The Trip: Part II, Yellowstone and AOU

OK, I know it's been awhile. But between Photoworks messing up my account and my Papa having knee surgery, well, updating the trip blog got shoved down the priority list.

Let me recap. Early August we went on a family trip to Bear Lake with Mike's parents, Mike's sister and her daughter SJ, and my other niece and nephew JD & JR. Much chaos and merriment ensued. The key part for us was that when we all went our separate ways G-ma & G-pa took the Bean with them.

I had really been looking forward to the two weeks Mike and I would have to ourselves. I knew I'd miss her, but I wasn't really worried about being apart from her for all that time. That sentiment, so different from other moms I know, worried me a bit. So, strange as it sounds, I was really glad when the tears rolled down my face as they drove off.

But then came the fun stuff. Anyone who knows me and Mike knows that we're crazy about the outdoors, and wildlife in particular. So Grand Teton and Yellowstone was a dream come true - even if it was only for five days (a few weeks might be enough, but probably not). There was so much more we would have liked to see, but since we had such a short time we decided to hit the highlights and make a list of stuff to include on future trips. Doesn't it always work this way?

So here's the highlights, short and sweet as I can make 'em. C'mon, it's Yellowstone! I could go on for hours.

• Old Faithful & the Upper Geyser Basin. Of course we had to see the main attraction. It had been easily a decade since Mike or I had seen it last. But as cool as Yellowstone’s best-known attraction can be it wasn’t the best one by a long shot. Morning Glory hot spring, about a mile walk down the paved path, had the most amazing colors. And Beehive geyser, which the ranger told us only erupts every couple days, was absolutely fantastic (this link describes it better than I ever could).

• Mammoth Hot Springs and Beaver Lakes. Our second day we headed up to the northwestern corner of Jellystone to check out the Mammoth Hot Springs and do a 5-mile loop hike I read about the hike in our Lonely Planet guidebook. The trail took us up through the mountains at the base of the Gallatin Range to two algae-filled ponds called Beaver Lakes. Beautiful views of Sepulcher Mountain and we even got to see a beaver swimming in one of the ponds. It rained on us toward the end and we had to take cover under some trees, but on the up side we met a wonderful family visiting from Israel.

• Wildlife. The list is not as extensive as we might have liked but we got to see quite a bit. More than we thought we would anyway. And though the views maybe more close-up on Animal Planet, in person is way cooler. Forgive all the bird species (what can I say? I married an ornithologist?)
Mammals: Beaver, Moose, Grizzly bear, Wolf, Bison, Elk, Mule deer, Pronghorn antelope (the fastest land mammal in N. America!), Coyote.
Birds: Sandhill crane, Trumpeter swans, Gray Jay, Barn swallows & Violet-green swallows, Red-tailed hawks, Ravens, Kestrels, Williamson’s sapsucker, Bald eagle, Osprey, Lesser Scaup, Mountain chickadees, Western tanager (female), Broad-tailed or Calliope hummingbird (?), Empidonax flycatcher.

• Lamar Valley. We spent a full day in the valley affectionately known in the park as the Serengeti of the American West. All I can say is WOW! This broad open valley, rimmed by incredible ridges and peaks, is where we saw at least half the species on our list. When we got there we were a bit tired from out 5-mile hike the day before so we decided to just take a short 1.5 mile walk along the valley floor, see what we could see, and then turn back. Well, about 1.4 miles out Mike looked up on a nearby rise and started poking me in the side and pointing. The brown spot he pointed to turned out to be two grizzly bear cubs (complete with the hump on the back and silvery points on the fur). The first thought that crossed both our minds was “Oh sh%t, where’s Mama?” We watched them for 20 minutes or so standing back to back, with one of us looking at them through the binos and the other scanning the surroundings for big mama. We never saw her thank goodness. That evening as we headed back to camp we stopped on the roadside a few times in hopes of seeing one of the wolves from the Druid pack or the Slough Creek pack that inhabit the valley. At our last stop we got our wish. It was at quite a distance so I don’t have a good photo though.

• Grand Tetons and that f*!#ing roll of film. Our last day in the area time constraints made hiking out of the question so we did a bit of wildlife watching near the southern end of Jackson Lake. We didn’t see much, so we went into Jackson Hole to spend the afternoon at the Wildlife Art Museum and go to dinner to celebrate our anniversary (see below). The next morning we got up early to see what we could see before starting the drive for Laramie. We had heard rumors of moose and bear. We stopped at joined a crowd gathered just off the road. Sure enough, it was a moose munching on a tree. A few people kept creeping closer, which made us all a bit nervous but the moose didn’t seem to mind. So I thought, “Well, why not? I’ll creep up, snap a couple photos and sneak out.” So I did. And I was able to snap almost a whole roll of film crouched in the grass about 35 feet from it. Talk about amazing. And dangerous. But here’s the clincher. When I sent the film to Photoworks to have it developed, guess which roll produced nothing but exposed greyness? Naturally the one with the closest, most incredible wildlife shots of the trip. Ahhhhrrrrgggg!

