This is the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, with a rainbow. The Yellowstone River carved its way through the canyon including several massive waterfalls. I took another ranger-led hike through the area including meadows with incredibly gorgeous wildflowers and a view of the caldera.
Yup, that's fresh bison poop. You have to watch where you step while hiking. The trail led us to a bad lake fed by sulfur springs and through a giant meadow. Along the way, the ranger explained how ravens and wolves evolved to hunt together. Ravens will identify weak members of the herd and signal them to the wolves for attack. The ravens then pick apart the carcass after the kill. Even after decades without wolves in Yellowstone, this relationship was reborn almost instantly when the wolves were reintroduced into the park.
I really like this picture. The flowers are very impressive and the sky and mountains are very nice. I had to often run to catch up with the rest of the group since I was always stopping to take pictures like this. Even so, I think it was worth it!
After lunch it was time for a horseback ride. It was a one hour ride along the canyon and through the forest. Most of the workers in the park are seasonal, including the wranglers. They are either in college or just enjoy working in the outdoors. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of me on the horse, but it was a great ride worth the sore back and legs later that day.
After another long drive to the most remote part of the park near Roosevelt Lodge, it was time for a cowboy steak dinner cookout. The concessionaire runs horse-drawn stagecoaches to a picnic area in the middle of nowhere for a dinner buffet. They serve steak, beans, cornbread, and peach cobbler - and cowboy coffee cooked over the campfire. Some sing, some cook, most are having a great time. It was VERY dusty and a little too long, but it makes a nice night for the family or those with limited mobility.
Enjoy the rest of my pictures below.
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