June 21, 2014

It's been a slow couple of days, but somehow, I'm not getting back to camp until well after 9:00 pm.

Each day I start out by going over to the Blacktail turnout to see the only dependable wolf sightings. This is the only rendezvous area that is visible from the road, so there is always activity in the early morning and late afternoon. I end the day there as well.

In the late afternoon an d evenings, there are usually people who have never seen a wolf, and usually a couple of kids who desperately want to see one, so it's very gratifying to be able to show them. Usually the scope is set low to the ground and, when the wolves are out, there is a crowd around it, each one taking turns looking through. Otherwise, we're standing around talking about all kinds of things. It's kind of like a party with no music or alcohol. We'll be standing talking, but there is always somebody looking through a scope for some activity. Whenever they see something, the call out and all the scope owners jump to get their scope on whatever is happening and the line to look forms, with the little kids first.

During the day, I'm either back at camp for lunch and a nap and chores or out looking for wildlife to photograph or checking on things I heard.

Yesterday, I checked out a way to see further back to the west in the Hayden Valley, where the Canyon pack sometimes goes. With a short walk, you can see for several miles beyond a ridge that blocks the view from the road.

Today I went to Bozeman to a camera store and got a few baby pictures along the way: