After Artist Paint Pots and Norris Geyser Basin, we returned to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone – visiting its South Rim.
Artist point offers one of the most photographed views in Yellowstone.
Both the upper and lower decks were awash with tour groups and of course everybody wanted to take a picture of themselves in front of this iconic view, sans others.
We patiently awaited our turns. But just as one group had departed, another one promptly joined in to fill up the space. I wonder if the National Park Service would consider imposing some sort of quotas like the ones planned for Venice and Cinque Terre.
On the other hand, only a short distance away, Tower Fall is the perfect spot to enjoy a tranquil moment with nature without the crowd.
The 132-foot drop of Tower Creek, framed by towering volcanic pinnacles has been documented by early park visitors. Its idyllic setting inspired artists like Thomas Moran, whose painting of the Tower Fall played a crucial role in the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872.
And then finally…on our way to Tower-Roosevelt, we saw him!
Our first bear sighting in the Yellowstone National Park – given that we followed park warnings and skipped the hike to Natural Bridge the previous day.
He was such a happy baby.
Lying down comfortably on his tummy with his fluffy butt facing us.
Doing a few push-ups
Look at that posture! – straight back 🙂
Got up
and began foraging.
A kid in the crowd got excited, shouted and threw rocks at him. His parents said nothing. So we did!
Speaking of bears……While you are in West Yellowstone, the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center is a non-profit wildlife educational facility that’s worth a visit. Grizzlies kept there were either orphaned – such as Grant and Roosevelt mentioned in one of my earlier posts – or became too comfortable around humans, such as the 1050 pound Sam
from Alaska
who as a six-month old cub, after the disappearance of his mother, wandered into a fishing village where people began hand-feeding him.
It became quite a local attraction and a dangerous situation at the same time.
Without a mother to care for him and being accustomed to human food, Sam had to be placed in captivity and arrived at the Center in 1996.
The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center gave these bears a second chance. Their stories help delivering a message to us humans – young and old – that bears in the wild should stay in the wild forever. To help out click here to adopt a bear like Sam or a wolf at the center.
This concludes out third day visit in the Yellowstone National Park. Click the link below to read previous posts of the day:
Yellowstone National Park – Artist Paint Pots
Yellowstone National Park – Norris Geyser Basin
Next up, Mammoth Hot Springs
Travel-Gourmand.com 
Sam has my husband and my heart in his big paws. He is adorable. I wonder what he kept looking for though amongst the rocks…those little boys. What pests. I am glad you gave them a piece of your mind.
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I know. I added one more photo of Sam just for you and your hubby 🙂 Can you imagine him being the six month old cub with his big round furry head, of course people fed him. He’s too cute to be left to starve. They buried his lunch underneath those rocks. Apparently in the wild, that’s how grizzlies hide their kills, saving it for later. That boy was super annoying. His parents were busy taking photos. So we thought we’d teach him a lesson.
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Oh how lovely of you! I just checked it and shall show it to my husband just as he gets some time from work. I can actually imagine the 6-month old boy and the villagers falling in love with him. How could you possibly not? I am glad he is being kept in captivity but hope he is later rehabilitated because he belongs in the big wild outdoors, not somewhere where pesky boys can pester him with stones for attention. How on earth children are so cruel and odd at times … Good on you for the lesson!
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It is a thrill to see the bears in the wild isn’t it! Eating grass which is what they mostly do. Great photos!
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Yes it was. Thank you Cindy!
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Wow great pictures and so cute he is.
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Thank you so much Boundlessblessings.
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Welcome
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It must have been wonderful standing there and seeing him foraging! I have never seen a bear in the wild, but I guess you feel rather small and insignificant!
“A kid in the crowd got excited, shouted and threw rocks at him. His parents said nothing. So we did!” This makes me happy – I hate grown-ups being nonchalant not teaching their children how to behave. Well done telling him. I hope his parents learned something as well…
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Thank you Leya.
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Awww, look at the bear. Great pictures. So much beauty in the world.
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Yes, and you got to see them Andrea 🙂
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Yellowstone was already on my bucket list but you’ve reconfirmed its place. Such beautiful scenery and amazing wildlife.
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Thanks for stopping by Travelgarb!
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Love your photographs, it looks like you had a very memorable time.
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Thanks Karen.
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The Discovery Center and places like this are perfect for bears that are to accustom to humans. These places provide education for people so incidents like that little boys actions might be prevented. Glad you spoke up, the parents are worse than the boy, as far as I am concerned, not teaching him to respect the living and natural environment.
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Thank you Terry. I completely agree. With parents like that, I would not be surprise if this boy grew up to be just like that teenagers who threw firecrackers to the forest that burnt all the trees and endangered many wild lives in the Columbia Gorgeous a month ago.
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oooooh, that is a big boy! Not sure how I would handle running into him on a forest road. Great pics and a wonderful narrative to with them 🙂
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Thanks Invisible-No-More. Hopefully you two will salute each other from afar and continue down your own path. Good think he is not a sow with cubs.
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This is amazing. I love being taken to this park each time, and show my husband the pictures, trying to get him to say yes to America as our next destination. Still trying. Keep posting.
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Keep on trying 🙂 You will succeed one day.
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An exciting sighting – so glad you spoke up about the bratty kid. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
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Yes it does. Parents need to pick up the responsibility of educating their kids. Sigh.
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Ooooh baby bear…. but where’s mommy?
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Haha He wasn’t exactly a baby. More like a juvenile. I called him the baby because of his cuteness 🙂
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Beautiful bear! The boy throwing rocks makes me ill. It’s a sure sign the parents aren’t teaching him to treasure and respect nature. Thank you for speaking up!
Seeing bears in the wild is both scary and exciting. It’s been a long time since I’ve last seen one, which was at Glacier National Park in British Columbia on a trip in 1989. Sheesh, I need to get out more!
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It has been wonderful catching up with your Yellowstone NP posts, so many lovely, colorful photos. And being able to see and capture a bear, how cool! We visited YNP last summer and seeing/photographing a bear was at the top of my list, but alas, no bear sighting. Out of all the parks we visited last year, Yellowstone is at the top of our list of enjoyment. It is a place we want to revisit with plenty of time to spare. Looking forward to your next Yellowstone post! 🙂
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Thanks Donna for your kind words.
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