Yellowstone

yellowstone tree
Originally uploaded by dkun.

This is the photo set I've begun for the Yellowstone trip we took last winter.

Yellowstone is such a stark, beautiful place in the winter. It's also just about impossible to get into and out of (especially when you decide to travel on the days the two worst storms of the year occur...).

I remember when my wife mentioned that we were going up to Yellowstone with her family (her folks and her sister's family), I wasn't initially all that thrilled. I had my own suspicions about what the trip would be like (and the travelling part was frighteningly accurate) but I also had some ideas about what the park itself would be like (which, fortunately, were also accurate). But, there wasn't really all that much that I could do about it. I knew we were going, so it was just a matter of getting there. At the time, we just had our trusty little Saturn, so driving up was an experience. I think I should just leave it at that. There were moments when we were certainly lucky we made it in one piece. As mentioned, one of the worst storms we had had up to that point decided to take place the day we drove up.

But West Yellowstone and the park were certainly worth the trouble it took. My wife had decided to do the snowmobile tour and I opted for the snow cat tour. The snow cat tour was great. My in-laws and I took that trip and we got pretty lucky - there were only two other people on the same tour. They try and pack you in those things like sardines, but the rest of the people that were supposed to be in the group never showed. So we had a great guide in one of the better vehicles with just the right number of people.

One of the things the guide said still sticks with me. I asked him if he liked Yellowstone better in the summer or the winter. He replied, "Winter. There's nothing convenient about Yellowstone in the winter. The people that come to the park want to be there." It's really true. There is absolutely nothing convenient about Yellowstone in the winter. But it is definitely worth the trip.