Stardate 2016.449

A Beary Fruitful Morning
Snowcatcher and I visited Waterton Canyon again. We like to ride there whenever we get the chance. Much is coming to life now, including numerous flowers, rattlesnakes, bears and bighorn ewes and their spring lambs. It's actually quite common now to see bears in the canyon.

We had a bit of an encounter this particular day as a bear dropped in on us. As Snowcatcher was taking photos of a massive congregation of butterflies, I noticed a bear rounding the corner about 30 feet from us.



I slowly picked up my wife's bike and started rattling off stuff like, "c'mon Deb, let's go." "Hey, Deb we need to back off a bit." As the cinnamon-toned bruin ambled closer, my sphincter tightened and my "hey, Deb" became "HEY, DEB... LOOK..." About the same time, the bear definitely noticed us and slowly angled away toward the South Platte River until a cyclist riding the opposite direction spooked it back toward us. As Snowcatcher fired off some photos, another cyclist heading our direction stopped and Yogi plodded up on the road-cut. We, the humans and the bear, stared at each other for a while.



In hindsight, I think the bear only wanted to get to some water and we continued to show-up on both sides of it. After about 5 minutes, it ambled on up the ridge out of sight. We usually see the bears in the fall filling up on nuts. The bear shots are courtesy of Snowcatcher Photos. After the excitement of the morning, we eventually reached the start of the Colorado Trail singletrack.




It was hot and humid and nice to be in the forest shade.




There's quite a few of the following in bloom.
Scarlet Gilia (also known as fairy trumpet)
Ipomopsis aggregate ssp. formosissima



Western Spiderwort
Tradescantia occidentalis
The flower closes during the hotter part of the day.




This is the view down river at lower Waterton Canyon.




Iris bloom along the route. I don't know if they're wild or if somebody planted bulbs.




There's another ride in the books. Thanks for reading.

Adios

Stardate 2015.723

The Grand Tetons – Day One

Snowcatcher and I recently returned from a 5-day trip to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. The Bridger-Teton, Caribou-Targhee, Beaverhead-Deer Lodge, Gallatin and Shoshone National Forests encompass the parks and make up the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is one of the largest, close to intact, temperate-zone ecosystems on the planet. Yellowstone is at its center.

We enjoyed 2 full drive days and 3 play days. Forest fire haze was a daily constant, but not overwhelming. Normally, we see lots of animals, including black bear, grizzly bear and moose. Sadly, this trip did not yield any of the latter. You win some and lose some. On the weather front, it was quite comfortable. We enjoyed lots of sun and peaking fall colors. However, the morning of our return included snow sticking below 9,658-foot Togwotee Pass, which is cradled in the southern end of Wyoming's Absaroka Mountains.

Please excuse any photo replication; I'm kind of partial to the Teton Range, visually and historically. In the pic below, the Grand Teton and company pierce the sky from the vicinity of Jenny Lake.




Grand Teton



Teton Range—I think I'm looking at Cascade Canyon (left) and Paintbrush Canyon.




View from Jenny Lake




Grand Teton from Jenny Lake




Jenny Lake morning reflection




Jenny Lake morning



Both black and grizzly bears thrive here. Campsites at many campgrounds now have steel, destroy-proof bear boxes at each campsite for safe storage of anything that smells, which is just about everything, including sweaty clothes. They bear boxes are large enough to store everything needing storage. Backcountry bear-proof food containers are now available for backpacking as well.

During the 1960s and 70s, as the Park Service was weening bears off human food, the grizzly population declined to less than 200 individuals. The current grizzly bear population in the GYE rebounded, and is estimated at between 600 and 800. I've read that the current population may be at the region's carrying capacity. Not bad after 20 or 30 years of having to learn how to be wild again. Park/Forest Service personel recommend hiking in groups of at least 3 people, each armed with bear spray.




Fall is in the air.




Sunset on the Teton Range



More to come...

Adios

Stardate 2015.677

Say It Aint So...

Waterton Canyon is one of my favorite rides. It's a quick and easy warm-up prior to tackling the short and sweet Roxborough Loop, Trail 800 (Indian Creek Trail) or Segment 1 of the Colorado Trail. Recently, Waterton Canyon was closed due to bears piling on grub while an ever-growing Paparazzi crept to within 10 or 15 feet of the dinner table. Yes, I've taken pictures of the bears over the last several weeks. However, I didn't hang out with the bears sunrise to sunset, as some outdoor photographers appeared to be doing. I'm more of a ride, stop, snap a shot or two, ride-on kind of photographer.



I hope I'm not coming off as being too judgmental. Bears are reclusive, and it's not often you get to see them. However, 50 feet of buffer, including a fast-flowing river, became 10 feet of buffer, next to the side of the trail. After one jogger was bluff charged (supposedly warned about being between mom and cubs), and later a bicyclist was chased, Denver Water shut down the canyon. In my opinion, this is a good move by Denver Water. Currently, there are two sows with two cubs each. I'm sure a boar or two frequent the area as well. Right now their appetites are voracious! According to the fish squeezers (state wildlife officials), bears need up to 20,000 calories per day. They will eat up to 20 hours per day.



Sadly, snow permitting, I probably won't be able to ride the canyon again until sometime in November when the bears shack-up for the winter. Moreover, the bighorn sheep will start their rut in about October, which is fun to spectate. In short, Waterton Canyon is a veritable game preserve, and I already miss it. Other residents I've encountered include mountain lion, deer, elk, coyote, fox, rattlesnake, bull snake, garter snake, yada, yada, yada. Nonetheless, the boys are back in town. I took these shots several days before Waterton's closure while riding through the Strontia Springs Reservoir caretakers compound. Enjoy the sheep pics.






For now...

Adios

Stardate 2015.658

Bears

The dog days of summer have wound down. Evenings are starting to cool a bit. It's conceivable we may have our first snow within a month. Our mountains can get snow at any time now. Montana has already had it! Early fall is in the air, and my favorite months of September and October are on the horizon. I like the colors, mountain biking, bugling elk and climbing high peaks in cooler weather with less lightning.

As we speak, Front Range bears are in full-on feasting mode to put on fat for the winter; at times they seem not too concerned about being observed. They have been slamming acorns, et cetera, for about two weeks now. Some mountain bike forays are in my favor. The following was one of those days when I enjoyed watching a black bear sow and her cubs. I had actually been watching them for several days and finally took a camera that could zoom in a bit more than my point and shoot. Enjoy momma and her cubs.

mom




tribe




cub




cub




mom




mom




mom




cub




mom



Stay tuned. Things will pick up again with the fall season.

Adios

Stardate 2014.663

Yellowstone Part II

Hi folks, this is my final vacation post. Here are a few more pics from Yellowstone. Enjoy!





There was a good layering of fog along Blacktail Deer Plateau at sunrise.



The slopes of Mount Washburn, according to the Park, are prime grizzly bear habitat. We’re looking east from Washburn’s north flank.



A morning fog bank covers the Canyon Village area as seen from Dunraven Pass.


Snowcatcher Photo







Snowcatcher Photo

A sow grizzly and this year’s cub foraging on Dunraven Pass.


Snowcatcher Photo

A black bear foraging close to Phantom Lake.


Snowcatcher Photo

Another large denizen of the forest.



Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River





We left Yellowstone close to noon, arriving in the Denver Metro area close to midnight. It was a long trip, but a good one. I’m already anxious for our next road trip. The above two pics tell the tale regarding trip miles and total miles. The 4-Runner just keeps running and running!



In the end, a good trip requires a good ale, and the Nut Brown Ale from Montana’s Bitterroot Brewery hit the spot.

Thanks for reading.

Adios