okansas.blogspot.com Occassional thoughts about orienteering
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Ski trip snapshots
We just got back from a week of cross-country skiing at Yellowstone. We did a lot of slow, easy skiing and exploring the park. Here are a few snapshots.
One a long day (out for 6.5 hours) we stopped for lunch at Lone Star Geyser. Our timing was perfect. Within 5 minutes of stopping, the geyser erupted. We had the whole are to ourselves and were able to enjoy the show - a good 15 minutes of hot water and steam blasting from the geyser.
After stopping at the geyser, we skied back along an old road bed that parallels a creek. The park grooms the trail, making the skiing a lot easier and faster than the non-groomed trails. In the last few years, the amount of groomed trails at Yellowstone has increased a lot.
We did a tour of the upper geyser basin. The snapshot gives you a sense of the steam along part of the trail. The steam was from one of the many hot springs along the trail. You might also notice that there isn't a lot of snow. In part that is because there hasn't been the normal amount of snow at the park this winter. In part that is because the ground is warm and the snow melts.
Spotting wildlife is a highlight of any trip to Yellowstone. We met two bull bison. You know that they will leave you alone. They just want to get where they are going and save energy. So, you stand and let them pass. But, it is still a bit scary because they are big animals and they move well in the snow. If they were mad at you, you'd be in trouble.
Finally, I thought I should throw in a self portrait.