Other bonuses.
• Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: amazing, both visually and geologically.
• Artist’s Paint pots: smelly but beautiful.
• Lewis Falls: I found a very interesting railing. It looks runic but I think it was bugs. Hayden Valley: at least as good for wildlife viewing as the Lamar Valley, maybe better. We didn’t have much time to explore it, which was one of our main regrets as we left.
• Jackson Hole. We ate at The Gun Barrel Steak & Game House. Expensive but highly worth it. I had elk medallions and Mike had the elk chops and buffalo ribs. The chops were soft, melt-in-your-mouth good. Like nothing either of us had ever had before. And strawberry rhubarb cobbler for dessert . . . Mmmmm. I went to bed a happy woman.

After Grand Teton and Jellystone we headed to the American Ornithologists Union conference in Laramie, Wy where Mike presented some of the analyses he’s done on his Sage grouse data. It’s been a couple years since I’ve been to an academic conference, and it was really nice to be able to engage people on that level and learn about some of the current research going on.

In the end it turned out to be a good trip. And a nice anniversary present for the two of us (weird to think that it’s already 6 years!). We know it wasn’t easy on the heels of a long vacation, but thanks again Mom & Dad!

The "Latest" . . .

Friends are always asking what Lucine is up to so I thought I would post the most recent tid-bits.

• She will yell as loud as she can and then look at me and say "Uh-oh."

• Love, and I mean loves the wind. We put the windows down in the car and she squeals and waves her arms.

• She tried to pick up dog poop with a paper towel yesterday.

• Has discovered that the spacer for my inhaler makes cool sounds when she blows into it. She wanders around the house using it as a horn/kazoo.

Pirates are me favorite!

Ever since our discovery of FSMism, I've had a soft place in my heart for pirates.

My pirate name is:

Bloody Ethel Rackham

Every pirate lives for something different. For some, it's the open sea. For others (the masochists), it's the food. For you, it's definitely the fighting. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Running to Stand Still

A 5-mile hike through mountains (I'm thinking of a couple different ones I've done this summer in the Sierras and one in Yellowstone):
I can do this without a problem. OK, I'm tired the next day. But that's about it.

Today it was all I could do to run a half-mile without stopping. Allergies, asthma, something is kicking my butt.

I admit that I haven't run very regularly this summer. Periodically, but nothing consistent. Maybe that's it. Then I think, no, I've done softball. Luci, Scout and I have gone walking or hiking about every other day all summer with only a few exceptions. Maybe I just suck at running. This is incredibly likely.

In my younger days, I hated running. As hard as I tried in high school P.E. classes I could never run a mile in less than 9:30 - and even that was pushing it. I didn't start to like running until I was in college and had joined Hapkido. I would run in the evenings and let out every ounce of excess energy and stress I had built up during the day. It was wonderful. Especially during the spring and summer when the jasmine was in bloom.

I bring this up because I've decided to run a 5K (3 miles). I've been wanting to do this for awhile. I'm not sure why. Perhaps my college roomate, who's now a nationally-ranked triathlete, inspired me. I've never felt like an athlete. It wasn't until martial arts that I even considered myself an active, quasi-athletic person. And maybe it's the absence of regular martial training that's driving me. I'm not sure.

I want to do it to prove to myself that I can. That's all.

Obviously I'm starting off small, but that's OK with me. But since the one I'm looking at is in Sacramento I figure I have the advantage of training at altitude, right?

All I know is that after today I have a lot of work to do. Ouch, my lungs hurt already.

Ebbs & Flows

Life gets old
Love makes it new
-Greg Brown

I had the most wonderful date Friday night. My favorite man took me out to dinner and a concert. I got clam chowder and crab legs - magnifico! (Have I mentioned my undying love of seafood? I can learn all I want about collapsing fisheries, but you offer me sushi and I can't refuse).

After which I got to see one of my favorite folk singers, Greg Brown.

But the best part was getting to sit on a chair nested into my hubbie's arm and just relax. That's not something we've had a lot lately. And, man, did it feel good.

We do this. One is stressed, the other does as many little things as they can to help make life easier. But we get so busy trying to help each other that we forget, well, each other.

It comes and goes. Cheesy, but it is like tides. We drift, we reconnect, we drift, we reconnect . . . But Greg Brown is wonderful at commenting on the complex yet mundane things like relationships, grandmas, and fishing.

And in the midst of that hour and a half of Greg Brown's blues guitar and deep bass voice I not only remembered that feeling of ebb and flow between Mike & I, I felt it.

Half-Baked: Our First Adventures in Baking

Let me set the stage:

It's 5:00 p.m. Enter the Bean, BORED. Bean has been entertaining herself while The Giant, lately known as Mom-eeee, bakes desserts for a birthday party Saturday.

