Winter Travel

A calling coyote

A calling coyote

Winter travel in the Rockies can be harsh. After more than 300 miles on icy roads I thought I had seen it all until I hit a blizzard this morning. Blowing snow, high winds and icy roads make a deadly combination and it was the first time that I felt unsafe even at 10 miles an hour. Thankfully, the freeway was promptly shutdown and traffic rerouted through slower and safer roads. I’m going to have to leave my car at a friend’s place just outside Yellowstone and fly now.

With temperatures well below zero and wind speeds exceeding seventy miles an hour, you can only wonder how animals survive in such weather. Exactly two years ago I was in the Yellowstone National Park and had to leave in a hurry to escape the wrath of another winter storm. However, before we cut short that trip we had fortunate encounters with some of Yellowstone’s wildlife that can weather whatever their environment throws at them.

A fox is looking for a meal that moves under the snow.

A fox is looking for a meal that moves under the snow.

River otters take a break from fishing

River otters take a break from fishing

A bison moves from one buried pasture to another buried pasture

A bison moves from one buried pasture to another buried pasture

Bighorn sheep look for what's left on steep mountain slopes

Bighorn sheep look for what’s left on steep mountain slopes

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