I was first out of the tent on another freezing cold morning. "Come on, come on we've got to find some more wildlife." Yup, I love photographing wildlife! I dragged everybody out of bed and into the nice warm car to make our way toward the region of Gros Ventre Campground. It is supposed to be rich in wildlife. Those wild animals tend like to hang out at dawn and then disappear! As usual I was studying maps and giving directions as my husband drove. Thankfully we found the area I hoped to explore. A few cars were pulled over, I couldn't see what they were looking at so we continued on but not far. Just past a hedgerow was a female moose feeding! We pulled over and someone else pulled over just ahead of us. Thankfully she just kept grazing, but she was not alone. While it was rut season her company was not a big bull but her calf, The calf wasn't too much smaller than mom. While I have photographed moose before in New Hampshire and Maine, it never gets old! We stayed in the car and shot through the open window. Thankfully the child behaved and made no effort to scare them away. While photographing birds in Montezuma he has been known to put his window down and yell at the birds to go away.. Often not getting the results he wanted other than making me angry. To me this was a magical moment especially seeing the half grown calf. The early morning light was just right, and you can see a bit of frostiness on the sage brush. The only thing that could have made it better was to fit both of them in one frame. Now that I think about it I should have switched lenses! Can hear me smacking myself in the head? Further down the road was a line of other photographers and tourists near the entrance to Gros Ventre campground where a few bull moose were hanging out near a couple of trees. I bet they got some really awesome photos! By the time we got to an open spot to park the bulls were but dots. We moved on in hopes of finding more. I didn't see any signs of wildlife for quite a while. Then we saw one of those wildlife tour buses and pulled up behind them. At first we couldn't tell what they were looking at but across the road was a group of Pronghorn. We stepped across and quietly photographed the pronghorn while half listening to the tour. The pronghorn were some distance away so, I tried a few photos that included more of the hills and mountains in the background. We drove around more, exploring the area but could not find anymore wildlife. We turned around and headed back the way we came. There was a road I wanted to try. We drove by it of course. At the campground we turned around. The moose were gone. We did not go very far to find our missed turn. There were signs warning of Buffalo but none were to be found. Eventually we happened upon Mormon Row and the famously overphotographed Moulton Barn. Evidently it's fame has never reached my husband, so it can't be too famous, right?. There had even been a large photo of it at the Dornan's Pizza Place, he didn't even notice it. I snapped a few photos of the barn before being distracted by the bluebirds on and around it! I photographed the bluebirds on the roof. We followed them behind the barn where they seemed to line up along the fenceposts. Forget the old barn, forget the jagged mountains in the background, the Western Mountain Blue Bird was just too pretty to ignore. I crept up slowly all the while listening for the child and my husband. Then finally I had a few photographs to love! As we walk around to the front of the barn finding more blue birds to try to photograph a tour group walked up. I could hear the guide welcoming everyone to the famous Moulton Barn and then to my surprise he pointed out the bluebirds! I was also hoping to find some badgers but no luck with that. I think there had been too many people around. From there we went back to camp for breakfast, souvenir shopping and to make a battle plan for the day. As we drove into the campground though we were in for a surprise. As we rounded a curve a gorgeous fox was crisscrossing the road. It appeared to be inspecting the bear boxes for any leftover morsels. I tried to get a decent photo but it was fast and there wasn't much room to swing the lens around in the car. A family was out having breakfast and the fox entered their campsite. It did not beg but meandered it's way into the hills behind it. I hoped I would see that fox again. As I mentioned earlier from camp we walked over to the park stores for souvenirs, breakfast and to make our battle plan for the day. Instead of making a hard core itinerary, I made a list of options we could do in each area. While munching on cinnamon buns in front of the store we discussed our options. Our son was all for taking the boat across the lake to hike up to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. I don't think I was even able to make any other suggestions. Remembering how bad my feet had hurt the night before, I voted to splurge, travel both ways by shuttle boat too. We properly disposed of our wrappers. Then stopped at the rangers station to get a Jr. Ranger Booklet. Next we hurried back to camp where we locked our new valuables in the car in exchange for packs ,first aide kit, bear spray, snacks, water and photo gear. Then we scurried off to follow the signs to the boats. We got there just in time for the next boat! I had not thought of it then but it was our son's first motorized boat ride! No wonder he was excited! We masked up, bought our tickets and waited a few minutes to board. Our son picked the seats in the front of the boat. It was a short trip across the lake. I managed just one shot. There was beauty every step of this hike. The availability of fresh air to breathe was not to be had, as smoke from western fires surrounded us. Once again I was left alone to hike with strangers. Embarrassed I huff, puffed and wheezed my way up the mountain while trying to put my anxieties to rest. I wasn't fast (story of my life) and many folks passed me by. Some however were very encouraging almost as if they could read my mind. I stopped to use my inhaler a few times and sip some water. Drinking water can also play a role in combatting altitude sickness. I finally found my family at Hidden Falls. The light was harsh leaving one half of the