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| Trumpeter Swan on Firehole River |
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| Snow and Water Lilies |
Woke up to socked-in, grey, cloudy skies so there was no sunrise that we could see. Nonetheless , we got up and trekked out, just in case, but no luck. However we took the opportunity to hang out with the pair of trumpeter swans we saw yesterday foraging in the Firehole River. They hadn't budged from their location despite the bevy of photographers congregating around the pair.
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| Unique Landscapes of Geyser Basin |
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| Old Faithful Inn (R. Dunn) |
We headed back to the campground to fill up on water and make coffee but the rain started to come down pretty hard so we passed on the coffee and just checked out and headed south through the geyser basin to Old Faithful. We made a couple of photography stops for the geothermal features, got soaked, and then just headed south. Just as we pulled into the Inn it started to snow. We had breakfast at the Inn (Ambiance A-, food C), and then, taking advantage of the cellular access we checked in on our home e-mail and I worked on the blog until Old Faithful erupted.
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| Colorful Wetlands (R. Dunn) |
We packed up, visited one more geothermal site, Biscuit Basin, and then made our way to the south entrance along the Lewis River and then, ultimately the Grand Tetons. Along the Lewis River we came across some colorful wetlands that warranted a few photos. Puzzled a few passers-by, wondering what we found so captivating. If it isn't one of the sexy megafauna (or even a chipmunk) it isn't worth a second glance. In response to an inquiry by one gentleman, I just extend my arm to the vibrant colors and then said "Shhh. We're watching the fall colors. Don't scare them." He laughed, acknowledged my point, and took a few photos.
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| Shy Tetons |
We then headed down to Teton National Park and as we entered the the Jackson Hole Valley we were greeted with clouds, clouds, and low-lying clouds. Couldn't see one iota of a mountain; just a drained down reservoir. If we hadn't known where we were, we would never have know what was hiding behind all that vapor. The one good thing was that there was some decent fall foliage color. And so began the ongoing debate for the next couple of days. Do we hang out in Teton where the color was good but the weather (and, consequently, the light) was and predicted to continue to be lousy for the next three days? Or do we head down to Colorado where the weather was glorious but the fall foliage color was much delayed?
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| Tetons (R. Dunn) |
As we debated, wonder of wonders but the clouds temporarily cleared so that we were able to get a view of those amazing mountains and snap a few documentary though decidedly unartistic photos.
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| Tetons and Snake River |
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| Falls Colors at Oxbow Bend |
At that point we decided we'd stick around for the night. The potential for good photography, with the colors and the mountains, was so great, that it was worth one night's stay. So we reserved a spot and Jenny Lake Campground and then toured the rather small National Park and got a few ideas of where we might get a decent sunrise photo, choosing the very popular Snake River Oxbow Pullout.
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| Camp site at Lake Jenny |
We then returned to our campsite where we discovered that some visiting Chinese students had taken up residence in our spot. After a little explanation and much apologizing from the students, they relocated. Turns out they were taking a worldwind tour of the US - LA, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Teton, Yellowstone, Seattle, and Portland (for the tax free shopping). We then settled in for a meal of chicken and rice, wine, and chocolate around a campfire as the temperatures plummeted from the 40's to, what I discovered the next day, to be the mid-20's. Glad I wore my long-johns, polar-fleece, hat, and down booties to bed!
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