Hoerman's House

My life day to day

Archive for the tag “nature”

Turkey Vultures

Glen and I got home late Sunday night.  We didn’t get a chance to sleep in because our crazy birds knew we were home and squawked and screeched until we got up.  I just happened to look outside and saw three turkey vultures at the end of our driveway.  Apparently something got struck by a car and killed while we were gone and the clean up crew had arrived.

Image

Image

Have no idea what they were consuming because when we left mid morning to go get the cat from the vet’s office it was all gone.  Very nice that they cleaned everything up…..but kind of gross too.

Back Country Horseback Ride

On our last full day Glen and I went on a half day horse back ride.  It was a cool rainy day, but the horses were nice and warm so we didn’t get cold.  It was a very fun and different thing to do, however, my backside was definitely sore by the end of the ride.

Image

My horse is the butt on the left.  His name was Chickasaw.

Image

Meet Glens horse.  His name was Calhoun.

Image

Off we go…..There was a group of six of us.  There was a couple from Boston and the other couple was from upstate New York.  The couple from New York had a very had time controlling their horses.

Image

Entering a nice treed area….getting close to our lunch break.

Image

Here I am waiting my turn to get off my horse so I can eat my lunch.  The lady in the background with the cowboy hat on was our guide.  Her name was Carrie and she was very knowledgeable about the area and….well….horses.

Image

We took a different trail back to the Corral.  The guide called it “the hoo doo’s”.  It was a very rocky area that was affected by an earthquake.  All the rocks were laying every which way.

Image

When we got back to the corral where the horse trailer was, this bull buffalo was walking down the road.  Our guide was like we need to hurry, hurry, hurry and get off these horses.  She said that buffalo scared her far worse than bears, because buffalo were so very unpredictable and fast.

Image

After our horseback ride we decided to drive over to an area that we hadn’t been to yet, the Tower/Roosevelt area.  It was a cloudy rainy day and we didn’t see much and I was having a very hard time keeping my eyes open and kept nodding off.   We had decided earlier that we would take a side/scenic road, which turned out to be a non paved road that was rougher than rough.  Along the way we came across a momma black bear and her cub.  SCORE!  The only critters that were on our list to see that we didn’t see were a moose and wolves.  Maybe someday we will be able to see them in the wild.

Scenic Drive to the Grand Tetons

Last Friday Glen and I dedicated a whole day to drive down to the Grand Teton National Park.

Image

Our day started off a bit foggy.

Image

We pretty much stopped at every turn out to take pictures because there was a significant chance for thunderstorms and the thunderheads were forming behind us.  This picture is one of my favorites, Tetons with the Snake River.

Image

Glen took a nice panoramic shot of the Tetons at Jackson Lake.

Image

On the way home we spotted some Pronghorns.

Image

When we got back into Yellowstone, we stopped at a geothermal area we hadn’t seen yet.  We arrived just in time to watch the Great Fountain Geyser erupt.  It shot water into the air every bit as high as Old Faithful.  Was very impressive.

Image

Of course no trip home would be complete without spotting some amazing animal.  This time the bald eagle was closer so I could get a better picture.

Image

When the bald eagle flew off I looked to my left and there was a beautiful female elk crossing the river.  She stopped in the middle to get herself a nice little sip of water.

Best.Day.Ever!

Yesterday Glen and I went to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  It was gorgeous!  The upper and lower water falls and all the treacherously step trails to get to the best vantage points.  After the Grand Canyon we decided to unwind by driving to Hayden Valley.  That was the best choice ever!

Image

View of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Image

This is the stairway on Uncle Tom’s Trail.  It has 328 stairs….and yes, Glen and I did that.  The stairs take you down to the base of the lower falls. 

Image

Glen and I at the bottom of the Uncle Tom’s Trail at the lower falls.  A very nice German man took our picture.

Image

Upper falls

Image

Hayden Valley had a very large herd of buffalo.  We took our time and took a ton of pictures.

