Yellowstone - July 17th through 24th....

Hey Folks,

I am going to be in Yellowstone starting Sunday the 17th. If anyone is coming out during that period, send me an e-mail (or post here). We can do a small and impromptu NWP get-together. :)

I am going to be staying all over the Park (and after the 21st in Grand Teton and Jackson). I am hoping to put together some new material while I am out there.

I have NEVER been out there during the height of tourist season. I should have a lot of fun yelling at folks in trailers.

-JM

Sounds great! Hope a few show up. I wont make it as I would go balistic over the traffic. You are in for a very disturbing experience -- traffic can be hell particularly when coming in from the south (Jackson entrance). I go every year but never plan to shoot in the summer, nonetheless, you will have fun – come to think of it, I cant image not having fun in Yellowstone! I am sure you are well aware that the best time to travel is also the best time to shoot. So scout hard during the day and be in position at first light. With it being light here for 18 hours now, you will not get much sleep, but as my grandfather use to tell me, "you'll get enough sleep when you’re dead."

If you plan to camp, there are places to camp that are off the path south of the park and near the north end of the tetons, right on the snake river.

have a good time

Finalshot

I will spend 3 days in Jackson towards the end of the week. I will be mostly in the park bouncing around between the various lodges.

I learned a valuable trick recently. 'Xanterra's website lies.' Specifically, their website lists every place as being completely booked until mid-August. I was able to find lodging - pretty much where ever I wanted - by just calling.

I am always a bit anxious about camping with all of my camera equipment, though I know that MANY people do it.

Anyway, you are right about sleep. My wife tells me that vacation is kind of like 'going to work' because I am up before dawn and in bed well after midnight.

-JM

BTW, I will be putting up a list of where I see wildlife during the week.

I am not sure if I will be putting up an interview that week. I will if I can.

-JM

That sounds great, James. I will not be able to make it either though. It sounds like fun.

Lou

James, I'll be heading up to Colorado, Grand Teton
and Yellowstone and maybe Glacier, for a month starting out on the July 5th.

I would like to possibly meet up with you.

Still in the finalization of my routing.

Hi Johnny,

I know you are still finalizing your road trip, but it sounds grand to be able to take a month off like that. I wish that I could. :( Are you driving up from Texas or flying in from somewhere else?

Tim

Hey Johnny,

One more! Let me know when you finalize your schedule. My wife and I would love to meet up with you!

-JM

Hi guys,

Sounds like fun! My husband would probably enjoy meeting up with photographers in Yellowstone sometime. He loves to get out and about to shoot, and I am the *roadside tourist* type. :)

We wouldn't be able to join up this time because we already have another obligation then, but I'll keep my eyes peeled for future plans! We usually try to get there every Fall for the Elk rut, but I doubt we'll find the time to this year. :(

Anyway, our daughter works in the Old Faithful Lodge Gift Shop. hmm, is it the Lodge or the Inn? I always get the 2 mixed up, it's the one with the Old Faithful clock in it. :) So If you see a cute blonde girl wearing a name tag with "Morgan" on it, make sure you tell her hi, and freak her out. LOL She loves working there, it's her second summer there.

As for the traffic, I guess as long as your ready and willing to deal with it, it shouldn't be too stressful. Last time we went, we got stuck in a 'buffalo jam' and spent four hours on a 3 to 5 mile stretch, burned a whole evening, missed our dinner reservations and everything was closed by the time we got back to our room. After that experience, I'd take traffic any day. :)

Have some fun!

Hey Sheebs,

You had better warn your daughter that Easterners are coming. My wife and I are going to be staying one night at Old Faithful. The stores are all very different then they used to be. I believe that all of the stores are now run by Xanterra (they used to be owned and operated by the Hamilton family).

How does your daughter like her job? It sounds like a lot of fun and we often think that it would be a great way to spend a summer.

-JM

Hiya James,

She always has lots of interesting stories about tourists. LOL But that kind of goes with the job, I'd think. She says some of the foreigners come to buy a trinket just to get the Yellowstone/Old Faithful bag it's put in!

We actually gave her the idea to work there last year after she graduated high school, we were there the Fall before and saw all the young people working there. She went kicking and screaming the first year but then of course didn't want to leave once she got there and couldn't wait to get back there this year.

She loves it! I never hear from her, so I know she's loving it. :) Everyone she works with loves it too. I know there has been some bad press about Xanterra, but for the most part, I think employees are just happy to live and work in Yellowstone. Just as long as you don't go there planning to get rich on the wages. :) Lots of couples work there together for the summer.

