Ever have a great friend leave town for a few months?
I’m not talking about someone who’s just an acquaintance, but a really good friend that always brings a smile and a laugh every time you see them. A friend that you see two or three times a week and never grow tired of. A friend that no matter what their mood is at first glance, they’re always solid, steady, and consistent. (Yea, I know, there aren’t too many ‘friends’ like that around.)
Jake and I had a chance to “run into” an old friend who fills those tall shoes yesterday. Most of you know our friend too – it’s the Yellowstone of spring, summer and fall.
We consider ourselves most fortunate to live in Bozeman. We’re basically a hop, skip, and a jump from the northwestern most border of YNP (that’s more or less an hour drive in Montana), and can be in the Park and on the Riverside Drive along the Madison in about 85 minutes (at least from my house – Jake lives ‘all the way over on the other side of town’) if the tourist traffic isn’t too bad. Yep, for a fly fisherman, that’s being spoiled, we know, though at least we’re not as ’geographically fortunate’ as Yellowstoner and our other friends who live just outside the Park in West Yellowstone.
And yes, the Park is open in winter, and Yellowstone in winter is a magical place to be and see. If you haven’t, you must someday, and you should sooner rather than later as the movement by some to close the Park in winter seems to be on the upsurge again. As beautiful as the Park can be wrapped in its deep winter cloak, winter is not the season that fly fisher folk picture in their minds when you mention Yellowstone.
At least for me, that drive from West Yellowstone heading in to Madison Junction is one of my most favorite 14 miles any where in the world. Most of that drive is along the newly formed Madison River, so close you can smell the water and see mayflies coming off (if they’re a 16 or better) from the plush seat of your moving truck.
Then a right turn at Madison Junction, across the Gibbon, and up the short grade brings you on track for another great drive along the Firehole most of the 16 miles to Old Faithful. Another one of the most outstanding drives on the planet; my favorite time to make that drive is late on a summer evening, no earlier than eight, when the shadows are lengthening, the Caddis are coming off, and most of your fellow anglers are enjoying their bison burger and Cabernet in West.
There’s still a bit of snow around along both rivers, and a fair amount of snow in the mid and high country. Yellowstoner’s right, the mild stain to the Firehole and her level today suggests that runoff hasn’t really starting rolling at all, though warmer temps due this week should move off much of the lower and mid-level snow pretty quickly.
The obligatory pictures of the early season were taken; we all do it, no matter how many times we’ve been into the Park this time of year. Jake shot some video of the drive in as well that should be interesting – at least it will whet your appetite a bit for the Park and the upcoming season. He also captured some Firehole natives rising to what appeared to be a small BWO hatch coming off pretty danged consistently despite the bright early afternoon sun.
Near warm water features there’s more than a hint of fresh green showing, and the bison and elk were moving into open spaces grazing last year’s grasses newly uncovered by the receding snow. The first green-up of spring is a magical time, and though the snow will cover greening meadows half a dozen times or more before June arrives, the sea of green meadow grasses will win the day again this year.
Hello Yellowstone, my old friend, it’s damn good to see you again.
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