trees in the photo in dark shadow. You need a cloudy day to photograph this set for sure! At this point my son finally noticed and checked on me before continuing to Inspiration Point. They got away from me again but I managed to find them at what I thought was Inspiration Point. I wonder how many others make the same mistake. We made the discovery from overheard discussions. This time my husband allowed me to catch my breath and take a few photos before continuing up the scary part of the climb. Our son stayed with me this time. Perhaps out of concern that I had trouble breathing. The nice smooth path was replaced by craggy rocky terrain. We encountered an older lady trying to climb up the roughest, scariest part of the climb. She apologized for being so slow. I told her not to worry as I needed a breather myself. She let us by once we got to a safe place to pass. God bless her for still climbing, I hope in twenty plus years I will still be able to do it! My husband didn't leave us quite so far in the dust this section and we reached the 7,203 feet of Inspiration Point together. I took a few photos of men folk then found a spot to get packs off and serve everyone their Cliff Bar for lunch. Just as I was about to join my husband in taking a few photos of the view, my son informed me that he needed a bathroom. I grabbed the trowel, wipes and a plastic bag from my pack. We wandered down the trail to find a spot with some privacy. That was not an easy task but I found a solid depression for him to go. Poor thing almost messed his pants. He went to the bathroom, then dug a hole. As he burying his business a swarm of bees or wasps gathered on his back. I told him to stop and come to me immediately. He was like why, not wanting him to panic I told just to come. Once we were back on the trail I told him. Thankful that the bees did not follow. We weren't quite back to our packs when I guy yelled, "Get your phones there is a bear!" I told my son to stay calm and keep next to me. I quickly grabbed the 400mm and camera. I managed some decent shots as the cinnamon black bear meandered through the edge of the crowd. It was young bear. A few frightened people asked where the mother was, and a few said it was newly on its own. A few fools followed it, my husband included. Our son went to follow him and I told him no. He was mad at first then I explained how far you are supposed to stay away from bears. I also said to just let stupid people be stupid but not copy them. A man next to us smiled when he heard me. I don't know what my husband was thinking. The other thing is don't use your phone to photograph wildlife! You can't get close enough to safely get a decent shot! Invest in good camera and a long lens! We returned to our packs where a nice lady from Ohio and her very friendly son were resting. We enjoyed a nice conversation. She asked if we homeschooled and I said yes. I wasn't quite sure where this conversation was going, but turns out she hoped to homeschool her son too. I think he was only three if I remember correctly. My son enjoyed playing with him until Daddy got back. We decided to continue hiking into the Canyon until we needed to turn back. The last boat was to depart at 4pm. At some point not too far from Inspiration Point my husband left the trail. I wasn't sure where he was going and was a bit afraid he might be following the bear. Instead it was a spot that opened up and you could see a waterfall through some trees. It was a bit messy but I took a few photos anyway. We rejoined the trail. Fewer people were around and there wasn't much elevation change. The boy skipped happily down the trail ahead of us. The area was just joyous feeling in its beauty! I snapped a couple of quick shots of the trail. Kiddo continued to gain speed hiking down the trail ahead of us blissfully unaware of the potential danger to his left. I called his name, told him to stop and back up slowly. He was like why. " There is a bear next to you, just back away to me slowly!" At this point I think he saw the bear and jumped, but he quickly regained his composure and slowly side stepped his way back to me. Turns out it was the same bear we had seen earlier. It basically ignored us grazing as he or she walked about eventually crossing the trail. My husband proceeded ahead as we cautiously followed and made sure to warn others on the trail of the bear's presence. My husband kept trying to get closer for a shot which I could not understand since he was working with a 100-450mm lens! We stayed on the trail and watched the bear as it wandered and grazed. It never once lifted it's head to look at us. Then a large group clapped their hands and yelled a lot making the bear run up the hill and disappear. Just to note you need to keep twenty five yards from most wildlife like elk and bison but 100 yards from predators like bears and wolves. Turns out he thought it was twenty five feet and didn't believe me until I found and showed him the rules in the park newspaper. Thankfully he never got more than 50 feet of the bear. Only our son who didn't know the bear was right there next to him. We waited a bit to see if it would reappear but it didn't. The spot was lovely, I wanted to keep hiking! I looked at the time on my phone. It was time to go if we were to catch the boat. What a story our son would have to share, oh and he was also mad at dad for forgetting our can of bear spray. Evidently the boy did not learn his lesson about head down barreling down the trail. At the mention of needing to get to dock before the last boat he trucked it down the trail never once pausing to even see if we were with him! I had to nearly run to keep up with them. He didn't even slow down at the scary sketchy part of the trail. I was wickedly out of breath by the time we got to the boat dock and a bit perturbed when ever he got out of sight. Even my husband couldn't quite match his pace. He was afraid he were going to miss the boat. What took me nearly two hours to hike up, we did in less than thirty minutes! It was 3:30pm a boat loaded and left. He started to panic that we had missed the boat but I assured him another one was coming. He was quite relieved that he wouldn't have to hike all around the lake to get back to camp. Frankly so was I!
