Becky and I are up and out by 8:15 this morning. It’s a bright, clear, cloudless day at a comfortable 40 degrees.

Again we see ample elk and pronghorn on our way up the OGR.

We find no-one scoping at the Blacktail so we continue to Hellroaring. Cameron is here, on carcass-watch duty, counting birds, so I get the scoop from him.

He says a grizzly was on the Junction’s carcass at dawn. He also says the Junctions head east around 7:30 and are now being seen south of Slough on Specimen, and suggests they might be headed into Lamar.

We continue east and eventually join Calvin and Lynette at Coyote Overlook. They have 9 of the 11 Junctions in view, bedded on an open slope above and west of Amethyst drainage.

Apparently, the wolves crossed the road in Little America and took a very high route towards Lamar, becoming visible on skyline for a while.

Then they headed down slope into the saddle between Jasper and Amethyst. That’s a lot of miles to travel, even for wolves, so we guess they may be sacked out here for a while.

I can see five of the nine, but they seem sound asleep, so we spend time socializing with our friends. A little later we learn that those scoping from the Ranch can still see all nine, so we move there.

The pack is missing two blacks, and most people think they might be the two pups (almost yearlings) who may have decided to stay at the Hellroaring carcass.

When wolves are sleeping, we always look around for other critters. I spot two coyotes roaming the flats below the bench. Jeff A finds a fox sneaking past the wolves about 200 yards below.

I also spot a large flock of small birds, flitting around the cottonwoods that line the Lamar below Amethyst drainage. I suspect they are Cedar Waxwings.

Sian tells us Mollies were seen in the Soda Butte area a few days ago, so she is going to go check it out. She promises to let us know if she finds them.

The day has warmed to 58 degrees, so most of our coats are inside our cars.

Geese have started to arrive in Lamar, and are loudly honking.

Becky and I take a drive to Hitching post, and see sheep up on the Confluence hills. When we return to the ranch, the wolves are still happily sleeping.

We have learned from Sian and Melba that tonight there is a good chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis, so we have made a plan to meet around 9PM just outside Mammoth at the upper terraces.

So Becky and I leave Lamar around 2PM, hoping to squeeze in a nap at the motel before we go.

We head out around 8:15 and drive up the winding way to just above Canary springs. There is a large lot up here that offers a good clear view to the north.

Lots of our buds are here, Kathie L, Sian, Calvin and Lynette, and Melba. Since I am almost never in the Park this late, it’s a real treat for me.

By 8:30 the light from the sunset is still lingering but in the already dark east stars are starting to emerge. As the darkness grows, we need to use our phone flashlites to see each other.

As I look up and see the sky "messy with stars" as my sister, Cindy would say.

Melba sees the first appearance of the Northern Lights around 9PM. She teaches me how to photograph them on my phone. Mine phone is “old” and doesn’t pick up the lights as well as everyone else’s. The phone camera can “see” them much better than the human eye.

As everyone gets used to it, we enjoy seeing the Northern Light phenomenon by sharing our phone photos. Kathie and Melba get the best ones, which they air drop to everyone else.

I now have a respectable collection of photos memorializing this unique night-time adventure.

Becky and I head back to the Super 8 around 10:30, grateful to have had such an unforgettable experience.

Today I saw: bison, two coyotes, a fox, elk, the northern lights, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, a flock of cedar waxwings, 9 Junction wolves (6 blacks and 3 grays) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.