"48"-Day 13-Weather coming
Riding the valley before the weather arrives
Originally published 12/26/2022
We rode for our last day in West Yellowstone, putting in 52 miles. Tomorrow morning we head south, once again racing the weather. A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for West Yellowstone with snow and high winds. We hope to be out of town and headed south before the mountain pass at the Idaho state line is closed. Weather here is dramatic and we experienced temperatures ranging from -52 F to 38 F, a range of NINETY degrees in less than a week.
Weather drama bearing down on us
We have stayed in rentals all across the U.S. and in Europe. Our VRBO rental here is called "Barnes on Boundary", right at the edge of the park. It is without qualification, the nicest vacation rental we have ever stayed in. The host has thought of everything. The house is well appointed, nice furnishings and amenities, and artwork by local artists. We have truly enjoyed our visit here and hate to leave.
Trail markers help you stay on the trail in the flat light on days like this. Colored goggles help as well.
We rented from Travelers Rentals in West Yellowstone. The snowmobiles were new.....like....we were the first people to ever ride them new. The staff at Travelers was helpful and attentive. I cannot praise them enough. If you're coming to West Yellowstone, this is your snowmobile source.
Snow rolls into the valley. You can see for so many miles, you have a front row seat of what's coming.
Our visit this year was so much better than last year. It was relaxing, fun, and engaging. Winter visits to the Yellowstone area reward you with things not seen at other times of the year. While it could be said that summer visits here are just as unique as winter the crowds are non-existent. No lines, no crowds, no people, no hassles. It's just lovely.
This "notch" in the mountains across the lake is where I took the photo of the barn earlier in the week. You can see forever out here.
We have no set destination tomorrow, only a direction. That direction would be south. This path will take us out of the next line of weather as well as a place somewhat warmer. We have ideas of where we would like to go and we'll see if the weather will allow this. Flexibility is key with winter travel, and we are ready to flex if needed.