After a very pleasant and relaxing couple of nights with Jeremy and Jilaena and their girls in Powell near Greybull, I left this morning refreshed in body and soul. A pleasant 15 degrees C and clear blue skies boded well for the day ahead, with the roof staying safely packed away yet again. We set off though some lovely swooping roads, heading north towards the Montana State Line and Yellowstone NP.
While travelling north, the Bear Tooth Mountains were signposted over to the left, and the pass through these mountains is supposed to be one of the great drives in the world. Unfortunately the pass is currently closed until May due to snow and winds, so frustratingly all we could do was gaze at the mountains wistfully. Next time........
Crossing the State Line into Montana, the locals immediately decided to test us, and gave us about a 10 mile dirt section where they were repairing the road, and it was full of corrugations and bumps ! I hope the Dalton is in better condition than this one !! Anyway, once through it, the scenery was much better then some of the bits of Wyoming I had been in recently, with hills, rolling countryside, and rivers. And always the increasingly higher snow capped mountains to the left and the right to tempt of things to come.
We turned west on I90 towards Livingston, limited to these roads by the closure of all other roads into Yellowstone, N, S, or W. Only the North Gate is open all year round, and these roads are the only way to get to the North Gate. As we approached Livingston, the temps started dropping from the high of about 18 deg C to about 10 deg C, and yet we were not climbing - Still at about 1200 metres. At the same time, black storm clouds started building until near Big Timber it started drizzling, and with the black skies ahead and plummetting temps, I decided the roof had to go on for the first time since I left Bakersfield on 19th March, 14 days ago !
And it was a timely decision because not 2 or 3 miles up the road, the heavens opened, while the temperature quickly dropped to 2 deg C. It was more sleet than rain. This weather continued until well past the turn off on Hwy 89 south into Yellowstone NP, although it gradually eased until by the time we reached Emigrant, it had stopped and we were getting back into blue sky. But since we were nearly at Gardiner, our destination for the night right at the entrance to the NP, and I knew I wanted to have the roof on overnight due to forecast snow and rain, I decided to leave it on.
The run into Gardiner is very scenic, with mountains close on either side, and the Yellowstone River running beside the road, and lots of signs saying "Beware of Bison on the Road" and "Do not stop to feed Wild Animals". To be honest I was kind of glad I had the roof on - Even though in the end I saw nothing bigger than a rabbit crossing the road. With the temps forecast to drop to -4 deg C tonight, with rain and snow showers, I decided to stay in a motel rather than camp. I drove up to the tourist information centre to get information on tomorrow's weather and how far I am allowed to drive into the Park, and walks that would be permitted in the park. The situation is that while the Park is open during the winter for hiking and snowmobiles and 4 WD vehicles with chains, there is about a month just before the full opening of the park in springtime when ALL the roads are closed so they can be cleared and repaired fully, and unfortunately April is the month this year ! So I can drive east to Cooke City which is the NE gate of the park (and ironically adjacent to the Bear Tooth Pass again !), but you cannot leave the park that way, so you have to come back the way you came in, at the North entrance. But there are several good walks in there, and also good chances of seeing some bears and bison, so that is what I intend to do tomorrow. I have checked and been advised that any bears around at the moment are mostly male bears, as the mama bears with their cubs are all still tucked up in hibernation for a little while longer, so there shouldn't be too much problem with them. But just to be on the safe side, I did buy myself a cannister of Bear Spray today, so I am now "armed and dangerous" !! (Probably to myself !). And I was assured that if chipmunks or deer or other dangerous animals threaten me, the spray will serve as an equally efficient deterrant against them also !!
Snowing lightly now as it gets dark, and the mountains outside my window have disappeared in the clouds. It will be interesting to see what the morning brings.......
Photos here :-
https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/GreybullWYToYellowstoneMT?authkey=Gv1sRgCLGy5ZP16dnaKQ#