Once we were back across the lake we hiked back to camp. Along the way were some statues of animals with information boards. Just after we walked by one of these for a stoat, ermine or weasel (whatever you want to call it) one of them dashed across the trail in front of us. No photo for evidence you will just have to believe my story. Once at camp it was dinner time. Kiddo dropped his back and promptly began playing with his stuffed animals. One being a stuffed trout he had bought that morning. We teased him about Ranger Bear and Ranger Otter wanting to eat his fish, and warned him to keep an eye on Wolfy-Brows as Ranger Elk might come up missing. He was not impressed with us! To keep them from getting dirty he was told to play in the tent. We broke out our water, bear canister, tea pot and plastic wear, Hubby made us a nice campfire to boil water on. It was going to be our first time eating Mountain House Meals! Unfortunately I spilled a good portion of my husband's meal while trying to set the measuring cup down. Just what we needed spilled food in bear country! I put back as much as I could. There was some left still edible. The mac n' cheese was safe. While the meals were rehydrating I did my best to clean up the table. As for under it I grabbed our poop scooper and a plastic garbage bag. We try really hard to practice leave no trace! I think I got it all. To my surprise our son chose to share the Mac'n cheese with me, something he has refused to eat for a few years now. Then while I was cleaning someone whom I had hoped to see again made an appearance. Of course my hands were full repacking the car and not with the camera. Was the fox after the spilled food? Nope, all of the sudden there was a high speed chase of a chipmunk to somewhere across the road. Pretty amazing to see these creatures live in the "wild." I don't know if fox caught the chipmunk or not. Once camp was all cleaned up and most of the JR. Ranger badge requirements were completed we wandered down to Jenny Lake to catch the last few rays of light before bed. It was so peaceful, I wanted to stay. I wasn't ready for the day to end. Tomorrow we would start the long trip east with one scheduled stop on the way. Golden light stretched across the dry lake bed awakening the sleeping mountains. A hawk took flight in greeting of the sun. Another exciting day had begun! I took a few photos from behind our tent before we packed everything back up. Then I dug through the bear canister to forage for cliff bars and fruit snacks. You know the breakfast of hiking champions, right? We decided to head over to Oxbow bend and try again. The morning light was still pretty and we managed to score a parking spot. Unlike the Adirondacks the Grand Tetons seem to greet the sky in much lighter shades. Probably due to the the type of rock and lack of vegetation. The Grand Tetons mingled with the trees reflecting on the still water. The child ran about like a mad man seemingly to make his own racetrack. A few people smiled as he said something to me and took off again. He drives me crazy, but no one seemed to mind. Finally I said something to him about sticking closer to me and he got really mad. Mama was the party pooper again! Better to be the pooper than to have your child come up missing! He got over it eventually. From there we headed over to Jenny Lake where our next campsite would be. Along the way we stopped at a chapel. It wasn't the one I was looking for but had a pretty stained glass window in it. I believe it was called the Chapel of the Sacred Heart. When we arrived at Jenny Lake there was no where to park and too early to check into our campsite . So we drove further down the road to the trailhead at Taggert Lake where we snagged the very last spot. Next we wrestled our backpacks out of the cargo box and packed them with snacks and water. Some one was not happy to be going on a hike. He wanted to go shopping. Along the way there was much bad behavior until Daddy told him, "that is it we're not stopping at the Dinosaur Museum, and you won't be coming with us on vacation again! " I can't blame my husband the child was being deplorable and making us miserable. After it was like someone flipped a switch, suddenly he was skipping down the trail. The rest of the day went mostly without complaint from him. The trails were nice, relatively smooth and clear of trip hazards. Most likely due to the parks popularity. Anyways the sun was shining and the colors were dazzling. It is about a two mile hike to get to Taggert