Snowbound Adventures: A Journey to Yellowstone National Park Before the COVID Storm
by Naimul Karim (originally posted on naimul.net)
"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times....". Charles Dickens might as well had anticipated my situation when he penned this famous incipit. I had just retired, and the stock market was in free fall. Besides, the global coronavirus pandemic was about to hit the USA.
The abrupt change in plan had something to do with my friend Koni. On the day before our flight, as we were finishing our leisurely Sunday breakfast, he texted me. Will we be wearing masks during the trip? I wasn't planning to. But I don't take Koni's questions lightly. Being a one-time top 50 black gammon player in the country is one of many feathers he wears on his hat.
By that time, masks were a rare commodity. So, down went Christine to the basement to see if any masks were still there from last summer's painting and sanding jobs. Yes, there was a bagful. But which one is the right one? N95, P95 or R95? What's the difference? Better to use one that protects against dust or solvent? Droplet, airborne, or aerosol? How frequently should they be changed? Do we have enough to last 10 days for both of us? Are they effective? After a short and halfhearted Internet search, I gave up.
We’ll not be flying; we’ll be driving to some other place. On the shortlist stood the perennial Grand Marias (MN), Voyager National Park (MN), and Yellowstone National Park (WY). The last one won out. The decision also meant that we'd not be seeing my two childhood friends. They - senior cadet and dean Asad, and investment banker Muhit - had already laid out a weekend plan and we were looking forward to it. Next year for sure.
Driving west is always fun thanks to little traffic, no toll roads, a big sky, and higher speed limits. The temperature was unseasonably warm, and the road was dry. It was good going, and we were kept in the mood by satellite radio's Y2K Country and Bluegrass Junction channels. But there was one hiccup. Shortly before reaching Bismarck (ND), our first overnight layover, we learned a lesson. Out of nowhere and in the gathering darkness, it started to snow. Within minutes we were surrounded by darkness on three sides. And a white wall formed in front of the headlight. It was impossible to see anything beyond a few feet, including how the road ran. It lasted only 20 minutes but felt like forever. Then suddenly, it was gone. After that, we never drove after sunset.
There were two more overnight stays along the way to West Yellowstone (MT) - Billings and Bozeman, both in Montana. Not much to say about either, except for the excellent dinner at Walker’s restaurant in Billings. We chose the special of the day – sushi-grade tuna lightly seared on one side, coupled with delicate asparagus in a light lemon sauce, and saffron rice on the side. It was delicious. I wish I had taken a picture of the dish.
As we approached Bozeman, driving became difficult because of the extremely high wind. But we made good progress along the snow-covered, gorgeous mountainous route. I'd have liked to explore Big Sky more, which is a skiing and snowmobiling paradise. But it was getting to be afternoon, and we had to move on. Late afternoon, we arrived at West Yellowstone, a small town right next to the national park. That's where we'd stay. But the town was practically deserted. What happened? In our haste, both Christine and I had overlooked that the park entrance at West Yellowstone entrance is closed for regular vehicles in winter. We had thought it was the Gardiner entrance. On this part of the park, the yard-deep snow on the roads is only "compacted", and not plowed. These roads are passable only with snowmobiles and snow cruisers.
It is interesting how snow is compacted. Once we did see such a machine. But we were in no mood to take any pictures. That's because as it drove by, we were busy getting mentally composed after being pulled out by a tow truck from a snow hole. One late evening, our 4-wheel SUV got stuck on a lonely side road of the deserted little town. We were in no immediate danger, but it did leave me somewhat shaken. Get your AAA membership folks.
Now I understand why regular vehicles are not allowed there in the winter - only snowmobiles and snow cruisers. As luck would have it, all the snowmobile permits for the year were gone. The only option left was a snow cruiser. No big deal. We visited many of the must-see places on a snow cruiser. We knew most of them from earlier summer visits. But the scenery is very different in the winter - in fact more beautiful. Add to that the absence of hordes of tourists. See the video of the Old Faithful below. In the summer, you'd never see it without throngs of tourists around it.
Then there was snowshoeing. I highly recommend the Riverside Trails - both the up and the down trail. And if you go, go in the afternoon. Then you have a good chance of watching bison herds grazing across the bank of Madison River. Besides being able to enjoy the beautiful winter landscape, this time of the season also has the advantage of not having to worry about bears. They are still hibernating.
Apropos bears - the town of West Yellowstone has a beautiful Wolf and Bear Center.
All that remains to be said is how we drove a thousand miles back to Minnesota. It may not have been as adventurous as the drive to Yellowstone, but our hearts were already yarning for home sweet home...
However, upon our return, we were unprepared for the stark reality awaiting us - the world now governed by COVID-19 restrictions!
Click here to see Photos in Lr of the YellowstoneNP
