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Dances with the wolves

Written by Nadine Zangerle on . Posted in USA

At the Visitor Center in the Yellowstone National Park we tried to find out about the wolves project and Doug but the Ranger didn’t have too much information. She said there are rangers looking for the wolves and Lamar Valley is the best spot.

Alright, let’s follow the only open road in winter to the Lamar Valley. Most of the park you can’t visit because of the closed roads but therefore you got the park almost to yourself.

Except for the wildlife - and that’s the reason why we are here. It was unbelievable how many herds of bison, mule deers and elks where around. It seemed to be packed with wildlife.

In the Lamar Valley we met Rick and two girls looking for wolves since 7 o’clock this morning. The day before they have found some while eating. Well we didn’t expect to see wolves the first day but Rick got a radio call from Richard and we got in our cars and drove to a small plateau.

Several cars and people where gathering already around spotting scopes and watched over the valley at a hill. Around 2 km away, playing in the snow, where 9 wolves (2 puppies). It was unbelievable to watch them.

Fox and coyote wished a good night and the next morning our truck camper was covered in snow. When we heard about the upcoming snow storm we decided to leave. Before heading off we followed another advice from the girls. Let’s take a bath in the boiling river.

Sitting there in the thermal springs in the middle of the river, surrounded by the snow covered landscape, soft snow flakes falling upon us. This was just mind blowing.

But let’s get better started. The snow storm really hit in and after crazy road and visibility conditions, several accidents witnessed, we left the interstate and parked at a gas station. Luckily we had our generator because the next day - after this crazy, cold night - our diesel truck didn’t want to start.

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Wildlife

Written by Nadine Zangerle on . Posted in USA

On the way to Cody, Wyoming we made a quick stop at the Devils Tower. What a funny formation, just sticking out of the prairie. For the Lakota and other tribes this is a sacred place.

One time around the monolith and we got back in the car. Off we went to Cody since we were still following the advice of Doc, the Park Ranger. Cody is a pretty touristy western town and in summer with all the rodeos and saloon shows it must be spectacular. But in winter Cody is just a tiny, sleepy town.

So we followed Hwy 14 towards the closed road of Yellowstone Park and had a wilderness experience. Everywhere – on the street or the fields – we found hundreds of bighorn sheep, mule deer, elks and bison. We also had one bold eagle. It was just fantastic.

Doc told us that we should drive up to the Beartooth Pass but the road will be closed towards Cooke City so we had to drive a detour of 400 km (250 miles) to get to the northern entrance Mammoth Hot Springs of the Yellowstone National Park.

Unfortunately at the Cody Visitor Center the woman told us that the road would be closed but we could continue with own risk. Especially since we have a 4 wheel drive and everyday cars would drive the street. So she checked cameras online and said, we are good to go. With some concern I mentioned our truck camper, so we would be very heavy but still, she said, this wouldn’t be a problem.

The landscape up to the Beartooth Pass was just stunning and we enjoyed the ride. We finally came to the point where the street was closed. And well, it didn’t look passable. So we checked from another road and there parked several trucks with trailers. This was the perfect area for snowmobiles.

We saw another road going towards Cooke City and we followed slowly but we decided to turn around. This was way to much snow and than we got stuck while we backed off. It started snowing and getting dark – no shovel – we dug and put our levelers and brush-wood under the tires. Took us half an hour but finally we managed to get out again.

So let’s better listen to Doc and take the route around. A couple of days ago Micha had ordered a generator online since we couldn’t find the right one in the stores. We had it delivered to Bozeman since we wanted to stop by on our way to Yellowstone. Finally we had our generator.

The way to the Yellowstone National Park was crazy windy and our truck camper rocked the whole night.

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Following the wind

Written by Nadine Zangerle on . Posted in USA

We celebrated New Years Eve in Denver, Colorado with firework and a few beers.

Afterwards we followed a recommendation of the friendly Park Ranger Doc. We wanted to find out about the Wind Cave in South Dakota so we organized a trip and were really surprised.

Having seen so many different caves during our world trip this was different. The cave system is on three levels and 212 km (132 miles) are mapped. The gusty wind at the entrance gives the caves its name. Really special were the boxwork calcite formations (60 – 100 million years old) and the popcorn, which reminded us on corals.

Afterwards we drove through the Custer Park and where fascinated with the big bison herds in the middle of the street. It was just fantastic to be so close to those great animals. Since the 1970s they have several projects for the bison so the number increased a lot.

Following a scenic route on a windy road we came to Mount Rushmore and the carved presidents looked pretty impressive. Driving through Spearfish Canyon, a mind blowing landscape, we found a beautiful campground on the Sheridan Lake.

The next morning before we continued our trip, we watched the ice fishers digging holes and waiting on the ice for an early morning catch. This wouldn’t be a hobby for me so let’s get back in the warm truck and move on.

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