Category Archives: Snake River

Morning Coffee Returns…

Last winter we started posting several times per week to our blog what we called “Morning Coffee”. Simply put we drop our youngest daughter off at school and then head to the coffee shop for a cup and then we head out to see what we can find.  We try to frequent our favorite coffee hangouts but we usually hit them all throughout the year.  Summer has been absolutely spectacular here in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  But the summers here are too short and we try to make everyday count.  But as quickly as summer rolls in – it rolls out and into Fall.  Fall is actually one of my favorite times of the year.  Cool crisp mornings and absolutely beautiful warm days.

Well school has started and we are back at it.  This past weekend we purchased a new camera in Bozeman Montana.  The new Nikon D3200 was our choice and so far we like it very much.  This morning we headed north of town on the west bank side of the Snake River.  Passing along the Moose Wilson Road we were met with a traffic jam as a Black Bear was foraging through the Hawthorne trees looking for berries.  We decided to pass through the mayhem and onto Antelope Flats.  There were almost no animals this morning with the exception of the bear but we did manage to find a small group of Pronghorn Antelope and shoot these shots.  We are still trying to figure out how to use our new camera but I thought these pictures of a mother and her young were worth sharing.

The Pronghorn Antelope is a beautiful creature to see.  They are the fastest animal in North American and can run at speeds that approach 60 miles per hour.  They also migrate each year to and from the Yellowstone basin and their migration paths are some of the longest.  This year the herds in our area have had a good year with offspring and they are growing in size.  It won’t be long now before they start on their long journey south for the winter.  When they do we will not see them again until next spring.  The return of these awesome little guys marks the beginning of the coming summer which makes everyone around here happy.  Stay tuned though as Fall and Winter approach we will be back at it again posting things we think are worth sharing about our home.  We look forward to seeing some new and exciting events worthy of a post.

Morning Coffee – Oxbow Bend at -15…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This mornings coffee run took me 40 miles north of Jackson into Teton National Park to one of the most photographed places in the United States, Oxbow Bend.  Oxbow is just north of Moran Junction about 4 or 5 miles and on this morning it was -15 degrees as I arrived just before dawn.  In the summer there is always a multitude of photographers waiting for the sun to bathe the mountains with its warmth.  Today I was all alone, with the exception of my father-in-law who made the journey with me.

We arrived as it was still dark and set up for the shots I wanted, some of which I am sharing with you here.  As the sun makes its way over the eastern range it begins to bathe the Teton Range with a warm glow.  This all happens in about 12-15 minutes so you need to be ready with your camera.  Now I am no professional but you would have to try pretty hard to screw this up.  Here are a few pics of the Oxbow Bend with Mount Moran in the back ground all taken within minutes of each other.  You can see the difference in the shots as to how the sun bathes the mountains and the river.  Oh yeh – this is the Snake River for those who do not know this area.  Amazing is all I can say.  Put this on your bucket list for sure.

On the way back I took a detour and found some of my favorite subjects.  I counted over 18 moose this morning all within a few hundred yards of these shots.  I almost got stepped on when this big guy came within a few feet of my Jeep.  A few feet is no exaggeration!  I never tire of seeing these beautiful creatures of nature.  They are so unique and awesome to be this close to.  If you venture out – be careful because they can hurt you.  Enjoy!