Visit to Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center

Today was a visit to Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center - one of our favorite places!  We've been here several times and know the bears and wolves by name and markings.  The cubs Grant & Roosevelt have gotten larger, but are still playful....Summit still has his unique folded ear, Akela is still letting McKinley know that she is the boss!  While they have split the packs into three now, it is still easy to see them and watch them interact with each other, even though fences separate them.


The Center is growing and today there were many more visitors than we have seen in the past.  Rachel & Ryan got to be "Keeper Kids" for the last time.....as the age for keeper kids is 5-12, but they can be "Keeper Crew" when we come back!  Keeper Sarah was here - she was the keeper that took the kids on "Keeper Kids" when we were here in January 2013 -- and it was funny to compare the pictures from then to now!

After visiting the bears and wolves, we visited several local merchants and improved the local economy, then feasted on pasta at Pete's Pasta & Pizza!  After carb-loading we returned to the hotel to pack up and ready for our road-trip to Boise, ID tomorrow.  We head there to visit with Chuck's nephew and his family for a few days before we head back to balmy Houston. 

Check out the photos in the album - same link, same bears and wolves - they are just older and bigger!

The Frolicking Featherstons

Return to West Yellowstone.....our favorite winter destination!

After our sleigh ride, we made our way back to West Yellowstone and Kelly Inn.  On our drive down U.S. Highway 287, we kept seeing the signs "Wildlife Crossing - Next 13 miles", or those ones with the jumping deer with large antlers....but we didn't see nary a jumping deer with antlers.  When we happened upon one that had "Big Horn Sheep Crossing - Next 2 Miles" I asked Chuck if that was a threat or a promise.....then, low an behold, I look to the left, and what do I see in front of a large garage, but TWO LARGE RAMS!!!  Chuck stopped the car (as best he could safely on an icy road!), I hopped out of car and got my large lens out of the trunk since I had given up on needing it as we drove from Missoula to West Yellowstone....affixed it to my camera and started shooting!  Little did we know that those two rams would turn in to almost 200 head of big horn sheep!  As we stood there on the side of the highway taking pictures and just being in awe of the magnificent creatures that seemed to want to be subjects of the photos I was taking, the owners of the garage and house drove up, waved to us, shouted "Hi!" as they roared up the hill to the log cabin, and we decided that they seemed friendly enough for us to go see them.


Chuck made his way halfway up the very steep, very icy and snowy driveway, the kids and I bailed and made our way to meet Kathy & Harry Sauter and introduced ourselves.  Kathy in turn told us the story of "their" big horn sheep.  The herd had numbered about 200 when earlier this summer the wildlife folks collared about 52 of them and relocated them around the mountain closer to Ennis, MT.  Unfortunately, most of them have returned to the Sauter's land.  Must be the pellets that the Sauters have put out to feed them.  In addition to the big horn sheep, they also have a black fox that makes an appearance - he tends to knock on the back door as if to say -- "Hey, you have any food for me?". 


It appeared to us that the fox might have been trying to chase the sheep as they all congregated in an area behind the house just as the Sauter's arrived home.  I was able to get quite a number of photos before the herd decided that it was time for them to head back up to their nesting area up on the hill.  They were quite funny about it - one made a specific noise as if to say "Ok, head up" and they all seemed to head up the hill.


As we departed and continued on our way to West Yellowstone, we encountered a single ram on U.S. Highway 287 strolling along - as if he did it every day.  It was quite amazing - we pulled up along side him, he looked straight at me, I aimed my camera, and snapped his photo!  What a guy he was!!


We made it back to Kelly Inn and were pleased to find out that what we started a few years ago (making soup for the guests here at Kelly Inn) has been continued on a nightly basis!  So good to know that they kept that going.  This year it seems that many more folks are here and there are many more businesses open to cater to the guests.  Our "secret" winter vacation location is not so secret any more....


New Year's Eve we spent on snowmobiles - we rode several new trails - Madison Arm, Black Canyon Trail, South Plateau - as well as several old favorites - Two Top Loop and Big Springs.  We even had an unexpected "Mama caught air" episode which resulted in a sled being towed from the woods....no injuries thankfully, but it made for gathering of 15 sleds at an S-curve on the South Plateau trail 11 miles from town!  Thanks ever-so-much to those 23 folks that assisted us with retrieving that sled from the trees....we couldn't have done it without you!


Here are some photos --

I've uploaded more pictures -- https://featherstonfamilyfrolics.shutterfly.com/pictures/1407 - take a peek and see what fun we've had and what sites we've seen....it is truly beautiful country up here!

We're still frolicking!

The Featherston's

Glacier National Park, Hungry Horse Dam, and a Sleigh Ride

A visit to Apgar Visitor Center at Glacier National Park so that I could get another stamp for my National Parks Passport was in order, but first, we stopped at The Huckleberry Patch in Hungry Horse, MT.  This place had everything imaginable made out of huckleberries!  (And even some things that you would never imagine .... like barbeque sauce named "Blazin' Rectums"....don't ask....cuz I'm not 'splainin!  We did get to taste some huckleberry fudge, bought some preserves, and syrup, and a huckleberry pie!  We learned that huckleberries grow wild even though folks have tried to grow them commercially, they haven't done well.  They make up 1/3 of bears diets, and are used in sauces, pancake mixes, waffle mixes, jellies, jams, fudge, ice cream and pies!


After we bought our fill of huckleberry items, we made our way to Apgar Visitor Center.  The Going to the Sun Road was only open for 11.5 miles - to the Lake McDonald Lodge.  We made it there and went to the lake.  We saw icicles on cabins that were almost 6 feet long!  Ryan found a part of an icicle that someone had broken off that was more than 4" in diameter!  Snow was plentiful in the area and we saw some folks strapping on skis to try their skills at cross-country skiing.  I am just not that brave....


After leaving Glacier National Park we drove to Hungry Horse Dam.  We got to drive across the dam then we got out and I was able to take pictures.  Funny thing about this dam - there was no water coming out of it.


Since it was really cold at the dam, we didn't spend much time here but headed back south to Seeley Lake, MT to Double Arrow Lodge where we were going to do a sleigh ride!  These folks have a lodge on a golf course and the sleigh ride is around the golf course....which to me seems like a pretty ingenious idea.  Why not use the golf course as your track to provide a cool adventure for guests?  We loved it....except that the Percheron horses that pulled the sleigh seemed to have had something that caused odiferous output from their south-end according to Rachel.....as Ryan and I were sitting at the far end of the sleigh, we really weren't able to experience it like Rachel and Chuck.... :)


Here are a few pictures -

I've added many more photos to the existing photo album - take a peek and see what we've been seeing!  https://featherstonfamilyfrolics.shutterfly.com/pictures/1407

We've got more frolicking to do!  Happy New Year to you & yours!

The Frolicking Featherstons