Tuesday

Wouldn’t you know, the one propane provider in Gardiner is on vacation.  Our tank read 1/2.  With very cold weather expected for the next two days, it was time to top-up our propane. From Lamar Valley we drove to West Yellowstone yesterday.  The town of Gardiner has grown on me.  It contrasts with West Yellowstone, which is neither quaint, nor eclectic,

“Remember those pot pies from West Yellowstone?   Maybe we can find that shop!”.  Though West Yellowstone has wide streets that feel like a bustling city, it is a very small town.  “Oh, over there,  That’s where we got the pies.”  Mountain Mama’s Coffee House and Bakery, announced a prominent sigh over the entrance.  Great!  But no….   a small, hand written sign read “We are closed due to lack of staff. We would rather close than provide poor service to our friends.”   Bummer, no chicken pot pie for dinner.

We found a bookstore/coffee shop & bakery that was open.  Most of West Yellowstone is closed for the winter.  There was nothing special about their coffee.  Their croissants were good. Firehole Fill  Up had propane and took care of us.  Surprisingly we took 2.5 gallons of propane.  Stunning, why so little?

Back home as we settled in for the night, the wind gods had some fun.  The wind picked up with gusts that must have been 50 mph.  We were rockin’ and rollin’.   I pulled in our satellite antenna and our push-out.  I was concerned the wind would damage the push out awning.   We opened all under sink cabinet doors, placed a light bulb in the outside water cabinet, and set the heat to 60 overnight.

Wednesday Morning

Last night’s windstorm gave way to light snow early this morning.  Snowfall is growing more significant.  We have maybe an inch on the ground already.   I’m confident we’ll be fine in 1 F temperatures expected later today, provided we stay tethered to electric power to heat our gray and black tanks.  Our propane tank read full this morning.  Weird, it read 2/3 last night and now full after running the heater all night.   We’ll need to run the heater non-stop for at least 40 hours.   Weather forecast for Gardiner is for highs of 31 F Thursday then 44 Friday.

Later, we’ll walk Gardiner in the snow.  I’m feeling unsettled having to leave Li’l Beast with the heat on when we go out.

I’ll have lots of time later today to write about our fantastic Lamar Valley experiences.   There’s a camaraderie among the wildlife watchers that makes for a fun experience, though watching animal behavior is what its all about.