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History Trippin' 

Adventrue In March of 2008 our family of four (plus 1 dog) hit the road for a yearlong tour of the United States, focusing on American History.  Come with us! Through this website we’ll pass along how we homeschool on the road and specifically what we’re learning about  American history. In our newsletter we'll provide lesson plans and activity suggestions so that you can learn along with us!  Continue...
Wildlife in Yellowstone PDF Print E-mail

yellowstone.jpgWhile we were in Cody, several people asked if we had visited the "World's Largest Petting Zoo" yet.  They were referring to Yellowstone, of course, which was only about an hour away.  Funny, in Yellowstone they tell you very specifically to stay well clear of the animals.  It could justifiably be called a zoo, but it's definitely not a petting zoo. 

While we were at Yellowstone we saw several elk and mule deer, a black bear, a bald eagle, and many, many bison.  We happened to be there during mating season for the bison (rangers call it "Bison Behaving Badly" month) and believe me, you don't want to get anywhere near those beasts.  They are enormous and the sound they make is pretty intimidating.  In Hayden Valley, they pretty much own the road.  Once we waited for close to 40 minutes while the herd took their time crossing the road.  We held our breath as several of the 2000 pound males came within 2 feet of our open windows.  We didn't try to pet them.  Didn't even try to get their attention.  We were just hoping they'd keep going without charging our van. 
Pictures in the gallery

The entire time we were there we had our eyes peeled for large animals.  We were hoping to see a grisly bear, from a distance.  That didn't happen.  There are also many pronghorns and big horn sheep there, but we didn't see them either.  As for the moose, they have migrated more toward the Tetons since the 1988 fire destroyed many of the willow trees in Yellowstone.  Didn't see them either.  Still, it's pretty amazing to stand about 20 feet away from a huge elk, with antlers as long as my leg.  They are beautiful creatures.  Speaking of antlers, we got a great lesson from a park ranger on antlers vs. horns.  Do you know the difference?  Here's a little lesson...

Antlers are made of bone and are only grown by males.  They are shed and regrown every year.  Horns, on the other hand, are made of material that is essentially the same as our fingernails.  They are grown by both males and females and they are not shed, except in the case of the pronghorn.  You can tell the age of an animal by the rings on its horns.  The animals in Yellowstone with antlers are elk, white tailed deer, mule deer, and moose.  The animals in Yellowstone with horns are big horn sheep, bison and pronghorn antelope.  Here's a game you can play to see if you can put the right horns or antlers on the right animal.
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