Visit to Yellowstone [2014 - 3 - Coyote]

In Yellowstone National Park, October, 2014

October 3rd ... After lunch at the Lake Hotel, we headed back toward the western entrance. Stopped briefly, just after leaving the Lake Village junction to snap the picture below looking across Yellowstone Lake to the Absaroka Range of mountains in Wyoming ... most of the snow on the Absarokas is fresh ... we had rain in the lowlands and snow in the highlands here in the Rocky Mountains around October 1 ...

From Wiki:  "The Absaroka Range cross the Montana-Wyoming border, forming the eastern boundary of Yellowstone National Park and the western side of the Bighorn Basin."

In the photo below, on this fall afternoon, the sun is sinking a little lower in the sky and casting some long shadows in this scene as we look across the Madison River to the south. We do not know for sure, but suspect that the dome in the right portion of the photo is what's left from some volcanic activity centuries ago ...  Yellowstone is, of course, an active volcanic region. The scientists say it is not a matter of "if" but simply "when" the next eruption will occur. It may be today, tomorrow, or thousands of years from now. When you visit YNP ask the Ranger at the entrance for a Park Map. The map will show you the rim of the caldera. It's pretty amazing to consider what you're driving over as you tour the Park. 

As we drive through the Park the long shadows tell us it's a fall day ... and this one was a beauty ...

There are plenty of sights around to remind you that the fire is not far below the surface ...

Lastly, for this post, a pic of the coyote we spotted ... they are fast, determined movers ... this one moving through the tall grass ... and the capture leaves something to be desired, but at least we have the record ...

Thanks for stopping by John's Island.