The storms

     Mid-June to late June we had a series of cold fronts come over the Park.  Grey and gloomy everyday, (a week and a half to 2 weeks) with strong winds, rain, and 3 impressive hail storms.  The maintenance men came out with snow shovels to clear the sidewalks after the hail storms.  With Dolphin-kayak living under the pine trees covered with tarp for a few weeks, I went looking for indoor activities during those 2 weekends.  

     I visited the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson to see their exhibit on "Invisible Boundaries:  Animal Migrations. " Part of the exhibit was dedicated to the current monitoring researchers are doing with the Elk herds in Yellowstone Park and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem area.  Elk are tagged and followed on maps to learn their habitat needs.  Another portion of the exhibit displayed the art of Thomas Hill, a painter from the Hudson River School era.  He was able to capture in his paintings the great herds of Bison, and other animals, during the mid-1800's before the significant decline of the thundering herds.  

     The following weekend it was STILL cold and windy and gloomy. When it was raining during breakfast I decided to drive east to the Buffalo Bill Museum of the West in Cody.  I enjoyed their exhibits.  The display of Alfred Bierstadt's paintings in "Witness to a Changing West,"  was beautifully done.  Such magnificent paintings he created during that time period. The paintings of Thomas Moran also helped to convince Congress to set aside Yellowstone as a Park.
     I was finally to get out and hike Cascade Canyon last Saturday.  So beautiful, it is truly Heaven on Earth.
Photo to the right and below taken in Cascade Canyon.

Cascade Creek is very clear, and is a good place to see Moose.  I saw a Bear instead !!