CHRISTMAS CARDS

It is that time of year again to begin thinking about Christmas and all that goes along with that Season.  For many people the first step toward Christmas is the selection of the Christmas card for this year.

We all know that there are many places to find many different types of Christmas cards.  The trend today seems to be the "photo" Christmas card.  For many people, this is the time of year when they round up all the kids, and possibly the various and sundry pets, schedule the annual family photo.

Some families prefer the studio setting while others prefer the more "natural" setting.  Some of the best family photos we have in our album are those that were taken on the front porch of our home.  The choice of setting is an entirely individual decision.

Once you have the photos in hand, how do you get them onto the Christmas cards?  Why not go on line and check out Vista Print?  They have several different styles available and the cost is extremely reasonable.

I think you would be very pleased with the final product that this company produces.

YELLOWSTONE WINTER IS COMING

If you live in West Yellowstone and it is almost the end of October and there is still no snow on the ground - count your blessings!

We all know that winter is coming - we are just not sure when it is scheduled to arrive in full force.

Last year it arrived early and it stayed late.  Lake Yellowstone was frozen over until mid June.  There was snow in Craig Pass inside the park until the middle of July.

As I said - those of who live here know it is surely coming.  We are just not sure when.

THE WOLVES OF YELLOWSTONE

This was a rare sight for us last spring.  This grey wolf was feeding on a caracass.  The unusual part of it was that he was just about 3 miles inside the west gate to Yellowstone.

He was on the right hand side of the road.  Of course, there were lots of cars lined up along the road.  This fellow was no more than 100 yards off the road.

Occasionally he would look up from his meal to give us a good look at his face.

He was not nearly as excited to see us as we were to see him!

ELK BUGLING IN YELLOWSTONE

'Tis the season in Yellowstone for the elk to bugle.  They are rounding up their harems and fighting off would be suitors.


If you have never heard an elk bugle, then you are in for a treat.  It is a different sound and one that you will not hear coming from any other animal.


To the strong go the rewards.  The elk are preparing for the winter and the "rut" season signals the end of summer and the anticipation of the approaching winter.

SUNRISE OVER LAKE YELLOWSTONE

The photo above is just a small example of some of the amazing sites that Yellowstone National Park has to offer you.


This was taken early in the morning at Lake Yellowstone - just as the sun was deciding to wake up Yellowstone for the day.


When you visit our First National Park, be sure that your camera batteries are on full charge.  The scenes do not repeat themselves and you have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to capture them on film.


Even though the photos are breathtaking, they do not come close to capturing the real beauty that your eyes will behold on your visit to Yellowstone.

CHECK OUT THE CHAMBER'S WEBSITE

VIEW OF TOWN OF WEST YELLOWSTONE

If you are thinking about making a trip to Yellowstone National Park, be sure to check out the website for the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce.

Here you will find a wealth of information about the town of West Yellowstone as well as the surrounding area.  You can choose from the categories on their site.

Want to know about lodging in and around West Yellowstone, then click on the link that says "SLEEP".  Here wil will find listings for hotels, bed and breakfast, dude ranches, lodges, rv parks and more.  Most have a direct link to the website of that particular property.  Makes it much easier to find what you are looking for.

If you click on the "PLAY" icon you will see a list of activities and attractions in the area.  Again, you will find direct links to most of those sites.

You can also choose "EAT"  and this will give you information on the restaurants and eating places in town.

For more information CLI

CK HERE

THE SEASONS OF YELLOWSTONE

Spring in Yellowstone National Park brings new life.  Not only do the grasses and wildflowers show their colors and brighten up the landscape in the Park, but Spring hails the arrival of the young park critters.

If you have never seen a baby bison then you probably do not know that they are almost orange in color from birth through the first few weeks of their life.

Shortly after the baby bison make their appearance, we will  see the baby elk begin to arrive.

We rarely, if ever, get to see a baby moose as they are quite solitary creatures and tend to shy away from humans.

The baby wolves are rarely seen by humans.  Only the lucky few get to see them and that is generally accomplished with the aid of a high powered scope.

Depending on how difficult the winter was and how abundant the food supply was before they went into hibernation, we will probably get to see some mothers and their bear cubs.

That is the beauty of traveling in the park.  One just never knows what they are going to see.

LIVING NEXT DOOR TO YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Since 2005 I have lived on the edge of  Yellowstone National Park.  My house is just a few blocks from the West entrance to the Park.  This affords the opportunity to spend lots of time in the Park getting to know it intimately.  However, since the Park is composed of 2.2 million acres, I doubt that I will ever see all of it.

I have yet to take a horseback ride into the back country and spend any time there.  This will require not only a horse - but an experienced and knowledgeable guide as well.

Life in the town of West Yellowstone is interesting to say the least.  The town is surrounded on all four sides - either by the National Park or by National Forest.  The town is about a total of 6 blocks by 9 blocks and, unless the Forest Service or the National Park Service want to trade some land with the town, it is not apt to grow in size anytime soon.

We have all kinds of visitors in town.  Of course we have the tourists, but we also have visits occasionally from the coyotes, wolves, bison, elk and the occasional bear.