We have coffee and muffins from the store at the Sinclair station before setting off at 7:15

Our first stop is at Round Prairie, where I learn we just missed an appearance by some of the Mollies.

However, thanks to a friendly guide, we see two bull moose instead. Too far for photos but excellent through the scope. Then I spot two more moose (a cow and calf) further south, trotting past the bulls into deep forest.

The rain has stopped but the day is chilly. Laine is wearing a hat again!

Our next stop is at the Ranch where other guides have found a pair of grizzlies up on Amethyst Bench. Yay! I get them in the scope and everyone has a look.

A third grizzly is spotted on North Divide Ridge. We see that one, too, then drive to Dorothy’s for a closer look at him. I notice wary elk up on the hill above him.

Next, we visit the Slough again; this time I drive down to the gravel lot. Watchers here tell us there has been some activity at the den area, but nothing in view right now. We decide to hang out here a bit.

A coyote trots by on our side of the creek. Then three more coyotes are seen running along the far bank.

David notices that some bison have just swum the creek to our side. As they climb the slope and enter the sage meadow east of us, they begin to act up. We stay close to our cars, but the bison end up passing us safely. They both enjoy seeing bison behave this way.

Someone calls out “sage den” so I rush back to my scope. 907F has just come out. Laine gets to see her through my scope.

There are two bison grazing in the den area; one by the western trees and another by the eastern trees. Just below the left bison I see black ears sticking out of the high grass. It’s 1479F!

David miraculously gets a photo of her. Then 1478F emerges from the sage den and beds in view nearby. My family sees these wolves through my scope. I just hope the photos turn out!

The alpha male appears near the western trees and a mini-rally occurs among all the wolves. This is the highest number of wolves (4 black and 2 gray) either Laine or David have ever seen. It’s our nicest wolf sighting yet.

We chat a bit with Mark and Carol, whom my family happened to meet on our last visit 10 years ago.

Back we go through Little America, past dozens of bison and their calves.

At Tower Junction, I figure we have time for one more side trip before committing to the drive to Bozeman. I turn south and very soon hit the jackpot. A black bear sow with two cinnamon coys is grazing the area below the wide curve in the road.

About 50 people are lining the road watching the bears. I manage to find a safe place to park and we walk back to join the well-mannered jam. We spend a good hour here, and David gets great shots. It’s a perfect last sighting to end the trip.

We continue west through the Blacktail, and finish with a nice lunch in Gardiner at Wonderland.

By the time we head back to Bozeman, the day has turned bright and sunny.

We have a bit of a rest and then head west to Headwaters State Park, where we view the spot where Lewis and Clark stood as they found the three mountain rivers that make the Missouri. They later named them the Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson.

We explore the Park a bit, then head across the highway to the cowboy town of Three Forks, and the excellent restaurant called Pompey's Grill at the Sacagawea Hotel. We have a great meal, then back to Bozeman.

Today I saw: 3 black bears (including 2 cubs) 3 grizzlies, bison (and calves) 4 coyotes, elk, 3 moose, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, 7 wolves (four black and three gray (including the alphas, 1478F, 1479F and three others) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.