2018, Whitewater Draw

This January trip west was delayed in southern LA by an ice storm. Sitting it out until I 12 and I 10 were opened in a mall parking lot behind a Cracker Barrel was interesting. After setting up a solar panel I made the best of the record breaking cold as I watched the area fill with 18 wheelers. Nearly 32 hours later we all got back on the road and the trip west to AZ was uneventful.

Once in AZ I stopped at Whitewater Draw to spend some time observing the Sandhill Cranes that winter there. The cranes number in the thousands and have a very different schedule than those I watched in Bosque del Apache over two years ago. IT was cold in AZ, too, but worth it to see the birds. 

I got to see a Vermillion Flycatcher, watch some handsome ducks and a Killdeer, too. 

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2017 Grand Tetons

From Utah I headed north to Gros Ventre campground in Grant Tetons NP, just outside Jackson, WY. It was cold and snowy two days but the solar worked great keeping the trailer battery charged along with other stuff. Didn’t see any moose, but I did spend a bit of time at Schwabacher’s Landing, capturing a beaver, muskrat and some sort of interesting bird.

The snow fell mostly two mornings but once it stopped the roads were clear and dry. I took advantage of that and managed to get a few unique images.

As always it is interesting to photograph one of the old Mormon barns, the sunsets are never the same.

Last day I was there I finally got to see a bear.

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2017, into Arizona

One of the fun things about driving out West is seeing the way various cities decorate their over and underpasses.

I stayed at Quartzite for a few days with friends, this is all boon docking on BLM land, free but no amenities. It was cloudy, cold, windy and often rained, not exactly what you picture the desert to be. This particular week at Quartzite is a huge RV show, with literally hundreds of vendors all around town selling everything imaginable. On the BLM land you will see every type, make, age of rv, trailer or camping rig.

From Quartzite I headed down to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. This is right on the border with Mexico. The saguaro, organ pipe and other cactus abound and the Ajo mountains make a nice background for some images. The campground here is very nice, with good sized paved sites, plenty of bathrooms and spigots for water. No hookups, of course, but with the solar I can do quite nicely.

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2016 Grand Teton NP, 2

Sunset over the Tetons

A colorful sunset over the Tetons is always a delight. After spending a long time at the riverside hoping to see some moose I gave up, threw the camera gear in the truck and headed out since it looked like there might be a good sunset. Turns out the gamble paid off!

I was up very early the next morning and caught the sunrise lighting up the Tetons and then happened on some bison that were still frosty from the cold night. While driving around or
being stopped I’ve also seen two foxes and two coyotes.

The night of the full moon it was very clear so I headed out to see what a couple of places

Full moon light on the barn on Mormon Row with the Tetons and Big Dipper

looked like in the moonlight. First stop was the iconic barn on Mormon Row with the Tetons behind it.

After that I went to another spot on a hunch. On a good day the

Full moon light at Schwabacher’s Landing with Tetons and Big Dipper

Tetons are reflected in the river and I thought if things came together right the moonlit Tetons would be reflected in the river. Sure enough, they were!

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2016 Yellowstone 3, 2016

Been here in Canyon Village campground for a few days now, they’ve resurfaced a lot of the road and as usual the campsites are in excellent condition. It is at a pretty high elevation

Evening light on snowy Absaroka Mountains

(over 7900′) so it can get very cold this time of year. Labor Day brought several snow showers but  nothing lasted long. I did get a nice evening shot of the snow on the Absaroka mountains.

Bison bull on a frosty morning

Tuesday morning was very frosty and provided some nice images.

The bison are plentiful in Hayden Valley right now, causing many “bison jams” but the park has rangers now who are out and about in SUVs patrolling. They have loud speakers and tell people ” do not stop in the roadway”,  “get back in your vehicle”, etc.

They also do a bit of herding to get the bison off the road and have a loud sort of clicking sound on the speaker that the critters don’t seem to like.

Bison bull

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2016 Glacier NP, 2016 final

The next to last day at Glacier I was able to get a couple of  photos of a grizzly feeding in the bushes. Unfortunately when I headed out that time I did not put the long lens in the truck, just the camera bag with other lenses, this was a mistake and one I won’t make again.

Last night after hitching up the trailer and dumping the tanks in preparation to leave first thing this morning I wasn’t driving anywhere. It looked like it was clearing and sure enough about 11 pm it was very clear out and the Milky Way was visible in all its glory above the mountain. I got out the camera and tripod, set up in the road next to the trailer and took about 12 images using 2 different lenses. Well worth the effort! To my delight I captured a couple of meteors along with the Milky Way. Always fun to see the night sky!

2016 Glacier NP, 2016

I’ve been here about a week now and the weather has for the most part been great, clear and

Snow on the tops, view from the trailer

sunny. Late one day it got very cold and rainy but it didn’t last all that long I took the dogs out for a last walk about 10 pm and sure enough there was snow on the tops. It lasted long enough so I got a few images the next morning, too. Much colder on the tops than it was down low.

 

I lucked out this trip and got a very nice pull through campsite with great sun exposure for the solar panel. A couple of days ago the wind kicked up too much to have the awning out but it keeps the temps inside and outside quite pleasant.

I’ve been enjoying the astronomer’s presentations in the evenings, always good to try to learn more about the night skies. Am even finding I can locate a few constellations now. Even more fun is going out to photograph the night sky. Last night I went up to Logan Pass then came back down to the first pullout below it. Managed to get one of the mountains with some glaciers.

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