Lake. I think I failed in capturing its stunning beauty. Lots of people were spread out along the lake. The color of the water was a gorgeous greenish blue. After almost loosing a backpack we hit the trail again. We decided to continue on to Bradley Lake. This may have been a mistake. I think 1.8 miles is longer than it sounds especially with foot problems. The trail took us around more of Taggert Lake where a young couple stopped and asked me if I had a long lens or binoculars. I said "yes". They pointed out a couple of Bull Moose across the lake. I am very grateful to them for the tip. If they had stuck around I would have let them look through my viewfinder but maybe they had already packed their gear away. I really enjoyed watching the moose. The trail followed around Taggert Lake a bit further before heading away and up many switchbacks. I found myself getting out of breath and my feet had started to scream obscenities at me. This is also where the child complained too. About two thirds of the way up people began hiking toward us saying that Bradley Lake wasn't much further. Out west "not much further" is a very relative term. Eventually I stopped to try to stretch my calves and a string of people passed me. My husband had disappeared ahead of us again. He did eventually stop and wait for us to catch up before disappearing again. Then finally we caught a view through the trees. We continued around the trail hoping for a viewpoint but found a sign where the trail split. You could turn and go back to the parking lot or continue to more lakes. My soul wanted to wander endlessly, my body was cursing me. We walked just a little further down the trail and joined another small group enjoying the shore of Bradley Lake. My son and I did something that made everyone think we were crazy. Honestly, I was just trying to reduce my pain. We took off our sock and shoes, rolled up our pant legs and entered the icy cold water! No we didn't swim but just waded in ankle deep. I sat on the rocks listening to the conversations and soaking my feet. The only wildlife anyone could find were other humans, that is until a raven flew over and landed on the the shore about 50 feet from us. We grabbed our snacks from our packs, taking our leave when finished. Our son joked about how the lake had been named after his friend! We enjoyed the scenery on the way out. Finding ourselves on the same trail we hiked to get into the lakes the boys kicked it into high gear. I hiked along alone as fast as I could unable to catch up. Finally I stopped to drink some water, use my inhaler, and to stretch my feet and calves on a big boulder. The pain was getting pretty unbearable. Another hiker came by and asked if I was okay. Somewhat embarrassed I said yes, I was just taking a break to stretch. I didn't mention my anxiety of being left so far behind. I photographed the stream I was next to, grabbed another swig of water and started gimping down the trail. Turns out the boys were waiting for me about 25 yards ahead. This time our son hiked out with me. When we reached the final turn he pointed out a snake on the trail. I did not see it but followed his instructions and hiked faster. He knows I am terrified of snakes. Behind us a class of kids stopped to check the snake out. I hope no one got bit. It had to have been very tiny for me not to see it. I couldn't help but to wonder what this class or program was the children were participating in. Were they local, was it run by the park agency? I guess I have some research to do. When we reached the car I was glad to be off my feet yet, I still longed to be in the back country. It had only been an eight mile day. That seems to be the max I can do. I would love to back pack in and camp at some of those lakes. I am not sure if that goal is attainable for me but it is a lovely dream. From there we returned to Jenny Lake and set up the tent after a lecture on bear safety upon check- in. We had one of, if not thee best site there. Another great thing about the campground at Jenny Lake is that it is tent only! While we were not on the lake we did have a clear view of the mountains! I had planned to boil water and eat Mountain House meals for dinner but I was exhausted and needed to get off my feet. So, we hopped back in the car and drove down to Dornan's for pizza! This place had been highly recommended for meals by many people and for good reason! You can also rent bicycles there too and there is a long pave bike route running all the way up to Jenny Lake.
