It’s The End

The end of YNP’s summer season, that is.

When visiting YNP after Labor Day you have to be prepared for any kind of weather.
There is plenty of sunshine and lots of warm days, but
Mother Nature is fickle and will change everything on a whim.

When we travel to YNP in the autumn, we dress in layers and carry bags full of
clothing changes.
Coats, sweatshirts, long sleeves, short sleeves.
Boots, tennis shoes, sandals.
And socks.
Lots and lots of socks.
The chances that your feet will get wet and you’ll need a fresh pair of dry socks
is extremely high.

You can’t forget hats and gloves.
Your ears and fingertips will surely get cold.

We recently had a fall trip with a beautiful family from Ecuador.
It was their first visit to YNP and I was happy to be there and experience it
alongside them.

The colorful leaves were still on the trees.
The grasses, which remained green for such a long time this summer
(due to the wet spring)
had finally turned a beautiful golden color.

And the weather….
oh, the weather.
A week before our visit, YNP had been basking in the throes of a
beautiful Indian Summer:
Temperatures were hovering in the mid 70’s, and sometimes even reaching
lower 80’s.

But, as luck would have it, the temps wouldn’t stay mild for my warm bodied friends
from South America.
These wonderful people who live on the Equator --
where the coldest it gets is around 40°--
got to see YNP as Winter started wrapping her icy fingers
around The Park.

All day the temperatures hovered in the mid 30’s.
It dipped down to 32° and got as high as 36°.
Thankfully, the wind didn’t blow.
But the heavens opened and threw lots of precipitation at us!

We experienced it all:
Pouring Rain

Sleet
Freezing Rain
Fluffy Snow
”Popcorn” Snow
Our poor friends were FREEZING!!

Yet, who could resist picking up a chunk of snow,
packing it into a ball (or tower)
and throwing it at someone?

A snowball fight is the universal language of
FUN!!

 

I think we found, that no matter what the weather conditions are…
warm, mild, cold or freezing…
there is nothing more beautiful than
YELLOWSTONE!!!

We got lucky, and while watching these beautiful elk,
heard the bull calling for them.
While we were enjoying the goose-bump producing bugle from the male, one of these females suddenly turned toward the forest and answered with her own call and ran into the trees.
What a wonderful experience!

This was taken along the Madison.
A peaceful scene with the bull elk sitting contentedly among his harem.