Where in the world is he?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

We left for a few days. Normally we would have driven another 100 miles but the LOML indicated she really wanted to eat at Corino's and it was Valentines Day so....we stopped early...over ate....and got a good night's sleep.

This morning we left and 100 miles down the road, a severe crosswind blowing off the mountains to the south of us caused a severe rattle on our Honda Pilot. Even the old deaf man could hear it. We stopped at a very little burg in the middle of nowhere and I found out 2 problems...1) the rear window air deflector was missing some parts and was loose and ....2) the old guy who owns the Pilot hadn't put a tool box in it yet? Duh!...I have 2 sets of chains....a shovel....a tow rope ....a very good jumper cable......antifreeze.....windshield washer antifreeze...but no tool box.....

Another 60 miles down the road we came to a town with a Honda dealership and they very nicely remedied the situation for a fair charge.

For the next 110 miles we followed a beautiful sparkling river with snow down to the banks and ice several feet thick on the edges of the river....snow capped mountains on either side of us.....sun shining ....blue sky......wind blowing gently out of the southwest.

11 miles from our destination we found ourselves driving in stop-and-go traffic because of all the moutain goats on the road....Sharon agrees 40-50 total in the 3 mile stretch would be a conservative estimate. Then the old goat she's married to realized he'd left home without a ball cap. I will need a ball cap to wear on the tours for next two days.

I was surprised to find internet service and a computer for guest use in our hotel. Sharon brought her new cell phone with her and she's got 3G service here on the edge of the large wilderness too. Hmmmmm. Who would have guessed?

Then tonight in the motel.......I had 2 Blue Moon Ales in the lounge and then a prime rib dinner in the restaurant.

Where's the old guy at?

Moderator's keep it to yourself's please.

[Jim Koepke]

Where's the old guy at?

Sounds like you could still be in Idaho to me. Maybe on U.S. 30?

jtk

[Bill Edwards(2)]

Middle Earth?

[Charlie Reals]

Retired!:) you are some whers twixt there and here

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Sorry Jim ......we left Idaho...

Teddy Roosevelt and a lot of mountain men were mystified by this place. This morning we take our first snow coach tour. This tour will be a repeat of the one we took 3 years ago. Tomorrow's tour will be new, longer and requires we bring our own lunch as we won't see any facilities. Sharon is praying for at least a couple outhouses during the day tomorrow.

This is thbe 1st time we have been here during the week. Silver hair or no hair fits in quite well.

[Belinda Barfield]

Yellowstone? Actually, my answer is, "What difference does it make? You guys are together and having fun!":D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Give the lady a cigar!

We were in Yellowstone 3 years ago for a coworker of 30+ years retirement party. We were able to take one snow coach tour to Old Faithful but due work commitments we had to leave the next day. Sharon said she would love to take the other tour too. So we wll take both.....Old faithful today with lunch at the lodge and tomorrow the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

Belinda, in the final analysis, you are right....together & having fun. I was raised in this country .....Sharon's a flatlander. It does my heart good to watch her become "westernized"!

[Bill Huber]

I wasn't going to answer that question because I remembered you talking about it.

I spent 3 days in Yellowstone in Aug. 2009 and am ready to go back and spend another week, that is one really neat place.
I am sure it is really different in the winter with the snow. The next time we go we will stay in the main lodge, that is one really awesome place.

http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/2009_trip

[Phil Thien]

Ken, that trip sounds like a blast. I hope that my wife and I can keep our health into our retirement years and take a lot of trips like that. We haven't been able to travel much.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Bill,

I don't know if the Lodge is open right now.

We are staying in the Holiday Inn in West Yellowstone, MT.

The previous trip we drove from Lewiston to Bozeman to West Yellowstone and followed the Gallatin River IIRC up to West Yellowstone.

This time we drove from Lewiston, spent the night in Missoula. We took an abnormal route for us as they are hauling "megaloads" on US-12 between Lewiston and Lolo, MT and neighbors said the road was in pretty bad shape and they got some nasty stuff from deicing chemicals on their car so we drove to Courde'Lene (sp?) then across I-90. We got our car repaired in Butte, MT and then outside Butte, we followed the Madison River to West Yellowstone via Targhee Pass. This route was an incredibly beautiful trip.

The one time we came here in the summer, we drove through in about 3 hours, the traffic was horrendous and it was crowded. Sharon said yesterday during the drive we need to come back in the summer when it's not crowded and we can see the entire park in it's warm weather mode. I suggested late September.

It's supposed to snow today and tomorrow. But....that's winter in the mountains....welcome!

I don't have the capability of posting pictures from here but will do so when we get home.

