The Tetons are teasing me (again)

Another grey day in the Tetons. Story of my sad and pathetic life. Above are 3 photographs, reading top to bottom: Sunrise Wednesday, Sunset Tuesday, Sunrise (or lack thereof) Thursday. With the exception of the top photo, the Tetons have been teasing me and are now telling me it's time to leave.

When we rolled in on Tuesday afternoon the cloud deck was very promising. Scattered but thick clouds with a break on the western horizon that would allow the sun to reflect off the underside of the clouds and color up the Tetons. But just before sunset the cloulds just magically disapated. They just went away! There was some nice late light on Tiwinot but mostly it was a fizzle.

Sunrise Wednesday was really nice but not spectacular. Again, some clouds adding atmosphere to the shot and a break at the horizon that would allow the clouds to color up but alas, just before the sun came up some clouds must have formed at the horizon. I got some awesome light on the peaks as you can see but the clouds never did display any color. On a scale of 1-10 I'd rate this one an 8. Some more colorful clouds and less wind to spoil the reflections would have made it a 10.

Finally, this morning. I planned to be at the barn on Mormon Row when the sun came up at 5:45 and knew it was a 30 minute drive to get there. When I rolled over and looked at the clock it was 4:59 and I knew I was going to have to hurry to get on location. It was overcast when I got outside but there were some breaks near the horizon (are we seeing a theme here?) and I thought it might be one of those magic times when everything gets some blazing color. Blazing down the highway, hoping not to T-bone an elk or moose or bison, I came to the realization that I wasn't going to make it to Mormon Row so I quickly pulled into Schwabacher's Landing. Put the camera together, get the gradient neutral density filter holder mounted on the lens, and hike the 2o0 or so yards to the beaver pond hoping the color on the eastern horizon would spread to the rest of the sky now that I'm in place. Sadly, another fizzle. The sun just barely kissed the top of Tiwinot for about 15 seconds before the clouds on the horizon closed in and everything went grey.

So today is the day Heather and I have to head home and the Tetons are making sure I don't forget that. But before leaving, I was standing by the beaver pond at Schwabacher's grousing with a couple of other shooters about the lack of light when 2 things hit me:

1. Nobody likes a whiner. So what if the sunrise was a drag...there are so many other things to see and do here that any day is a glorious day. Remember: Your worst day on vacation is better than your best day at work.

2. These mountains are so freakin spectacular to look at, any day you're here seeing them is a great day. Besides, leaving on a grey day means I have to come back. Next time I'll plan the trip a bit differently. More time in the Tetons and less time in Yellowstone. Maybe that way I can trick the weather and it will be nice while I'm here.

Things that make a Photographer go "Hmmmm...."

Musings on the last night in the Tetons. After 4 days in Yellowstone and 2 days here Heather and I are headed home tomorrow. It's been a grand journey and very thought provoking in many ways. Here are a few:

Camel Flash (Camoflouge)

I've seen lots of serious photographers in Yellowstone decked out in full camo gear from head to toe. Even their lenses have camo wrappings. Now I fully understand the importance of blending in when you're photographing creatures that aren't habituated to man. I've even been known to wrap myself in a camo poncho with only my lens poking out on a few occasions. But here's the deal. What is the purpose of being fully camo equipped in Yellowstone? I guess they figure if a bear or bison decides to charge the 100 or so tourists standing shoulder to shoulder photographing said creature, the camo will hide you and you won't be the one the critter stomps or chews. Hmmmmmm

Equipment Envy (It's all about size)

I fancy myself a professionial photographer. At the very least I'm a recovering professional photographer. And when I hit the field with my 100-400 zoom I usually feel pretty secure in my equipment. But all this week I've felt puny...under gunned...insignificant. When I haul out the 100-400 and I have the smallest lens there it's a sad deal. In Yellowstone, more often than not I found myself surrounded by "photographers" who have more wrapped up in their rigs than I paid for my car. Top of the line Nikon or Canon body with full blown motor drive, 500mm or 600mm lens, big-ass Gitzo tripod with a very expensive gimbal head, motor drives, etc. Where do these guys get their cash to buy this stuff. What do they do with the images? Are they all pros or just wannabes? Hmmmmmmm

Are you sure that's a wolf?

A few times this week we dropped by the Slough Creek trailhead where there was usually a ton of people with spotting scopes and stuff. When asked what they're looking at they would grudgingly point across the valley about 3/4 of a mile to an area where one of the wolf packs has their den. With my spotting scope cranked all the way to 60X I could see some small moving dots. "Are you sure those are wolves?" "Of course, I said so didn't I?" Seems to me if you're too far away to tell what the heck something is at 60X magnification, you didn't see no wolves. Hmmmmmm

Badgers? We don't need no stinkin badgers...

One of the ways to spot wildlife in Yellowstone is to drive around looking for a bunch of folks with big lenses (there goes the lens envy thing again) standing by the side of the road, stop and ask what they see. One such group replied "we're waiting for a badger to come out of the brush." A badger....really? Here you are in the home of 2 of the predators at the very top of the food chain and you're waiting in the rain for a badger? I just don't get that one. Hmmmmmm

Information please....

In past years and trips to Yellowstone and Grand Teton the Park Service staff has been really helpful with information on where to most consistently see wildlife. Keep in mind, wolves and bears are where you find them. To a certain degree they are creatures of habit but as someone once said, "...the only thing predictable about a grizzly is that it's unpredictable." This year, though, none of the government employees would commit to anything. The standard answer was "I haven't really heard anything specific..." Rubbish. They have radios and hear about every bear jam and every wolf jam and every whatever jam. But this year, none of them are sharing. Must be some kind of directive from the Democratic administration. Hmmmmmm

Wolf Watchers are friendly people. (If they know you)

There's a chat board I monitor from time to time detailing the movement of wolves and bears in Yellowstone. The folks there seem pretty friendly though occasionally they'll go off on some newbie that asks what they perceive to be a silly question. This year, though, on more than one occasion I stopped at a group of spotting scopes and asked what they were looking at. Most of the time someone would say "wolves" before going back to a conversation with their pals. More than once I had to be a persistant ass to get them to tell me more than that. Once I even had to ask 4 times for landmarks so I could try and spot the critter. They probably thought I was rude. I KNOW they were rude. Hmmmmmmm

And on that note I'm headed back to the cabin to get ready to leave in the morning. Bye for now Wyoming. I'll be back. And next time I'll have a bigger lens and a buncha camel flash clothing. That makes me a pro, right?