Here's a Yellowstone story for you:

Right after she got there this year, made friends, called me to tell me one of her friends got attacked by a bear behind the dorms near Old Faithful. He was hiking on a trail and came across a grizzly(? think she told me grizzly). It walked up to him, he tried to scare it off, didn't work... So he curled up in a ball as the bear came upon him. The bear then swiped him hard across the hiney and walked off. Left him a battle scar and a new outlook on life. Lucky guy! This is why I like to remain a roadside tourist. :)I'm the slowest runner, so I'd be doomed. LOL

Hi Sheebs,

Sounds like your daughter is having a magnificent time. I have not visited Yellowstone in many years. If I had the time, I would be glad to come out. Unfortunately, trips to Yellowstone is expensive, and I am not just talking about the airfare.

Grizzly bear are beautiful but very dangerous animals. Her friend is lucky that he is not dead. I agree with you about being a roadside tourist. :)

Tim

Tim,

Yep, we'll be driving up from Texas.

One week from today.....YAHOO!

James, I will let ya know.

For sure I'll be in Colorado Springs on July 7 or 8.
I have to be there to pick up our pop-up trailer we
will be renting.

Then we will probably head on to Grand Teton or northern Colorado but at this time thats just a guess.

I am still trying to decide when to be in Crested Butte for the wildflowers.

Hey Johnny,

You are doing something that my father and I had been discussing for years - though obviously we would be coming from the East Coast. The thing that had always stopped us, and unfortunately will never happen now, is the time factor. We mapped it out and guessed it would take us a minimum of 2 to 3 weeks to get across with all the stopping on the way.

Texas to Yellowstone is a long way to haul, and you are going to be making some significant detours along the way. Even with the higher speed limits coming from the South up. Have you thought about the different places you want to stop along the way?

I am glad for you that you are getting a chance to do this. Maybe in a few years I will do it by RV or something. Doing it in a car is much harder then many people guess.

Tim

I am getting really excited about our trip to Yellowstone. My problem is now trying to figure out where to stay in Jackson. My wife and I have very dear friends who own an inn, but they were booked up solid.

We will be heading out now in two weeks. I have not decided whether or not to bring anything 'funky' with me on the trip in terms of a lens. I have been debatig getting a 10-22mm lens for my 20d. Some of the vistas are spectacular and as much as I love my 16-35, it does not do it justice.

-JM

Tim,

One of the good things about being from Texas (well I guess you can call it good)is that you get used to some long drives. When I lived on the coast here in Texas I had to drive 30 miles just to go shopping, 150 miles to the south side of Houston, 90 miles to Corpus, 200+ plus to San Antonio or Austin, well you get the picture.

I have driven to almost Acapulco, to Colorado Springs, to South Portland, Maine and to Burlington, Vermont so driving doesn't really bother me its just part of the adventure.

Stops along the way.... probably won't stop except for the motel until I get to Colorado Springs then I'll play it by ear. I am kind of a plan a route and then take another route type of traveler.

I am hoping to set up a blog of our trip if I can put it together before I leave on Tuesday.

If you decide to do something similar wait and rent your RV in Colorado Springs. In my case the RV will be a pop up camper towed behind my Honda Passport SUV. Sometimes we just have to put things on hold and as Nike says...just do it. I guess construction has its good sides... work hard and long then play hard and as long as you can..

Hey Johnny,

You are welcome to put up a running story of your travels here if you want. It sounds like it is going to be a lot of fun - though I think that Tim might be correct about the desire to step off the beaten path periodically. :)

Make sure that you share your pictures!!

-JM

James,

We started staying in Teton Village on our trips to Jackson. They might have something open if everything else is booked, plus they have everything you could need within walking distance.

Do you know about that gravel road past Teton Village that takes you into the Teton Park? We would get up at the crack of dawn to hit that dirt road. We have seen Moose, Coyotes, a Bear and Elk on that stretch of road. I'm sure you know about it, but that's our favorite hot spot to hit in the early hours for pictures. We sat out there one crisp, cold, morning with the windows down and listened to the Coyotes howling to each other.

We are only 4 hours away from Jackson Hole... you're making me want to go!!

Edited to Add:

I also talked to my daughter tonight that works in Yellowstone. She told us we'd be sorry if we didn't come this year because she guaranteed we'd see a bear. I guess they are everywhere! (We have yet to see a bear in Yellowstone, only one we came across was the cub in JH.)

