This morning our Webasto diesel heater would not start so we had to rely on the generator and a small electric heater to get our little house up to a comfortable temperature. To my surprise we also had difficulty getting the truck engine to start. Both these small problems were more than a little surprising as we were not at a particularly high altitude (only about 6,500 ft) and it was not particularly cold (33°F). Throughout the mornings travel both these problems persisted in a minor form. Both the heater and engine would start but would generate blue smoke for a while until full warmed up. Eventually in West Yellowstone I added some diesel anti-gel treatment to both tanks and we decided to bypass Yellowstone and the Tetons and head south towards Idaho Falls looking for lower altitude and slightly warmer temperatures until we were convinced the anti-gel treatment had done its job.

One of the points of interest along the road to West Yellowstone is Hebgen Lake. In 1959 an earthquake caused the floor of the lake to shift with the result that after the quake the capacity of the reservoir had increased by 2.6 billion gallons. In addition the quake caused a small tsunami in the lake (such an event is correctly called a "seiches" as tsunmai refers to a wave in an ocean), which resulted in significant damage to roads and property including the Hilgard Lodge which fell into the lake. The attached photos show the remains of the Hilgard Lodge.

Our nights camping spot just east of Sugar City, Idaho certaily met the requirement of lower altitude. But in other regards a parking pullout for one of those "Historic Points of Interest" is not a particularly attractive option.