Another new day and our destination is all about the Yellowstone River and the amazing terrain it has carved through this area
. We skirt the shore of Yellowstone Lake. The Absaroka Mountains jut up on the horizon and whisps of steam rise from thermal features along the shore. There are vents and hot springs below the surface as well yet the lake ices over. Amazing! Winter water temp is around 45F. Brrrr.
We are all excited to see a
bald eagle out on the lake ice. Scopes come out as John agrees to make an unscheduled stop to check it out. We hit a bit of bad luck as the coach sinks into the soft snow at the edge of the road. We are stuck. John shovels. Still stuck. Other snow coaches come to our aide with a pull strap. Still stuck and the road is now blocked so the group of people hanging out has grown to 40+. A snowmobile slows to a stop alongside our coach. The guy hops off his machine and with no hesitation climbs into the coaches. He flips some switch and each makes some grindy noises. He is out and directing drivers and acting top man in charge. Turns out, he is top guy for this problem. He is the lead snowcoach mechanic who was just out for a spin on his off day and happened to come across us. Short story, we are out. The total adventure lasted about 1 hour and we are on our way. It is all just part of the adventure.
Oh, the eagle flew away even before the scopes got set up and returned only for a brief flyby. Kent got pictures so we have evidence to justify requesting the ill-fated stop and everybody got a good look at the snack out on the ice. Eagle and ravens had been sharing the remnants of either a goose or a swan.
Next up, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and falls. It is spectacular.
We had a quiet, delicious dinner; prime rib and Red Bird chicken breast. Because we are here, we wander out to check on Old Faithful. We catch an eruption, cool as always. She settles back to the serene plume of steam and we get a bonus, a wolf chorus; long and loud and it is close. It is awesome.