The snow and the cold added magical dimensions!
Our original plan was to stay at an off-the-beaten-path B&B for New Year's Eve in Unionville, NV near Star Peak (9,840 ft.).
About an hour out, we got a text from the Innkeeper apologizing that the road has not been cleared for days so there was no way to get in or out.
Plan B - Winnemucca
We had a "celebratory" NYE dinner at a popular restaurant filled with locals. We then got comfortably tucked in for the night and awoke to -1°F on 1/1 on a gloriously crisp and sunny first day of the year!
We had a casual, snowy drive across Nevada and Utah and up to Belmont Hot Springs, just below the Idaho border.
One glance at the thermometer in the morning and we decided that the hot springs would have to wait for another day.
After two nights in sub-zero weather, we were happy to get into our B & B in Butte, MT (has a nice ring to it, if you use a sing-song voice) for the next couple of nights.
The Copper King Mansion is an intriguing, historical, and slightly eerie manor, especially as the only guests for the first night.
Prior to heading to Yellowstone, we decided to explore the Bitterroot National Forest and discovered the winter wonderland that is the magical little town of Philipsburg.
And now onto our basecamp in Gardiner, MT for our Yellowstone excursion, one of only two entrance gates that are open in the winter.
And in the winter, when the snow blankets Yellowstone National Park, there are only two ways to get into the heart of the park: by snowmobile or snowcoach. So we started our first morning at the tour office to book our snowcoach. We just happened to be the only ones signed up, so we had a very special "private", full-day outing with a very knowledgeable guide.
We had the park largely to ourselves all day. We did run into a bit of traffic along the way which caused a brief slowdown.
Not advised for soaking...
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night..."
For the next two days, we ventured out on our own into parts of the park that were reasonably accessible. We were actually able to cover quite a bit of area that we hadn't seen earlier.
As we were heading out on the twisty roads over the ridge to Lamar Valley, we suddenly came upon a pair of wolves crossing the road. Later, on our way back to the gate, we stopped to do some snowshoeing not very far from where we encountered the wolves in the morning. So, that was definitely on our minds as set out on the trail in the late afternoon.
We finished snowshoeing as the sun was going down. We didn't drive more than a mile down the road when we came upon a handful of cars stopped on the side of the road viewing, yes, wolves.
Turn up the volume to hear these two
howling into the wind.
Our final morning was spent hiking around Mammoth Hot Springs, all alone, with only the trace of elk along our path.
Next and final stop (Sal needed to catch a plane) was Bozeman. It was a beautiful town with great restaurants, shops, and wonderful local charm.
Next, my solo tour to bring the van back home, the long way...
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