July 13, 2008 - Back to Yellowstone for some camping

Leaving Big Sky early in the morning we booked straight to the park to try to get a campsite, not stopping for the usual wildlife viewing. I was a bit worried about getting a site since this was Yellowstone's busy season. My fears were validated when we got to the large Canyon campground and there was only one site left. After seeing the location at a "busy" intersection, we decided to risk it and push further north into the park. Tower campground, about 16 miles north of Canyon, only has 30 something sites but since it does not have showers or running water it is less desirable to most visitors.

Surprisingly, even Laurie decided that this campground would be better than the one with services! Thankfully, there were 5 or so campsites left by the time we arrived at Tower at 11am or so. We chose a nice site at the end of the loop and set up the two tents. I always enjoy finding "our" site. It somehow sets the tone for the rest of the visit to the park.

We immediately began our afternoon by heading toward Lamar Valley. Along the way, I showed the osprey nest to Jim, Laurie and Chelsea since they had not seen it yet. I set up the scope and managed to snap the following shot through the lens. Not too bad. If you look closely, you might see a chick being shaded underneath the parent.



We then headed to Trout Lake because we had to try to show them the otter family. Fortunately, the otter family was active and we all got to see them up close again. Here's a snap of our budding photographer:

During the late afternoon, we decided to visit the Petrified Tree and do a quick hike to Lost Lake near Roosevelt Lodge. The bugs were eating Colin alive and I think we all got a few bites. Here's a snap of the tree:

Laurie and Jim hiked from the Petrified Tree all the way to Roosevelt Lodge. Colin, Chelsea and I hiked back to the car after reaching the lake, then drove to meet Jim and Laurie at the Lodge for dinner. Roosevelt Lodge is a really nice place to eat as long as you aren't in a hurry. You can relax on the porch with a beverage while you wait for a table.

After a much needed dinner, we did the obligatory sunset drive into the Lamar Valley. Unfortunately we did not have much time to enjoy the fading warm light but it was truly spectacular. The photos below were taken that evening.