We left Mammoth, after two nights, at 6 AM on the 20th. The Mammoth Hotel was more than adequate in its accomodations - though they are a bit spartan. Our goal was to wind up at Old Faithful Ski Lodge, where we were staying on the 20th.
We saw lots of wildlife straight away. Upon leaving Mammoth (again towards the East Enterance as we were trying to see wolves at Slough Creek), we saw a beautiful coyote with a collar on its neck. We also saw our first Marmut as well by the Hell Roaring Trail towards Tower Junction. Apparantly, they are all over the place. I am more observant about some things, I guess. :)
The Slough Creek effort was in vain. We spent more than a couple of hours watching the area. We DID see a wolf, but it was so far away that it was not photographable. We headed towards West Yellowstone as it became very clear that sunblock alone does not do it alone. So, I picked up a fisherman's hat as I just cannot picture myself, a city boy, in a cowboy hat.
About 1.5 miles before the Madison Junction from Mammoth, we spotted a large bull elk. He was a healthy size with 6 points. I only was able to get a few shots of him (shot coming)..
We then did Hayden Valley - where there were lots of buffalo scattered throughout. We were lucky enough to capture some of the herd crossing the river (picture coming). We also stopped at the Mud Pots - where I did some test work with the 500 F8 mirror lens that I had purchased for the trip. I had very inconsistent results with the mirror lens, some of them excellent, some not. I will publish my results later after I have had a chance to view them on my CRT at home. I don't always trust the LCD.
We next made our way towards the Sylvan Pass from Hayden Valley. The Sylvan Pass area is under construction - which is a pity as some of the best wildlife is normally found there. I saw no grizzly's this year - which is a bit sad to me. However, I DID get some more great wildflower shots in the area.
The last wildlife we photographed was in the Lake Area. I thought I had nailed some beautiful shots of some mule deer. I was a bit disappointed when I saw them on my LCD as they were softer than they appeared in my LCD display (photos coming).
The night we arrived at Old Faithful Snow Lodge in time for sunset. We had hoped to get photogaphs of Old Faithful blowing, but unfortunately, the sky did not cooperate. We stayed in a cabin at Old Faithful Snow Lodge. At first, the accomodations appeared great. However, there were some problems with a pack of squirrels (or something) that had made the roof their home making sleep a bit difficult. However, ultimately, it was fine. Squirrels need a place to stay too, and we were so exhausted that we crashed to the sweet sound of pitter pattering without much difficulty.