Daily Journal
Friday, January 13, 2006
 Our 10-hour snowcoach adventure
took us along the Grand Loop Road to Old Faithful via Canyon, Fishing Bridge, and West Thumb. The view from our snowcoach
was stunning. A fresh blanket of snow made spotting wildlife and their tracks an easy task.
We were welcomed at the Indian Creek Warming Hut by a huge, snow-covered bison. It almost prevented us from using the
restroom (park rules state that visitors must remain at least 25 yards from bison). Driving on we watched 3 bald eagles
near a carcass, one on the ground and two soaring to perches above, and white trumpeter swans taking flight over the Yellowstone
River near Canyon. Cameras clicked each time we passed bison. We watched otters fish
in the Yellowstone River and saw two red foxes in Hayden Valley.
At Canyon we tried to measure the depth of the snow. Our yard-stick was not quite long enough-there was more than 40 inches
of snow on the ground! The temperature was 25°F.
A favorite stop for most of the group was West Thumb Geyser Basin. We watched steam rise while
snow began to fall. West Thumb is located on the shore of Yellowstone Lake. At places where hydrothermal activity occurs under the
lake, holes form in the ice through which we saw otters diving for fish. Out on the ice, a lone coyote hoped the otters would
leave some fish scraps. A Park ranger reported that she had heard wolves howling only an hour before our arrival.
A remarkable day of wildlife observation left us awed by the diversity of wildlife as well as by the many adaptations needed
for survival in a harsh winter climate.
The sun had long set when we arrived at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, but the sky had cleared. Sitting by Old Faithful in
the moonlight brings another day in Yellowstone to a close.
Yellowstone Images from Google Earth
Q & A for January 13
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