Most people would be disappointed if they went on vacation to Yellowstone and there was so much snow that they couldn’t get to the park on the route you planned so you were forced to go the long way into the park.  Then to make matters worse the next day you can’t even get to your hotel in Grant Village because the snow has the pass closed on the way to your hotel and you just can’t get there.  But not us!  Instead we went to Old Faithful Inn, watched the geyser and checked to see if they had any cancelations.  Of course they told me no – but later when Julie asked, they did have one.  On top of that, they were willing to trade us for our room in Grant Village.  So we got to stay in our dream hotel – the Old Faithful Inn.  Sweet!

 

The snow may not have been great for photography and the wind and cold was a bummer.  But how could you better spend your time in than in the old lodge in front of the fireplace and in the Bear Pit lounge?  Not that I didn’t get a few pictures somehow! 

This is my version of the classic Yellowstone bison with snow on his head in winter

Our first Bald Eagle in the wild

The Bear Pit Lounge at the Yellowstone Inn

The next day, the weather was better so I got up early and took some shots before anyone else was up – hey, ya gotta do whatever it takes to get the shot!  Then we tried to make up for the day before and covered quite a bit of ground in the park.

Here are some shots from day 6.

Old Faithful

Yellowstone Inn and Old Faithful from the overlook

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone at Artist Point

The Continental Divide

Bear in the snow on the left near the top

 

White Pelicans near Canyon in Yellowstone

Writting this in Tetons in Jackson, WY.  We have a Snake River float trip (no whitewater, just viewing wildlife along the river) in the morning. Stay tuned for more shots from the river.