Image

Here they are crossing the road.  However, the animals don’t need to be in the road to cause a complete traffic jam.  A single animal laying or grazing in the grass can cause traffic to come to a complete stop.

Image

This is an osprey that was nesting in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

Image

Bald Eagle….first time I had seen one in the wild!

Image

Look closely…..River Otters

Image

Coyote….This guy was not shy at all.  There was a large group of us tourists and he was about 50 yards out mousing.

Norris Geyser Basin and Mammoth Hot Springs

Yesterday was our second full day at Yellowstone National Park and we had to take it a little easier because of all the walking we did the day before.  I ended up with a blister on each foot and my right knee was hurting badly.  So we only ended up walking maybe 5 to 6 miles yesterday.  We drove up to the Norris Geyser Basin then up to Mammoth Hot Springs.  We took in some cool sites along the way.

Image

Gibbon Falls

Image

Porcelain Geyser Basin at Norris Basin

Image

Still part of Porcelain Basin

Image

Awesome view

Image

Sheepeater Cliff

Image

Mammoth Hot Springs

Image

Mound Terrace at Mammoth Hot Springs

Image

Another cool view

Image

Undine Falls

Image

Firehole Falls

Yellostone’s Geyser Basin

Yesterday was our first full day to take in Yellowstone National Park.  We saw a lot of very cool stuff and took about 550 pictures between the two of us.  We decided to take in the geyser basins.  In all, we probably hiked 10-11 miles.

Image

Fountain Paint Pots

Image

Image

Turquoise Pool

Image

Elk – This guy was just off the path…..soooo awesome!

Image

Fairy Falls – The person on the left is Glen.

Image

Chipmunk

Image

Grand Prismatic Spring

Image

Old Faithful

Image

Old Faithful Inn

Image

Morning Glory Pool

Image

American Buffalo

Image

Mystic Falls

 

 

 

Belly up to the bird bath

Image

Image

Image

Image

Best in Camo

I was just walking through the yard and spotted this spider.  I wouldn’t have seen it if it hadn’t moved.  It is very well camouflaged!

Image

It’s Dove Season

Sunday morning dove season opened.  Glen got up bright and early only to be rained out by a pop up thunderstorm.  Glen and the neighbor decided to try their luck again that evening with much better results.  Yesterday we had dove for supper.  I had never eaten dove before, and found it to be quite tasty.  Glen seasoned them up three different ways.  He created an oriental marinade, habanero rub and Tastefully Simple Tuscan Herb.  I tried the habanero and it was way too freaking hot for me.  The Tuscan Herb was my favorite.  We also grilled fresh corn on the cob.  It tasted good, but holy cow it was chewy and stuck to all of my teeth.

Image

 

A Thorny Issue

Some of the trees in our yard are well armed.

Image

Post Navigation

The ancient eavesdropper

Nature's nuances in a nutshell

The Bloggess

Like Mother Teresa, only better.

Mangia Paleo

Pasta, Grains, Gluten? Fuhgeddaboutdit!

that paleo couple

weekly paleo recipes, health tips, and more from a couple on the go

Pound Dropper

WW Freestyle Recipes

Kimberley J Gordon

All the pretty things....

Daily Feline and Canine Wisdom

Wise cats and dogs help you be more like them

Travels with Choppy

A dog and cat in clothing. Puns. Travel. Bacon. Not necessarily in that order.

DeWetsWild

Disappearing into South Africa's wild places... Again!

Urban Creatures

“Today everything exists to end in a photograph.” - Susan Sontag

Sunny Sleevez

Sun Protection & Green Info

A Farm, A Forest and Fizz

Nature notes from the Forest of Dean

Bubba and Fling

Thought Bubbles from 2 Aussies

Mother's Nature

Helping you reach a better state of body and mind

A Note From Abroad

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sailaway from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~ Mark Twain