NW Wyoming – Savoring the Experience

In the last post, Savoring the Experience – Part 1, I got to tell about how photography brought a couple old friends together.  The original plan was on that trip was to run around parts of Colorado and Utah and try to capture a few good shots of some really cool places.  The trip turned out to be much more in that I got to see the reaction of how powerful these places can be and the impact they have on someone witnessing this majesty for the first time.

Now that we have gotten beyond the initiation, it was time to get down to business and do some real “hunting” for some incredible shots.  At the end of September, my friend Bobby and I rejoined again, this time meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a few days in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.  Bobby flew in from Virginia and I drove up from Colorado.  Getting up early and going to bed late means there is no time to focus on luxury and we camped in my pickup converted to a two-room hard-sided tent.  Bobby had the bed of the truck (with camper shell) and I had the back seat of the Super Crew cab.  Both spaces were outfitted with platforms and memory foam mattresses plus the appropriate cold weather sleeping bags for the finest truck camping could offer, despite the chilly 25 degree temperatures at night.

Road trips are great!  When something incredible pops up, you can just pull over and savor the experience.  If it is photo worthy, having the camera easily accessible makes capturing the moment a breeze.  The remote drive from Rawlins, Wyoming to Jackson along Hwy 191/189 offered many great places to pull over and enjoy the breathtaking scenery west of the Wind River Mountain Range.

Since I traveled up the day prior, I had that evening and the following morning to see what the Tetons had to offer for sunset and sunrise.  Every day is a new day and varying weather offers so many different perspectives of the spectacular Teton Range.  Schwabacher Landing along Hwy 191 just north of Moose is an old favorite sunrise location but I had never been there for sunset.  It was quite nice that evening and thanks to some unexpected car headlights to provide some interesting lighting on the grass in the foreground.

One advantage of getting older is waking up in the wee hours of the morning to get rid of some…unneeded hydration.  Well, maybe not really an advantage.  But on the flip side, it’s a good time to check the weather if star pictures are in the plan.  This trip they were so it was back to Schwabacher Landing for some alone time with a few billion of my closest, distant friends.  Admittedly, it can feel a little odd being alone in nature and be completely dark.  Some may find it a little freaky but I find the experience to be breathtaking, humbling and inspiring at the same time.  Toss in some elk bugling and this becomes an experience of a lifetime.

As tradition has it, I didn’t tell Bobby much about the plan except that we were going to Yellowstone.  I picked him up at the Jackson Hole airport and we headed north towards the park.  Despite the obvious observation that the Teton Mountains are incredibly gorgeous we had to press on to get to where were going in Yellowstone.  I did offer him everything I know about the history of the area on the drive and let him know that we would definitely be back in a couple days.  We did have to stop for the bison.  New experience for Bobby, seeing a bison in person.  AYFKM…we have to get pictures of this! 😊

We enjoyed the evening at Old Faithful, watched the geyser erupt and enjoyed a nice dinner and local beer at the Old Faithful Inn.  Early to bed for a 0400 wake-up.  Star pics and sunrise planned for Artist Point and a spectacular view of the Lower Falls along the Yellowstone River.

One benefit of camping in the truck was I didn’t need to wake Bobby up to start heading over to the falls in the morning.  I’m not sure when he woke up but I did laugh at the look on his face when I popped open the back to see him smiling and his hair standing straight up!!

Another spectacular morning with the stars.  We planned to take star pics in the early morning hours because the moon wasn’t setting until after midnight.  The light from the moon greatly reduces the stars visible to the naked eye and to the camera as well.  Note to self on the morning shot of the falls.  In the early summer, the sunrise light makes the falls light up amazingly.  In late September, there is a mountain that unfortunately protects the morning sun which rises much further south that time of the year from ever reaching the star of the show.  Planning fail but still a great morning…dress warmly!!

Now the hunt is on for animals…and it’s on…and it’s on…  Well, we did find plenty more bison and a few pronghorns but that is about it…oh, and a couple raven!  So, off to Plan B to see the sights of Yellowstone including the Grand Prismatic Spring and take a little hike up the trail for a nice bird’s eye view.  Fun place and great for people watching!

The Old Faithful Inn was worth a dinner redo and so we did.  We were hoping to catch the geyser one more time but as luck would have it, the eruption started as we were getting out of the car…across the parking lot.  Not to despair, dinner was incredible and the inn is an amazing work of architecture to enjoy…still a great day.

An early morning trip up to Lamar Valley didn’t pan out so we headed back south towards the Tetons.  Along the lake, we found some beautiful elk just begging to have their picture taken…we obliged.  I think the female was wanting to have a conversation but needed to finish chewing dinner. 😊  I think the awesomeness of that amazing animal looking across this beautiful lake towards the mountains is the perfect picture to describe how I feel in places like this…no real words do it justice.

We stopped at the Signal Mountain Lodge in Grand Teton NP for a brunch with a view.  Striking up a conversation with some great folks from Georgia, they mentioned they saw some bear near Two Oceans Lake.  That evening we both got to share a space in the world with our first Grizzly Bear.  The park rangers did a great job of herding the photographers, allowing the bear to wander and graze at will seemingly unconcerned with our presence.  A moment capping off an amazing and fun-filled trip that neither one of us will ever forget.  Bobby, next time we can stop and take a picture of the deer…I promise!! 😊

And one final Teton sunset!!

 P.S.  This is getting into the craft!!  Nicely done Bobby!!