...winter in Yellowstone

The gang poses at the sign near the entrance of Yellowstone Notional Park in West Yellowstone, Montana.

Boarding the snowcoach. Note the front 'wheels.'

This was the view out the window of the snowcoach when we stopped for a break at Madison Junction. It was minus 26 degrees. The snowmachine riders looked very cold.

This photo was taken from the boardwalk at Old Faithful. The bison were in the steam way off in the distance.

Emily stands in front of Old Faithful as it erupts.

After leaving California we landed in Billings around midnight. We slept soundly until the morning when we awoke to celebrate Christmas (the day after) by opening presents. Emily distributed the gifts and we soon had a mound of wrapping paper on the floor. After the exchange we ate a quick breakfast and packed the vehicles for the drive to Big Sky, Montana, where we stayed for three nights.

On Monday morning we woke at 4:45 AM, packed lunch, and drove to West Yellowstone, Montana. It was minus 26 degrees when we got there...chilly. But, we weren't bothered by it since we were going to be riding in a heated snowcoach for the rest of the day on our tour to Old Faithful and back. We looked out the windows at the snowmachiners as they got on their machines and drove into the cold.

The snowcoach follows the road into the park and stops frequently for photos and discussions about the features and wildlife of the park. Doug was our driver and he was a wealth of knowledge. He drives snowcoaches in the winter and works as a permanent seasonal park ranger in the summer. He is also a retired Orthopedic Surgeon. We saw eagles, swans, golden eye, Canada geese, and a couple of elk as we rode along. Our first stop was at Madison Junction where the snowmachiners pulled in beside us. Some of the younger riders had to switch to the snowcoaches due to the cold. Their faces certainly were frosty and some of them covered with icicles when they entered the heated rest area!

After the break we sallied forth and traveled through the geyser basins which were filled with steam. We did take a side road to Fire Hole Falls which was the coldest waterfall I have ever seen. Then we headed through the steam directly for Old Faithful. It was beautiful when we arrived as the skies were clear and sunny. We ate a quick lunch in a yurt and walked over to the boardwalk for a view of the the eruption. We have seen Old Faithful in the summer and it is spectacular, but it is even better in the winter when the temperature is cold because the amount of steam created by the column of hot water is amazing and beautiful.

After the eruption we had plenty of time to walk around the area and go inside the Visitor Center. The temperature warmed up to around 20 degrees above zero and it became very pleasant. We took some photos and climbed back on the snowcoach at 1:35 PM. We started our trip back to the entrance stopping at one of the geyser basins along the way for a short interpretive walk. Emily and I watched as the ravens scavenged the parked snowmachines for food. They opened velcro closures and plastic buckles in their efforts. It was quite amazing. They are extremely intelligent birds.

Eventually we made the final push for the entrance passing large herds of bison, steaming ground, geysers, elk, and coyotes hunting mice. We stopped at the heated rest area at Madison Junction on our way out just as it started to get cold again. We were glad for the heated snowcoach. We reached West Yellowstone a little after 5:00 PM. We hopped in the vehicles and drove back to Big Sky where we ate pizza at a great little bakery. It had been a great day and the first time we had seen...winter in Yellowstone.