Snowy delight

 OLD FAITHFUL,WY - - It was snowing when we got off work late Friday afternoon.  It was snowing harder when we finally turned out the lights about 10pm.  So we expected some white and fluffy on Saturday morning....which was our day off.  But not the 3-4 inches covering the 'bus' (second vehicle from left) at 6:30 am.  We wandered over to Old Faithful where the snow on the benches was undisturbed and OF was teasing folks with small steam bursts.

We needed to go to Bozeman, MT to shop but the snow and the various cloudy spots in the sky made us think about leaving .... for about five minutes.  We made the trip, ran into snow, sleet, hail and combinations thereof.   And when we got back to OF nearly all the new snow had melted.

On the road

OLD FAITHFUL, WY - - It's Tuesday morning, 37-degrees and snowing.  It's not sticking, yet, but we can see the mountains in the distance having their white mantle replaced.  We've got class this morning and afternoon.  After that we jump in a bus to head out to the high country for more touring and classes and where the weather forecast shows nothing but rain and (maybe) 40's as the high.  People who fail as Florida weather people easily find work in Wyoming and Montana.
        The trip is a good news/bad news thing:  Good - we get to see parts of the park Lydia have never been to; Bad - three days without computers. 

Hot and cold

 OLD FAITHFUL, WY - - On our day off, Sunday, we went exploring some places in the park where we won't be stopping on our tours.  Norris Geyser Basin, has plenty of up-and-coming beginner geysers...the ones just learning to spout hot (180-degree) water.

On the other side of the coin, there are a lot of streams carrying snow melt runoff which makes the water pretty cold.  This elk was  tentative in her first steps into the stream and then moved quickly to the other side in search of  green-ish vegetation.

The Grand Canyon reappears!!

OLD FAITHFUL, WY - - The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is impressive, just not quite like the real GC.  Hers's The Lower Falls on an overcast day with a little green to add accents to the photo

It's yellow, but it's not the bus

OLD FAITHFUL, WY - - Today's training ride took us the Grand Teton National Park.  At the height of the horse-and-buggy era (1888 - 1916) in Teton and Yellowstone NP nearly 400 carriages toured the parks.  The above example resides in a barn in Jackson Hole. 

Steam bath or, how to warm up on a cold day

OLD FAITHFUL, WY - - A maid in the mist...Lydia seeks a warm spot.

Geyser, steam, morning light and snow

OLD FAITHFUL, WY - - The early morning sun (27-degrees), good light and Jet Geyser at Black Sand Basin combined to kick off our second day off.  now, it's tour guide school time so no double clutch shifting for  few days.

Theater time

OLD FAITHFUL, WY - - We went touring on our first day off, Sunday, and came across plenty pf photographic items.  Some actually liked posing like this Uinta Ground Squirrel.  Home sweet home is usually a burrow but there was also evidence of condo dwelling.

How to make the evening news

OLD FAITHFUL, WY - - You see plenty of things when you're out on the roads in Yellowstone.  The example above is one way to get on TV:  Park half onto the road; set your camera tripod in the middle of the road;  set the timer for a remote shot; turn your back on the two bison ambling toward you (I know, it looks like only one); and wait for the timer to go off.  Fortunately, the bison walked around which is not always the case as bison cause the most injuries to park visitors. 

Hidden deep in the snow

OLD FAITHFUL, WY.  We hope the fire hydrant buried in shadow and about 8 feet of snow works better (if needed) than the internet connection and the cell phone service where we are living in Yellowstone NP.  Time spent training for our bus driver / tour guide positions is leaving little time afterward for much of anything else so far.  There are plenty of American Bison, coyotes, elk and big horn sheep around....but only at times when we are driving or don't have a camera handy. 

Update

BOZEMAN, MT - - We're sitting in a coffee shop in Bozeman sucking in free wi-fi to check up on things.  It's about 45 and raining here so it will probably be snowing in Gardiner, WY where we are headed later today.

Little Bighorn

BOZEMAN, MT - - Two nights ago, we styed in Rocky Mountain NP, where the campsites came with elk at no extra cost.  Between there and Bozeman, there's been a lot of rolling interstate and lots of grazing country for the cattle and the pronghorn antelope.
     Today, on our way to Bozeman, we stopped at the Little Bighorn Battle Field National Monument near Billings, MT.  After reading books about the battle of the Little Big Horn it was very interesting to see the actual place where the battle took place.  Today, the rolling countryside, cut by ravines, is inhabited by wild horses and dotted with gravestones to show where the native Americans, led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, fought Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his US Army troops to maintain their way of life.  A video introduction to the site, a very informative museum and visitor center plus a five-mile drive among the sites of the many battles made this a worthwhile stop.

It was snowin' and blowin' at the top

MANITOU SPRINGS, CO - - Today dawned bright and clear, but we could see snow covering and blowing on top of Pikes Peak from our campground site.  We called the Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway info line:  yes, there were still seats available and sorry, but the railway would 'only' ascend to about 12,000' rather than the top at 14,115'. due to heavy snow and strong winds.  The above picture shows the work train with the snow plow in front waiting for the 'go' signal to plow ahead. So our train reversed its action and trundled back down.  Unlike a powered locomotive, the train depends on cogs/gears which rotate through a groove of teeth in the middle of the track.....something like watching a bicycle chain and gearing work. 
     
     We made a stop on the way back at 10,000' to stretch legs and take photos.  A dandy three level bird condo (top photo) with duct tape accents had plenty of activity.