Day 5 - part 1 "Chief Joseph Scenic Byway"

The snug comfort of our Cody bed was not enough to keep us from rising early to get on the road for our trek back to Yellowstone. We started on Beartooth Highway and notice a sign for the "Chief Joseph Scenic Byway." It only took a few seconds to agree that this is the route we should take.

With breathtaking views all around us, we had to keep an eye on the road. We were continually reminded that we were driving through an open range.

Shawn even spotted a coyote. He noticed movement down in a valley, we pulled over and scoped him with our handy-dandy binoculars. He was very skiddish and ran in the opposite direction. Next we noticed what attracted him to the valley, a brown blob with a set of exposed ribs pointing to the sky. 

If only I had a better camera lens I could have showed you. Instead, you get pretty landscapes.

We made it back to the park, through the Northeast entrance.  I had heard rumors that the Northeast area is where the wolf pack resides. I was on the lookout for a wolf, or that darn bear that we have not seen yet.

We drive around a corner and we must be in luck! A group of people are looking over an embankment, two spotting scopes are set up, and cameras are out. It's got to be a bear or a wolf! We pull over and first take a look for ourselves, but we are not seeing anything.

I walk over to the group around the scopes, "what are you guys spotting?" I ask. 

"oh it's an Osprey!" someone responds excitedly. 

I tried to hide the irritated disappointment from my expression, after all, these people must not be lucky enough to live near water, nor have they ventured to fishing bridge where there is an osprey sitting on every fence post. Shawn and I packed into the car and continued our journey.

After being parked on the road for 20 minutes, because of a motorcycle accident we drove through the middle of the BIG herd of Buffalo.

I counted 98 on just one side of the road (the brown spots across the middle of the field are the bison.) There were more in the distance near the river and on the hillside on the opposite side of the road. 

We listened to them grunt, we watched them butt heads and kick up dust.

And we came across one that like to bask in the attention.

At least we got a great shot with our little landscape lens.

From the safety of our car!