Monday, September 30, 2013

Blondielocks along the Yellowstone River Part 2 -- Blondilocks and the Three Black Bears

Blondielocks and the Three Bears -- 

Part 2 Black Bear Edition



Yellowstone National Park, June 2013

The sunrise greeted us with a spectacular display over the mountains on our second day in Yellowstone. The day would prove to be incredible -- outdoing our first day by a mile (Read about Blondielocks and the Three Bears Grizzly edition Day 1 here). We drove south from our cabin along the Yellowstone River in Montana down to the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and made our way towards Old Faithful. 


The view off the balcony of our cabin.
We saw a mass of cars filling a parking lot near the petrified tree. Previously, where there were cars big critters were making an appearance. Parking the car near a National Park film crew van we made our way down a wooded path getting excited for what we might find. Down the road a crowd of people gathered around a ranger's pickup truck. A magical moment was afoot -- a mother black bear and her two cubs were laying under a tree about 25 feet down a hill. 


Mama and black bear cubs. Look how full his little tummy is!

The ranger welcomed us by saying, "You are witnessing a once in a lifetime scene." He had tears in his eyes. "I've been watching this mother bear in the area for years. This is the first time I've seen her with twins." He whispered excitedly. "She is usually hiding the cubs because of the grizzlies." 

The ranger continued, "She was standing up not fifteen minutes ago nursing the cubs when I got the call." We watched the trio lying in the grass, cubs asleep with the mother keeping a sleepy watch. A nice man in the front of the crowd moved aside and let my kids get closer so they could see. 

Lady Luck was with us again today. I promised to pay her in chocolate if she kept hanging around.

"Sir, ma'am." The ranger stopped a couple who were attempting to walk down the road toward the petrified tree. "You need to walk slowly in tight groups. We don't want the mother bear agitated." The couple waited patiently for another few people to join them down the path to the petrified tree.  

I was curious and asked him about it. He answered, "Bears don't have very good vision. If they see a large group they won't view it as prey. They ignore it as something too big to eat." 

"I thought we weren't allowed to be within 100 feet of a bear in the park." I said. 

"You're not. That's why I'm here to control the situation." He touched the bear spray and pistol on his belt. "I've asked everyone to keep calm and follow proper bear etiquette." An image of Goldilocks came to mind with her very poor treatment of the bears. 

"She must have mated with a cinnamon bear to have two cubs of such a different color. In the fifteen years I've worked in this park I've never seen it." He was very chatty and I picked his brain for about fifteen minutes until the mother bear began eyeing the crowd. We decided to not be greedy and moseyed off to see Old Faithful. 

Lady luck had her pick of the chocolates from the gift shop and I got a delicious coffee to sip on as we watched Old Faithful spew its magic minutes after we stepped outside.
The most famous attraction at Yellowstone: Old Faithful
Later in the week we were heading back to Old Faithful Lodge, my son's favorite place, and at the top of my list as well. Just down the road from the petrified tree area several cars were pulled over. We made a parking spot, against park rules since we were partly blocking the road, and walked towards the crowd excitedly.

A cinnamon bear cub was clinging to the very top branch of a tree swaying back and forth about 40 feet in the air. With the help of another spotting scope we saw the mother black bear resting under a tree. It had to be the three bears we'd seen earlier in the week. The coloring was the same, black mama and cinnamon baby. The second cub was not in sight and we hoped a grizzly hadn't gotten to him. Likely something had scared the cub up the tree a while ago, given the relaxed state of the mama bear.

A ranger interrupted our discussions asking us politely to move our car. We obliged and made our way to the lodge for lunch clicking through our cameras to see if we got any good shots. None of us did.

That night we drove through the Lamar Valley on the north eastern side of Yellowstone. A herd of pronghorn antelope were skipping through the tall grass along the river and buffalo were roaming contentedly. 


Pronghorn Antelope in Lamar Valley
Now where were the deer? It was all we needed to capture that old song.



