This blog posting comes to you straight from Canyon! I finally made it here. There are just a handful of people in the Village at this time but tomorrow more will be pouring into the store to start their own Yellowstone adventure.
Check in was at West Yellowstone Friday morning between 8:00 and 10:00. I was at Lake and decided to be on the cautious side and head toward West Yellowstone before 7:30. Hayden Valley was drifted over with only 1 set of tire prints heading north through some rather icy snow that at one time had been slush. Lots of maneuvering and watching the posts on either side of the road to make sure I was still on the road. I made it through and saw that a plow was heading that direction from Canyon. I hit the road construction and had a bit of delay there. Leaving early was paying off. When I turned to drive along the Madison River on way to West Yellowstone I slowed down for 1..........2........3.........4 herds of bison. Whew, made it through that. Then as I was approaching the bridge over the Madison River I came across the mother of all bison herds slowly making their way down the road in the same direction I was heading. I didn't make it to West Yellowstone until 2 1/2 hours after departing, all the time facing pretty much everything that an April day in Yellowstone can throw at you.
After a morning and early afternoon of meetings I, along with 3 employees, finally made it to the Adventure Store. I faced the unpleasant task of unloading and unpacking my boxes. It took 2 trips from Mammoth to move my belongings here and 2 days of casual unpacking. This evening I took a trip into Hayden (the roads are now plowed to pavement with only a few drifts coming onto the road - don't know how long that will last). There were only a few bison in the distance and not another single soul in the entire valley - just me. I used a pull out to just sit and look at what I consider some of the most impressive views. I also looked to see if any grizzlies were by the treeline but none were to be seen. Connie saw a grizzly by Fishing Bridge yesterday.
Tonight the sky is clear, the stars are twinkling and I can hear a slight roar from the Lower Falls. It's all coming back to me.
