A quick recap: I am in Jackson. At the Rusty Parrot Lodge. I'd show you the view from my window, except that it was dark when I arrived yesterday and it is still dark when I leave it this morning. Here's why:
In a striking confluence of events, I learned that I would benefit from taking three Delta flights this year still, and I learned this on the same day that I watched the movie Grizzly 399 - Queen of the Tetons, which happened to be just a day before I read in the paper that the bear featured in the film had been struck by a vehicle. She died just a few miles from Jackson. (If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it -- stream it on PBS, though there is now that element of tragedy since we now know how her life ends.) I mention this because one almost has to believe that some strange forces propelled me to be in Jackson right now. (I do not believe in strange forces, but it sure does feel that I was somehow destined to come here.) Go to the Grand Tetons! Just go!
So I came.
In reading more about the death of Bear 399, I learned about her incredible popularity not only among the tourists (she didn't like people, but she understood that they offered a distinct form of protection from other predatory bears and so she came relatively close to them), but also among the locals. I followed a link from one article to two such locals -- Gina and Jack, who together offer a more intimate look at the Teton wildlife via their small scale outfit (it's just the two of them) that they call Team399.
I thought what they put together was perfect for me: a day's exploration of the Park with a focus on nature and the animals who live here (if we're lucky to see them). They know the place inside out. (As Jack says -- this Park is my church. These animals are my family.) I don't need to rent a car. We'll head out together, rain or shine.
They said they would pick me up at 6:45.
Here's another quote from Ansel Adams: “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” Gina and Jack -- a photographer himself -- know where to stand. They know where and when the herds of bison roam. They know why the grizzlies are abandoning the forests of the Tetons (drought, not enough food). They know about the struggle to have Wyoming folk and wealthy newcomers spend money on hiding their trash so that the bears quit coming in contact with developments. They know this stuff.
At 6:40, we are off.
Rain or shine? Jackson Hole is more likely to have snow cover the summits in late November. And indeed, in the Grand Teton Park, there is a solid base of the white stuff already. Many of the roads are closed. But I got super lucky. Not only isn't it a wet day, it's also a relatively cloud-free day. I'm thinking: I may not see many animals, but I will see the mountains.
They have a cup of coffee and a muffin for me (local? -- I asked... from Idaho! -- they tell me. They live just across the border), but I save it for later. I'm focused on the drive right now.
What follows next is a run through a sampling of my photographs from this outing. We went on back-roads, dirt roads, all kinds of half-roads, with Gina's binoculars and phone consultations with a buddy photographer who is also roaming the Park today, alone, with his camera -- to help us along.
(the first sighting is always exciting! here: a moose)
(and another, against a backdrop of Tetons at dawn)
(an elk heard, hiding!)
(oh those mountains!)
(moose, almost hidden by the tall brush)
(sky still pink as the rays hit the summit)
(here, I think the moose take a back seat to the now sun drenched mountain tops)
(This is John Mouton's barn -- he was a homesteader who raised cattle here until this land became a National Park; he remained on the land until he died at age 103 in 1990.)
(an elk herd, trying to decide whether to cross the road... we pulled over and watched as they went back and forth, changing their mind every time they got spooked by a car or by who knows what...)
(leader of the pack: "should we go now?" "no!")
(we leave them to their big decision; our movement spooks them of course..)
(a field of bison: their herds have grown tremendously here...)
(we woke this poor coyote from a nap by the side of the dirt road!)
(this has to be my favorite photo of the day!)
(the herd)
(Lake Jackson)
(the shelter here is open for bathroom use; it's where I also have Jack and Gina's coffee and muffin)
(a swarm of redhead ducks)
(always, the Great Tetons...)
(close to Jackson now -- a buck)
(aspens)
I have to say, my stomach does not like rough twisty roads, especially when I'm turned toward the side window to keep my eyes glued to the landscape. As the morning progressed, the wild animals retreated and there were few enough that I felt confident by noon that I had reached my limit!
The downside of all this expedition (if you can call it a downside) is that we did not walk much at all. You need to cover a large terrain to be successful in spotting wildlife. Walking, waiting -- those are an animal photographer's best friends, but if you want to raise your odds of finding animals in a short period of time (and a morning is a short period of time) -- you need to drive.
With this in mind, I decided tomorrow to do a one day car rental, so that I can get a more intimate feel for the forest, the mountains here by walking some of the Park's trails. This is going to be a challenge, because I asked a lot of local people (at the front desk, at the car rental place, in the coffee shop, at the photo gallery... etc) what would be good hikes without snowshoes for tomorrow and they had very strong and very different opinions on this. I combined some and I have a plan. For tomorrow.
I was in my room shortly after noon. Well, actually not in my room, but in a different room. The vent was emitting strange noises and they quickly changed me to the other side of the building. I was amused that the art work here depicted something very familiar to me!
Cranes!
I sat down on the big comfy chair with the snuggly blanket and a teddy bear (each room comes with that) and I fell asleep.
Later, I went out for my "walk" -- such as it is! I went to the car rental place and then I stopped by a handful of local shops with local wares.
There are a lot of them and of course, they're standing empty in the off-off season. It gave me a chance to talk to some of the people who call Jackson home.
I had already gotten a bit of the background from Jack and Gina. About how hedge fund managers love Wyoming and how easy it is here to purchase a "home" for them and to declare it their place, so that their millions are not subject to state taxes (Wyoming has no individual or corporate income tax). About the ranches that can no longer raise the beef to feed the American taste for a good cheap steak. [Unless specified as Wyoming beef, the ones offered in restaurants usually comes from South America. Jack laughed when I said I saw elk on the menu. That's not ours, you know. It's from New Zealand. You cant hunt and sell wild elk here.] And yes, I read about how votes are cast here in elections. Jackson's blue (Teton County: Harris, 65.8%, all the remaining counties -- at least that much for Trump, sometimes quite a bit higher). But I needed to listen to a smattering of other voices and I found that at this time, with so few tourists here, most were happy to take the time to talk. About aspects of life here at the foot of these mountains.
Of course, where better to do some more listening than at the local coffee shop. I finally have something that resembles lunch (granola and yogurt!). And a solid cup of coffee.
(would you call hers a cowboy hat?)
(and back to my lovely little lodge)
Dinner tonight is at the Blue Lion.
Again there is elk on the menu. Ha! And beef. And Idaho trout. And duck. Let's go with duck. (I ask the waiter where the duck is from and he says -- Idaho. I swear I would have passed if he had said Lake Jackson.)
Evening. Finally, quiet and restful. No need to set the alarm for tomorrow, no need to rush in the morning. I saw bison by the Tetons. Everything else is frosting on an already good cake.
with love...
