Does The Park Have One???

PLOW THE PARK ?

GRASS ROOTS ACTION

An Alternate View To Winter Travel

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-- Local citizens of West Yellowstone have established an organization and a website to advocate the position that plowing the road from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful would be advantageous on many fronts.
-- The website can be found HERE. Check it out if you would like to have access to Yellowstone's west side as well as the northern range in winter.

Be Avalanche Aware

YELLOWSTONE AND
SURROUNDING AREA

Be Informed

.. Resources for The West Yellowstone Area (and Yellowstone National Park):
- Current Advisories
- Audio (right now)
- Podcast (right now - or sign up)
- Email (sign up)
- Current Videos (Avalanche Guy's You Tube Channel)

..

.. From the hard working folks at the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. Thanks !!

It's Cycle Time

BRING YOUR WOOLLIES

Two Feed Stations & Warming Hut

in 31 miles ?

.. The Fall Cycle Tour is happening this Saturday, October 11 2008. For more information call 406-599-4465, or visit the web site to register. There are only 25 spots left for this year's tour.
.. This should be the tour to provide stories of a lifetime.

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MONEY QUOTE FROM THE SITE

We will have two feed stations along the route again this year. The first will be located at Madison Junction and the second will be located at Old Faithful. We still recommend that you carry enough food to keep you energized and we will provide a few portable snacks at registration. Those of you concerned about your ability to ride the entire 60 miles need not worry. The route is patrolled by 2 or 3 sag wagons (vans with trailers) that, once full, can give you a lift back to West Yellowstone. Two mechanics, Les from Yellowstone Bicycle and Melissa from Freeheel and Wheel, also patrol the route to help with repairs and flat tires.

POISEN AWAITS YOU

LOVE MORELS ??

COOK THEM WELL

.. Straight from New West: "Morel Mushroom Poisonings Up In Montana . . ."

Morel mushroom poisonings have recently increased in Idaho and Montana, according to the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center.

The Center wants us all to know that it’s dangerous to eat raw, dried, or partially cooked morels, and it’s also unsafe to drink wine or other alcohol with any morels, cooked or not.

Morel poisoning causes impressive, repeated vomiting, usually right after you eat those bad boys.

From the Center’s press release, it’s easy to tell that this is more than a dodgy situation – it’s serious.

Do not drink and eat morels, cook them to death, and reject the dried kind.

“Impressive vomiting” is enough for me.

Spring (for a day) Bike Ride

A PERFECT DAY FOR IT

Just Don't Get Used To It

yet

.. A time comes when all the elements are just perfect. Take advantage of it. Today was the perfect day for a spring bike ride in Yellowstone National Park. This early spring ritual is available to all who should choose to gamble on the weather and construction. The closer you live to Yellowstone - the better your chances of having a perfect time. It's a perquisite of living near "Wonderland."
.. The roads have miraculously appeared from beneath the snow. Only the wildlife, construction crews, and administrative travel are on the roads. The historic canopy from the old entrance station has been moved to the new entrance station and construction is moving at an appropriate pace.
.. The visitors that arrived on this perfect day displayed license plates from Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, California, and Montana. The streets adjacent to the park entrance filled up early and bikers of all stripes ventured to the park.
.. Walkers, joggers, runners, skaters, bladers, and boarders are welcomed to the park for free during the shoulder seasons and it is a joy.
.. Should you find yourself in the neighborhood, and be sans wheels; fear not!
.. There are two bicycle shops and this is as busy as it gets for both of them. They have trailers for the youngsters, and bicycles for whatever style of riding you chose to enjoy.
.. Recumbent, road bikes, trail bikes, balloon tires, tandem, you name it you get it.
.. While in town the most exciting thing, other than being mowed down by a bicyclist, is the new roof being installed on the Union Pacific Dining Lodge. This structure has nearly 1/2 acre of roof. It is an Underwood building and is on the National Register of Historic Places. As such the shingles had to be specially ordered and manufactured. The crane was erected last fall and work progressed until the snow became too deep. Roofing resumed last week and is well underway.
.. Should you choose to take advantage of the free entrance and the uncrowded roads, be advised that not all days are like today. And there won't be many more between now and the 18th when the 35 foot recreational vehicles descend upon Yellowstone.

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Yellowstone Plans Plowing

PLOW DAYS ANNOUNCED

West Yellowstone Clears Streets

..

The National Park Service announced the Spring plowing schedule yesterday. The entire press release is reproduced below:

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2008 08-011
Al Nash or Stacy Vallie (307) 344-2015

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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK NEWS RELEASE
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Spring Plowing to Begin in Yellowstone National Park

With the impending arrival of spring comes the end of the winter season and over-the-snow travel in Yellowstone National Park.

