This past week the Marlboro Tours started again. Marlboro owns property by Livingston and their guests get to take advantage of all sorts of Montana activities. Visiting Yellowstone had been dropped from their agenda this past winter but with the lack of snow they decided to include it again. Two to three times a week a bus full of approx. 40 visitors stop to see the wonders of Yellowstone and do some shopping in the Mammoth General Store. The people are dropped off at the terraces where they visit and soon a sea of red coats (supplied by Marlboro) come floating down the boardwalk toward the store. It's almost like summer in the store with wall-to-wall shoppers. I rather enjoy it.
A man came to the store a couple days ago and laughed as he told me a story of driving up to the Blacktail and having to follow a coyote down the road as it meandered back and forth. Of course I knew exactly who he was talking about: Trotter. He still is making his roadly appearances. Last evening, with perfectly clear skies, I decided to head out to the Blacktail myself to do some star gazing away from the 'city' lights of Mammoth. My headlights reflected off a pair of eyes on the side of the road. It was Trotter. Same place, same modus operandi just a different time of the day. I hadn't seen him for awhile (because of my lack of Lamar trips recently) so it's nice to see an old friend.
I found bison tracks in the mud outside my place the other day. The weather has been very warm and the skies are a beautiful blue. The warm weather has made the ground outside my place extremely muddy and I tend to squish into it with that muddy sucking noise. I am constantly clicking my shoes (hiking boots, no ruby slippers here) together to get it off. There is no place like home.
