WEST YELLOWSTONE AND KIDS 'N SNOW

What do the kids of the small town of West Yellowstone, Montana do for fun in the winter time?  Thanks to the efforts of some extremely dedicated and caring residents of the town, they can now enjoy a program called "Kids 'N Snow." 

This is addition to the  "Smores and More" program. All the fixins' are available at no charge to make your own Smores.  The local businesses take turns providing the makings for this program.

The local ice rink will be filled and frozen.  The hardware store offers rental ice skates for a very nominal fee.  The lights will be turned on for night time skating.

There will be a "snow hill" constructed for their sledding pleasure.

There is a nice warm bonfire.

This is a great family fun activity and, as the years have passed, it has grown in popularity.

The kids of this town have a wonderful group of dedicated and caring adults looking out for them.  We always encourage our visitors to join in the fun.

YELLOWSTONE CROSS COUNTRY SKI FESTIVAL

For over 25 years the town of West Yellowstone, Montana has played host to the Annual Yellowstone Ski Festival.  What is the attraction?  Why do the skiers keep coming?  Here are a few of the reasons the Yellowstone Ski Festival is so appealing. Why do the skiers keep returning year after year even though the event is held during the Thanksgiving Holiday?

West Yellowstone traditionally has reliable early season snow.

There are Nordic ski clinics available for everyone from the beginner to the most advanced of skiers.

The trails are kept beautifully and expertly groomed for both the classic and skate skier.

The Rendezvous Ski Trails where the event is held, is just a few short steps from the majority of the lodging facilities in town.

There are demos in the latest  of Nordic ski gear from most of the major manufacturers.

Whether you are an experienced skier of just someone who has always wanted learn to cross country ski - come join us for the fun.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

With Christmas just around the corner, it is time to begin getting your shoe boxes packed for the Operation Christmas Child program.  Our church here in West Yellowstone has been asked to be the relay center for this program.  We are honored to have been chosen to be even a small part of furthering this mission program.

As with any new program, getting the word (and the shoe boxes) out to the public can be a challenge.  We are such a small town and during this time of year our population is very small.  However, I have been encouraged by the responses we have gotten - especially from some of the local business establishments.

These shoe boxes are shipped all over the world.  Operation Christmas Child is a mission of Samaritans Purse which is overseen by Franklin Graham - the son of Billy Graham.

The official collection week is from November 14 through November 21.  We will have volunteers at the church in order for those residents to drop off their complete shoe boxes.



YELLOWSTONE IS CLOSED - BUT JUST FOR A MONTH

The west entrance to Yellowstone National Park is closed.  Fear not - it will open again on December 15 (depending on the snow).  The Park closes for a month every year at this time.  The purpose of the closure is to allow the snow to build up on the roads inside the Park.  The National Park service then grooms the roads in order to allow the snowmobile and snowcoach traffic to begin when they re-open the Park.

The only entrance that remains open to wheeled vehicles during the winter season is the North entrance at Gardiner, Montana.  They Park Services keeps this road available for wheeled traffic due to the fact that the children who live in Yellowstone at the North Entrance attend school in Gardiner.

You can also travel to Cooke City via the North entrance all during the winter. 

At this time of the year, the town of West Yellowstone is pretty well deserted, at least as far as tourists go.  Many of the stores and restaurants in town have closed for the season.  You will see signs in the windows that say "Closed For The Season - See You Sometime In May".  Believe me, that is exactly what they mean.  It will be "sometime" in May.

Finding a place to go for lunch or to eat out for dinner is pretty difficult at this time of year.  Many of the restaurants and some of the stores will re-open shortly before Christmas.  The snowmobilers will begin arriving in town in earnest sometime around mid-December.

The Cross Country skiers will be here later this month for the annual Yellowstone Ski Festival.



MAKING MONEY ON LINE

I am, as of this moment, caught up in the sometimes frustrating world of trying to learn how to make money on line.  The area I am interested in is the world of blogging.

I was, for almost two years, linked up with a company that I made some decent money with.  I would go on line and choose an assignment.  Once the assignment was completed I would then have to write four personal posts, complete with pictures and links, and submit all for approval.

