We got up late after our long hours last night. We rented a snowmobile for the day, but we wouldn’t make the early pickup, since it was already 8:00. We stopped by on the way to breakfast to let them know we still wanted the snowmobile. After breakfast, we signed all the paperwork, picked up our gear and key, and stopped back at the cabin to pack up the camera gear. Once we were loaded up, we went south, since there is a lot less traffic in that direction and we wanted to see if we could spot the otters at West Thumb.

The road conditions were good even though the snow was not very deep. We got about 5 inches over night, but even with that, the snow barely reached to the bottom of the Continental Divide signs. Other years the signs were totally buried by this time. The only way you could see them was when the rangers dug them out. At the top of Craig Pass, we were in the clouds. The trees had a fresh coating of frost and snow. Visibility wasn’t bad, but you could see the fog around all the trees. The light conditions were poor, however, and it was very difficult to tell where the edge of the road was.

The only animals we saw were a couple of bison along the Firehole just south of Old Faithful. We checked about the otters with the ranger at West Thumb and she said they hadn’t been seen for over a month. A photographer that was there said he had seen tracks by some of the open water yesterday, but we decided not to walk down to confirm it, since the basin was so foggy. We started down, but when we couldn’t see past the first boardwalk loop, we figured we wouldn’t be able to see out into the lake. At this point we still weren’t sure what we were going to do for the rest of the day. After talking to the ranger, we decided to make the whole lower loop.

The fog cleared once we were past West Thumb. Even though the lake was frozen, there were numerous open areas and several areas of thin ice that looked like small creeks running through the lake. Some drifting from the lake made the going a little rough, but the four-cycle handled it without problem. We saw few other living creatures – a few ducks and goldeneyes in the open water and maybe 20 other snowmobilers. We stopped for a brief rest at the Fishing Bridge junction, but did not visit the warming hut.

From the lake to the start of the Hayden valley, the Yellowstone River had a open channel. At the pullout where we usually see the pelicans in the summer, we saw 16 swans, 4 pairs of adults and their grey cygnets. As we listened to their wonderful trumpeting, we watched them tip for food and preen. Between LeHardy Rapids and Mud Volcano, the Yellowstone was completely open, even in the area where a bison had fallen through the ice and become trapped a few years ago. There was a small bison herd at Mud Volcano, and a much larger herd at the beginning of Hayden Valley. The Yellowstone was mostly frozen through the valley with only small areas that were open or where the ice looked thin. The snow was not very deep in Hayden, about 8 to 10 inches of the tops of the sagebrush was sticking out through the snow. It came to the bottom of the bear-proof lids on the trash cans at the pullouts.

At the northern end of Hayden Valley, the Yellowstone River opened up again. We were delighted to find swans everywhere. The final tally was well over 50. They stayed mainly in pairs; a few had one or two cygnets with them. A few of the cygnets were beginning to get their white feathers.

We were going to stop at Artist Point, but there was a snow coach parked in the middle of the bridge across the Yellowstone. Snowmobiles are not allowed on the north side of the canyon this year, so Artist Point is the only view we can get. We will try again tomorrow.

Just before Canyon Junction, we got behind the road groomer. He stopped to let us get around him. At Canyon, we decided to eat at our snowmobile, first to guard it from ravens, and second because it was too hot in the warming hut. After a quick lunch, we made our way over to Norris. Once again, we got behind the groomer and, once again, he stopped to let us pass. We noticed a snowmobile parked at the entrance to Virginia Cascades Drive. The driver was not in sight and the snowmobile was covered with snow. Snowmobiles are not allowed on that road; it is another one that has been opened only to snow coaches. We figured the driver decided to ski the road.

At Norris, the fresh snow made the driving conditions a little better. A large bison herd had taken up residence in Elk Park, obliterating the unblemished snow. Another bison herd was off in the distance at Gibbon Meadows and bison were scattered all along the Gibbon River. We didn’t see any elk, even in spots where they had been prevalent in other years. After making a brief stop at Madison, we were planning to go out the Madison River, but it was getting late. This year, Xanterra is allowing you to take the snowmobiles out at 7:30 a.m., but they must be back by 4:30 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. We turned south for Old Faithful. We usually go up the Firehole Canyon Drive, but that, too, is now closed to snowmobiles.

We saw our first elk of the day in and along the Firehole. One was wading in the middle of the river, pulling up vegetation from the bottom near a large boulder. The water didn’t even reach its belly. Several others were wading near the shore, again with mouthfuls of dripping vegetation they had pulled from the bottom of the river.

The swans from Monday appeared to have joined forces. There were six swimming in the Firehole near the picnic area before Fountain Flats drive. Another large bison herd had moved into Fountain Flats. Since it was on both side of the road, we took it easy, keeping a watchful eye for any that decided to cross the road. Including this herd, we’ve probably seen over 2000 bison today. Once past them, we stopped to take a few pictures.

As we passed the Lower Geyser Basin, we saw White Dome erupting across a snowy meadow. Soon after, we got behind another road groomer. We had commented that the road from Madison seemed in excellent shape for this time of day. Usually, the road is full of moguls and ruts in the late afternoon from all the traffic coming in from West. Even once we passed the groomer, the road was still in pretty good shape up until Black Sand Basin. From there until the turn off for Old Faithful, the moguls, ruts, and bare areas were treacherous. We slowed to about 5 miles an hour, easing over the worst spots. We got back just at 4:30, came back to the room, and freshened up for dinner. Over 100 miles today on the snowmobile.

We met Ray from Pebble and Doug in the Firehole Lounge for supper. We again closed down the Lounge – must have something to do with Doug!