West Yellowstone

WEST YELLOWSTONE Wyoming

Left Bozeman to have a few days of adventure in West Yellowstone.

The road from Bozeman to West Yellowstone was mainly clear but had packed snow on the shoulder. Heavy traffic to Big Sky then light from there on to West Yellowstone. This is a 91 mile drive.

The drive got icy as we closed in on West Yellowstone.

West Yellowstone was completely covered in snow - a small winter wonderland town.

Dinner was Buffalo Balls, at the Buffalo Bar, washed down with Bridger IPA. The balls were enormous. I am over my fear of eating male genitals. Far better than mountain oysters. Protein is protein. The place, was a locals watering hole, saloon style, wood fires, live music and walls lined with trophy kills.

Yellowstone National Park

Next day was a full day on a snow coach exploring a small section of Yellowstone National Park, accessed from West Yellowstone entrance.

The park is over two million acres. We would have seen far less than 1% of that, 10,000 acres maybe. It was the first national park in the world, established in 1872.

Bison everywhere.

Bison crossing river

We saw other wildlife too. The notable exception was the absence of elk. In 1990s wolves were introduced to limit coyote, deer and rabbits. As those numbers diminished elk were next on the menu. It didn't take the elk long to figure out a safe haven outside the park! They found an area just north of Jackson's Hole south of the Grand Tetons. 4000 elk hide out there during winter. Hopefully we will see some elk in the Lamar Valley from the north entrance (which we are visiting next week).

Bald Eagle

Trumpeter Swans

Coyote

Raven

Service vehicle Tucker - used to rescue stranded snow coaches and service lodges.

Lots of impressive geothermal features as Yellowstone is the largest geothermal area in the world. It is one massive caldera.

Famous Old Faithful geyser going off so named for its frequent eruptions. It went off 1 minute earlier than predicted. This photo was taken 300m away. 145' feet straight up.

Old Faithful live

Firehole Canyon Rapids

Firehole Canyon Falls

ZONE OF DEATH (Yellowstone) LAW

Teri and Joanne both asked if we were going to visit the "Zone of Death" in Yellowstone National Park. The Zone of Death is a 50 square mile (130 km2) area in the Idaho section of Yellowstone National Park in which, as a result of a loophole in the Constitution of the United States, a person may be able to avoid conviction for any major crime, up to and including murder. Joanne and Teri appeared very keen to take me snowshoeing there. Katie had taken the truck keys and insisted on driving...

Charges for a crime alleged to have been committed in the area have to be tried before a jury consisting entirely of residents of that area. Since the Idaho portion of the park is uninhabited, a jury of residents of both the state and district cannot be empaneled. Hence it's technically impossible to be convicted of murder in the "zone of death". I did not want to be topped to test this legal theory... I hunted and found the truck keys.

Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Centre. West Yellowstone.

While in West Yellowstone we also visited the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Centre. The bears here are ones that have been human habituated and hence can not be returned to the wild. The bears are de-sexed. They are studied and used for educational purposes. In addition there are two wolf packs. The enclosures are large and constantly managed. You get to see the grizzlies up close. Well worth the visit.

The boys having a wrestle

A raven getting a free ride.

Wolf tracking a squirrel

Rainbow Ranch Lodge - Big Sky

We stopped in at the Rainbow Ranch Lodge on the way back to Bozeman.

Tom, Craig and Diana's son in-law, is the general manager (COO). It is an up market mountain lodge with fine dinning, with views to the Gallatin River (frozen) and the tree clad mountains surrounding Big Sky.

Tom gave us a tour of the lodge. The wine cellar was a well heeled alcoholics dream. Some expensive stuff - well into four figures for a bottle from the top shelf. I believe the AM Papamoa should consider this as an alternative to the Flying Mullet. We finished the visit off with a complimentary cup of hot chocolate lounging in front of a log fire taking in the views. A perfect way to top off a wonderful few days adventuring.