Saturday, May 28, 2011

Just go with the snow.

Sometimes the elements don't work with your plans. Sometimes you just have to work with the weather or mother earth or both for that matter. When you just go with the flow, a huge hiccup can become a fantastic adventure!

Today we unexpectedly have to take a REALLY long detour to get to our next destination. Heavy snow in the mountains has caused an avalanche on two routes and the third has had a mudslide from snow melt!

We checked the Yellowstone road status before we left and with an "all clear" we headed north to the Silver Gate Entrance in northeast Yellowstone. It was a lovely drive through Sun Valley along the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway. We stopped to take pictures and walk along the highest bridge in Wyoming that towers over a dizzying 1200 foot gorge. We played in the snow just outside the entrance and took a great family picture.




YouTube Video

Everything was set up for an awesome day. And then ranger spoke, "have you heard about the mudslide?" "No," we responded in unison. She kindly described that there was a mudslide between Tower-Roosevelt and Mammoth, which was our intended route and exit from the park closest to our destination. She also reminded us that the route to Canyon was also closed because of snow. We were trapped.

Let me explain, to get to the Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montnan from Cody, WY you have to take the CJSH and then the Beartooth Highway. There is only one way to get to Cooke City and that is via this route from Wyoming. Now thus wouldn't have posed such a huge problem had the Beartooth Pass been open for us to just zip up to Red Lodge, MT. It may have been an hour or so longer than our plan.

So, we are going with the snow. At present we are backtracking 1 hour 30 minutes to Cody, and then getting on the roundabout route to Missoula via Laurel, MT. Hopefully without any more hiccups we will be there by 9pm.

Now it can't all be bad. We are in one of the most beautiful places on earth! Although this is what we would expect from a ski vacay not a summer one!! We did tour the Lamar Valley and saw FOUR Grizzlies!! We did get to play in the snow. That sled we brought got some serious use! The vistas have been amazing and we are all still in a good mood!

YouTube Video

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Location:Crandall Rd,Cody,United States

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