Moon Over the Tetons
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010

I captured this image in 1989 on my first and only visit to Grand Teton National Park. We stayed at Jackson Lake Lodge, where I exposed this image on a roll of Kodachrome one summer evening. In the twenty-one years since I have had tentative plans to return to the park several times but they’ve always fallen through—until now.

The Tetons From the Willow Flats Overlook
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Wow, right?! That is one stunning view from the Willow Flat Overlook near Jackson Lake Lodge. This is near the location of my 1989 shot, Moon Over the Tetons. I had hoped to duplicate the earlier effort but the dramatic clouds which were gathering above the Tetons made it clear that I would not see the moon anytime soon.

Oxbow Bend
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Wednesday, July 28, 2010

A short distance to the south, we took in the classic view from Oxbow Bend. This is a popular spot for sunrise and sunset shots although we would not be getting a traditional sunset on this evening. This was fine with me; I loved the drama created by the gathering storm clouds. We packed up as both darkness and raindrops began to fall. Not long after, we found ourselves in the midst of a massive electrical storm with strikes so close to our truck that they lit up the interior as if it were the middle of the day, eliciting a lively discussion about the likelihood of getting struck by lightning while in a moving vehicle.

Barbed Beauty
Mormon Row—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Thursday, July 29, 2010

Mormon Row is a group of century old homesteads that sit in the middle of the sage and grasslands to the east of the Teton Range. They are a popular location for shooting a sunrise in Grand Teton National Park. We did not make it for sunrise but we did show up late in the morning to take a look around and enjoy breakfast. What caught my eye were not the structures, their eastern faces already in shadow, but the bright purple thistles in various stages of bloom. There were a number of bees as interested in these flowers as me but, fortunately, they paid no attention to me as they went about gathering nectar. This allowed me to get within a few inches of them as I shot.

Bee & Thistle
Mormon Row—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Thursday, July 29, 2010

Gathering Nectar
Mormon Row—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Thursday, July 29, 2010

Fresh Bloom
Mormon Row—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Thursday, July 29, 2010

Old Barn
Mormon Row—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Thursday, July 29, 2010

Later in the afternoon we returned to Mormon Row. Storm clouds were again forming over the mountains leaving us optimistic that we might get to enjoy another evening thunderstorm.

Banana Boy?
Mormon Row—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Thursday, July 29, 2010

Meanwhile, Lewis had decided to once again try a banana to see if it was worthy to be added to the group of three other foods he was currently willing to put into his mouth: Velveeta mac, chicken nuggets, and cheese pizza. He requested documentation, in the form of a photo, that this event had actually taken place.

Thumbs Up...For Now
Mormon Row—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Thursday, July 29, 2010

The banana received a passing grade, however time has taught The Parents that such an approval can be revoked at any time—as had already happened at least once in the case of bananas.

A Scene From Cars Re-enacted
Signal Mountain—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Thursday, July 29, 2010

First Light on the Tetons
Schwabacher Landing—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

The Tetons are most beautiful when viewed from the east, making them prime candidates for dramatic sunrise photographs. I had been scouting viewpoints for the last day and a half but had yet to find something I really liked. All of them had flaws. For example, the overlook from which Ansel Adams' captured his iconic image, Tetons and the Snake River, one of my all-time favorites, is now partially obscured by trees. I ended up deciding on Schwabacher Landing, down along the Snake River.

It had been cloudy the night before so I woke up hoping for clear skies to the east and a bunch of fluffy cumulus clouds floating above the summits of the mountain range to catch the color of the rising sun. No such luck—not surprising for this time of year. I headed out anyway. You never know what might happen on a given morning; a moose could wander through the middle of the frame at just the right moment.

I ended up waiting for first light with a photographer from Quebec. He had flown into Jackson from Seattle, where he attended a workshop given by Art Wolfe. (Have I mentioned that I want to be Art Wolfe in my next life?) His wife, sleeping back at the hotel, met up with him in Jackson a day earlier. They would soon head north for their first trip into Yellowstone. In the meantime, we waited to see what we could make of the morning.

To the dismay of my new Canadian friend, a duck and her latest brood of fluffy little ducklings began paddling back and forth through our composition, sending ripples across the otherwise still surface of the water right as the mountain peaks began to catch a little color. Fortunately they were only teasing us. After a few minutes, they continued on their way and we began shooting.

Morning Reflection
Schwabacher Landing—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

Fishermen on the Gros Ventre River
Gros Ventre Road—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

Once the sun was up, we headed south to Gros Ventre Road. A local had told us that if we wanted to see moose, early morning along Gros Ventre Road was the place to do it. She also told us if we wanted to sound like locals we should pronounce it “grow vont”; not “gross venture” or “gros ventray”.

Moose Sighting
Gros Ventre Road—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

We knew we were on the right track when we started meeting tour vans shuttling wildlife lovers from Jackson into the area. Sure enough, it wasn’t five minutes before we spotted our first moose in the willows on the opposite side of the river.

Among the Willows
Gros Ventre Road—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

Darla remained in the truck along with Lewis, who was still in his pj’s. I made my way out to the riverbank with my 100-400mm zoom. Another photog a short distance away was tracking a different moose with what appeared to be a 500 or 600mm lens. My moose was seemingly unconcerned with my presence and, over the course of 20 minutes or so, gradually made her way over to a grove of trees where she sat down in some shade and effectively made herself invisible. If I hadn’t seen her sit down I would have never spotted her.

Darla Observes Through Binoculars
Gros Ventre Road—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

Return to Mormon Row
Mormon Row—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

Gros Ventre intersects Mormon Row, which made it easy to return to the old homesteads after our moose called it a morning. This was my favorite barn—or rather it would be if the fencing wasn’t falling apart. The park service has been criticized for allowing these old structures fall into disrepair but in this case fault may lie with the bison that regularly wander through the area. A day earlier we had been separated from our camper by a large herd that moved past this barn on the way to graze in a nearby field.

On the Way to the Cabin
Cunningham Cabin—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

The Cunningham Cabin is another historic structure farther north. It isn’t as photogenic as the old barns on Mormon Row but it is worthy of a brief stop for anyone interested in the history of the area.

Boy in the Doorway
Cunningham Cabin—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

Cabin View
Cunningham Cabin—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

Weathered Wood
Cunningham Cabin—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

Bighorn Sheep Boy
Colter Bay—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

If he couldn’t see a bighorn sheep, perhaps he could be a bighorn sheep...

Cool Water, Warm Afternoon
Colter Bay—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

After a stop in the visitor center, lunch, and a nap, we ventured into the clear cold water of Colter Bay. It was a warm afternoon, making the bay a popular spot. Lewis made a few friends with the help of a strainer that he used to expertly capture the tiny fish that were swimming around in schools near the shore.

Along the Shore of String Lake
String Lake—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

String Lake Trail
String Lake—Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

Lone Cow
East Gros Ventre Road—Jackson, Wyoming
Friday, July 30, 2010

We returned to Jackson for the final time along East Gros Ventre Road. This road traverses the National Elk Refuge along with a number of cattle ranches. Another huge afternoon storm had formed, drenching everything around us and making it hard to see anything at times. During a brief lull I managed to grab this shot of a lone cow observing us as we drove by, a perfect Far Side moment to serve as the final image from our trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons.

previous image set: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming