Thanksgiving Drive Through Yellowstone
The return of growlerby Dan Hartman
Nov. 26, 2010
On Wednesday evening Cindy and I drove into Bozeman. Kelly’s flight from Oregon would arrive at 11:08 P.M. and our plan was to return to our cabin that night. But as we drove through Yellowstone the road was drifting shut behind us. So a new plan had us staying overnight in Bozeman.
I knew we were in trouble when I couldn’t find our Livingston exit the next morning. The snow was blowing so hard visibility was to the hood of our car. Tanya at the Northgate informed us the Park was closed but hopefully would open soon. Two hundred waxwings greeted us along the Gardiner River. In Mammoth we parked and waited. Our Thanksgiving Dinner would have to be an evening affair. Well at least we would be good and hungry. At 11:30 the gate was opened. Near Roosevelt a black turned gray collared wolf loped away from the road. A bald eagle perched in an aspen near the Confluence where we also spotted a bighorn ram. Three coyotes picked at an old carcass in Round Prairie. When we reached our cabin, marten tracks were everywhere. We unloaded the car, fired up the wood stove, (it was 40 degrees in our cabin) and threw the turkey in to the oven. Then we noticed a marten looking in the window. It was a youngster we had only seen at night so far. A nice guest for Thanksgiving.
The next morning Kelly and I snow shoed out to search for “the perfect Christmas tree”. It was found WAY up slope. We had just gotten it back to the cabin when I looked out and spotted a large marten climbing through our trees. It looked like Old Growler. It took all the familiar routes. Even checking out the witches broom above our gallery. We hadn’t seen the big fella since last summer. He is at least nine years old and every winter we wait eagerly for his return.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
On Wednesday evening Cindy and I drove into Bozeman. Kelly's flight from Oregon would arrive at 11:08 P.M. and our plan was to return to our cabin that night. But as we drove through Yellowstone the road was drifting shut behind us. So a new plan had us staying overnight in Bozeman.
I knew we were in trouble when I couldn't find our Livingston exit the next morning. The snow was blowing so hard visibility was to the hood of our car. Tanya at the Northgate informed us the Park was closed but hopefully would open soon. Two hundred waxwings greeted us along the Gardiner River. In Mammoth we parked and waited. Our Thanksgiving Dinner would have to be an evening affair. Well at least we would be good and hungry. At 11:30 the gate was opened. Near Roosevelt a black turned gray collared wolf loped away from the road. A bald eagle perched in an aspen near the Confluence where we also spotted a bighorn ram. Three coyotes picked at an old carcass in Round Prairie. When we reached our cabin, marten tracks were everywhere. We unloaded the car, fired up the wood stove, (it was 40 degrees in our cabin) and threw the turkey in to the oven. Then we noticed a marten looking in the window. It was a youngster we had only seen at night so far. A nice guest for Thanksgiving.
The next morning Kelly and I snow shoed out to search for "the perfect Christmas tree". It was found WAY up slope. We had just gotten it back to the cabin when I looked out and spotted a large marten climbing through our trees. It looked like Old Growler. It took all the familiar routes. Even checking out the witches broom above our gallery. We hadn
