There simply are not words as to how fast this summer has gone. In the Rocky Mountain Region such as the Yellowstone Basin our summers are fairly short. Fall comes quickly and it is just about here. The leaves are starting to change and in just a week or two we will be in full blown Fall colors. A great time for pictures and I do not plan to miss this Fall like last. The picture above was one of my favorite from the Fall of 2012. This was taken at Black Tail Ponds and I am traveling up there every couple of days to make sure I get some good pics this year.
Just after Fall comes our long heavy winters and with winter comes some of the animals we see only for a few months each year. Below is a shot I took during the winter of 2012 – 2013. The big horn sheep are amazing to watch and this guy was one of my favorite. They will be arriving very soon and this winter I plan to take advantage of the opportunities to bring you some really cool shots. Enjoy…
Wow, hard to believe it is February, 2013 already. I know I keep saying this but time is flying by as they say. After several days of winter weather the sky’s opened up this morning and gave us clear blue sky’s, well with a few clouds floating around. It was 9 degrees at the coffee shop but something makes you seem a lot warmer when you see good ol Mr. Sun.
One more stop at the DOG (Down On Glen) for one of Jackson’s premier breakfast burritos and off we go. Today’s destination was Oxbow Bend and Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park. The pictures above are a very typical morning here in the valley. You never know what will catch your eye when you cruise along. The truck in the pictures is our first brand new Ford F350 which we will be using this spring when we kick off our new Private Party Tours that we will be offering through our website http://www.tetonmarketing.com. If you are visiting Jackson this summer consider letting us take you out and see some of the things we are blessed to experience every day. More on this in future posts.
The temperatures this morning in Grand Teton National Park was hovering around a comfortable 10 degrees. I say comfortable because there was zero wind and the sun was beaming down bright upon us. Winter in the park can offer some really spectacular vistas and wildlife opportunities for your camera. We had the place to ourselves. We could stop on the road and pretty much do what ever we wanted. We saw several moose but they did not want to cooperate and pose for us. Nothing like a cup of hot coffee and some really spectacular scenery start your day out right. Enjoy…
Over the past couple of days I have ventured north of town with Peyton as every day offers something new and different. No real stories to tell except that Antelope Flats is alive again with activity. We have seen Moose, Coyotes, Buffalo, Elk, Pronghorn Antelope, Deer, Ground Varmints, Badgers, Hawks, Eagles, beautiful vistas – awesome. Spring is definitely a time when all of mother nature is on the move. Although none of these pictures by themselves are spectacular, they are representative of what we see every single morning. Antelope flats is easy to get to and in 1 hour you will be blessed to be surrounded by some of this areas greatest inhabitants. The bears are out and we have ventured into the park to see if we could find them. Yellowstone opens in the next week or so and we will soon be traveling into the parks for more photo fun. Come to Jackson as see what we are talking about. Enjoy…
We grabbed our coffee this morning at Pearl Street Bagels and headed for another morning adventure. First let me give props to the girls at Pearl Street Bagels as they are so nice to deal with. They are always friendly, and these girls can crank out the coffee and bagels. On the east side of the Snake River they are our favorite!
As we left the coffee shop we just found ourselves heading out towards Miller’s Butte to see if the mountain sheep had returned. And, yes they have, along with the tourists. It is a very cool thing to be able to travel such a short distance from our home and see so much wildlife. Miller’s Butte for those of you who are not familiar with our town sits on the east side of the National Elk Refuge and you access the road just north-east of the hospital on Broadway.
This morning the fog was hovering over the valley but not too bad – just cold. The trees again had a fresh coating of powdery ice crystals on their branches making it a real Christmas like feel. If you like to take pictures these kinds of mornings make a great background to shoot away. So many opportunities for beautiful shots of the trees loaded with powder and the rivers with a steamy fog hovering over the water. The ice and the river flows squeeze through frozen banks making for some really incredible scenery.
On this morning though it was all about the mountain sheep. The east side of the butte is all rocks and cliffs and the sheep meander around as if they are on flat land. But on some days you will find them right on the road side and this morning was no exception. About a dozen or so sheep traveled from their safety high in the rock to the road side in order to access the grass hiding under the snow. A couple even are so bold as to come right up to your car and they lick the side of the cars for any salts that are deposited from the roads. Pretty cool for sure. They are cautious but not too friendly making sure they keep their distance when someone tries to approach.
On the other side of the road we found dozens of elk just lying around at the base of the pine trees that start about a few hundred yards off the east side of the road. Although I love the elk we decided to focus on the sheep and just sit and watch them interact with the public. The tourists are returning for the holidays and this morning some of them got to see something really special. It never gets old up here as long as you take the time to leave you home and see some of God’s wonders. Enjoy!
