Our last morning in the Park is cloudy reflecting our mood. No wolves, but signals from one of the Slough Creek females on the north side of the road near Coyote. She never appeared. Later two grey wolves were seen high up on Amethyst Bench. I assume it was Slight Right and the grey female.
    We drove around looking for bears and the fox, but no sightings. It was drizzling by then. Reaching Phantom Lake we saw a small crowd and a ranger staring down into the grassy meadow. A large brown black bear grazed, ignoring us like the boar at Tower. He ambled through the meadow foraging and then into the road where he continued his cowboy walk up the yellow line. The ranger, probably worried about cars coming from the west, gently hazed him over to the side of the road and down a slope.
    At Mammoth we met black clouds, thunder and occasional flashes of lightning. It poured for about fifteen minutes, letting up to a steady rain. By the time we reached Swan Lake Flat to take a last look around, the sun was shining and the sky was that clear, deep blue that I associate with this area. Antler Peak, Dome Mountain and Mt. Holmes, still covered with snow, sparkled. I love looking at the mountains capped with snow beneath a blanket of blue, their jagged edges piercing the horizon. And that is the image we hold on to as we drive out of the Park.
   

Author - Christine Baleshta
Photography - Tim Springer