After dinner we drove Moose Wilson road in search of wildlife. It was a rough, bumpy and busy road! In the end the moose never showed themselves at the pond or anywhere else that evening. I saw one black bear in a tree swarmed by people much too close to it. While my husband paused just a moment for another vehicle I lined up my shot and hit the shutter as he floored it. Gah! I wasn't sure how to get back to camp once we reached the end of the road so we turned around and went back the way we came. I was glad to reach the end of that road. Back at camp everyone got ready and went to bed except for me. I broke out my Bob and Brad mini massage gun and set to work on my feet and calves. Night had already fallen and temperatures plummeted. The stars twinkled above among the mountains. I wanted to photograph them but I was tired and sore. I just soaked the beauty into my memory. My legs and feet felt much better after the massage. I quietly put everything back into the car and locked it. I took one last look up, one more big deep breath and climbed into the tent. Good-night! Freezing temperatures greeted us in the morning. That first trek to the bathroom sure had me crossing my legs and walking as fast as I could! Sadly not all of us made it without accident. Good thing the laundromat was open and warm! We enjoyed another visit with John which made time move a little faster. We were late getting back on the road, but I knew setbacks are inevitable. We headed south stopping a few minutes to photograph Lewis Falls from next to the bridge. Wide angle isn't quite the way to shoot this one as it sets back a ways. I tried to play with the rocks and fallen timber in the river as foreground. Again we had to keep a close eye on the water loving kid. He had fun floating his "boats." We headed south observing forest and sections of burned forest. Then finally we arrived at the bridge that marked the location of a short and steep trail down to Moose Falls. I loved Moose falls! There are a set of stone stairs that lead down to it. The fall leaves were golden and another plant was pinkish red making a beautiful frame for Moose Falls. Moose Falls is not the tallest or biggest of the waterfalls we had seen on the trip but the prettiest. We didn't actually get to see all the waterfalls in the area. Time would not allow that, nor my painful feet. I loved the smell of the spray and lack of crowds. We weren't alone there but we could spread out and take our time. The sun shone high above causing problems for photography but with patience clouds would roll over creating a moment of fabulous waterfall shooting light. Our son had fun scurrying up and down the sloped path and the stairs testing my mother's heart. Thankfully he didn't take any tumbles. Shortly after Moose Falls we drove through the Yellowstone's southern exit/ entrance. We pulled over and took pictures with the welcome sign even though we were departing. The scene behind the sign was nice with the river "snaking through." Between Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks is a section called John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway which is pretty in its own right. There were some more waterfalls I had hoped to see along Grassy Lake Road. It took us a little while to find the road. The pavement ran out and we were on gravel. I was not sure how far we could get, not knowing the road condition. There are some dispersed campsites along the road and all that we saw were occupied. I was curious about them. In being able to snag a campsite competition is super fierce. I made sure to make our reservations in the park the second the system became live. I didn't want to take the chance of driving 2,000 plus miles to have no where to camp. As we drove over Polecat Creek I thought I saw a pair of otters playing. I had my husband pull over. This was going to be exciting, my son loves otters. We grabbed the cameras with the 400mm lenses and walked over to the bridge. Where were they? I looked and only saw a Great Blue Heron which promptly flew away. We sat there a while as quiet as possible. Did I actually see them? Did the car frighten them away? Were they hiding out of sight in the rushes? I don't know. It was a very pretty spot, though. We drove on and the road seemed to get rougher and rougher. Eventually we stopped at the trailhead for Glade Creek. I decided we would stretch our legs and then drive back. The car probably could have gone farther but with all the brake warnings, wonky gas readings and being thousands of miles from home with a borrowed roof rack I didn't want to tempt fate any further. This area had obviously been burned in the last ten years. It was sad and yet beautiful seeing the forest and meadow attempting a comeback. We probably walked a mile and a half of the Glade Creek trail. It was quiet. Some of the views were obscured by the dead standing timber. We didn't see any animals, perhaps the folks with the bear bells had frightened everything. They were just leaving as we arrived. I would love to explore the area further if we ever get the chance to return. On our way back to the main road we stopped at Pole Creek again. No, I didn't see anymore otters. I just wanted to capture the creek. It was so pretty, next time we will hike it for sure. In wanting to get the name of the creek correct I stumbled upon an article about the trail and or trail head that sounds as if it begins at Flag Creek Ranch. A fire went through after the folks had who had written the article had hiked it so I am not sure if the trail is still in tact. From there we were off to Lizard Creek Campground where our reserved site was right on Jackson Lake. I had visions of wading in the lake, beautiful views and a night time lullaby of the waves when I made the reservation. Unfortunately Jackson Lake is a reservoir. This sadly was a drought year. What our site overlooked was a dry lake bed or a desert. Cue sad face! You also weren't allowed to walk out on the lakebed