Winter Adventure

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike." -John Muir

I am not the adventurous type. By non-adventurous, I mean that I try to stay away from any and all recreational vehicles. I prefer activities that are a little more docile in nature. You know, like reading a good book by a beautiful lake. I certainly like to keep both of my feet firmly planted on the ground at all times.

So when my brother in-law mentioned last August that he was taking his family on a snowmobiling trip through Yellowstone, my first thought was, "You'll freeze! Then you'll break your neck. Good luck with that." He and his kids began to encourage us to join them. I had just returned from a very relaxing vacation on the Oregon Coast. A snowmobiling venture was not even remotely appealing to me. But I began to remember those gorgeous pictures of Yellowstone Park in the winter that I had seen in my travel books. Was there some more practical way to get into the park, that didn't involve riding a crazy vehicle on skates? 

When Neil's 85 year old dad said, "Sign us up!", I caved and agreed to go along as well. If Neil's 80 year old mother could ride on the back of a snowmobile, then perhaps I could muster up the courage. But don't ask me to drive one of those suckers! That was my only stipulation.

This trip seemed so far off when we booked it. Now that it was upon us, I packed with some trepidation. There was no looking back at this point. It was Yellowstone or Bust!

We told Grandma that she would probably be most comfortable in some sweats on this adventure. She looked at us in horror. This is a woman who for a vast majority of her life put on a dress, pearls, and high heels to go grocery shopping. She did not own a pair of sweats. She must have hit JC Penny's and found this darling little matching sweat outfit. Our little snow-bunny all dressed up for her winter adventure. Kelcey and Tessa couldn't get enough of her. Now to convince her to put on a ski mask and helmet. Something tells me that an emergency trip to the beauty shop was in order once we got home.

One thing I have determined is that ski masks only accentuate round faces. Yes, those are my pudgy wind-blown cheeks you see there.

Neil and I were surprisingly warm throughout our whole experience. The eight layers we're wearing under the snow suit may have contributed to such comfort. And lovely hand and bum warmers on the snowmobiles were truly a God-send. 

Here is the whole crowd, dressed in our space suits snow suits, ready to take on Yellowstone. We had a very nice guide who lead us on our expedition. Brian, smoke-jumper by summer, and snowmobile guide by winter, had all sorts of wonderful facts to tell us along the way. And he seemed to know just where the cool animals were hanging out.

Elk!

Trumpeter Swans!

And even a gray wolf, a rare find. He was nibbling on a delicious carcass.

I enjoy the animals, but I really love the scenery. All of the water in the park is so warm that none of it freezes. The rivers and waterfalls juxtaposed against the white snow and green pines brought a beauty you don't see everywhere.

If it weren't for this bunch, we never would have experienced this amazing place in the winter.

If there's any question who Neil looks like, this photo may give you a clue. Grandma preferred not to get on and off the snowmobile.

I have always been fascinated by this park. The earth is alive and bubbling beneath you, and the area can seem almost eerie at times, even more so in the winter.

The steam would come off the hot pools and condense and freeze onto the pine trees. Quite ethereal.

And of course, we had to stop at Old Faithful. For once, I would like to catch Old Faithful going off when there is some vibrant blue sky in the background. The overcast sky offers virtually no contrast. In the winter, you see more steam than water.

I didn't mind the ride at all. It was quite exhilarating. Of course, our guide may have been taking it slow due to the elderly couple in our group. He checked on Al and Ruth consistently. 

On our way back, we came across this intimidating bunch. Originally, they were blocking the whole road and refused to move. I could almost hear that big guy in the front, "What, you gotta problem? Hey, there ain't room on this road for the both of us, so I suggest that you turn around and move on outta here!"

Eventually, we won the battle of the wills, and they moseyed on passed without incident. I got a wee-bit nervous for a minute there.

I need nature therapy in my life on a rather regular basis. I need to get out in the mountains or next to the ocean or in a forest. I need to breathe clean air and just be still for awhile. This is why February is such a tough month for me. By this time, I have been cooped up for far too long and the dreary outdoors with its suffocating smog does not call to me. By this time, I am on the brink of insanity as I move from one artificially lit and heated building to another. 

This little venture proved therapeutic. It felt good to be rushing passed the rivers and the pine trees and the bison searching for food in the snow. The wind felt good on my pudgy cheeks. Even the sulfur smell was welcome, because it came from nature and not from the city. I came back tired, a little chilled at the end, but mostly refreshed.

We finished the day with some dinner featuring the most delicious garlic breadsticks and homemade marinara. If there is any decent food to be found in a silly little town like West Yellowstone, I'm bound to find it.

Our hotel seemed to harbor an overabundance of folks falling in the redneck variety. We sat in the hot tub with some gentlemen enjoying their alcoholic mix in a disposable red Dixie cup. Somebody took a stereo into the pool area. The incessant beat of their very loud music echoing throughout the entire hotel made sleeping problematic. And we were awakened bright and early to the sounds of racing snowmobiles. The whole town was abuzz. I felt as though we had awoken inside a massive beehive. 

I didn't let these little inconveniences ruin my trip. The time away with Neil in this beautiful place was just what I needed. We enjoyed our drive home. We spent most of the time discussing where we want to travel to next. 

In my heart of hearts, I was hoping that spring had sprung in Utah while we were gone, and that we would pull into our neighborhood to see green grass and blossoms on the trees. But alas, all good things must come to an end.