The first place we went to had a spot open for a double, so we flew out of the hotel and drove a couple blocks getting over there. The car was covered in snow, a good 6 inches or so. The roads were just covered, some plowed but barely. This town is tiny so I have no idea how we managed it but we got lost on the way there. Luckily we have some common sense.
I’ve never been on a snowmobile so I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. But I trusted Boo plus I was ready for an adventure.
We went into the shack where they outfitted us with a helmet (with face shield and face mask) and heavy boots since we were already bundled up otherwise. Personally I was wearing wool pants, snow pants, camisole, wick long sleeve, fuzzy hoody, and my snow jacket (the Sessions one). It was between 15 – 20 degrees while snowing and a bit of wind when we took off.
Here’s me in the parking lot
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
Our tour guide was named Vic, he seemed to know his stuff so we were excited we got him, especially after seeing the scary lady before us. We got a short tour about where the handwarmers (!) and buttwarmers (!!) and where the gas was blah blah blah. I already heard the important parts.
We were only a few blocks to the park (our hotel is only 3 blocks away) so we zoomed off. It’s like riding a motorcycle (I assume) but on snow. And way better. Ya know, that show soft, powdery snow thing versus asphalt.
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
We had to stop for the obligatory in front of the sign picture. Yes, I was already cold.
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
We got our first views of the park and it was AMAZING. Everything was covered in white, tree after tree. Open fields of just snow. We were in the middle of national park! Because it’s the winter, there’s WAY less people than in the summer when it’s overrun with tourists. Here it was quiet and when I looked back, there were no other snowmobiles behind us.
Our first stop was to see a bald eagle in the trees. (The really good, close up photos are from Boo’s camera because he has a 40x zoom or some crazy shite like that. Mine is 2x)
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
We took a ton of photos so I’ll just try to post the really cool ones or the funny ones. You can click the links to access the rest.
For the first 14 miles of the trip, this was what was going through my head:
“Oh man, this is awesome! Geez, my feet are kinda cold. Wow, an eagle! Look at all the snow! I think my nose is going to fall off, is that possible? That’s a huge mountain! Those trees look like sticks! I wonder if my toes can get frostbitten in these boots. Man, I should’ve worn another pair of socks. Whoa, elk! Those things are funny looking. Oh god, my fingers are freezing, especially my thumbs.”
You get the idea. Seriously, my toes were frozen at this point and I had to keep moving them and curling them so I could feel them. The handwarmers were starting to warm up but I couldn’t help but just feel cold! It was hard to appreciate the beauty 100% when I was so cold. But really, the landscape is so, for a lack of a better word, breathtaking, that it’s not like you can’t marvel at it.
Elk
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
And when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, we approached the Warming Hut which is basically a snack bar and fireplace in a mobile classroom type thing. But it was like the saving grace for me. We stopped in to warm up, got some hot chocolate, some breakfast sandwiches (had rushed out too quickly in the morning) and best of all, TOE WARMERS.
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
I was convinced they were a sham because they were only $2.25 and supposed to last 6+ hours. Yea, right. But I was so cold that I was willing to try anything at that point. The hot chocolate was the best tasting hot chocolate I had ever had in my life, it seriously warmed me up all the way down to my toes.
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
All toasty warm, we headed back to the sleds (that’s snowmobile jargon) to spend another 16 miles until we got to Old Faithful. The breakfast sandwiches were a good call, I think, because it got my stomach muscles churning, bringing my body heat up a bit. AND THE TOE WARMERS WORKED!!! I couldn’t believe it, my toes were actually warm! Ok, maybe not warm but definitely not cold. It gave me an entirely new lease on life.
The next stop on the side of the road was to see some wild bison! Not caged like in GG Park but real roaming ones! They were digging their heads in the snow to find food.
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
Here’s a baby:
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
Don’t worry, that’s just the good zoom, we had to stay 25 feet away from them. Vic says that even if their food supply starts to run low, they’re not supposed to provide any because they’re wild. Yellowstone is really trying to preserve this natural forest thing.