Mom-ee goes to the drawer to get a measuring spoon, and a moment later here comes Bean with another measuring spoon, eager to help.

So, against her better judgement, The Giant let her . . . (at this point you're probably thinking, "Oh boy, I wouldn't want to have to clean up that mess. But I would have liked to see it.")



Shockingly it was not the flour-fest you might expect. The Giant measured, the Bean poured. While Mom-ee stirred, the Bean stood on her step-stool and watched.

And when they were finished, the Bean naturally got to lick the spoon. Which she of course shared with the Dog.

Ship of Fools, or How To Be a Parent in the Age of Baby First TV

Inspiration for this post: Bug walked up purposefully and turned off the TV, then began bouncing up and down in front of the stereo. When I said no and turned the TV back on she turned it off again.

My sister-in-law and I had a discussion about using the TV as a babysitter. We are both fairly liberal, intelligent women and teachers who want our kids to grow up smart, literate and able to think for themselves. But there are times, like our recent vacation, when we both set the kids firmly on the couch and turn on the Muppets hoping for 15-20 minutes of kid-grasping-the-leg-and-screaming free time to breathe and fix lunch. The rationale: anything that keeps mom sane can't be all bad.

Being a mom is not always easy and there comes a time when you realize that all the idealist daydreams you have about how you want to raise your kid TV-free, eating all organic food, and never owning a Barbie are about as realistic as them never peeing on the floor. But you try. You have to. After all, getting the carpets cleaned isn't cheap.

Awhile ago, I got a telemarketing call from an organization called Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. They asked me about the forthcoming Shrek 3, and if I would be willing to support them in their goal to decrease the commercial attention being given the movie through McDonald's and cereal companies. But before they got to the punch line they wanted to ask certain question about whether I thought certain ads on TV were too numerous or influential.

Seriously people, I have a simple solution. Don't buy your kids sugary commercial cereal. Don't dine at McDonald's once a week. And, though it's tough (no sarcasm, I'm gulity of this one too), turn off the TV. Some people are fine with these things, and that's their choice. And maybe they need an advocacy group. But the idea of disputing what toy comes with your Happy Meal seems a little ridiculous to me. It seems to me that the best way to ensure a commercial free childhood for your kid is to avoid commercials by turning off the TV and buying the Dora and Elmo-encrusted crap in the stores as seldom as possible. But maybe it's not as easy as all that. Maybe, only having a 1 1/2 year old, I'm sheltered. I haven't yet expereinced the "I want what my friends have" stage yet.

But I have to admit that the thought of my kid owning a Bratz doll or singing a Brittney Spears song to me at the age of 5 scares the living shit out of me, so I checked it out further. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood describes themselves as a "national coalition of health care professionals, educators, advocacy groups and concerned parents who counter the harmful effects of marketing to children through action, advocacy, education, research, and collaboration." And it seems like a descent organization. On the website they cite news articles that discuss the effects of Baby Einstein videos, companies that want to market cell phones and computers for 3-5 year olds, slutty clothing targeted at tweens, and the adverse effects of alcoholic energy drinks.

This is, in truth, what sparked this rant. There are the two waring impulses within me as I filter through the sea of junk that is parenting. There are so many parenting methods, so much advice, and so much commercialization that come with this. Steering the ship of parenting between the sharp rocks of Elmo and Happy Meals and the sand bars of BabyFirstTV and the latest Pixar film, it's hard to decipher who's full of it and who has your best interests in mind anymore. Combine that with the winds of breast-feeding in public and moms being competative in the workplace and the fight just to steer straight is enough to make you want to jump ship. Part of me wants to shelter The Bug from fast food, Bratz dolls, and mean kids in school. Another part of me knows that you can't shelter your kids from everything. They need to know how to sift through all the crap that is pop culture without being overwhelmed by it all. But deciding who has your best interests in mind and who's just trying to sell you something is a hell of a lot harder once they start asking for "Sesa" & "Eh-nie" every morning.

OK, I'm procrastinating

You Should Learn Swedish

Fantastisk! You're laid back about learning a language - and about life in general. Peaceful, beautiful Sweden is ideal for you... And you won't even have to speak perfect Swedish to get around!

What Language Should You Learn?

Since we keep thinking about living abroad I figured this would be a good thing to find out. Sweden, who knew?
Isn't procrastination fun??

Though Tea is my favorite...

You Are a Cappuccino

You're fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new. However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like. You are a total girly girly at heart - and prefer your coffee with good conversation. You're the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

I couldn't resist. The caffine delivery system of choice seems to define people. Makes me wonder about the Mountain-Dew-aholics I knew in grad school.


And, I fully admit I love my coffee with conversation, but girly-girl?! WTF? I'll admit I may have some tendencies, but seriously, have these people seen the way I dress most days?