A few snapshots and we continued our way along the beautiful landscape. As it was unavoidable, we stopped at a picnic area to use the outhouse. Some of these little wooden structures were vented but this particular one must have been too close to the stream to allow such niceties. Never in my life have I smelled such horror. As Shorty's mom I got to stay in for two rounds as she needed my help to not fall in the dreaded contraption. 

Thankfully we were rewarded when we came out gasping for fresh air, nearly sick from the fumes. A few people were talking excitedly down by the stream. Happy to be as far away from the ick as we could get we breathed in the fresh smell of grass and pine and made our way towards them.

"What's going on?" I asked looking in the direction of their gaze into the woods. 

"We just saw a bear up beyond that crooked tree." The man pointed up the hill across the shallow stream. 

"Heading away from us right?" I asked looking down at Shorty and holding her a bit closer. 

"Who knows? He could double back." The man said. "It's our first bear sighting. We got here a month ago and haven't seen one yet! Did you see the claw marks on the tree near the outhouse?"

I hadn't but would go back and check it out on our way back to the car. I told him of our grizzly sighting the first five minutes in the park (Blondielocks and the Three Bears, see part 1) and the mama and cinnamon bears from earlier in the week. They looked at us in astonishment. Shorty backed me up shyly nodding and saying "The baby bears were so cute." 

We talked for another few minutes and decided to find the rest of our family. As we walked away I asked lady luck to consider a donation to this couple. We had been blessed with an abundance so far. Not that I was complaining. She smiled and pointed upstream. The rest of our group was there with a gaggle of die hard naturalist. Two of them had spotting scopes and were very generous letting us all gawk into them. 

My mother in law was hogging one scope and talking a mile a minute. She fit right in with the die hards, being one herself. She told us a red fox and pup were up in the woods about a quarter a mile away. We looked intently up the hill and saw trees and shadows. Waiting my turn, I got a peek in the scope and helped Shorty see as well. 

The mother fox was lazing between two trees. She glanced in the pup's direction flattening her ears nearly rolling her eyes and looked away. Her offspring must have been driving her batty -- I knew the look. In another scope we could see the pup stomping his little feet in the dirt creating a cloud and running back up a small hill having an absolute ball. With the naked eye you could see a puff of dirt in the shadows but nothing else. It was amazing to see fox in the wild so comfortable in their surroundings. I couldn't help but think of the bear not too far off and hoped it wasn't doubling back for a pup snack.   


Red Fox watching her pup.

As the sun lowered in the sky we decided to get back to the Lamar Valley with its wide open spaces to see more animals with nary a single tree to block the view.  


Lamar Valley, where the deer and antelope play.
On our drive there we saw movement in the hilly woods above us. We stopped the car and pulled out our cameras. It was a black bear who kindly answered the age old question for us -- "Does a bear poop in the woods?" He confirmed this with gusto before our very eyes standing on the end of a log -- His large bear ass pointing in our general direction and let loose. We all laughed and had to explain the saying to wee Shorty. I marveled at how outrageous Lady Luck was with her excellent timing. I was going to have to give her something more than chocolate. 

Does a bear poop in the woods? Yes. Off the end of a log apparently.
We ended our day making our way up the Yellowstone River marveling at all the glory of the park. We had all been blessed with so many special memories during the week with all the bear sightings topping them all. Even our poo stories were special.

Yellowstone will always be in my heart and we hope to go back in a few years. It is such a huge place there is no way to see it all in one visit. Next time we will explore the southern half and maybe find Lady Luck again.  For more information on Yellowstone, visit their website: http://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm.

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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Blondie's Interview in the Pool -- Stealing Time Character Interview -- Ronnie Andrews

 Blondie's Interview in the Pool
  
I am in the process of editing my first novel, Stealing Time, and looking forward to getting it out into the world. A few blog posts ago I promised an interview
with the characters of my novel so I've traveled back to August 12, 2004, to meet with Ronnie Andrews, the heroine, just before the book begins.

