With the south entrance  to Yellowstone now open, the drive to the park from Jackson Hole is now much quicker.  The Grizzly bears have emerged from their long hibernation and are concentrated in the snowless areas around the Lake and Hayden valley areas so I headed there first. I didn't locate any bears on my first pass through the valley and as the light was getting higher I travelled a little farther north to photograph the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River before the colors washed out. I spent an hour and a half in this incredible area before going back to bear scouting. Entering Hayden valley I came across this Great Blue Heron fishing at the confluence of Alum creek and the Yellowstone rivers. A little farther down the road I came across my first Grizzly of the day. The bear was a good distance away but I was able to grab a few images. Just a half mile away luck was with me as the bear in this photograph was very near the road. The park ranger that was on the scene did an excellent job of managing the cars and people as the bear approached, probably to within 50 yards. In this instance he calmly strode a few steps and firmly said "Scoot bear" and the bear turned and wandered back up the hill. Very thrilling! I'll be back to Yellowstone Saturday; new day, new opportunities.