Some notes about the dining scene in Yellowstone National Park in 2009:

-    There is no more free morning coffee in any hotel lobby. Two years ago coffee urns were set up in lobbies, while last summer the urns were moved behind counters but available upon demand. This season there’s no free coffee at all: polite inquiries at the counter were met by directions to the nearest coffee stand (on the second floor, in the case of Old Faithful Inn). It’s not a big deal, of course, but it does make the hotels seem a little less civilized and more money-hungry.
-    Yellowstone General Stores did not have huckleberry ice cream; Xanterra ice-cream stands in the hotels did. Insiders know Wilcoxson’s Ice Cream has been served at Yellowstone National Park for decades, and a cup or cone of the huckleberry flavor is a traditional treat. Yeah, we know it’s a little thing, but Yellowstone is a place for traditions.

--Kevin Reichard