Christy has been associated with the travel industry from the beginning of her working career. Her background includes the airline industry, hotels, and a local ski resort. Christy has a BA degree in Accounting and Management and has been able to combine her love of the travel industry and accounting background at Austin Lehman Adventures!
Christy has worn many hats over the years. Her current responsibilities include the accounting and financial stability of the company, human resources and the logistics of our adventures! She is also the main caretaker of the many variety of birds and squirrels that frequent the ALA Farm!
A day in the life … well let me see. Let’s start with a bit of history of who I am. I am a Bison but a lot of people think of me as a Buffalo. True buffaloes are my relatives but they live in Africa and Asia, the cape buffalo and water buffalo. Only North American buffaloes are bison and two of the largest herds of bison live in Yellowstone National Park and in Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park. Below is a photo of me with my Mom when I was first born in Yellowstone National Park a few years back. Am I not adorable!!
Figure 1: Photo courtesy of Peak Photography of Montana
Anyway, back to my day. We are a social bunch so you will typically find us in herds or groups and spend most of our day grazing. We are the largest land animal in North America and therefore need a lot of food for energy. We love to graze on grasses, herbs, shrubs and twigs for an hour or two and then we rest and "chew our cud" which is basically regurgitating what I have already eaten once. I have 4 stomachs so I make sure that I get every nutrient that I can from my food before it moves along. We are constantly eating and throughout the day can move 10 – 15 miles depending on how good the grazing area is. If we are lucky we find a great spot and stay for a few days.
A couple of times a day I visit the local stream or pond for a drink of water, run and play with my friends, take several rests and occasionally take a dust bath which is my natural insect repellant!
Since I live in Yellowstone National Park, I have a lot of visitors that want to view me and take my photo. I love to pose for photos but always remember that I like my space and to stay at least 25 yards away or more. I may be big but I am agile and can run more than 30 miles per hour and pivot quickly!! So please take photos but give me my space and stay a safe distance away.
A lot of people are curious about how our species survive what can sometimes be a brutal winter. Well our thick, shaggy coat is so well insulated and we can have up to 2 inches of fat that snow can settle on our back without melting! It can also help to keep us warm similar to how a blanket would. We use our strong head and hooves in the winter to move the snow off of the vegetation below to eat. Did you know you can tell where we have been by our distinct hoof prints which look like 2 fat banana's facing each other!
Well there Old Faithful blows so better go! If you would like to see a bison like me in our natural habitat, your best chance would be to visit Yellowstone National Park or Custer State Park in South Dakota!!
You know that spring is in the air when you smell the lilac bushes in bloom and see the first robin arrive. You know that the adventures for the season are about to begin when the guides start arriving in Billings for training around the first week in June! Let the fun begin.
This year we are so lucky to have such a gifted and fun group of guides. For those of you traveling on our Yellowstone vacation you will get to know and love Lauren!
This is Lauren’s first year at ALA, but she is no stranger to the outdoors, nature and adventure. At a young age Lauren headed to England, South Africa, various parts of the United States and later to Costa Rica where she could be found exploring the rain forests and perfecting her Eco Tourism skills. She majored in Hospitality Management, Travel and Adventure, Sport and Nature based Tourism.
Oh and did I mention that both of our favorite places to visit is Tortuguero, Costa Rica? Tortuguero can be translated to “Land of Turtles”. Its beaches are a key nesting sites for four species of sea turtles. So if you have an interest in wildlife, Lauren can talk with you about everything from turtles in Costa Rica to the bison and wolves of Yellowstone!
You will find that Lauren is fun loving, compassionate and is so very excited to show everyone up close the natural wonders of Yellowstone Park!
To learn more about Lauren, check out her guide profile!
Your friend in adventure,
Christy
This little fuzzy guy is a Pika!
Pikas are small mammals that have short limbs and rounded ears. They kind of look like a guinea pig but they are not related to them. They are active all year around and dart around on the rocks or travel through the snow in tunnels that they have created to/from their burrow holes.
Some call the Pika a “whistling hare” because they make a very distinct whistle call. Chances are that you will hear a Pika before you would ever see one.
They are herbivores and feed on a wide variety of plant matter, mostly grasses, shrubs, twigs, moss, and lichen.
I was able to catch a brief glimpse of a Pika last time we were hiking near Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park. Grand Prismatic is one of the most amazing hydrothermal features that Yellowstone has to offer.
Pika are not as well-known as a bison, elk or even an eagle but they definitely are one of the cutest animals around and fun to watch!! Try to locate one of them on your next Yellowstone National Park vacation!
Your Friendly Pika Lover,
Christy
As I was putting on my hand lotion today the smell of lavender took me back to my San Juan Islands adventure vacation in August. After our group enjoyed an amazing picnic lunch created by our guides Blair and Toby at South Beach. Which by the way, South Beach is located in American Camp that was developed during the Pig War back in 1859 between the United States and Great Britain over a pig crossing the country boundary line and meeting its demise. The war created the English Camp to the North and the American Camp to the South. The two camps now make up the San Juan Island National Historical Park.
But I digress, after lunch the group jumped on their bikes and headed to the Pelindaba Lavender Farm. You can smell the lavender before you see it as you have to crest a small hill. Once you reach the top you see this stunning farm with rows and rows of different kinds of lavender. I thought lavender came in one variety but I was quickly proved wrong.
At the farm you are allowed to spend as much time as you wish walking up and down the rows of lavender, cut your own bouquet or visit the gift shop where you can purchase items that are made from the lavender.
The San Juan Islands are an archipelago (a chain or cluster of islands) located in the northwest corner of the United States and are part of the state of Washington. In the archipelago, six islands are accessible by passenger ferry operated by the Washington State Ferries system.
On our San Juan Adventure, we visit the 2 largest islands, San Juan and Orcas, over a 5 night 6 day trip which is a hiking vacation, cycling tours, kayaking trip, photograph adventure and a cruise to hopefully see Orca whales, sea lions, eagles and other wildlife, all in one!
Your Friendly Adventure Coordinator,
Christy
I will always remember my first Yellowstone National Park Vacation. All I wanted to see was a bison, a big waterfall and a geyser. Well I can honestly say that mission was more than accomplished! Now I have taken several Yellowstone vacations and each time I visit it feels like the first time.
Yellowstone National Park was established on March 1, 1872 and is the world's first national park. Yellowstone has over 2 Million acres, approximately 290 waterfalls, is an active super volcano and is home to the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states.
Yellowstone tours provide an awe inspiring place filled with wildlife, waterfalls, mountains, trails, rivers, geysers, geothermal features, flowers, etc. You can hike, bike, photograph, bird watch, study the flora, fauna or just enjoy the peaceful quiet. You have to experience it yourself to truly understand the magical draw of this park!
Your friendly adventure coordinator,
Christy
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