Let's surprise her at her apartment. She's probably unpacking since she just moved here yesterday. *Knock, knock*

Ronnie:
Oh, hi KJ. I didn't expect you so early. I was just about to take a dip in the pool. You want to join me?

KJ:
Heck yeah, I never pass up an opportunity to swim. Look at you in your bikini, Ronnie. (Guys too bad you can't see this, she looks amazing in her aqua bikini and wrap!) Smokin'!

Ronnie:
What this? *blushes* Well thank you KJ. Let me grab a towel and sunscreen. OK, let's go.

KJ:
I'm going to feature you on my blog, Blondie in the Water. You've heard of it, right? *Ronnie locks the door to apartment and we walk down a curved pathway towards the pool.*

Ronnie:
Of course I have! I love your water adventures. I'm a water girl too and I can't get enough of it. That’s something I’m looking forward to about living here in Florida -- I will be able to spend more time in the pool and ocean with an extended summer.

KJ:
Yes, I loved living in Florida. Only down side were the hurricanes.

Ronnie:
I know, you've heard about Hurricane Charlie -- it's heading this way. Do you think it will hit here in Orlando?

KJ:
Who knows? *Wink* A hurricane has not hit Central Florida in 60 years, but watching the news it does look like a wicked storm -- a category 3 now and strengthening, and should make landfall somewhere in Florida tomorrow.

Ronnie:
Oh, no, I have a bad feeling about this.

The outer bands of Hurricane Charley engulfing downtown Orlando, Friday, August 13, 2004.
Want to feel the power of this storm, read the prologue to Stealing Time here.
  
KJ:
Maybe it would be smart to fill your tank with gas and buy some water. 

Ronnie:
Yeah, when I get out of the pool I'll have to get to the store. What a warm welcome to Florida, right?

KJ:
Man this pool is huge! Can we get neck deep while we talk? 


Ronnie:
Sure, lets get in. I can hear it calling me. *Peels off her wrap*

KJ:
Jeez Louise, Ronnie, I bet you have all the guys hitting on you.

Ronnie:
Haha. Oh stop! Let's get in the pool.

KJ:
Tomorrow is your birthday, isn't it? And Friday the 13th! Do you have any plans?

Ronnie:
I guess I'm going to be keeping an eye on Charlie! Ha! I am supposed to have a romantic birthday dinner with my boyfriend, Jeffrey, but I don't know if we'll be able to if the storm hits. He will have to go to work if it gets anywhere close. *Ronnie dips her pink painted toe in the water*

KJ:
Work? Why would he work during a hurricane?

Ronnie:
Jeffrey is finding ways to store the power from big storms or something along those lines. My eyes glaze over when he uses big fancy scientific words. But he will monitor the storm from his lab until it ends, if it comes close enough.

KJ:
I see. Well, I hope you have a great birthday. I'm certain it will be memorable. *Wink*

Ronnie: 
Thanks! I think it will be with a Friday the 13th storm approaching! Not something that happens every birthday!

KJ:
Why did you move from Virginia Beach? I'm guessing it had something to do with Jeffrey's great brain.

Ronnie:
Yes, it did. Also, my best friend Stephanie McKay moved to Orlando awhile ago and I wanted to be near her. She's on her way over here now to help me unpack, if you stick around you might get to meet her. You're going to love her! She's Scottish and she uses all these weird Scottish words like 'palather' and 'strammash.'

KJ:
I love the Scots! They have such a great sense of humor. You've probably noticed in my blog that I've mentioned them a few times. Especially Gerard Butler.

Ronnie:
Yes, I noticed. I love Gerard Butler, too. I'm starting a new job on Monday and I have to admit my boss looks a bit like him!


KJ:
You are a very lucky gal. How will you resist his charms?

Ronnie:
Haha, KJ! I have a boyfriend, remember. He is smart, sexy and fun. I don't need a Gerard Butler look-alike. Now do I?

KJ:
Doesn't everyone need a Gerard Butler look alike in their lives? C'mon. Let's get in the pool -- it's getting hot out here.

