Winter in Yellowstone National Park - 2005

Winter in Yellowstone National Park is magical.  Sometimes like a fairytale land, and other times all too real... yet magical. While the main motivation for the trip was to photograph wolves, we did not get as close to wolves as expected.  Although we saw them daily (not realistic at other times of the year), they were too far away to photograph in any detail until the last day (and they still were not very close).  The wolf photos are on pages 6 & 7.  We did see 3 mountain lions (mom and 2 grown kittens) feeding on elk carcasses in the distance (via spotting scope).  Many park regulars had never seen even one mountain lion let alone 3 at the same time. I was pleasantly surprised at the many opportunities to photograph big horn sheep and coyotes.  I along with my wife and others on the trip were awestruck by the magic of the naturally steam flocked trees and animals around the thermal features of the park.  We can highly recommend our guide Carl Swoboda of Safari Yellowstone.  He is extremely knowledgeable yet humble, caring for the natural resources both animal and mineral, laid back toward people but passionate on behalf of the wildlife. We met many volunteers and employees of the Wolf Project, and were totally taken by their dedication and passion for the protection and successful management of the re-introduction of the wolves into the wild.  We owe them a great deal of gratitude for what they have done and continue to do for all of us.