I fished a little everyday after I bought the Yellowstone fishing license, even stopping along the South Entrance Road at Lewis Lake, Lewis River, and the Snake River, as we exited the park; but I did not get a bite. Talking to other anglers who were taking it more seriously than me, I found that some did better, but no one said they crushed it.