Park roads will begin to close to snowmobiles and snowcoaches in preparation for spring plowing. Beginning at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 2, groomed roads from Mammoth to Norris will be closed, followed by the closure of Norris to Madison and Norris to Canyon at 9:00 p.m., on Tuesday, March 4. All remaining groomed roads will close to oversnow vehicles at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 9.

The road from the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, to Cooke City, Montana, at the park's Northeast Entrance, is open all year to automobiles, weather permitting.

Visitor facilities will also close for the winter season according to the following schedule:

Saturday, March 1
Last night for lodging at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel

Sunday, March 2
Mammoth Hot Springs Dining Room closes after breakfast
Mammoth and Indian Creek warming huts and Mammoth fuel station close at 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 8
Last night for lodging at Old Faithful Snow Lodge

Sunday, March 9
Old Faithful Snow Lodge Dining Room closes after breakfast
Old Faithful Geyser Grill & Gift Shop close after dinner

The following facilities will close at 5:00 p.m.: warming huts at Madison, Canyon, Fishing Bridge, Old Faithful and West Thumb; fuel stations at Old Faithful, Fishing Bridge and Canyon; and the Old Faithful Visitor Center.

At Mammoth, the Yellowstone General Store, clinic, campground, and Albright Visitor Center are open all year.

Plowing operations will begin this Friday on the road from Tower Junction to Tower Fall to allow for administrative travel in order to conduct rehabilitation of the Tower Fall restrooms. The plowing of this segment will affect cross-country skiing access to the Lost Lake Trail and the Tower Fall/Chittenden Loop. Although no public vehicle access will be allowed, the road will be accessible on foot or bicycle. Please watch for falling rock along this segment of road.

The road beyond the Tower Fall Store will not be open to bicycles until conditions allow, after May 8.
Weather permitting, the roads will begin opening again to vehicles on Friday, April 18, from Mammoth to Old Faithful; Madison to the West Entrance and Norris to Canyon. The roads from Canyon to Lake and from Lake to the East Entrance are scheduled to open on Friday, May 2; Lake to the South Entrance and West Thumb to Old Faithful, Tower to Tower Fall on Friday, May 9; and Tower Fall to Canyon over Dunraven Pass on Friday, May 23.

Yellowstone's weather is very unpredictable. Always be prepared for a range of conditions. Updated Yellowstone National Park road information is available 24 hours a day by calling (307) 344-2117.

A Warm 20 Degrees

BUT THAT'S THE LEAST OF IT

.. Wind: gusting to 40 mph,
.. Snowfall: 16": the same predicted for the next 24 hours,
.. Cars: Lost forever.
.. Drifts: to 8'
.. Diesel: in short supply, over 25 front end loaders going full bore,
.. Sledheads: happy,
.. Skiers: waiting it out,
.. Prognosis: more of the same for the foreseeable future.

__________________

Remedies:

Watch the "Snow Dog Video"
..

Rolling Thunder

A WHITE SOURCE BOOK

.. Leading the West Yellowstone visit is The White Convertible Limousine #437. These vehicles have become a major attraction wherever they appear. These six vehicles represent the golden age of touring in Yellowstone National Park. #437 is based in West Yellowstone at the museum in West Yellowstone, The other 5 are in Mammoth.
.. We confess to having an unmitigated obsession with the vehicles and have posted several notes in the past:
--- WE LIKE WHITES
--- THE FORDS ARE READY
--- REDS INVADE YELLOWLAND
--- ON THE ROAD AGAIN
.. Below are some pictures of these fine vehicles, that are such a part of Yellowstone History, including "Good Ol' Number One." Drivers of the vehicles, (called 'gear jammers') are selected from the current corps of guides in Yellowstone. They are chosen for their length of service, interest in the vehicles, ability to communicate both the current wonders of the park and the flavor of the past, and their abiding love of the history of Yellowstone.
.. These six White Coaches are original vehicles. These are not the refurbished, restored, and remade vehicles that are being used by the current park concessionaire. And, as nice as the new fords are, they have lost a certain "glow" that is irreplaceable.
.. The vehicles arrived in West Yellowstone for a board meeting of the West Yellowstone Historical Society which operates and maintains the museum in town. The museum has a central theme of "Transportation in Yellowstone," and presents images, artifacts, and stories from the earliest times to the present. Many vehicles are included in the collections. If you are interested in Railroads, Automobiles, Stage Coaches, Snowmobiles, Bicycles, or other forms of transportation that have been used in Yellowstone - the museum is a must visit.
.. The board meeting was hosted by Bullwinkle's Saloon and Eatery, owned by board members Jackie and Dennis LaFever. We were not privy to the fare but suspect that no one left hungry.
.. Feel Free to copy and use any of these images.

