A short time ago, The National Park Service posted on Facebook, “Pack your Patience.” I had been warning Cristal over the months of our planning that Yellowstone would be horrendously crowded and that, what normally took a sprightly hour and a half drive from Jackson, would take far longer. Since we are moving on east through Wyoming, we had decided that, instead of trying to visit Yellowstone on a day trip, considering the crowds we’d come on up for a night or two before moving on to Cody. What the NP service didn’t tell us is, “Pack your woolens, rain gear and spare blankets.”
Driving up through Grand Teton NP is glorious; a few spots of rain didn’t bother 
us at all. Traffic was surprisingly light and we were able to stop for photos. But no sooner had we got up to Yellowstone, ready to check into our cabin, than the skies opened, the temperature dropped to 49 and we froze. Forty-nine heralds winter in NYC; here it’s considered a temporary feature of a summer day. I don’t know what it is about me; perhaps I’m the eternal optimist. Despite warning all my guests constantly that the Tetons and Yellowstone can get snow any day of the year, and to pack woolens and rain gear, I failed to listen to myself and left the warm clothing in the wrong suitcase, had on cloth shoes for driving and a light rain coat.
If the weather doesn’t lift and the internet works (only available intermittently), tomorrow I’ll be writing about nothing more than the tedious book I’m reading.
Andrea Downing 