We are fast approaching the end of the 2009 summer (!) season, as things wind down to a halt in Yellowstone National Park. Though most services shut down, there's still a chance to sneak in that last visit to Old Faithful Geyser or the Norris Geyser Basin before roads in the Park close at 8 a.m. on Nov. 2 -- but do some planning.

The photos on this page are two of the more unusual shots you'll ever see of Yellowstone National Park: they are views of the recent Arnica Fire taken from space by NASA astronauts. 

It probably won't quiet all the stakeholders in the debate, but a temporary winter use plan has been formally approved by the National Park Service, allowing for 318 commercially guided snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park daily during the next two winter seasons.