either, incase of wandering onto an area of quicksand. I could see a few people wandering out there but they were scientific researchers. I found out about the lake being dry a week or two before the trip. The water had been sent to crop farmers in Idaho. We set up camp again and made lunch We made sure all the food was cleaned up before .continuing our adventure. We also had a nice chat with our campground host. Now Jackson Lake is pretty big so it wasn't entirely empty (but at least half gone) so we decided to try to find and explore some trails at Colter Bay. We stopped at the visitor Center just before closing time to stamp our son's National Park Passport. As we did a ranger asked if my son could help her take down the flag. What an honor! He loves our flag, so it would be a good experience. Turns out though, he wasn't quite as helpful as she thought he would be but he tried. He looks a lot older than what he actually is! It was exciting but, he didn't really know how to do it. His job sounded simple, to catch and hold the to bottom corners of the flag as she lowered the top to avoid it hitting the ground. Catching the flag was harder than he thought it would be. We really need to work on his strength. The building closed. As we started to go get our cameras from the car for our hike I discovered I didn't have his passport. I went back and knocked on the door. The ranger came back looking a bit upset, it was closing time after all. I told her I think I left his passport in the store. She ran back while I waited outside. She was back with it in less than a minute and I made sure to thank her very much. So where was this network of awesome trails. We looked at a map on the side of the building and walked down to the dry lakebed to look for the trail heads. We couldn't find them, so we left. I decided to try to locate Oxbow Bend and maybe the trails for Two Oceans and Emma Matilda Lakes. Along our route a jeep suddenly pulled to the side of the road. My first thought was what did he see. Then I caught a glimpse and made the hubby pull over. By the time he pulled over and we walked all the way back quite a crowd had gathered. The guy in the jeep left. A large bull elk was quenching his thirst in the murky water! A series of bugles came from the woods. Challenge accepted, as the large bull departed the water and disappeared into the thicket. That was pretty cool! We jumped back into the car to find our next destination! To reach the trailhead for Two Oceans and Emma Matilda Lakes we had to drive a long dirt road. It was a beautiful drive but we nearly turned around before reaching our destination. Eventually we did pull into a big parking area right next to Two Oceans Lake. One trail would take you all the way around Two Oceans Lake and anther lead to Emma Matilda Lake through the woods. It was late in the day so we opted to just hike along Two Oceans Lake until we were forced to turn around due to the dying light. The trail as most in the area was smooth. The Lake was just to the right of us but you could only catch occasional glimpses. My son kept yelling out, "Hey bear" to scare off anything in our path. Eventually I chose an animal path and walked down to the lake. My son cut me off and raced down to the shore flushing a huge flock of ducks! I took a few shots as they flew across and further down the lake. They were too far out in fading light to identify. Part of me was mad at him for scaring them away but they may have reacted the same way even with a quieter approach. We photographed the lake in challenging light as we were facing west. I played with the long lens and even tried some black and white photography. Eventually we gave up and head back to the car, even though I really did not want to. Along the drive back the colors of the leaves and mountains were on fire. We just had to stop to try to capture their beauty! I hoped to stop at Oxbow Bend for sunset on our way back to Lizard Creek, but cars were lined up forever there. The sky was gorgeous as we drove by, I was totally envious! My husband bless his soul suggested finding another spot to pullover. We continued north and found a spot to that had fewer onlookers. They were watching a small herd female elk. The Tetons were visible in the setting sun. I took a couple of wide angle shots and then took some neat close up photos of the peaks. From there we returned to Lizard Creek to have dinner in the dark and the usual things you do at camp. It was cold again but not as cold as the night before. This week for the first time ever someone contacted me to let me know that they enjoyed my blog and asked if I had any tips or ideas for a similar trip that they are planning. You have no idea how incredibly uplifting that was for me! I have been seriously close to throwing in the towel with this website and the boutique. So if you are reading this thank-you from them bottom of my heart and I hope you have a wonderful trip! Big Brown Buffalo by: Grady Metott I am a big brown buffalo Crossing the road, clip, clop, clip, clop. I wallow in the dusty dirt, flip, flop, flip, flop I am a big brown buffalo I hope you enjoyed my son's poem above. We worked hard on it for a recent school assignment. He hates writing or at least physically writing anything. The one thing besides Old Faithful that he wanted to see most was buffalo. His wish was granted! We got up early and packed up camp like a well oiled team. Then we returned to Hayden Valley. I was determined to see a wolf in the wild! I scanned the the valley and river thoroughly only ever finding buffalo or elk. Much of the time they were just very tiny specks in the landscape. Some of the buffalo did come hang out on our side of the river. We stayed right next to the car to photograph them. There were three bulls that seemed to be hanging out together. At first they were just grazing, then one wallowed in the dirt for a bit. They slowly walked closer to together. Then all of the sudden two of the bulls started fighting. I