Day 6-Tammy's Vacation

Day 6 was our finish up day for Yellowstone and then head for Grand Teton National Park. We spent the a.m. walking a trail near Yellowstone Lake. I believe they said we may see moose on this trail. Yellowstone Lake is huge. We did not see moose. We did see Bison and a missed photo opportunity with a coyote. None of my pictures really capture the massiveness or beauty of the lake.

We did continue down into Grand Teton National Park that afternoon.

Day Five-Tammy's Vacation

Day 5 was a good animal day. We were out of the hotel by 5 a.m. so we could be in Lamar Valley for sunrise. Lamar Valley is your best chance at seeing a wolf. We were in Lamar Valley and ready to go before the sun came up. We saw lots of Bison. We also spotted another large brown speck in the distance. Out came the spotting scope and we could see a grizzly bear. You could tell it was a grizzly by the hump behind his head. We created the small traffic jam that morning. Everyone kept asking us what we were watching till a small group formed. We could hear wolves every once in a while but it was hard to spot them. Eventually they came up near to the bear we were watching. This was such a distance there was no way for a picture even if they would have stuck around. Later, we left Lamar Valley for Mammoth Hot Springs and along the way we came upon a bear jam. We were directly behind the park ranger trying to get everyone back to their cars and out of danger so that we got to go through at a very nice pace. This was my shot...out the car window.

Day Four-Tammy's Vacation

September 18th. We decided to hike a trail from Old Faithful up through the upper geyser basin. We got there with only 15 minutes or so to the next eruption of Old Faithful. I had read in the guide book if you go early in the a.m. or late evening/night, the crowds are greatly reduced. We were there around 9:30 and there was just a small crowd. Later that afternoon was much more crowded. We walked the trail and was able to see some other geysers erupt...mostly out of luck since we didn't know the schedule of the day. I believe we saw the Lion Geyser (we weren't close enough to hear it roar) and Daisy Geyser. My pictures are only so-so but here they are.

Old Faithful

Lion Geyser

Day Three-Tammy's Vacation

We get to Yellowstone National Park. Our objective for the day is Grand Canyon...south rim in a.m. and possibly north rim in p.m. Unfortunately, south rim is closed for about 1/2 of the way. We still do the North rim in the a.m. We decide upon the Yellowstone River Picnic Trail in the afternoon. This trail leads you through the narrows of the canyon and then through a field back to your car (well sort of...you have to walk along the main road back to your car). Many pictures from that day including the photo I snapped of the bison walking down the main road.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Day Two-Tammy's vacation

Our second day (September 16th) was spent driving from Salt Lake City up to West Yellowstone, Montana. We took the off the beaten path approach with the intention of visiting Bear Lake NWR. Bear Lake area also boasted about their raspberries so we thought we would enjoy some while we were there. Well, that area doesn't have much open at 11:00 a.m. on a Sunday so we did not get to enjoy any raspberry milkshakes. (However, we did see our first moose at the NWR). We went into Idaho, Wyoming, back into Idaho, and finally up to Montana.

Somewhere in Utah.

Afton, Wyoming. Just what I imagined of a town in Wyoming.

Antelope Island

We arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah on our first day of vacation. We had the whole afternoon so we went to the Utah State Park located in the middle of the Salt Lake. I noticed that most of the color of the area was either brown, green, or yellow. My new camera allows me to play and this is what I came up with.

Can you find the bird?

Going through my pictures, I discovered this. I know you can't label which bird it is but overall, I like the picture. Kind of funny actually.

