Grizzleys and wolves, and waterfalls, oh my! On the road again...

We have been so spoiled with all our wildlife sightings in Yellowstone the last two days that we were reluctant to leave, so we visited the wonderful Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone for several hours before departing. This not-for-profit center "rescues" wolves and grizzlies that have become too familiar with humans, and thus dangerous to humans and themselves. We watched two of their 9 grizzlies, Alaskan siblings, Sam and Illie, in the outdoor bear habitat, searching for ants and larvae, eating grasses, wallowing in the dust, swimming in their pool and exploring their territory. We also saw both of the two grey wolf packs and were there to watch the feeding of one pack from inside a glass walled building putting us very close, but safe. They cannot be released into the wild again and have no direct human contact. Between outings, wolf and bear, Center keepers move things in the habitats, hiding food in different places, leaving scents and bringing in different things to stimulate their lives. The schedules for all the animals is constantly changing to simulate the unpredictability of life in the wild. It was a rewarding visit, and we gained a lot of knowledge.

At 11:00 a.m. we took to the road, heading west out of Montana, and then south through eastern Idaho. The landscape changed dramatically to wide open valleys of farmland, with the Gallitan and then Teton ranges as backdrops. Gorgeous. We took the Mesa Scenic Bypass because of a serendipitous conversation with a lady at the Old Faithful Inn two days ago. She and her husband, both Virginia retirees, are working for six months at Yellowstone, and told me about an excursion to two beautiful waterfalls they had taken. As it was only a thirteen mile detour, we took it and saw the Upper and Lower Mesa Falls on Henry's Fork of the Snake River. Because we'd tarried in W. Yellowstone, and hiked to the two falls, we decided to skip Bear Lake and head straight on to Salt Lake City. We stopped for gas and soup, half sandwich and homemade pie just south of Idaho Falls, and then kept on trucking south. With speed limits of 65-75, you can move along.

We got to the Fishers about 6:00 p.m., washed up briefly and then went to an incredible Chinese restaurant, The Mandarin, in nearby Bountiful, Utah - which has won also sorts of well-deserved accolades. Back in their lovely home, Scott showed us the incredible results of his genoeological research. Wow. Truly amazing, and inspiring.

It's midnight here and I'll do more tomorrow. 300+ miles, 6+ hours driving today. We leave for services at the Morman Tabernacle just after 8:00 in the morning. Must go to bed. Be safe tomorrow.