June 11, 2006
The alarm sounded early as we began our first day in Yellowstone. We headed to Lamar Valley where we saw three wolves across the valley. The wolves were difficult to see as they moved in and out of the sagebrush, but when they were in view, they were awesome. Right before we left, we spotted a grizzly and her cub high up on the valley slope. Headed back toward Roosevelt, Carlos spotted an otter fishing and frolicking on the Lamar River. We also spotted two black bears, one black-colored and one cinnamon-colored. And all that was before breakfast!
 After breakfast we went to the Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trail and had an amazing hike with perfect weather and lots of close encounters with wildlife. A marmot charged at us — a very unusual behavior for a small rodent. (Actually, we were blocking the way to its burrow.) We also saw two bighorn sheep, Uinta ground squirrels, mountain bluebirds, osprey, western tanagers and a bald eagle. At the end of the trail, Park Ranger George Heinz gave us an overview of bears in Yellowstone.
Overall, we had a spectacular day, better than any of us could have imagined. We can’t believe it’s just our first full day in the Park!
Q & A for June 11
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