I'm a research junkie. I freely admit it and understand it and sometimes even revel in it. I've been spending some time planning a few trips this spring and summer and it's occurred to me that I may be a bit OCD when it comes to planning. So I thought I might share some of the madness I go through when setting up a trip. In this case we'll take the Yellowstone trip in May. Heather has been asking me to take her to Yellowstone ever since she saw my photos from a trip there in May, 2007 and I've been getting the itch to go again so this is the year. Anyway, here's the procedure.
First, I have to go through the mental gymnastics of checking the schedule at work and comparing it to Heather's spring break schedule. In this case the stars aligned and I was able to get time off in May the week before Memorial Day. That's a great time to be in the park. Bison calves have dropped, elk are about to give birth, and moose are not far behind. And in the Lamar Valley in the northeast corner of the park that means 2 things: wolves and bears. Good thing since that's what Heather wants to see.
So, time and destinations are set. Now the search begins for lodging. I can't camp in the car with Heather along and even if she wasn't there it's still too cold at night up there. So I hit the web and search for lodging around Cooke City or Silvergate, Montana both of which are just outside Yellowstone and the towns closest to the Lamar Valley. Now comes decision time....opulent or basic? Motel room or cabin? Kitchenette or not? If there's a kitchen in the room we can cut some of our costs by not eating at restuarants. Great idea. That decision made, I can narrow the choices down and send inquiries to the choices about availability for our time frame. 2 of the 3 choices responded, 1 didn't so they're out. I weighed the advantages of the other two and made a decision. A quick phone call and the reservation was made. First chore done.
Now it's time to do the same for Grand Teton. Heather says she really wants to spend some time in the Tetons so we'll spend 3 nights in Cooke City before heading south for 2 nights in the Tetons. I have a favorite place to stay there: Signal Mountain Lodge. Pop into their website to refresh my memory about the rooms available then call and make a reservation. That does it, the sleeping arrangements are made for the trip.
On to the itinerary. What are we going to do while we're there? For the next 6 weeks I'll check some websites I know that detail what's going on with wildlife in the park. By the time we get there I'll have an idea where the wolves are hanging out and most likely where there are some fresh kills that bears are feeding on near the roads. That's where we'll be for sunrises and maybe for sunsets. During the rest of the day we'll see the sights of Yellowstone. 1 day we'll head south through the Hayden Valley to Yellowstone Lake with a stop at LeHardy Rapids to see if we can photograph some Harlequin Ducks. Another day we'll head west to Mammoth and maybe south to the Firehole river. The next day we'll have a look at Yellowstone Falls. On our travel day we'll make a stop at Old Faithful and see the geyser pop. Then on to the Tetons for more tourist stuff. Maybe even a day trip to Jackson, the ultimate tourist town.
Now my thoughts turn to the photographic process for the trip. Are there any "must get" shots that I don't already have? Do I have the right equipment? These and other things will be rolling through my mind. I'll be thinking of the last trip and how did my equipment perform. I'll check and clean lenses and cameras over and over again. By the time I unpack the cameras in Yellowstone they'll be cleaner than ever. I'll have to check the memory cards to make sure everything on them has been downloaded before formatting the cards and who knows? I will probably pick up another card or two. You can never have enough memory.
Then back to the web and a search for images of Yellowstone and the Tetons to see if there's anything out there I haven't seen and to look for inspiration. Have I overlooked any locations? I'll review my photos from the previous trips to see what I can do better. Would this shot look better at sunset than it did at sunrise? And along the way I'll try to think of something to sacrifice to the weather gods to get me some clouds for that sunset behind the Tetons. Clear blue skies are good for general sightseeing but they're a pox on the house of a nature photographer. This is when I'll start making a shot list and start haunting the photo bulletin boards for info on specific locations. Finished, right? Ha!
As the trip gets closer I'll start making mental lists of things. Should I take the camp stove and cooking gear? What food will we need to take? What about clothing? This is a volatile period in Yellowstone. Last time I was there in May the temps were in the upper 60's during the day and I got sunburned. At night it still gets down to the high 30's or low 40's usually and there's the occasional night when you have to scrape the windshield in the morning. In 2007 the day I left for home it snowed and I drove through snow all the way across Wyoming. Gotta be prepared for anything
The last few nights before we leave I'll be going over equipment to make sure everything is ready. Tightening screws on the tripod, charging batteries, formatting memory cards, packing everything. I'll be doing laundry and packing a suitcase. Checking hiking boots to see if I need new laces. And bear spray! Gotta have bear spray if we're going to be hiking at all. Fishing gear? Yellowstone doesn't usually open for fishing until Memorial Day but there's a stream behind the cabin we've rented in Cooke City. Will there be time for fishing? Did I remember to pack the maps and compass and what about the guidebooks?
Sometime during this hectic last week before I'll have to decide which route we're going to take. Through Casper to Cody or cross country and through Dubois? Should we leave Friday night and get a motel along the way or leave early Saturday and have one long day of driving?
Are you tired yet? Well, there's obviously something I've overlooked. Hopefully I'll remember what it is before we go roamin through Wyomin. If not, it can't be very important.
So that's a brief tour of what I go through planning a photo trip. Family trips are something else entirely but I don't want to get into that right now. Maybe next time. If you see or think of something I've left out, let me know. How do YOU plan for a trip?
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