Ronnie:
Ok. *We both slide into the warm blue water* I suppose it could be a lot worse. Anyway, after Jeffrey moved to Florida six months ago for his work I started looking for a job in the area so I could be near both of them.

KJ:
Man this water is warm and delicious! How do you like Florida so far?

Ronnie:
It's a beautiful part of the country. Not really the south, but definitely not the North either. I'm a bit worried about the hurricanes though. I went through Hurricane Isabelle in Virginia Beach last year -- don't really want to relive that!

Hurricane Isabel as it approached Virginia Beach.

KJ:
I hear it's going to be a bad hurricane season. You may wish you moved down in October instead of August.

Ronnie:
Oh man, don't say that. I have heard it is supposed to be a very active year. We've had a lot of storms in the Mid-Atlantic the last few years. I hope they stay up that way now that I'm down here.

KJ:
Yeah, not likely. Great backdrop for my trilogy, though. So many storms, so little time. Let's talk about something else.

Hurricane Charley hitting Orlando area, August 13, 2004.

Ronnie:
What trilogy?

KJ:
Oh, did I mention I'm writing a book? It started off as one long book, but now I've split into three.

Ronnie:
That's exciting. I've read a bit on your blog about it. Tell me more.

KJ:
A very sexy blonde travels back in time during a hurricane and tries to find her way back. It's a thriller with a splash of history and definitely a page turner.

Ronnie:
Sounds great! I love time travel books.

KJ:
How convenient! What are you reading now?

Ronnie:
Jeffrey got me Outlander by Diana Gabaldon on CD for my drive down and to listen to while I unpack. It's a great book, have you read it?

KJ:
Yes, I have, it's one of my favorites. How nice for you get you in the right frame of mind, too. She goes back to Scotland, right?

Ronnie:
Yes, she does. I love all the weird things that happen to her, I mean women were treated so differently back then. It fascinates me!

KJ:
I'm very glad to hear that Ronnie. That will come in handy for you. How do you feel about London in the 18th century?

Ronnie:
What are you talking about?

KJ:
Race you to the other side! *Pulls down goggles and swims my best butterfly stroke to the other side of the pool.*


Shoot we're out of time. Thank you so much for joining us here on Blondie in the Water.

Stay tuned next time for a quick interview with Jeffrey Brennan, scientist and Ronnie's hot brilliant boyfriend. I hope to have Stealing Time out this fall-ish available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other outlets. Thank you so much for stopping by!

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When I'm not working on Stealing Time you can find me on my social media at the links below. I hope to have my novel completed by Spring of 2014 with book two of Stealing TIme close behind.


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Friday, July 5, 2013

Blondielocks on the Yellowstone River -- Part 1 Grizzly Bears at Yellowstone

Blondie on the Yellowstone River -- Blondielocks and the Three Grizzly Bears


Enchanted by Yellowstone!

As I'm writing this my family and I are heading into Yellowstone National Park for our final visit. Our adventure started a week ago and began dramatically. Within ten minutes of entering the West Yellowstone entrance we spotted a grizzly bear about 75 yards across a shallow part of the Madison River. He was a big one at 500 lbs or so. Grabbing our cameras we jumped out of the car and stood along the opposite bank in awe watching him meander down the steep slope. Our excitement grew as he approached a tree and lazily scratched his back along the rough bark.

Grizzly Bear sighted just as we entered Yellowstone.

I kept a close eye on the animal knowing that grizzly bears can run as fast as a racehorse. It would take him a few seconds to reach us if he wanted to -- luckily he ignored us. We filmed him calmly walking along the bank of the river and he disappeared up the hill into the thick forest.

As we climbed in the car I noticed the kids' comatose look from days on the road disappeared. In its place was a look of enchantment. The Yellowstone they'd heard about for months was finally a real place, not just a picture in a book. We were astonished at our luck and tried to explain that people spend weeks in Yellowstone and don't ever see a grizzly bear. For me it was an immense thrill to see a bear in the wild. There was the glory of the beast but also the danger that if he chose to attack he could at any moment.