wished I had a higher ISO and a stronger tripod with a gimbal head! My photos turned out badly but I think you might get the feel of the situation. It was so sudden and quick I didn't think to increase the ISO. I just swung around and tried to keep focus, firing away! The moment didn't last long either and the loser slowly walked away. The third buffalo seemed to ignore the two butting heads, but they must have irritated him as seen above. Buffalo tend to raise their tails when annoyed. Instead of partaking in the headbutting festivities he made his way to the edge of the river, wallowed in the sand and then swam to the other side! A swimming buffalo or bison is not something us northeasterners see everyday! We drove a bit further down the road and then turned back to hike a small section of the Mary Mountain Trail. I was still hoping to see a wolf in the wild. We probably hiked a mile and a half through a pretty valley. There was bison poop galore lining the trail. I prayed that we would not encounter any on the trail. Then we encountered some really muddy parts of the trail and I was wearing the wrong shoes! I did my best to navigate a few big sections. Then in the distance we saw a buffalo laying down along the side of the hillside. The condition of the trail was deteriorating and we did not want to risk upsetting that buffalo, so we turned around. Okay, do you remember we had to walk through some really muddy sections? Well, we had trouble finding the little detour around the worst part. My husband having long legs had no problem stretching his long limbs over a narrowed muddy area. There was no way our son or I could cross dry that way. A couple thicker branches had been laid across the mud, so my son decided to cross them. After he made it across it was my turn. I stepped on the sticks trying to find my balance as the camera and big lens swung from my neck. "Hey, Mama (I looked up) don't fall." Thanks for the famous last words kid! Just then my foot rolled right off the branch into the foul smelling muck! I caught myself before taking a complete mud bath! At that point I just walked through squishy muck. My feet were soaked and caked in mud! As we rounded a corner we saw a buffalo in the distance that appeared to be right on the trail! Please let that be across the road and not between us and the car, please I silently begged. My husband managed to get quite far ahead of us. We were getting closer to that buffalo. "Mama, what do we do about that buffalo, is he going to charge us? "I don't know but if we stick together we might look like one big animal and deter him. If he does try to charge we should hide behind a tree or something." My husband had slowed down and our son walked a lot faster to try to catch up to him and I followed suit. There was an old fence post and gate hanging to the side. I slowed my son and took a moment to determine if we could keep walking or if we needed to take cover. The buffalo looked at us, marked his territory and walked to the top of the hill in the opposite direction of us. Whew! I shot photos while picking up the pace. We beelined it to the car. I never did get to see a wolf, just a track or two on the muddy bank of Slough Creek. A few months prior to our trip my son had a visit with our dentist, Dr. Sheffield. We mentioned our upcoming trip only to find out some really surprising things about him and his family. It turns out his grandfather or great grandfather was a Yellowstone Park Ranger. He told us a funny story about his grandma and a bear on the roof of their home in the park and that his grandpa had discovered a thermal feature and named it Dragon's tooth or Dragon's Caldron. So of course we had to investigate. I am glad we did some of the features were very interesting, but beware of when the wind shifts and blows the dragons breath your way! It seriously needs to brush and use a few thousand gallons of mouthwash! That was in the Mud Volcanos area. Judging by the sign's I think he was talking about the Dragon's Caldron. From Mud Volcanoes we headed toward the next campsite. We stopped at Yellowstone Lake and bought some sandwiches at the store. The wind kicked and the temperature was going down. I don't know why but I did not take photos there (I should have). Then we back tracked a bit to the Pelican Creek Nature walk. It was pretty and quiet. I think we were there the wrong time of day as there wasn't much for wildlife. Our son had fun climbing the bank trail down to Yellowstone Lake. The lake was a bit low. There were a few Canada geese along the shore and an Eagle sored above for a moment. Then we moved on to find Grant Campground and get set up for the night. Are you bored yet? Guess what the day isn't over! The folks over at "We're In The Rockies" a YouTube channel I watched while planning said, "don't miss out on West Thumb Geyser Basin." We had some trouble finding it, but I am glad we didn't give up! West Thumb Geyser Basin is located near the bottom of Lake Yellowstone. I used Yellowstone lake as background in a lot of the photos I took. The sapphire pools are so intriguing. I can't really think of any words to describe it, wonderful and awesome don't quite cut it. The fishing cone was neat just hanging out along the edge of the lake with twin geysers. When we finished it was back to camp for dinner and laundry! We may not have been able to shower but clean laundry is heavenly even in such circumstances. We learned from John the super cool manager at the laundromat that we had booked the last night of the year at Grant Campground would be open. The laundry room would close at 11 am the next day for the year. By the time we cleaned up from dinner it was black out. I used lanterns to get everything cleaned and packed up. I could see my breath too! It was one of a few freezing nights in which we would be thankful for a four season tent and a zero degree rated sleeping bag. The next day our exploration of Yellowstone would come to an end. It is a very curious place!