Most of my posts the last 2 days have been on Sharon's new cell phone. I am impressed with the Droid phone and 3G service we have experienced in these remote areas so far. Yesterday in the middle of no where Montana, along a 2 lane road following the Madison River Sharon was talking to one of our granddaughters who lives in Phoenix and is expecting a "new arrival" any day. Earlier in the day when the rattling began on the rear air deflector, Sharon googled a dealer...we were 30 minutes outside Butte....she called the dealer....they said bring it on in....an hour after we got there...for a reasonable price, we were on our way...

So far the trip is going well.

Phil.....I moved to Idaho from Chicago 29 years ago......lost 30% of my income at the time......I was on salary plus overtime.....I could have made a lot more money in Chicago but I never had time to do anything with my family. Having these type of places close by.....Glacier......Lake Louise in Canada.......etc......is one of the many benefits of making that choice.

[Belinda Barfield]

Ken, I find it exceedingly odd that I remember where you and Sharon went on a trip three years ago . . . and I've never actually met you! LOL . . . ah, the joys of Internet friendship.:D

Have fun, stay safe, post pics, give details. Did I leave anything out? Oh yeah, eat well.

[Rick Potter]

Been there a couple times too. Matter of fact, I have a pic of me feeding the bears. It was 1945, I was three, The war was over, and we were on our way from San Diego Naval Base back home to Ohio.

Rick Potter

[Keith Starosta]

Ken, that trip sounds like a blast. I hope that my wife and I can keep our health into our retirement years and take a lot of trips like that. We haven't been able to travel much.

Phil, these were exactly my sentiments as I was reading about Ken's trip. Having 4 young kids, and being nowhere NEAR retirement, I can only dream of the days my wife and I can take trips like these. In no way do I want to wish away the time I am having right now (other than my work days), but to enjoy alone time like this with my best friend and LOML sounds just great.

Enjoy the rest of your trip, Ken! I always enjoy checking out your vacation shots, and look forward to seeing a few pics of Old Faithful!! :D

- Keith

[Charlie McGuire]

Hi Ken,

Read your description of the drive up along the snow packed river with mountains on both sides, and I thought to myself - boy, sounds like they drove up the Lochsa river! That's a great drive. I used to live in Missoula and spent lots of hours tossing flies on the Lochsa.

Enjoy your trip - am envious :)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Charlie.....Love fishing the Lochsa.......the drive along US-12 from Lewiston to Lolo, MT following the Clearwater River....the Lochsa River and is it the Lolo? on the MT side? Anyway....that is 215 of the prettiest miles of highway in the country....

...........but the drive I was discussing was along the Madison River from Cardwell?, MT to West Yellowstone. It was a gorgeous drive.

So far we have had nothing but snow and it's not making for a lot of good photographs. Sharon was a little frustrated yesterday as this is the 2nd time we have come to Yellowstone in the winter to photograph Old Faithful...and it's snowed hard both times and you have to use your imagination to see the eruption of steam!......

[Lee Schierer]

Sounds like retirement is agreeing with you. Don't sweat the small stuff, remember you are retired, your time table is your own. You don't have to hurry up and enjoy things as you can stay an extra day or two or three if you wish without the boss getting upset.

I'm looking forward to my retirement. We've got a trip scheduled to the UK for the week after I retire.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Today we took the longer of the two winter tours to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Wow. When we shot photos of the 380' Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River Sharon's comment was...we are doing this again in the summer. The scenery was spectacular...whiteout conditions........winds gusting.....incredibly beautiful........

I have spent my share of time out doors.......have you ever seen a coyote fishing? ....I did.....in the Madison River......got photos.....

Trumpeter swans....Gourgeous in the snow.......

We were in a conversion van snow coach......skis on the front and a track drive system on the rear........the other couple cancelled and we had the 12 passenger van and guide/driver to ourselves. What an incredible day! The morning was snowing and cloudy but late in the afternoon, it cleared up for an hour or so. Since we were the only folks aboard, the driver was very accomodating for Sharons' photography needs. I made sure his tip reflected our appreciation.

Photos to come when we get home.

[Connie Gill]

Ken and Sharon,

If you are history buffs at all and have a couple extra days - go to Cody, WY and go through the museum: Buffalo Bill memorabilia, Cody Firearms, a fantastic wildlife section and western art (not all cowboy art either)section. I only got to spend about 4 hours there and it was only about a quarter of the time I wanted to spend there. There is also on the way out of town a small free museum, the guy has some amazing antiques and a panoramic display that is very cool. Congrats on the retirement and I hope you get to do a lot of these type of adventures!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Connie, thanks for the recommendation. We have some commitments at home later this week ......but plan on visiting my Mom in eastern Wyoming
Later this spring and we will put Cody on the itinerary..

