This morning I find about 2 inches of corn snow has accumulated on my car. It’s still coming down as I head out.

The temp is normal at 26.

The road is fine to drive and once I get beyond Round Prairie, things clear up considerably.

As I cruise through the western end of Lamar, I hear enough radio chatter to know the Junctions have not yet been found.

Visibility is not very good; the mountains on both sides of the road are shrouded.

It’s very windy today. Each time I stop to scope I am just about blown back into my car.

The few wolf watchers here today spread out.

I end up at Lower Hellroaring for a while with Laurie and Dan. We have decent visibility here, but still come up empty.

Carl S arrives with a report of a brief sighting of wolves to the south of S Curves. Since I’m this far west already, I head there to check it out.

As I am driving west, I see brake lights up ahead. Two cars pull over at the “Christmas Bear” lot.

I join them and learn they both spotted a single gray wolf to the north, heading east over the ridge. Alas, it’s gone now.

I continue to S Curves and join guide Laura who is braving the wind in order to search the area to the south.

After a half hour of nasty wind, I give up and head back east. It’s now nearly 10AM.

I scope by myself at Hellroaring for a good half hour, seeing bison & elk.

As I approach Tower I hear a radio call to “go to Confluence”.

Laurie and Dan respond from Curve, making sure I heard that call. We both head east.

When we get into Lamar we learn that Rick had remained in Lamar because Doug Smith was visiting the Park.

Despite it being Saturday, Wolf Project personnel came out to check signals for Doug. They hit a gold mine and found the Mollie’s Pack near the Confluence.

Rick and Doug watched them head east through the Old Druid rendezvous where they bedded in view for about an hour.

However, the wolves have since moved back into the trees and are now out of sight. Nevertheless, Laurie and Dan and I set up at Picnic, looking south.

The wind remains brutal and we search in vain, spotting no canids other than two coyotes. After a half hour of pack up, with a plan to come out later.

On the drive back, a light snowfall resumes.

After a short break in Silver Gate, I drive back west. Shortly after passing Baronette I see an orange sign that warns “accident ahead”.

Just before the road begins its descent to Lower Baronette I see a Ranger’s car driving towards me. I stop and he tells me a car went off the road and down embankment into trees. The people are ok but he has to shut down the road for a bit while a tow truck attempts to get them out.

I assure him I will stay where I am. He then turns on his flashing lights and positions his car behind me where oncoming cars from the east will see him in time to stop.

Looking west through my binoculars, I can see the tow truck and a second ranger car with flashing lights in the road ahead. I cannot see the car off the road.

Several cars arrive from the east, including Laurie & Dan. I tell them what I can see and we decide to wait it out.

25 minutes later, we are cleared to proceed. There is still a Ranger car in the pullout at Lower Baronette and we can see disturbed snow where the car left the road. It’s pretty scary and the people were lucky.

There is evidence of another slide-off east of Soda Butte Picnic and when I get to Round Prairie, there is a white pickup well off the road to the north. A ranger is talking with that driver.

We arrive at Trash Can and find the wind has not let up. We look in vain for the Mollies.

I take a warm-up break and drive as far west as the Ranch, to check other angles. The few visitors here have seen only bison and coyotes.

We give up around 4:15 and head back.

Although we saw no wolves, we all agree it is a beautiful drive!

Today I saw: bison, coyotes, elk and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.