March 2019 Daily Journal for GTNP & JH
“March comes in like a Lion, out like a Lamb”
March 1st – Friday
If you have been watching the February 2019 Daily Journal for GTNP & JH, you will already know that February was an unusually snowy month for Jackson Hole. Many of the major roads and most of the secondary roads have been closed due to the heavy snowfalls and blowing snow. As of mid-day March 1st, the valley is finally coming out of the stranglehold. US Highway 89/191 had been closed for four days, but is now open. The National Elk Refuge Road had been closed even longer, but it is also open again.
After several big storms in February, Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park might best described as a “Winter Wonderland”. I made a morning run to the northern portion of the park this morning. I never expect to see a lot of mammals in that area. , Most of them move south (Kelly area and National Elk Refuge) for the Winter. There are always “chances” to see River Otters, Ermine, Coyotes, and Foxes, but I never count on it. Going north usually means putting on your “landscape hat” (but keep a camera body and telephoto lens ready for wildlife). In late September, would expect dozens of photographers on either side of me while at this spot at Oxbow Bend! Nikon D850 and Nikon 70-200mm lens, Handheld
Bald Eagle: I took this photo yesterday along the highway. Today, I drove around 100 miles and never saw an Eagle. I mention this here to illustrate how much difference one day can be over another. (Actually, that is the case all year!) Nikon D850 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Handheld.Continue reading "March 2019 Daily Journal for GTNP & JH"
In Winter’s Grip
A Collection of Frosty Photos Taken in January and the First Week of February of 2019.
Summer and Fall visitors miss out on seeing Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park cloaked in “white gold”. The snow we receive during the Winter months fills lakes and supply the much needed water to the streams throughout the rest of the year. Skiers flock to Jackson Hole to tackle the area’s slopes, but most of the rest of the area is relatively sleepy. Other than having the shovel snow or run the snow blower to get out of my driveway, I like January and February. Winter can be challenging, but it can also be rewarding!
It’s so nice to have the Teton Range as a backdrop. The Grand can occasionally reveal itself as a ghostly relic of days when the earth’s crust was being violently sculpted. Other times, the peaks scream for attention. Continue reading "In Winter’s Grip" February 2019 Daily Journal for GTNP & JH
February 1st – Friday
To borrow a line from Forest Gump, “February in Jackson Hole is like a box of chocolates — You never know what you’ll find!”