We didn't wake to anything special at the Madison Campground so, we hurried to dismantle camp. Then we drove towards West Yellowstone in search of Harlequin Lake. Parking for the lake is across the road. The parking area had a pretty view of a meadow framed by evergreens and a wall of mountains (see above). The photo doesn't do it justice. Once across the road we hiked a narrow trail through a thick grove of young lodgepole pine. It was beautiful and mysterious. I hoped that we wouldn't meet a grizzly along it but at the same time though we should be able to hear it lumbering through the pines first. No such encounters were to be had. After a short hike we reached Harlequin lake. It was full of weeds. A few ducks and coots were all we saw. We tried to wait patiently for more wildlife to appear. Elk were bugling all around us and we thought for sure they would make an appearance. Sound carries well between mountains. After a while we headed back to the car. Once there we spoke with a couple of folks who had seen a bear further up the road and some elk. Just as we were about to get in the car I spotted some movement and the person we'd been talking to pointed out a doe and her offspring just across the road. I made a few quick photos before they disappeared into the thick woods. After that we headed toward the Canyon area and took the older route to view Virginia Falls. You can see Virginia Falls easily from the road. It is difficult to find a spot to pull over without having to walk the very narrow road back to the view spot. Once at the best viewing spot it was hard to photograph. Bring a telephoto, not a prime and surely not a wide angle lens, you want reach for this waterfall. My photos did not turn out. The area we had pulled off though was very pretty. The undergrowth was displaying fall colors. A stream meandered beside the road for a bit. Just down the road there was a pretty and inviting meadow too! We decided it was time to find and set up our next camp. Once I finally found the check-in for the campground I discovered we were too early. So we set back out to explore. We found the trail to the brink of the falls. We were greeted by a doe next to the trail. While the area was pretty I wasn't impressed. Maybe if it had been sunnier so that you could see a rainbow in the mist, but not that day. The doe was more exciting. In fact she is featured in this years wildlife calendar for the month of January. That can be found in the boutique linked in the navigation bar. From there we went in search of food and souvenirs. The line for burgers was out the door. We didn't have many options and our cooler pickings were slim to none so I waited in the long while the others picked out drinks in the store. Once we ate and set up camp our adventure continued in the canyon area. We joined many other revelers basking in the beauty of the Lower Falls from Artists Point. Folks leave your hats in the car or you will loose them before even getting a chance to kiss your hat good-bye! A good strong wind was blowing and one gentleman's expensive John Deere hat departed his head and flew over the the crowd behind him and into the unreachable canyon below! While this spot is famous and over photographed it's beauty just beckons you to capture its image! I tried to get a few different perspectives but with view points being limited that was challenging. Another challenge was trying to capture the sky without darkening the foreground, or blowing out the sky to get the foreground just right. Yes, I did use a polarizer. I don't mix, blend or focus stack my photos together like most professionals do, I don't really know how to do it. I get the concept while shooting but the post processing ack! Or I could just say I am a purist and prefer minimal processing. One of the You Tubers I follow is a photographer named Adam Gibbs. He often shows you both the raw and the edited versions of his photography. After seeing his raw photos maybe I am not as bad of a photographer as I think I may be. Anyways I am sort of off topic, I am glad we didn't miss this "tourist trap," as it is a true marvel. There is the blue rushing water, the white cascade, tall colorful cliffs and spires! Then you turn around and the canyon sans waterfall is just as spectacular. It would be easy to "play" photographing the canyon for hours which as it turns out we did! There is a trail allows you to hike the northside of the Canyon. Unfortunately my feet hurt a lot that day so we drove it and got out at few different pull offs instead. Eventually we made it up to Inspiration Point. The canyon view there was for a lack of a better word inspirational! I heard my son strike up a conversation with a couple close to where we were photographing the canyon. I turned around to double check on him and we all wound up in quite a long conversation. Turns out they were camping not far from us that night. They were going to go backpacking along the Lamar River the next few days. I'll be honest I was a bit jealous. They were incredibly nice folks. The guys name is Rob, I didn't catch his wife's name. He told us about some bike packing adventures he had been on with his friend who had all this fancy camera gear similar to ours. Turns out Rob is YouTube famous as he often joins his friend Chris Wilson on his adventures. I wound up subscribing to Chris's channel. I really enjoy the way Chris films and the camaraderie they share. So Rob if you are reading this thanks for the tip, and it was nice meeting you and your wife. Oh and below is my version of the canyon at Inspiration Point. Hubby (also named Chris) has to share his own photography!
Nope, this canine was another coyote! This one was thirsty and waded into the river before returning to the far bank and disappearing amongst the grasses. If it had not been moving I may not have noticed it at all that and it was quite far away.
After that we returned to camp for dinner. I was cleaning up while my son was getting his stuffed critters out to play before bed when Rob and his wife walked by and said a quick hello! You never know what kind of people you may meet when traveling. So far we've had mostly positive experiences. I think most people are just out for an adventure and willing to share! Hope you are enjoying our journey as I document it here! Have blessed week! |
Julie MetottNature Photographer, wife, mother, lover of outdoor adventure! Archives
November 2022
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