Here's the start of the storm. Everything was solid white by morning. 

 
Storm clouds coming in over the lake. They left about 4" of snow in the Lake area and much deeper at the higher elevations. A lot of roads had to be closed last night for safety. 

 
The trail followed this stream bed the whole way. On the few sections of stream that needed to be crossed, people had pushed over trees to walk across. 

 
A view from the top of the trail. The trail went up between two mountain peaks. A very pretty forest hike. Check out the snow coming in over the mountain in the background. I was about 1000ft or so lower than the peak and when the cloud hit me, it was nothing but a cold thunderstorm. Thank goodness for rain jackets. 

 
Cattails line a pond in a picnic area at the Fireman's Memorial in the Wapiti National Forest. The memorial picnic area sits at the trail head that leads to a memorial for 15 firefighters that were killed and 39 were hurt during a flashover while trying to control a burn. 

 
A small herd of bison descided to take a nap next to the landing pad at the Lake Clinic. No one needed to be flown out, so it was no big deal. It's really a pain to chase them away when the helos come in. Sometimes the pilots have to spook them off with the helocopter. 

 
This was taken in a canyon east of Yellowstone. A fire destroyed much of the tree population. The canyon walls held the heat in and made it so hot, that most of the trees were burned completely. Usually the trunk is left standing, but not this time. I'm unsure of the date of the fire. It looks like it was within the last couple of years. 

 
Lindsey and Neiko. Lindsey is one of my neighbor's grand-daughters. She's really not as scared to death as she looks. I just couldn't get her to smile for the camera. She really like being able to walk around with a parrot on her shoulder. Since Neiko is so small, she was the perfect size for Lindsey to handle. 

 
Another boat all decked out for the holiday. The boat owners work all day setting up their boats for the parade and party. There was about a dozen who participated this year. 

 
It's Christmas! Christams is on August 25th in Yellowstone. This is so we can celebrate the holidays with our Yellowstone families. The marina residents decorate their boats and host a parade and potluck dinner. As you can see, a lot of folks go all out for the occasion. 

 
What's better to bring to a fire than a bag of marshmallows! I forgot the sticks. 

 
A fire got started near the transfer station when some one dumped hot ash near a pile of old logs. If the wind was blowing harder, this thing could have been much worse. Only a few surrounding trees got singed and it stayed completely contained. 

 
A new pic of Lucia. She looks so serious guarding her ball. 

 
Pelican Valley. Judy and I hiked through the open valley to get backed to the trail head. The total hike was about 7-8 miles. The day and temp were perfect for hiking. 

 
Here's the thermal hillside we found along the stream. There was alot of bear scat (poop)in this area. We made a ton of noise to make sure we didn't walk up on one sleeping in the tall grass. We never did see a bear. After the hike was over, judy looked up th earea we hiked in. The stream was called Bear Creek.....hmmmmmm 

 
This is what gets left behind as the water level goes down in the stream beds. Sulfer crystals and other mineral deposits are left behind. In the spring, some of it gets washed away again in the thaw. 

 
Look at all the steam coming off the stream bed. We followed the stream quit a ways into to woods and found another really huge thermal hillside. 

 
Check out all the boiling mud. These little thermal pots were all along the lake area. No wonder nothing lives there. 

 
Judy Monroe was my hiking partner out to Turbid Lake this day. Pelican Valley is not the place to hike alone, because of all the bear. Judy was standing on the log trying to get a better pic of the thermal area. 

 
Wolf tracks along the lake shore. We found quiet a few of these. It looks like they came from just one wolf. Check out how the front print differs from the back. (the chapstick is next to the back paw print, in case you were wondering) 

 
Turbid Lake in Pelican Valley. The lake is really acidic and not too much lives here beyond algea and bacteria. There's a lot of birds in the area, but none seem to be fishing or searching for food in the water. 

 
This is me learning how to handle a 3 1/2 hose line. As you can see, this thing can shoot a pretty long distance and has a ton of pressure behind it. Definately not something to let go of suddenly. 

 
Fire training at Lake. Five of us went through a 3 day defensive fire school. Lots of fun, but a lot of work! They crammed a lot into those 3 days. I was pretty tired and sore when it was all over.