WINTER IN YELLOWSTONE 2020 - 4

SUNDAY, JANUARY 19TH:

This morning we were off to Mammoth Hot Springs for sunrise. As the sun rose I was able to get some nice low light on the slope. The play of the light with the steam coming off the Hot Springs made for a few interesting images. 

We then headed for the Lamar Valley in pursuit of animals.
As we had a sunny day the drive was quite lovely. We found some large and stocky big horn sheep browsing the hillside.

Then we found found a Ram sitting and posing for pictures in a lovely setting. We spent a good bit of time with him, and then drove to Cook City. This was our turnaround location as the highway is closed from here East. There is more here for the snowmobiler than anything else. as we returned to the West we stopped several times to take in the beautiful landscapes with peaks and valleys.    

Once again came upon the big horned sheep, and spent more time with them. They had created quite a following so it was slow going along the "Ram Jam".

We also saw that the other natives make use of the Highway as an easy path to move along.

MONDAY, JANUARY 20TH:

Today was the last day of the Photo Tour. A few of us went off to Mammoth Hot Springs area for a last chance of getting a sunrise. We did succeed though we set up before reaching Mammoth Hot Springs. 

After sunrise Klara and I parted ways with the group as they headed back to Gardiner to finish packing and having some breakfast. They were then off to Bozeman, and their flights home.

Klara and I then headed off to the Lamar Valley to see what we could see. We did not see the "bear going over the mountain, but had a couple of good sightings of elk and bison. 

Our fist encounter was with a couple of elk on a ridge who entertained us with some sparring. Another group of photographers joined us in the area and we all settled in for our photography. 

We then moved on so that we could let Klara's dog, Beeps, have a chance to get out of the car and stretch her legs. We
then found another turn out where there was a small herd of bison close by. It made for some good photo ops, and they were not anxious to move on.

There were several people along the way looking for wolfs. The only canine we saw was a lone coyote. It was now mid-day and time for us to make our back to Mammoth Hot Springs, and points North. We stopped at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel to pay a tourist visit which included a stop the restaurant for a cup of tea, and a "little something", as Winnie The Pooh would say.

Finally we were off to Bozeman where we would spend two nights, and enjoy some family time around two delicious restaurants, a bookstore, and most of the day at the Museum of the Rockies. This museum is a delight and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about dinosaurs and their discovery in Montana. 

A BOZEMAN LIGHT SHOW ABOUT A BLOCK FROM OUR MOTEL.
Though this trip was a challenge because of the snow and cold, I thoroughly enjoyed it. If one is properly prepared Yellowstone in winter is a delight.

WINTER IN YELLOWSTONE 2020 - 3

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16TH:

This morning we were rewarded for getting up early with some sunrise color. We parked along side the road, and then moved off the road and into the snow which was about a foot and a half deep. We set up our tripods and were careful not to block each other so we were pretty much side by side. As you can see the day started out nicely but once again it was very cold.

After the sunrise we saw, and followed a couple of coyotes on the far side of the River. They did not appear to be hunting. I took many photos but had not checked the camera settings so a lot were taken with too slow a shutter speed in the heat of the moment. It also did not help that I was hand holding the camera at this time. Oh well! Lessons relearned!

WAITING FOR FRIEND

We were then off to the Midway Geyser Basin for more snow and trees, and steam.  

As it had been quite cold overnight there were many trees flocked with snow.

PHOTOGRAPHERS PAUSING ON THE BRIDGE

I was also drawn to the sculptured snow banks.

In the afternoon it was fun to follow a coyote out looking for a snack.

As we returned to West Yellowstone we saw several trumpeter swans on the river. 

A final stop was at Gibbon Falls which is right beside the road. We of course got out and wander the trail beside the road for some  photo ops.

RIBBONS OF WATER

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17TH:

Another wintry morning with snow falling which it did off and on all day. We did a lot of exploring and photographing in the snow. As a result of the snow falling, I ended up deleting a number of photos because of the snow being a large distraction in the pictures.

We explored the Hayden Valley area, the Mud Volcano, The Sulphur Cauldron, and Dragon's Mouth Spring. Due to the weather they are a memory mostly as the lighting, which is what photography is all about, was flat.

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Once again we visited the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
At the bridge crossing the Yellowstone River we looked for otter, but only found tracks.

UPPER YELLOWSTONE FALLS

SNOW SCULPTURE WITH OTTER TRACKS TO SIDE

LOWER YELLOWSTONE FALLS

The waterfalls at Firehole Canyon were lovely. In this case the cloudy skies helped make for non-contrasty light on the 
Falls so it is easier to get the silky look.

As we drove back to town, we saw some swan on the Madison River as well two Bald Eagles searching for food.

ON LOOKOUT

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28TH:

The wintry weather persisted today with overcast skies. Our fist stop was in Lower Geyser Basin for a faint sunrise. Really no color but some light on the clouds.   

A SMALL ERUPTION STARTING

We visited several areas, including Biscuit Basin. It was a challenge to get the bubbling to really show. But thanks to motor drive one can be successful in seeing the small geysers bubbling. 

Along one of the streams there were a couple of Bald Eagles 
fishing for food. One of them came up with a good sized fish which he proceeded to eat. As you can see it was again snowing, but not too hard so a few pictures were taken. 

It turns out that our lunch was not on the vehicle so we went to the Snow Lodge in the Old Faithful area to get some lunch at the small lunch spot. We all got a

sandwich or soup and enjoyed eating it indoors with either tea, coffee, or cocoa. Once done we were again on our way back to West Yellowstone. 

Daily we had passed  a wolf kill probably of an elk but it was quite a distance from the road and hiding behind a snow bank. We stopped here and got some pictures of crows,

 and a golden eagle helping to clean up the area. They were quite a distance away and in very poor light. 

As we were photographing there we also saw a bald eagle and two trumpeter swans fly by. 

Our final bird sighting was of a couple of common mergansers along the river.

We called it a day a little early as we had a two hour drive to Gardiner MT, the  gateway entrance to the Park on the Northeast side.  We will be staying here for two nights. My daughter, Klara, joined me here for this and then we will go to Bozeman for two nights.