Holy Smithereens!

Travel Ideas for the Luxurious Adventurer

Into the Wild

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Now I would like to show what my ultimate most favourite fantastic part about Yellowstone is.

Every single day is like walking into a “choose your own National Geographic wildlife” adventure.

We would start the day early and head out for a drive..

…the road bends slightly and look what awaits on the other end of the curve..

This is one of those moments when time just stood still for me. Only when the last bison of the herd passed us did I realise that I’d been holding my breath. And they don’t move fast at all. They were unfazed by the cars and the traffic that built up with their mini-exodus / morning walk.
As they should remain unfazed. This is their land, their home, their territory. We were the outsiders.

Every moment inside Yellowstone is an opportunity to spot animals in their natural habitat. Sometimes its so easy. They could be right under your nose and you can’t even recognise it.

larry curly and moe
a lone coyote

Other times its a case of a “what-wazzit?” clue

Some just really stood out

a male bull elk guarding his female

 


the very pretty doe

the male elk had to sort of puff his chest out and get into protective mode as there were a number of people (including us) gathered round to observe him and his mate go about their normal morning walk.
So many moments consisted of having an animal grazing strategically just where you want them to be for that perfect “on-location” shot:
this can probably stand for an iconic poster of what Yellowstone is all about.
These were all seen independently by us, no tours or guides whatsoever. And that’s the beauty of it–no one to tell you where or where not to look and explore . There are just some general guidelines on how to approach wildlife which are pretty common sense stuff. No one was hurt.
Our sightings also involved a lot of waiting, and a lot of binocular viewing. The most interesting sightings we weren’t able to capture on camera as they were far, too far away. Like the old wolf we saw just resting by a water clearing. Or the coyote that was chilling out in the open field, crossed the road, and posed to do a sh*t in front of eager camera-wielding tourists. Or the very exciting scene between an alpha-male elk bull and a younger male trying to lure the former’s harem of does.
It was all surreal. Like I said it’s like watching a real life documentary of National Geographic right before your very eyes.
And I know now for a fact, that those moments that take your breath away are the moments when your mind doesn’t even think to reach for a camera. Because the whole scene is just so beautiful you don’t want to blink and miss something. I may not have any photographic evidence of the scenarios I mentioned above, but it is those which has every minute detail forever recorded in my mind. Ever ready in playback mode. And in HD , no less.
Yellowstone: if the perfect scenery doesn’t make your heart beat fast, the wildlife certainly will.

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