[Connie Gill]

Fun - you could swing through the park during the spring to get there - with babies on the ground you would have some great photo ops!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

We left West Yellowstone yesterday about 10:30 Mountain Time. It has been snowing several days there with some significant accumulations and it was still snow hard when we left. We purchased a used Honda Pilot AWD about 18 months ago. I hadn't driven it in snow, let alone deep snow. It handles quite well crawling out of the deep snow and driving at reasonable reduced highway speeds on the road on snow covered roads. We drove a little over 500 miles home in 10 hours including gas stops. We didn't stop to eat until we got home and unloaded the Pilot.

It was a great trip..... winter in Yellowstone...We took 2 snow coach tours this trip and one snow coach tour 3 years ago. You can also go on guided snowmobile tours and they provide everything...clothing, helmets...snowmobiles. The snow coach tours.....we didn't put a coat on unless we were getting our to walk and photograph....if you ever get a chance to tour Yellowstone National Park in the winter...by all means do..... it's different and incredibly beautiful!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

More photos

[Ken Fitzgerald]

More Photos....

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This guy comes to work in February to clear the snow from the roofs at the Canyon Visitor center. You can see the handle to his saw to the left of him. He cuts a rectangle roughly 2'x3' by the height of the snow...roughly 5'-6' and slips the blade of his shovel under the down slope edge. He then walks it down the slope and pushes it off the edge. We watched him do it and it looks effortless but I'll bet he sleeps good at nights. According to the guide it takes the guy 28 days to clear the roofs of all the buildings at the Canyon Visitor Center.

183263
The Upper Yellowstone Falls

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Trumpeter Swans..

183261
The Chocolate Pot

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The guide and the snowcoach we used on the 2nd trip

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Winter weather

183259
The Winter ambulance in the park...check this out....

183260

The snow outside the indoor swimming pool at the Holiday Inn West Yellowstone. The snow was about 1/3 this deep when we arrived.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The final photo.....

Lower Yellowstone Falls....308' ......Look at the ice caused by splashing....Sharon said after seeing this....we'll be back in the summertime to photograph this ......

[Douglas Clark]

I'm new around here so I hope you don't mind me joining in the game... I'm posting my guess before I scroll down and see everyone else's. I'm guessing Montana, which is my wife's home state. I've actually kind of done the stop and go because of the mountain goat thing and it was in Montana, which was actually a weird experience for a guy from Central California. My second guess would be some where along the southern border of Canada.

[Douglas Clark]

Joke's on me... you'd already posted the answer! I'd considered Wyoming, but who drives across Wyoming this time of year? :p

[Bob Turkovich]

Great photos, Ken! If you go back in the spring/summer - if IIRC - the trail from the upper to lower falls along the south rim has some great views without being too difficult.

BTW, Ken. Where's your coat??? You're retired now and should be taking better care of yourself. :p At least the Mrs. is wearing a sweatshirt....

[Brad Schafer]

183301

ken- thx for sharing. i don't get in here much any more, but this post brought back some great memories of visits in 2006 & 2007. this is same view of the lower falls but in late may 2006.

hard to imagine a more beautiful place on earth,

-b

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Brad......same view ....different season.......very beautiful! Thank you for sharing. The wife says we will visit Lower Falls again in the summer.

[Curt Harms]

I was there over the Labor Day weekend a few years ago-- Gorgeous place. One thing that U.S. Grant & the congress critters got right. The crowds thin when it's time to get ready for school. I remember driving across a lovely meadow, flat and had to be about 6-8 miles. I later found out that was a caldera of the not-so-extinct Yellowstone volcano--whose magma chamber is filling again. The ground is rising measurably.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/01/110119-yellowstone-park-supervolcano-eruption-magma-science/

[Brad Schafer]

agree with curt H on visiting. we went in later May in both 06 and 07 and the crowds were negligible. days were nice, evenings/mornings were crisp & clear, and too early for bugs and congestion. enjoy the trip - it'll be worth every minute. :)

-b

[Ken Fitzgerald]

That's our plan.......guys.....May.....I am an old elk hunter and while on our last tour on Thursday mentioned to the guide we'd probably come back for the summer tours in late September. He said early to mid-May. The bears will be coming down out of hibernation and the elk calving etc.. He stated very bluntly May is the time to visit.

One other thing....along the same lines but different season. The last time we visited in the winter was for an official company function and we were here on the current 3 day weekend. It was terribly crowded. This time we arrived on Tuesday and left on Friday. There were no crowds and grey hair or bald was "in". I am enjoying the first benefit of being retired!:D

[sunny nic]

Great photos, Ken! If you go back in the spring/summer - if IIRC - the trail from the upper to lower falls along the south rim has some great views without being too difficult.

BTW, Ken. Where's your coat??? You're retired now and should be taking better care of yourself. :p At least the Mrs. is wearing a sweatshirt....
yup, taking good care of yourself is the most important issue.