In The Rearview Mirror 2019 pt. 4

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Flashback Friday

October

    Our friends came and visited us in October, and we ventured out to a wide variety of museums and art galleries. Early October was actually a bit chilly and you could definitely tell that fall was on its way. But as always, temperatures fluctuated a lot this year too. We went through Central Parks many times in October and it’s always great to see the colors change as time passes. We also went to a light show by Columbia University. It was ok, not spectacular in any way though. Morningside Park has raccoons that we see from time to time, and in October we saw one again. One of the streets we take to work is always full of nice Halloween decorations, so it was always fun to stroll through that part and check out all the various decorations for this year.

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November

    In November fall colors were still lingering in Central Park, and we still had warmish temperatures. It’s interesting how fall seems to hang on forever in New York, compared to other places we have lived. If you venture out in Central Park on some of the trails it almost feels as if you are in the middle of nowhere even though you are in one of the largest cities in the world. I made some cardamom buns and finally made them perfect! I also managed to make my first macaroons. We went to W’s grandma for Thanksgiving and hung out there for a couple of days. It’s always nice to be able to have those days to recuperate from the big city life.

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December

    December came with a thin layer of snow, and that is about everything we got. I went to the ballet and saw the nutcracker and I made some saffron buns, absolutely delicious. W and I explored some old and new bars before we headed out to Montuckey for Christmas. We did a lot of hiking, per usual around Bozeman. Actually more than usual because of the thin layer of snow. We rented an Airbnb in Gardiner after Christmas and spent a couple of days in Yellowstone National Park. We checked out some bars in Gardiner and the next day we finally went skiing in northeast Yellowstone! On New Years Eve we went to bed already at 9.30 but we had big and early plans on January 1st.

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Christmas Skiing on Open Plains and through Herds of Bison

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Adventure Tuesday

Yellowstone National Park - Winter Edition

Skiing Blacktail Plateau

When we ski, we usually go to Blacktail Plateau. It’s only a one way, so out and back or if you carpool you can go just one way, but it is really beautiful. You have large views of the landscape from here and you can also spot herds of bison or elk along this route. In the summertime this road (Blacktail Plateau Drive) is also really pretty to drive, it’s one of many side roads you can drive in the park to get out of the tourist jam. The first time we skied there, W and I were deep in conversation and came around a corner to a herd of bison. We got so scared, and so did them. They ran off down the slope. A baby bison started to bluff charge us, luckily the older bison had no interest in us. Bison sometimes move fast across the landscape, browsing on what they can find underneath the snow, so it’s always a good idea to keep an eye out in what direction they are moving.

Adventures in Yellowstone National Park

The park is maybe mostly known for its thermal hot springs like the Old Faithful. The hot springs create a specific microhabitat that allows certain species to thrive, but if you go up in elevation you will find the fragile alpine flora and a completely different microhabitat. Yellowstone is part of the Rocky Mountains, which extends all the way up through Canada. The park is one of the oldest National Parks in the US, and became the nations first National Park in 1872. Within the park you will find the Washburn Range and the Red Mountains Range. The northwest corner is covered by the Gallatin Range which starts north of the park, around Bozeman, MT. In the northeast corner you have the Absaroka Range that follows the Montana-Wyoming border and make up the eastern border of the park.

Through Valleys and over Hills

If you are lucky enough fresh snow and newly groomed trails will meet you when you arrive. But either way I love skiing here. You will get such a different view of the park if you go by skis. Not only of the wild animals, but also all the mountains and the deep forests in the distance. We almost never run into any people. Finding a parking spot can be hard depending on what end of the Blacktail Plateau Drive you start at. We have been pretty lucky so far and always managed to squeeze in somewhere. I love being able to ski in Yellowstone, you’ll get such an amazing feeling of freedom. And to top that off you will always see a bison or two munching away in the distance.

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Northeast Yellowstone - A Place to Ski?

The exit at the northeast part of Yellowstone National Park is called the Silver Gate. It is right on the border between Montana and Wyoming. When you leave Yellowstone through this exit you’ll first drive through the mountains, and once you leave the park you can embark on the trip up in elevation, towards the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and the Beartooth Highway. The little town right outside the Silver Gate, Cook City, reminds me about the small towns you’ll see in the narrow valley along the Seward Highway towards Homer and all other places down in southeast Alaska. Obviously the Beartooth Highway is closed during the wintertime, because it sits high in elevation (10,947 ft). I have not explored the ski trails in northeast Yellowstone, and I would love to do that in the future. Northeast Yellowstone has these beautiful and large coniferous trees and draped by the mountains right next to the road, and just imagine skiing in there! That would be a dreamlike winter wonderland.

Have you been skiing in any of the National Parks in the world?

All the Roads Lead to Yellowstone?

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Adventure Tuesday

Yellowstone National Park - Winter Edition

The Park

We have traveled to Yellowstone many many times the past few years. Mostly in the wintertime, but lately a bit more in the summertime. Well, lately as in last summer of 2017, when we went there twice. Yellowstone is divided up into East, West, North and South Yellowstone. It's impossible to do it all in one day. It takes quite some time to drive from one end of the park to the other, especially if you include bisonjams and tourists. I have driven through all the entrances in the park over the years. From the northwest entrance in Gardiner, to the northeast entrance in Cook City it is about 56 miles. From the entrance in Gardiner to the west Yellowstone entrance its about 54 miles, and to get to Old Faithful from Gardiner it is also about 56 miles. From the northwest entrance in Gardiner to the south entrance (the one that takes you into Grand Teton National Park) its about 94 miles. On the website of Yellowstone National Park you find all sorts of maps, gps coordinates and brochures about how to plan your trip. There is even an app nowadays.

Christmas Celebrations

W is from Bozeman, and he has been in Yellowstone many many times. He has done research there, and his dad does research there. So, both of them knows the ins and out of all of Yellowstone. Ever since the first Christmas I spent with W in Bozeman, we have visited Yellowstone every time we go there. In the wintertime we always enter through the North Entrance, the one in Gardiner. Not all the roads are open in the wintertime, but it is possible to get to most places if you go by snowmobile or snowcoach. Of course there are restrictions on where you can drive your snowmobile or not. You can also go on snowmobile or snowcoach guided tours in the park, but we have never done that. We usually ski, or drive around looking for wildlife. You can drive from the northwest entrance to Mammoth hot springs, but not farther south unless you go by snowcoach or snowmobile. Different years have different closing and opening days of roads, so the best thing to do is to check the website for up to date information.

Have you ever been to Yellowstone in the wintertime?