Julia and I drove to Yellowstone and went on a two week winter vacation. Seems we only had one week but brought the snow back to Seattle with us and extended our wintery vacation to two weeks. We stayed at the Three Bears Lodge which included our guides into Yellowstone and a hearty breakfast each morning. Plus a steak dinner and one free trip to the local movie theater.
There might be fancier places in town but none have the personal touch we received here. Where else can you sleep in a lodge that blew up in 2008? Seems a small gas leak was the cause, the lodge is very willing to share their burning and rebuilding story through pictures hanging in every hall.
We toured in Yellowstone on snowmobile for 2 days. The first day we went to Old Faithful, it snowed and we were able to watch the fountain do its thing. Our tour guide Todd was fantastic and showed us some back roads and was real understanding with our unfamiliarity with the snowmobiles for the first mile or so. The second day we again went into Yellowstone and Bad-boy Josh was our guide. Seems he and the park ranges have a long standing agreement. They like giving him big tickets for getting his tour groups into the beautiful valley too early. He likes to avoid them. We understand, he is all about 
the need for speed. He drives hard and stops fast. We rose to the challenge, it was certainly below freezing and we had a lot of wonderful stops to make before getting to the warm building for lunch, where Ms Ranger was certain to check her watch and make sure we didn't enter too early. Wouldn't want the guests to get in our of the freezing weather and warm up too soon. Josh came through with his promises and found Julia her wolf to see. The 3rd day we headed into the foot hills west of Yellowstone on our own. We headed to Two Top as the guides had suggested. What a beautiful place. Yellowstone was incredible but I found Two Top nearly as inspiring. We had the miles and miles of trail to ourselves. Fantastic groomed trails and endless sights to see. The weather had cleared and all that was left to see was snow covered trees, sunny deep blue sky and minus 10 on the thermometers. We climbed a mountain on the snowmobile and Julia got to see a dog sled team running along the lake. At the end of 
these three days we had spent nearly 20 hours on the snowmobile and we both wanted more. However, we had scheduled the following days to relax and relax is what we did.
these three days we had spent nearly 20 hours on the snowmobile and we both wanted more. However, we had scheduled the following days to relax and relax is what we did. On the fourth day we were slow to wake and head to breakfast, missing the snowmobile crowd, which was usually about 6 people. Breakfast was the usual 3 minutes wait, we figure they scanned our retina and knew our order before we were seated. We wondered to the Bear and Wolf Discovery Center to learn about these wild creatures. We spent our time looking at the animals and reading the information in the education center. Afterwards we went looking for ice cream. To my surprise most people don't order ice cream in weather under zero so the merchants don't even have ice cream, milk shakes or any frozen treats, heck even Dairy Queen is closed for the winter. Hmmm that seems weird to me. We walked to a great deli and enjoyed a tasty lunch. By the time we got back to the hotel it was dinner time, and movie time.
This brings us to Saturday, the saddest day of all, the day to pack and leave for home. I enjoyed the quiet winter town of Yellowstone and I know it is only like this in the winter but I really enjoyed being in the town, feeling the hustle bustle of the tours heading out each morning. Felt sorry for how few tourists were showing up and I am hoping a big snowfall would bring a profitable winter to the town.
Driving home we decided we had to stop at Big Sky, Moonlight Basin to ski. We again found the slower pace and relaxed canter to be most enjoyable. The ski lift operators actually talked with us 
and asked if we were enjoying our stay. Imagine that at Stevens, Ha! After getting the feel of the runs we had a great time. Catching the last chair to the top at exactly 4 (closing time) making us the last two off the mountain - Perfection! After changing we headed back up the road to Big Sky Resort and feasted in a great restaurant called Whiskey Jacks, caught the end of a foot ball game, did some shopping and headed back to the car. Full of dinner and a great day of skiing behind us we headed to our new favorite Best Western in Missoula.
and asked if we were enjoying our stay. Imagine that at Stevens, Ha! After getting the feel of the runs we had a great time. Catching the last chair to the top at exactly 4 (closing time) making us the last two off the mountain - Perfection! After changing we headed back up the road to Big Sky Resort and feasted in a great restaurant called Whiskey Jacks, caught the end of a foot ball game, did some shopping and headed back to the car. Full of dinner and a great day of skiing behind us we headed to our new favorite Best Western in Missoula. Imagine the family vacation videos of the the past now on our digital devices to show almost anywhere.. yippee...! Julia and I discussed the lack of activity on the photo library web and I will rededicate myself to sharing on the site. I will try not to be too big of a nuisance and allow you to see the pictures at your own level of tolerance. Click or don't your choice. I am moving the web page program to the new computer to speed up the time to deliver these amazing pictures. Soon but no yet these 225 pictures and 7 or 8 videos will be posted for your viewing pleasure. (I will post another entry when the time is right.)
And in closing ....
Tuesday was the funeral for Ranger Anderson who was killed at work on Mt. Rainier. She was shot by the paranoid gun crazed man from Skyway. This seemed to hit home a little extra because I grew up in Skyway, KCSO responded to the first 4 shootings and she was an unknown partner in law enforcement doing what was right. Although I could go on vacation and enjoy this beauty her loss burned deep as I walked past this flag knowing she was being remembered while I enjoyed a national parks she help protect. I thought this was a nice picture to remember her sacrifice for us. Evil is always lurking and trying to steal away our freedoms and the pleasures we enjoy. Be Safe!