Odds & Ends

Burnt Trees

More Visitors

Armed Conflict

Bear Woes
Tom's In Town

.. The fire closure in the burned area of the Madison Arm Fire has been lifted.

Even though the lands within the closure area are now open under normal travel restrictions, the public is asked to use caution and watch for trees weakened by the fire that may fall during a wind storm. . . . Billings Gazette

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.. Visitor numbers continue to rise at Yellowstone.

Park officials reported an 11.8 percent jump in the number of recreational visitors to Yellowstone in August compared with last year. In all, 710,781 people came to the park last month. . . . Billings Gazette

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.. With the additional visitor crowding comes more strife. This is so common now that it does not even rate a press release or a note in the morning report, (although former employee arrests are noted.) Kind of like vagrancy on the National Mall.

During the initial stages of the standoff, the three men alternated between yelling obscenities and threats of violence and repeatedly entering and exiting their vehicles. One shouted that “someone is going to die tonight;” . . . Desert USA Blog

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.. With the increased Grizzly longevity and recent population growth, the trophic cascade has begun to push the black bears around. The resulting human bear conflicts have led to the euthanasia and/or relocation of several bears this year, (1,2.) This is happening all over the Northwestern United States - - look for it to continue.

Fortunately, there is a place for chubby bears outside of the Chicago offensive line or the Gay Pride parade. . . . Crosscut

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.. Growing awareness of the Y2Y concept is creeping into news sources and reports.

Nature knows no borders, and if humans want to preserve animal species that straddle two nations, they need to ensure that habitats are seamless. The wildlife-corridor concept addresses this challenge. . . . Crosscut

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.. There is a photo exhibit currently at the Burke Museum in Seattle that highlights the Y2Y concept. It's called "Freedom To Roam and will run until December 31, 2007. There is a spectacular photographic preview on the museum's web page.

The great Rocky Mountain landscapes are a treasure for the world. In them, I see what we in Europe have lost. I don't want that to happen here. — Florian Schulz, photographer

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.. Fishing with friends is newsman T. Brokaw.

Three Blessed Days

HEAVY AFTERNOON SHOWERS

Fire Camp Shrinking

burn area still "restricted access"

.. The last three days have provided afternoon relief from the blistering heat. During the showers there is as much as a 25 degree drop in temperature.
.. The fire camp north of town is getting smaller as crews are moved to more critical fires, and the helicopter crews are down to just one.
.. The fire danger is still high to very high but the extreme conditions have ameliorated during the last week and have been aided by the area-wide afternoon showers.
.. Almost all roads in the area of the Madison Arm Fire are open. Hiking trails and unimproved motor trails are still closed.
.. Camping at the untouched Madison Arm Resort, Baker's Hole Campground, and Rainbow Point is available for quick access to Hebgen Lake, the Madison River, and Yellowstone National Park.
.. Stage 2 fire restrictions are still in effect for the Gallatin National Forest, and fire restrictions are also implemented for Yellowstone.

Of Bears, Wolves, Elk, & Plastic Bison

BEARS ON THE RUN
Wolves Causing Stir
bison in fiberglass

.. Tomorrow, (Monday, April 30, 2007,) is the last day for Grizzly Bears on the endangered species list in the Yellowstone region. Already a lawsuit is being drafted. LINK.
.. Montana Officials say that they will stop monitoring grizzly bear activity in NW Montana unless federal agencies pay for the program. LINK.
.. Visit Yellowstone To Yukon to see where grizzlies can live in the proposed corridor of this conservation effort.
.. Wolves too, are now a different class of animals and, parallel to the grizzlies are much maligned and hated. The situation becomes one of human adaptation as well as animal adaptation. See the story in CDA Press.com for an interesting Idaho perspective.
.. Elk & Bison both carry brucellosis into Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. This is becoming a real point of contention between Yellowstone National Park and the states and other federal agencies. The rift in approach to controlling and eradicating the disease is detailed in a story by BRODIE FARQUHAR in the Casper Star Tribune.
.. West Yellowstone has a different perspective on bison, and is painting a herd of plastic buffalo to attract visitors. It seems that real bison are just not enough for the merchants of snowmobile central. This is just one more illustration of the mentality of this tiny tourist trap.

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.. Plan now - do it now! For just $2,600 - or more, (no air fare,) you too can enjoy Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Link. Link.

GOOD BYE JOHN

R.I.P.

.

NORRIS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME

Our thoughts and prayers are with Becky. We worked with you, we played with you, we laughed with you, we cried with you. Thirteen years was not enough. Good bye John.