Animal Checklist

My final checklist from the trip:

Black Bear-1
Grizzly Bear-2 (Photo to follow)
Moose-Five maybe (...male, female, and baby)
Elk-Too many to count, pictures to follow
Bison-Wow, everywhere you look in Yellowstone. Even became part of traffic jam as a hundred try to cross the road in front of us and behind us.
Wolves-maybe two through binoculars but, definitely heard them.
Coyote-three
Big Horn sheep-three but must have been young
Pronghorn Antelope-many, picture to follow.
Jack Rabbit- one
Cougar-Zero. I believe you can see these in Grand Teton.
Pika (looks like a hamster but a relative of the rabbit)-one very friendly one.
And of course, squirrels and chipmunks. Least Chipmunk, I believe. I read it somewhere that these are the species in Yellowstone. I noticed that they had stripes on their head that my local chipmunks do not.
Birds- Numerous...I am sure I will not remember them all. Black-billed Magpie, Clark's Nutcracker, Grey Jay, Mountain Bluebird, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Mountain Chickadee, Chukar, Eared Grebe, Red-tailed Hawk, Ruby Crowned Kinglet, and more.
I will be posting more today as I go through my pictures and do laundry.

Wildlife Photo Etiquette

Today is the last I am going to talk of this. I do not want to dwell on this as part of my trip because most everyone in Yellowstone and Grand Teton were exceptionally nice and helpful. Our last day of the trip, we were driving back to Jackson after our hike hoping to see something interesting. In Yellowstone and Teton, you can tell the interest of the animal by the number of people around. Bears create the largest crowds followed by Elk herds and Moose. We arrived upon a large crowd and a ranger...another good sign of a large animal. It was a male moose. Todd and I walked over to the crowd who seem very close to such a large animal but the ranger seemed to be okay with it. I selected a spot so that I did not get in any one's way and I could see the animal perfectly. I aimed my camera, waited for his head to come up, and presto...a large, older man stepped directly in front of me. Oh, I was hot but it gets worse. I rearranged myself and presto, the moose sits down and he is no longer picture worthy. Oh, I am really angry now. Todd and several others get to hear me rant about this man and his rudeness. (He had quickly exited after the moose sat down.) A woman overheard me and tells me that he had pushed her when she had accidentally stepped in his shot while trying to allow another woman a chance. Oh, I wished I could catch up to him because I thought it was a first offense but, when he is obviously rude, I felt he needed to know. Todd gets to hear me rant some more. I don't even want to see his moose photos because I am so mad. However, after a few moments, I remember that its not often you get to see a moose. I got to experience that moment. That man can't take that from me. (I later viewed Todd's pictures.)

Mammal Update

First day in the park. Hiked around the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. High up and we did react to the heights.
Mammal update:
Bison- Check, check, check, check. They are everywhere...will post the picture of one walking down the road eventually.
Pronghorn Antelope- check and pictures to prove it.
Wolf-not yet
Bear- Black from a distance, no pictures, too many others trying to get pictures
Elk-yes everywhere and again no pictures. Everyone stops in the middle of the road for these.
Moose-Bear Lake but not in Yellowstone for me.
Big horned sheep-maybe, got a picture of a goat looking animal beside the road.
Coyote-standing beside the road
More updates later.

Vacation Checklist

We are currently in West Yellowstone. We will go to the park for the first time tomorrow however, we have visited some areas in Utah and Idaho for wildlife viewing.
Mammal Checklist for trip:
Coyote-Check
Bison-Check
Pronghorn Antelope-Check
Bear (Grizzly and Black)-Not Yet
Moose-Check
Big Horn Sheep-Maybe...too quick to see
Elk-Not Yet
Wolf-Not Yet
Jack Rabbit-Check
Have also seen many birds. Magpies are pretty for such a common bird. I will have pictures later. (I had already put away my camera when we saw the moose but hopefully Todd got a picture to prove we did see one and its baby.)