It was a good deal.  I did not make a lot of money but did make about $4000.00 in the almost two years I blogged for them.

However, one day they simply closed up the office, turned out the lights and left town.  This left me with a website with over 3000 postings on it which just simply disappeared.  I did manage to get ownership of the domain name.  However, I cannot get access to the content that I had already posted to the blog.

Then I come across the wonderful news that the company had set up an AdSense account under the name of my blog.  This now prevents me from getting a new Google AdSense account.  I cannot access the account the company set up since I do not know what password they used.

I must admit that there have been days when I have been tempted to just give up completely.  However, I truly enjoy blogging and know that there are people out there making money doing it.

If anyone can give me any guidance it would surely be appreciated. 

YELLOWSTONE'S FOUNTAIN PAINT POTS

This is an eruption at Fountain Paint Pots in Yellowstone National Park.  This is the first time I have ever seen an eruption at the Paint Pots.

It all depends on being in the right place at the right time when it comes to photographing Yellowstone and the wonders it contains.

There is a boardwalk in the Paint Pots and you can actually walk out among the geysers and hot pools. 

Be sure to have your camera handy and the batteries fully charged.  Many of the photo ops you get in Yellowstone are truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  Those geysers do not erupt the same way each time and they do not wait until you get your camera ready.

Remember, you are on the Park's timetable - not yours.



YELLOWSTONE'S BISON RUT

This photo was taken in August in the Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park.  The bison herds had gathered in the valley to observe the ritual of the annual rut.

As you can see from the amount of dust this big bull is kicking up, tempers flare and hormoes are raging during this season of the year for the bison.

The herds are huge and there are numerous bulls who are looking for a mate or mates.  The competition can become quite fierce and many of the bulls are injured during the contest.

If you are in the Park during this time of year, be sure to give the bison a wide berth.  Their tempers are extremely short and they are not to be messed with.


YELLOWSTONE - FULL OF WONDERS



This pond full of lilly pads can be seen at the Continental Divide in Yellowstone National Park.  The flowers, although they don't show up very well in this photo, are bright yellow.

They do not bloom for that many weeks but, if you are in Yellowstone, make the drive up through Craig Pass and you will probably get to see some of them.

It is amazing to me how during the winter this pond can, and does,  freeze over and yet, come spring, the lilly pads and their flowers emerge from the ice and snow and provide some beautiful color for the Divide.

There is a large pull out at the pond and it provide some execllent opportunities for photos.

RESTING UP FOR THE RUT

This big elk is resting in a field in Yellowstone National Park.  This photo was taken in late August of 2011.

As you can see, he has quite a rack on him and it appears to still be in velvet.  The elk rut is just around the corner.  That is the time when he will be gathering up his harem and warding off any bulls who want to take his harem away from him.

If you have never heard an elk bugle then you don't know what you are missing.  It is a very distinct sound.  If you ever once hear it, you will never mistake it when you hear it again.

By now, the first part of November, the bulls have collected their harems and the procreation of the species has been accomplished.

All that remains now is for the elk to survive the coming winter and wait until the spring when the calves begin to make their appearance in the park.

YELLOWSTONE CLOSES - DID YOU KNOW THAT?

Did you know that Yellowstone National Park closes for a month two times a year?

They close the first part of November in order to allow the snow to build up on the roads in anticipation of the snowcoach and snowmobile traffic during the winter.  They will re-open again in mid December for the winter traffic.

In the spring, usually around March 15, the Park will close once again.  This time the closure is to allow the National Park Service the opportunity to clear the roads of snow in anticipation of the summer season.  Depending on the snow conditions, they will generally open the park to vehicle traffic around the 15th of April.

Be sure to check the National Park Service web page for current opening and closing dates for the Park.

It would be a shame for you to travel all the way here only to find out that the Park is closed.

The once exception to this closure is that the North entrance at Gardiner, Montana remains open all year around.  This is due to the fact that the children of the NPS employees attend school in Gardiner.  The road has to be kept open to vehicle traffic in order for them to get to school.

Be aware, however, that you cannot access Old Faithful or the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from the North entrance in the winter.