Winterkeepers Almanac
January 1 2004
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Heavy snow continues again today. This is one of several out buildings behind my house. Old sheds are one of the pleasures of old rural houses. This apparently healthy tree snapped off about five feet above the ground during a severe windstorm late this autumn and in falling tipped gently over the shed roof, doing no structural harm. Storms typically come out of the southwest, to the left in this view. I thought of cutting and clearing the wreckage off the shed but I rather enjoy watching it accumulate winter snow. I hope my aesthetic pleasure does not overload the roof in the course of the winter. The engineer in me says it won't... stay tuned, we shall see. You may notice the "not Ishiwah horse skull" hanging on the wall (see the story "Gone Ishing")".
My winter entrance is at the back of my house and is thus sheltered in the lee of the building from the prevailing winter winds. The downside is that snow piles up in a big pillow on the roof of the small attached shed.
Only tracked snow vehicles are permitted in the interior of Yellowstone during the winter. This is a standard four wheel drive pickup truck fitted for the season with Mattracks and is used by the National Park Service maintenance staff.
A Bombadier, a ten passenger snow coach, is one of several types of over snow vehicles in which winter visitors can tour the interior of the park.
There are twice weekly deliveries of mail to interior residents of the park and I have just driven on my snowmobile the mile and a half to the station where I can pick up mine.
Canyon village is about a mile and a half north of my house. In winter the only services available there are a small warming hut with minimal food service and a filling station. Canyon receives on average, ??? inches of snow. As of today snowfall is ??? inches above normal.