Roadside Pullout Ahead: Winter Wildlife Viewing in Yellowstone

          Yellowstone National Park has five entrances and 251 miles of roadways, but only one stretch of highway is plowed and open to vehicles from November until May—the 52 miles between the Montana towns of Gardiner and Cooke City.
          While traveling this road you may notice several vehicles parked in the plowed pull-out areas.  If you also see people outside in temperatures barely topping zero degrees, gazing through spotting scopes and long-lens cameras—pull over!  You're guaranteed to catch sight of amazing wildlife nearby.

Wildlife alert!  What did these people see?
Two wolves and a mountain lion on the far hillside.
We saw them too, through our spotting scope.

          Roadside pullouts are the places for photographing wildlife during the winter months in Yellowstone.  On a frigid January day Tim and I pulled into one of these parking spots near the Lamar River where we observed and photographed the following species.
          Click on any photo to enlarge.

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep.  Notice how well
he blends in with the rock and snow.

This coyote was on her way to feast on a dead animal carcass,
uphill to the left.

Cow Moose browsing willows on the river bank.

This pair of Barrow's Goldeneye ducks is enjoying
their swim in the Lamar River.

As we drove away from the pullout we noticed
a badger following in bison tracks near the road.

         And the reward for getting up early and braving the cold by dressing in layers of long underwear, fleece tops and pants, neck warmers, wool gloves and wind-stopper parkas?
         A stop at 'The Bistro' in Cooke City for steaming mugs of hot chocolate.

The Bistro, on left, serves bone-warming hot chocolate.

         View more photos of Yellowstone's winter wildlife by visiting this previous post: http://onedayinamerica.blogspot.com/2012/01/winter-wildlife-of-yellowstone-national.html

Cross-country Travel Opportunity with Cotopaxi, the 'Gear for Good' Company

Can you see yourself traveling this open road?
If so the job opportunity (below) might be for you!

"Get Your Kicks...on Route 66." 

"See the USA in Your Chevrolet."

 
          These slogans from the mid-20th century represent America's love affair with the open road.

          Road trips are synonymous with independence, discovery and adventure.  Because of my blog's focus on adventure travel and exploration in the United States, I was encouraged by the Cotopaxi online community to share their "Road Warrior" position.

          Who is Cotopaxi?  Founded in 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Cotopaxi designs, makes and sells outdoor gear, like these travel backpacks. Their stated goal is to make great gear, and to help alleviate poverty in the developing world by donating 2% of their revenue to promote health, education, and job skills training.

          A brief description of the employment opportunity:

          We’re on a mission to hire someone for the open road. He or she will travel around the country and visit every major U.S. city, living the ultimate adventure from coast to coast all while sharing their experience. They’ll travel around the country, encouraging people to find adventure and do good.
       
          Wow.  At one point in my life I would have jumped at the chance to apply for this job.  Which is why I agreed to write this post and spread the word about this exciting cross-country travel opportunity.

                                                                          ****

          Readers, are you interesting in applying for the Field Marketing Specialist job below?  And if not, do you know of friends or family who are looking for a unique position with a dynamic, socially conscious outdoor gear company?  If so, please forward the following information to them.

If you, a friend or family member are interested in applying for this position visit https://www.cotopaxi.com/pages/jobs and click on Field Marketing Specialist under "Current Openings".