Shoe Shopping

It use to be that shoe shopping was so enjoyable. Then the big clunky heels came into fashion. Next it was the earthly shoes. I waited so long for flats to come back in and leaped for joy when they started making a comeback. They are everywhere and cute too. Problem however. I am now having foot issues. I decided that I just have to give up the thought that I am going to be able wear cheap, cute shoes. So my mission over the last two weeks was to buy comfortable shoes. Everyone wears Keen...I will try them. Zappos.com has a new customer. I found cute lace ups and Mary Jane's in the Keen section. However, the Mary Jane's were too wide for my foot. That sucked because I really liked the raisin color. Those got sent back but kept the lace up oxfords. I went to The Walking Store and bought Clarks. Yeah, as much as I thought I could do the 'ugly' thing...I am just not there yet. I returned those shoes after they weren't as comfortable (or as cute) as I had hoped. So back to Zappos.com. This time, I ordered two Teva's. One in a Mary Jane and another in a slingback. Today, I got them. I actually liked both and they were comfortable. However, I couldn't justify both. I went with the pumpkin slingback because I may actually be able to put an orthotic in it if it comes to that. I HATE GETTING OLDER!

Red Spotted Purple

I wish I would have gotten a better picture. It seems if I would have taken this shot from the other side, you would see some more color on the top of the wings and if the wings were up you would see the red spots underneath.

Apple Butter -Take Two

Earlier this week, I decided to make apple butter. The first recipe was:
Approximately 4 pounds of apples (Fuji, Golden Supreme, Gala and Yellow Delicious. Most were picked from Carter's Mountain: the Fuji was from a friend from work.)
3 cups of apple juice
2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 t. Cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. coriander (my touch...I love coriander
Juice of one lemon

I peeled and diced the apples. Place them in a large pot and put in the apple juice (Juice should not cover apples completely). Cooked for 30 minutes and then used my hand held Braun to make applesauce. I then placed the applesauce in a pan with the rest of the ingredients and placed in the oven at 300 degrees. (This keeps you from having to stir the mixture constantly.) I had it in the oven for 3 hours and it did not seem to be thickening. It tasted really good (however, I figured it just wasn't quite right since I don't normally like apple butter). I took it out, placed it in the pot on the stove, and cooked on medium high for another thirty minutes. It still tasted good...this must not be right. My boyfriend (who I made it for actually) said it was a little sweet and needed more spice but still good. Guess that is why I liked it. My co-workers and I did finish a jar. They thought it was good but not quite apple butter. All that work, and I only got five small jars.


Tonight, I tried my second batch with some changes to the recipe.
7 pounds of apples (ginger gold, golden supreme, and yellow delicious this time...ginger gold from a local grocery store)
2 cups apple juice
2 cups of water
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon of coriander (still love it)
2 cups of sugar
juice of one lemon

This time, I cooked the apples in a mixture of juice and water. After cooking cut apples for 1/2 hour, I drained 80% of the liquid out of the apples and then made applesauce. This time it must be more like apple butter because, I don't like it as much. I also cooked it on top of the stove for 1 1/2 hours. I have a blister on my wrist from the bubbling action. It made 7 small jars and does not move when I tilt the jar...success!

One week

To my vacation!

Should have paid attention

Growing up, my paternal grandmother lived across the street. Mamaw Dixie was what every grandmother should be: patient, kind, gardener, good cook, quilter, etc. I remember Mamaw trying to teach me how to quilt, crochet and other not so interesting things to a pre-teen and teenager. I also remember her in the garden bright and early before the heat of the day. She always wore a straw hat. As I have grown older, my southern roots have really taken hold of me (you know the ones I so desperately tried to escape in college). I try to garden (I can grow tomatoes but not zucchini...how is that possible?). I started making baby quilts for my girlfriend's babies. I learned to make jam and tonight my first attempt at making apple butter. Anyway, the point of my post, is that I regret not taking the time to learn then. Now, it is all trial and error. (Seems to be lots of error.) I haven't quite mastered the edging on quilts. It has gotten better but, after nine quilts, you would hope so. I have no idea whether the apple butter is the right consistency. I can only assume it will thicken when it cools off. I bet you Mamaw Dixie would know.