My drive from Pelican Valley down to Grand Teton National Park was a lazy, leisurely one. No hurry to be anywhere because I didn’t know why I was going anywhere.
I took some of the side roads along Yellowstone Lake and sat in the forest, watching the birds. Pine Martens were on my mind, even then. I also stopped at the West Thumb Geyser Basin and took a walk. While the bathrooms were quite crowded and difficult to get into, the boardwalks were not and the stroll was pleasant. I have heard of otters in that location but did not see any during my visit.
When I finally left Yellowstone I stopped along the river for the first time ever and learned that a grizzly had just crossed the road. I missed him! I went to a nearby picnic area and had my breakfast – cereal and just hung out awhile before resuming my journey.
My first view of the Teton Mountains and Jackson Lake took my breath away, as always. I was struck by how much snow had still been left in the southern portion of Yellowstone and northern part of GTNP. The mountains reminded me of why I was making the journey.
As I drove through the park, all was quiet until I reached Pilgrim road and could see a number of cars parked back behind the pond and the cottonwoods. I arrived on scene just as 399 and cubs moved off and out of site. Oh well, I got to see them!
I was headed to town, with plans to find a motel room, a shower and a washing machine. Having left home unprepared, I needed to get cleaned up and luckily did not have troubles finding a fairly cheap motel. Before going into Jackson I stopped to see the coyote pups. Tough shoot in afternoon light and those pups were so darned tiny!
I had been out shooting for two days and unable to download anything because of not having a back up drive, or so I thought. So, onto the Simply Mac store for a backup drive. My iPhone has never held a charge very well and has had to be plugged in at all times and so they tested it and the battery was failing. I got a new battery and new glass cover for the screen and discovered that I could see my phone! And, it doesn’t have to always be plugged in.
The day was late but I decided to go on back out and look for 399. When I arrived at Pilgrim, she had once again just gone out of sight. I left and went down the road where there was a beautiful black bear keeping everyone entertained. And, then I noticed the bear manager heading for her car and so knew that 399 had to be out. And, she was! In some little yellow flowers and perfect evening light.
That evening with 399 and her two remaining cubs, was special for me because the scene was beautiful and I was able to relax while taking photos. I was even able to step off of the road and rearrange my position to capture her. I could have gone much closer but chose to stand back and stay relaxed.
That night was why I became a wildlife photographer – watch and enjoy wild animals being natural in their own habitat.
To be continued
Just wonderful!