Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks--June 2010

What a fantastic experience!  My wife and I spent last week in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, and as usual, the photography opportunities did not disappoint.  I would like to have been able to update the blog on a daily basis, but with little to no cell signal and long daylight hours that found me up at 4:30 A.M. and out until nearly 10:00 P.M., I simply did not have the means or energy to accomplish that goal.

As a result, I'll post many images here from throughout the entire trip with a little narrative as I go.  I hope it doesn't prove to be visual overload.

One common theme in these images will be bears.  It was a phenomenal trip in terms of viewing and photographing bears.  You'll see many different bears, including black and Grizz.  Our first encounter came before we even arrived at our destination when we encountered Grizz #399, a sow who lives near Colter Bay and who often makes appearances near the roadways.  She made quite a splash and left us all scrambling for cars when she decided to cross the highway.  These images were shot out the window of my truck with the big 800mm lens.

Now for some landscape images.  We'll start in the Tetons, one of the most iconic and awe-inspiring vistas of the West, where the peaks soar nearly 14,000'. 

I spent one morning at the Snake River Overlook, shooting a series of images using my Bogen/Manfrotto 303SPH Panoramic head.  I then combined those images using PtGUI panoramic stitching software.  The following panoramic images follow the progression of light as dawn painted her rosy light.

After the sun had risen, it actually socked in with heavy gray clouds and even rained for awhile, scrubbing my plans to hike up Cascade Canyon.  Instead, I spent 45 minutes or so photographing 3 Great Horned owls, whose nest just happened to be in the middle of the Gros Ventre campground where I was staying.  The young owls were incredibly fluffy.  All of them seemed to be tired.

That evening, we spent time driving through the park and once again encountered #399.  I also spent some time with one baby owl just before sunset. 

The next morning found me at Schwabacher's Landing, one of the most frequently photographed locations in the park.  Photographs from here are nearly cliche, so I tried hard to look for different angles or foreground elements to separate my images from the hordes of photographers who flocked to the most prominent spots.  It didn't take me long to escape the crowds.

 

As I photographed the fantastic reflections, birds swam, flew and splashed about in the backed up waters of the many beaver dams.  I photographed several, but I was most fascinated by the interaction between two cinnamon teal ducks as one chased the other all across the pond.  It was quite comical to watch, and I got some great action shots as well.

Later that day, we packed up and headed for Yellowstone.  I'll add many of those images to this post in the days to come.