Things have been pretty hectic here in Canyon, and probably all of YNP. It has gotten busier than ever with tourists coming into the Park. I spent the Fri - Sun in Confections tempting people with goodies from the fudge and ice cream section and brewing up some lattes. On Monday I was moved to cashier and hostess in the Fountain with my partner being Anita. We made a good team these past 2 days but we were absolutely swamped when tour buses (3 were parked out front at a time) came rolling in. That is approx. 240 hungry people in Canyon all trying to get a seat in eating establishments. Being short on staffing is a hindrance to the whole situation but we do what we can and most people are understanding though disappointed when they can't get a seat.
On Sunday afternoon the temps started dropping and the wind picked up. By 6:45 the wind finally managed to do some damage and we lost electricity. But not in all of Canyon, just a quadrant of Canyon. The quadrant where I live and work. As the night went on snow started falling in Canyon and Dunraven Pass was totally obscured by snow. Luckily for me the battery on my computer had a full charge so I spent my time watching a dvd until the battery was completely drained. By 8:50 I started to really feel the effects of not having a heater. I ended up spending the rest of the night in a blanket cave on my bed. The power was finally restored at 6:00 the next morning. The men who went to fix the power line in the evening had to abandon their plans when they were charged by a bull elk at the site and then realized that a bear was in the area. They figured it would be safer to return during daylight. The snow didn't last on the ground though some of it was still in cupped leaves on the ground.
The Dorm Bison #2 seems to be a bit disgruntled. He stared down Jean the other day and gave me a full-on evil glare the same day. That evening he wandered over to the RV Park and actually charged at Joe, our maintenance man, who had to duck for cover in his truck as DB #2 came storming by. Joe had been walking around in the evening and was using his flashlight to make sure there were no bears in the area when he accidentally hit BD #2 in the eye with the beam from his flashlight. Obvioulsy BD #2 didn't care for that one bit.
I passed through Hayden Valley last night and saw a wolf wandering around by the river. A huge bull elk was in the area and had stopped what he was doing to watch the wolf. With no where to park (too many people) I wasn't able to watch what happened next. A lone wolf knows better than to tangle with an elk with a huge rack so I assume he just trotted on.
