Adventures in Wonderland
The Grand Tetons & Yellowstone
I crave beauty in my life. Majestic mountain ranges, landscapes with varied textures and colors, and wildlife bigger than life- all of these elements- soften the blows of the disappointments in life, and causes me to be still and know that there is a God- a light to guide me along life’s pathway, and a love to anchor and nurture me. Standing in the presence of a 400 pound grizzly bear or a 7 foot tall moose startles me out of my head into the present moment…this single, magical moment in time. I am reminded that it’s a big world out there and I am only a tiny spec in it. Stepping out onto the trail and out of my head forces me to reevaluate my life and pledge a new commitment that, like the grizzly and the moose,
I will live life large.
I am challenged to be more present, listen with more heart, to be a witness to beauty all around me, to value others, and capture and share the beauty and awe of this big ole world we live in. I hope you enjoy these photographs as much as I enjoyed taking them, and that, like the towering mountains, the giant moose, bison, elk, and the powerful grizzlies, …you too will choose to live life large.
Pronghorn
This trip was especially challenging for me. Days began before sunrise and ended well beyond sunset. As a person who requires 8 hours of sleep, the lack of sleep took its toll on me. My days were filled with hunting, shooting, and learning, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The wildlife seemed scarce and just when my faith was waning, a herd of beautiful pronghorn could be sighted grazing contentedly atop a hill. I had never seen pronghorn before and they were colorful and beautiful! Honestly, they just don’t know how beautiful they are! They certainly livened up any field they were found in. It was fun to watch their curious heads pop up from their grazing and eyeball me as though to ask, “what are you doing here?” Of course the answer always was, “To photograph you until I tire of it then to stretch out and take it all in.” Photographing the pronghorns was one of the highlights of this trip for me. They were acclimated to people and so they were not skittish, and there was no need for me to be quick. They were kind enough to give me the luxury of taking my time, figuring out my settings, setting up the composition I wanted, and time to observe them. I was hoping to capture a shot of one running full speed across the field laid out in front of me. Pronghorns are the second fastest mammal in the world, second to the cheetah! They are an impressive mammal indeed! Though I did capture one running, he didn’t run full force, as he was busy rounding up his herd, darting this way and that, like a well trained border collie.
Grizzly Bear
Hunting for bears was another highlight of this trip for me. I never tire it seems of photographing bears. Thankfully, I have a super telephoto lens that allows me at times to shoot up close and personal. This particular grizzly, however, was farther out of my reach, and though I was able to get a few body shots that I am pleased with, I wasn’t able to adequately photograph her activity. Even with my super telephoto lens, once I cropped these photos the quality isn’t good, but it is what it is. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don’t! But it’s a win win either way because I have the whole experience recorded in my brain and I can press ‘play’ and watch it as often as I like, reliving that magical time with this grizzly.
Moose
Finding moose was challenging and usually occurred, it seems, in the latter part of the day, just as the sun was retiring for the day. Moose are just awkward, bulky, yet beautiful animals that take my breath away. I know very little about moose and so any moose encounter is a thrilling one for me!
Elk
Fall in Yellowstone is peak rutting time and I was hopeful I’d get some elk sparring. While this did not happen for me, I did get lots of elk pictures.
Big Horned Sheep
The iconic big horned sheep with horns that protrude in a downward spiral couldn’t be found! But there were plenty of young big horned sheep to capture.
Black Bear
I think I saw close to a dozen black bears but only one was in an environment conducive for photographing. Even then it wasn’t the best of circumstances as my view of him was obstructed with twigs, bushes, and leaves.
Bison
Bison were abundant in Yellowstone. They could be seen dotting the fields, lining the edges of the road or better yet, in the middle of the road! At one point there were no less than 20 bison parading down the middle of the road, seemingly oblivious to the cars patiently waiting for them to get to where they were going. This was so thrilling for me because sometimes their huge heads would be within 12 inches of the car. I also got to see a couple of bison butt heads and hear them growling.
Coyote
This coyote was spotted in a herd of bison, scavaging for food being stirred up by the bison’s feet.
Bountiful Beauty
The Grand Tetons & Yellowstone are full of wondrous things! Wild, wondrous things. There is no shortage of breathtaking landscapes and widlife larger than life.
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