Our next sighting was five minutes later where several cars were at a pull out looking intently up. We found a bright white mountain goat way up the cliff effortlessly clinging to the rocks. A few quick pictures and we excitedly made our way through Yellowstone and the north entrance towards Mammoth Hot Springs. Our eyes were eager for more animals with all of us searching the forests and meadows as we drove.

See the white dot? That's a mountain goat!

Enormous bison were munching grass along the roadside, nearly as big as our van. One raised his tail and stepped towards my open window snorting as I took a picture. The dude was pissed. We watched him cross the road behind our canoe and charge a male bison on the other side of the road. I lost track of him as we drove around a curve my heart beating fast.


Pardon the angle but I was scared ... 
A puff of what we thought was smoke greeted us in a bend in the road -- it was steam rising from the ground. It was Mammoth Hot Springs and the smell of sulfur rotten eggy-ness permeated the car. Around the corner an amazing sight -- a pure white hillside, with tinges of yellow and steam rising all around. The mineral deposits from millions of years were built up to create, in places, what looked like the surface of the moon. Now we were all enchanted.

Mammoth Hot Springs -- a bit like the surface of the moon.

Just into the shops and hotels around Mammoth, a female elk waited at the crosswalk looking as if it were one of the tourists, my memory adding a hat and shawl. Elk and their newly born calves lounged on the grassy knolls between buildings as if they were waiting for the picnic to arrive.

Female elk patiently waiting for our car to pass.

Elk and their young waiting for the picnic. Be right there ladies!

It was as if we'd entered a magical land with surprises around every corner. The landscape was surreal as well, changing from thick hilly forest when we first entered the park to meadows and rolling hills, and near Mammoth strange vistas of dirt covered hills with rocky crags poking out here and there. How could there be so many different landscapes in one place?

At Mammoth, we got out of the car and found a park ranger on our way to get lunch. Bubbling with excitement we told him of our grizzly sighting. He was very impressed and told us he hadn't seen a grizzly yet this season despite being in the park nearly every day. One of his duties was to hold bear talks with visitors and knew all the places you might spot one. He told us that there are 150 grizzly bears in the 2.2 million acres of Yellowstone. To see one was rather like finding a needle in a haystack. 

After lunch we exited the park and headed north to a cabin along the Yellowstone River where we set up for the week -- a gorgeous spot with mountain vistas all around.

View of the Yellowstone River from our cabin in Montana.

Our luck held the whole week as we saw 2 other grizzly bears, one in the evening near Elk Creek walking below us. 
Grizzly near Elk Creek. You can see the damage to a tree in the foreground, perhaps by this bear.
The other bear lazing under some trees along the roadside between Canyon and Mammoth. The later being the most thrilling sighting. We saw a mass of cars pulled over and we parked along the road and walked a hundred yards or so to see what the hubbub was.

A grizzly was sleeping in the grass in the shade of some pines about seventy-five yards away. The bear was relaxed and seemed oblivious to the thirty or so humans gawking at it. After about ten minutes it startled awake, probably some kids running back and forth noisily across the road. Their parents could have used the talk from our ranger friend about being quiet and walking in tight groups near a bear. Running triggers their attack response much like a dog wanting to chase a rabbit.
OK, this might be a black bear, but for the blog we'll call it a grizzly. Wink!
The bear stood up and looked right into my eyes, or so it seemed. This time the safety of our car was out of reach and with very cute and delicious short blonde people wanting to run away, we decided to slowly, in a tight group, to beat feet back to the car not wanting to be part of one of the few bear attacks a year. We were relieved to return to the safety of the car!

Our week at Yellowstone was full of magical adventures and we leave now with not only with pictures and souvenirs from the gift shops but memories my kids and I will cherish forever.

If you want more on Yellowstone, visit their website here: http://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm.
Part two of Blondielocks and the three bears -- Black Bear edition is here. 


    Connect With Me

    When I'm not working on Stealing Time you can find me on my social media at the links below. You can find my book on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble and other outlets at the links below.


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