I believe the next stop was Virginia Cascade Waterfall
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
See, I’m really in Yellowstone
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
Next stop was Old Faithful. I was pretty toasty at this point and my handwarmers and buttwarmer seemed to have really kicked in. At times it felt like holding onto a burning log but it felt so good, ya didn’t want to let go.
OF was due to go off at 12:07p and we got there with about 15 min to spare. We sat down and listened to a ranger talk about the geyser. Then it was just time to wait… and wait… It was freezing, did I mention?
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
We’re cold
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
It was an overcast day, so it’s a bit hard to see, but thar she blows!
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
Next up was lunch where we found a beer called “Moose Drool,” mmm, doesn’t that sound appetizing?
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
After stopping for a few souvenirs and more toe warmers .(my heels were starting to get a bit cold but MAN, those first ones were still kickin’! My feet were burning at lunch, it was radical) we turned back but Vic promised to stop at some awesome stuff since we were such a small group (only 6 snowmobiles total, most were double that! We really lucked out)
There are a ton of geysers and hot springs all around Yellowstone which is why the river doesn’t freeze. Literally, it was mud holes bubbling and hot springs steaming.
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
Our last stop before we headed back was Firehole Falls. I have to admit, I was so toasty from my food digesting, the buttwarmer, my toes, and my hands, I started to doze a bit. I KNOW that’s dangerous and really, how can you fall asleep on a snowmobile? Anyway, our next stop got my blood flowing again.
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
We went a total of 80 miles today (that’s about San Francisco to Santa Cruz, just a tad further, like Aptos) and our top speed was about 42 mph. I understand wanting to limit snowmobiling in Yellowstone and I agree that regulations are necessary, BUT I can’t imagine being able to see the park in a better way. You cover tons of miles and actually get to be part of the forest. Otherwise you’re sitting in a snowcoach with hella old people and the heater pumping. Though it was really, really cold at times, it was well worth it to actually feel the cold and be a part of nature. Also, most of the park is inaccessible any other way beside by snowmobile.
I’d like to see it at another time of year (maybe not summer though when it’s super crowded) because I bet it’s beautiful in another kind of way. It’s more accessible for sure and you can get to a lot more trails. Plus the sky is blue and the trees are green. I bet the colors are awesome. That being said, I think Yellowstone in the winter is unforgettable. Everything is pristine, it’s quiet, and you feel like you’ve got a little bit of it to yourself.
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| From Greg and Sal's Grand Adventure 12/21/08 9:47 PM |
The car was covered in snow! A solid 10 inches, I'd say. I was freezing again. The roads were super covered and it was a little sketchy driving on the road (what road?!) but Boo did a good job to get us home.
Tomorrow we were going to snowshoe but when Boo saw some snowshoers today, he decided they just looked cold. And because of my experience today, I have to agree. Sigh, snowshoeing would’ve been fun if it wasn’t so cold. Tomorrow is supposed to be 1 degree. Right now it’s 10 degrees but with the wind child it feels like it’s 1 degree. Yikes. We’re going to keep an eye on the road and try to get out of here (one day early) and drive to Salt Lake City to spend a day (woo hoo) before heading off to Zion. Might be nice not to be snowed in at the Yellowstone Lodge and kind of have a leisurely drive to Zion (where it’s 40 degrees, wow, balmy!). Plus, I enjoy checking out other cities, even if they’re full of Mormons.
On a history lesson note, Yellowstone was the WORLD's first National Park. Many National Parks in the world are modeled after it. President Grant was in office when it was set aside even though Teddy Roosevelt was the one to secure more funding.
I forgot to mention that last night we ordered in and not only did arrive super quick (we'll ignore the fact it was 2 blocks away and the roads are open) but it was HOT and thus, DELICIOUS. Hot delivery, what a concept.
Stay warm!
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