Yellowstone-Day tripping (06-30-12)

On the days when the weather looks particularly uncooperative,  we look for alternatives to being outside all day. 
Bear Tooth Pass…
The other day was supposed to be really hot, so we decided to drive out of the park, along scenic Beartooth Pass Highway, which took us out of Wyoming and into the high elevations of Montana.

We passed by a cascade waterfall that was screaming down the rocks with such force, I wouldn’t have even put my foot in the water- you could feel the cold breeze coming from the frigid water.

After passing two small resort towns, we headed higher into the hills. As we got above the tree line,  we could see the evidence of the winter snow depth.  If this much snow is left in June…..wow.

The views included mountains all around us, and numerous Alpine lakes, most of which still had ice covering them.

 






  The mountain peaked at about 11,000 feet, and soon thereafter we decided we had gone far enough, and were about to turn around, when we came across a ski lift!   Pretty much out in the middle of nowhere!

Being at such a high elevation, the sun was nice and warm, and the temperature was cool, but not cold, so we hung around to watch for a bit, and were totally entertained watching the skiers make the jumps.  (the little dot on the edge of the cornice is a skier about to make the jump).

Unfortunately one of the skiers fell, and slid all the way down the rocks that were sticking out of the course,  so we waited until the ski patrol took him out on the sled.  We did watch him walk away in the end, so although he was hurt, it wasn’t too bad.

Once the excitement was over, we drove back down the the hill the way we came, and when we got down in the valley, we were surprised to find the temperature  was  90 degrees.  We made a good choice to head to the snow!


West Yellowstone-

Paul’s family has owned property in the West Yellowstone area since the late 1800s.  He used to visit his grandfather at his cabin for many years but he hasn’t been here since 1974, so we took a day trip out to West Yellowstone so he could show me the sights. 

  Although his grandfather’s cabin burned to the ground many years ago, and the land has since been sold,  Paul’s great aunt’s family still owns their cabin, and we had the key to get in!  It brought back many happy memories for Paul and he regaled me with the stories of his childhood visits to Montana.

One of the awesome traditions at the cabin is the guest register. Anyone who visits or uses the cabin is encouraged to write their comments in the register, which dates back to the late 1960s.  After reading through all the previous comments,  Paul left his “we were here” note.







After touring the house, we walked the property and of course Paul had to point out the old Outhouse!  Luckily they’ve had indoor plumbing for quite some time!







In the early days, the cabin had no electricity or running water and one of Paul’s fond memories was driving out with his grandfather to a nearby spring to fill tubs with water for use at the cabin.

It took us a little while to find it, but we did find the spring, which is still in use today.  In fact, while we filled our water bottle, we chatted with a man who showed up with his two sons to fill numerous water containers.  His family still owns their cabin in the hills and he still gets all his water at this spring!