Big Horn or Big Freeze?

So scratch the backpacking in the Big Horn National Forest idea. Driving through northeastern Wyoming, seeing the snowcapped mountains in the distance, we got to thinking that maybe our backpacking would be snowed out. But knowing the two of us, we continued on anyways. We pulled off I-90, and headed for the hills (literally. Well, more like mountains). Winding back and forth between switchbacks in the road, we had some great views as we began to drive up the mountain. There were herds of mule deer in the distance, and we even passed a longhorn cattle ranch. The road up the mountain became a wee bit sketchy once the pavement stopped. We knew it was time to turn around when an ATV pulled out in front of us, right by a sign in the road that said, "Road closed to all vehicles except ATVs and snowmobiles." Alas, we turned back, headed back to I-90, and continued north another 15 miles or so. We got off and started on a new road towards the mountains, this time with much greater success. The drive up this mountain, again, was amazing. The red rock cliffs peering out over the pines were something out of one of John Muir's diaries. As we continued upward, however, we noticed the snowcapped mountain top inching ever-closer. Sure enough, what started as an 85 degree day at the base of the mountain eventually turned into a 53 degree day at the top - in less than an hour. As we continued to drive passed closed trail after closed trail, our hopes of finding a spot clear of snow in which to camp were dwindling. Finally we came to the entrance to the camping area we were aiming for. Sure enough, the entrance was covered in about a foot of snow. We quickly decided that our lack of snowshoes, with the addition of lack of daylight to come (it was already about 7 o'clock), gave us no choice but to seek a motel - or at least a dryer piece of ground. With this in mind, we still could not resist pulling over time to time on our drive down the other side of the mountain to take some pictures. Just as we left the base of the mountains, we noticed the skies just behind us were quickly turning black. The winds picked up and a few drops of rain fell on the windshield. We didn't want to take any chances with that kind of weather, so we quickly drove out of the storm. Finally we made it to the town of Shell, but apparently everyone in a town with a population of 50 (literally) already has a place to stay, as there were zero motels. So on we went, finally reaching the town of Greybull. We drove around town looking for the best price, and finally settled on the Greybull Motel, which is where this free wi-fi is coming from. Here we shall sleep, and dream of good weather in Yellowstone for the next five days, which apparently is not going to happen.

Elijah