I'm sure you've done your homework on your pending trip, but next time I talk to her I'll ask her where they are being spotted frequently this year.

Do you know about that gravel road past Teton Village that takes you into the Teton Park? We would get up at the crack of dawn to hit that dirt road. We have seen Moose, Coyotes, a Bear and Elk on that stretch of road. I'm sure you know about it, but that's our favorite hot spot to hit in the early hours for pictures. We sat out there one crisp, cold, morning with the windows down and listened to the Coyotes howling to each other.

Hey Sheebs,

The gravel road that you are referring to is called "the Moose Willson Road" and some of my best photographs of Coyote and Moose have come from there. It is absolutely a spectacular place.

May I ask where you are if you are 4 hours away from Jackson? Does that put you in Salt Lake? If so, it is only a hop, skip and a jump to LV for next April's DWF convention. You should go.

Anyway...I digress. Back to Moose Wilson Road. We have also seen black bear there. It is a great place to see wildlife from.

As for bear in Yellowstone, we have seen plenty of them. Though the Tetons seems to allow you better viewing locations. We have seen grizzly and black bear up past the Lake section and in the north east section of the park going past Lamaar Valley (going towards Montana).

-JM

Yes! The Moose Wilson Road, that's the one! I just love that spot. :)

We are north of SLC, I'd love to go to the DWF convention. It's definitely on our list of "things to do". Vegas is about an 8 hour drive from us, not too far.

Hey All,

Received a couple of PMs about what the 'DWF' is. DWF stands for the 'Digital Wedding Forum' which is a website that a friend of mine runs. It caters to the interests of professional wedding photographers. Last year we held our first convention in Las Vegas.

-JM

Hey Sheebs,

My one disappoingment in the trip I will be taking is that we will only be spending a little while in Jackson. We booked another night in the Park and my friend at the Buckrail Lodge had a cancellation, so we are staying there for only two nights.

A lot of people think it is crazy to drive in from Jackson every day (which is what we normally do), but they don't realize the breadth of wildlife that one sees between Jackson and the Park. Also, the Tetons are one of my favorite experiences and getting back in time to see sunset over the Tetons is always a joy.

It will be VERY different staying in the park. However, I am looking forward to the experience.

-JM

The Teton mountain range is spectacular. It is particularly beautiful in the fall when the aspens are a beautiful orange.

Lou

Hey Guys,

As the trip gets closer, I keep on trying to figure out ways that I can make it NWP friendly. I have a few things that I plan on doing:

(1) On those days I can get internet access, I am going to add a small daily log of our days (hopefully with a few photographs). I want to keep a small database as to where I see wildlife throughout the park. I am hopeful that I will be able to convince my wife to update the front page's material on wildlife throught the parks too. :)

(2) I am going to be adding a couple of lenses for the trip. I am debating the purchase of a 500 mm F8 mirror lens (about 110 bucks) and a 10-22 EF-S lens with me. I am hoping that I will be able to do a small review and comparison with my 16-35 F2.8L.

The 500mm F8 mirror lens is an interesting piece of material and quite affordable - though it is manual focus. I figured that it might be fun to try to use it where my 200 F2.8 and converters is not able to make the grade.

-JM

Herbert Keppler did a review on the 500 F8 mirror lens in Pop Photo, I think it was last year. It looks like a great bang for the buck.

Lou

That is how I initially found out about the lens. I think that the review actually goes back two years in Pop Photo's back catalog. One of my major complaints when I am out there is getting 'close enough.' Trying to find affordable ways of getting there for people seems like a laudable task.

-JM

You are going to find that task normal than harder by going out this week. Smile. Peak season is a bear. I have gone out twice at that time of year. It is a very different experience from going out in the early Fall. I look forward to your user reports.

Your wife sounds like a nice person doing all of your page work for you. And on vacation too. Smile.

Lou

Hey Lou,

Yes. I am very lucky. :)

-JM

The first lens that I wanted to bring with me to Yellowstone came in today. My first impressions are positive. It certainly reminds you just how much you lose going to the 1.6 crop from full frame. I was comparing the lens side by side to my 16-35 F2.8 L and there is NO comparison in FOV.

The lenses are about the same size, though the 16-35 is heavier and has a more solid feel. Build construction of the 10-22 is hardly skimpy though. I will be doing comparison shots when I get Yellowstone.

-JM