A sand hill crane high-stepping it through the snow, undoubtedly rethinking his migration time table.  The stark outline of a bull moose against a blanket of white.  He seemed to be taking it all in stride.  A black bear plunked in a snow covered field contentedly munching on some tasty spring sprouts he had plucked from beneath a drift.  So what did we see?  Yes, that’s right, SNOW.  Lots of it.

It flurried as we broke camp.  No problem.  Small detail, not only are we heading North we are heading back into the Rockies and up.  The temperature dropped as low as 31.  Slush collected between the tire tracks on the roadway.  In the Ft Nelson Visitor Center they told us “It should be ok today.”  “The event crews have been out all night and have everything plowed out.”  Good to know.  We press on.  On the peaks as much as 2 feet of snow had fallen. Vista point pull-offs are one track at best so we don’t stop much to enjoy the views.  The road is just wet.  We make it to slightly lower ground for the night and by sunset the snow in camp is limited to shady areas.  It is forecast to all be gone by tomorrow.  We are hoping it is our last taste of winter for a while.

The local critters seem to be taking this fluky weather all in stride.  We saw 5 more bears this evening when we went back out to check the vistas.   Mama and her three cubs and one lone bear.  A white background certainly makes them easier to see.