Timothy Fox

 
Our fox is named Timothy. He likes to follow us around location. I guess after being rescued from the spindle, he feels safe enough to trust us close up.

We have about 3 feet of snow on the ground now, less where it drifts in. Three of us stayed on location over the Christmas holidays.

We played in the snow, skied, plunged through snow drifts, shoveled out igloos, made a baby sledding hill.


Its been quite an adventure, looking forward to the new year.

Lake Yellowstone Freeze up in Progress

I never knew you could actually hear a lake thawing and freezing. I took several clips and combined them for a twenty four hour look at the process. Skiing is by far the best mode of travel now.

Yellowstone Lake in Winter

There are so many photo opps here at Lake. I take the camera out on my days off, skiing the trails and roads I hiked in summer. Sometimes its a branch holding the snow to the sunlight that catches my attention.

Sometimes its the tracks heading uphill, seemingly appearing out of now where, ending no where. Of course, that's not the case. Wind funnels through a pass, blowing snow, obscuring details and tracks within minutes. I carry a survival pack every time I go out. White outs are not unheard of.

Peering out on a still liquid lake, I love the solitude of a solo ski adventure. The superintendent has asked me to let him know when I go, and what direction, just in case. I admitted many times I don't know where I'm heading til I get there. He said, then just a general direction, and he knows I know the area better than just your average cook. I summer here as well.

Man Camp Reefers

I took a short video of the reefers up in the Man Camp. We shovel the custom boardwalk the guys made for us the second cay on the job. I was and still am so impressed by the guys working here. Everyone is so nice and professional. And, they appreciate our cooking!

 

Today we had chili dogs, french fries, pasta salad, and chocolate peanut butter bars. We make our chili from scratch, the pasta salad home made, as well as the dessert.

 

Hoping for a great season. We will keep you posted on Christmas party, and the New Years Eve "I have survived the Mayan Calendar" Party.

Man Camp Sking Report

Days off I go skiing. Its hard work. So far I can do about 8 miles in 3 hours. I take a day pack with ultralight rainsuit (vapor barrier), one large black garbage bag, and fire starter lint and matches, knife and cigerette lighter.

The back country is deep wet snow right now. If I stay put to film, the wax less skis get iced and pick up a lot of weight. I've been going on the snow packed road. Fun!

I'm the only one on location with skis. People ask me where I got them. I say Play It Again Sports. Knowledgeable people up there in Bozeman.

 

Fishing Bridge Junction is a good landmark. You can head to Cody from there, get cell service down the road, head back to Lake along a trail.

 

The deck and stairs built to access the green garbage trailer is a work of art. A few pine martins are getting in and out of the receptacle.We climb the stairs, open a wooden hatch and throw the garbage in really fast.

Today I saw fresh griz prints on my way to Canyon. He came down the hill, crossed the road, headed to the Hayden Valley. It must have happened last night, the claw prints had a small dusting of snow. The prints are enormous!

Bison Share the Road

While driving from West Yellowstone to Gardiner Montana on the Grand Loop Road in Yellowstone National Park, I found myself facing a small herd of Bison.

 

There were calves, males and females. They looked pretty healthy. I slipped the stick into neutral, kept my foot on the brake and shot some footage right outside my Geo's window.

 

Bison can be seen just about anywhere, at any time. They're migrating now. The roads just happened to be clear in this section, although parts had ice and snow pack. Easy does it, I always say.