Long days of Summer with plenty to see and do in Jackson Hole!
July 18: Wednesday
Good news! The old (original) Best of the Tetons web site is back! This temporary site will soon be obsolete. I’ll be adding this July Daily Journal to is very soon.
Cautious Approach: Young bull Moose approaching a much larger resting bull Moose along the Gros Ventre. Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Tripod.
Passing Cow Moose and two Calves:There were seven Moose visible along the Gros Ventre at first light. Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Tripod.
Shoshone: I hung around until this nice bull stood up. He did, stretched, and then moved back into the thick brush. Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Tripod.
Baby Mallard Ducks: This afternoon, a Mallard Hen appeared on Flat Creek with her parade of chicks.
Barn Swallow: Taken along Flat Creek. I saw the Trumpeter Swan family, but they were too far off. They still have three Cygnets.
Current and Upcoming Events and Social Activities
- Talon Tuesdays: See the Raptor Center’s hawks, eagles, kestrels, and owls up close and personal. Noon to 2:00pm at the Visitors Center. Free.
- People’s Market at Snow King: Held each Wednesday. Food, vendors, music. Free!
- Farmer’s Market: Each Saturday morning to noon on the Town Square. Free!
- Music on Main: Each Thursday in Victor, Id. – Small donation requested.
- Concerts at the Commons: Free concerts on Sundays at Teton Village.
- Teton County Fair: Later in the month.
I am offering my one-on-one customized photo tours. Click the photo below for more information! (That site and email links are working again.)
July 17: Tuesday
Snake River Overlook: Fog and clouds before sunrise at Snake River Overlook. Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Tripod.
Hedrick Pond Overlook Pano: Click this image to see it much larger! Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Tripod.
Teton Reflections:Taken along the East Boundary Road. Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Handheld.
Mule Deer Bucks: Seen near the bottom of Signal Mountain. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Mule Deer Buck in Velvet: Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Black Bear: This isn’t a great shot of a bear, but it documents a sighting along the Teton Park Road near Signal Mountain Lodge. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Pronghorn Doe and Feeding Fawns: Spotted at Lupine Meadows. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Bounding Pronghorn Fawn: Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Marmot: This young Yellow-bellied Marmot was seen sunning on the rocks near Lupine Meadows. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
July 16: Monday
Website Updates: Progress has been made on my site migration. Hopefully, the old site will be online today or tomorrow.
Swainson’s Hawk: Yesterday, a friend mentioned seeing several Badgers on the National Elk Refuge. Naturally, I drove out this morning to look for them, but never spotted a Badger. Not to worry! I found this beautiful Swainson’s Hawk instead! Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Swainson’s Hawk: Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Swainson’s Hawk: Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Stretching Swan: Molting adult Trumpeter Swan and three Cygnets along Flat Creek. Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Tripod.
Chambers Homestead: Storm clouds over the old Chambers Homestead on Mormon Row. Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Handheld.
Chambers Homestead: Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Handheld.
Chambers Homestead: Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Handheld.
July 15: Sunday
Purple Sunrise: The alarm didn’t go off this morning. I got up and saw a few clouds, then headed north. This was taken near Cunningham Cabin. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
First Light Bison: Captured at Elk Flats as the first rays of golden light hit the valley floor. I’ve heard of a few bulls sparring or fighting already, but I didn’t see any of that today. D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Bald Eagle: Taken along the Snake River near the confluence of the Buffalo Fork River. D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
White Pelican: I kept waiting for this Pelican to fly, but it eventually just drifted downstream. This one was just downstream from the Jackson Lake Dam. D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Merganser Mom and Hitchhiking Chicks: Also taken below the Dam. D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Elk Cow: One of two Elk grazing along the road at Signal Mountain. A couple of cars buzzed by and they moved back into the forest. D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Yellow-bellied Marmot: I spent most of the morning photographing three young Marmots. With so many shots already post for today, I’ll probably build a Feature Post featuring the “Whistle Pigs”. D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Wildflower: I’ve been waiting to photograph one of these late season Salsify wildflowers. These are about the size of a tennis ball, though they resemble the smaller Dandelion plants. This one was lit up nicely and with a good background. D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Moose Cow: Stopping to photograph the wildflower allowed me to spot this almost hidden mother Moose and Calf. I would have likely missed her otherwise. She was near Jenny Lake. D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Moose Calf: I only got a few shots of this calf before it moved back into the thick cover. D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
July 14: Saturday
South Park: Taken from a vantage point south of town, looking north. You can see the Tram towers on the top of Rendezvous Peak at Teton Village. D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Bald Eagle: This is one of two Bald Eagles I spotted on my South Park Loop this morning. I usually watching for Foxes, Coyotes, Osprey, Great Horned Owls, and American Kestrels on that loop. D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
July 13: Friday
News: The Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point areas are currently closed due to elevated potential for rockfall. The area was closed to protect human safety on July 10 after expanding cracks in a rock buttress were detected.The Jenny Lake area is open. Visitors to the west shore of the lake can enjoy a scenic hike along a cascade and continue uphill to a Jenny Lake viewpoint. Hikers can also access Cascade Canyon via the Horse Trail bypass or complete a walk around Jenny Lake. The Jenny Lake shuttle boat is operating as normal.
Backlit Trumpeter Swans: I was focused on the closest adult Swan when the back one began to stretch its wings. It’s a little out of focus, but the action is good. These adults showed up on Flat Creek last week with three Cygnets. Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Tripod.
Backlit Trumpeter Swans: Each year, one of the adults molts while the Cygnets are still much too young to fly. The other adult maintains its full feathers and is able to fend off Canada Geese that are too close for comfort. Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Tripod.
Backlit Trumpeter Swans: Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Tripod.
July 12: Thursday
Spring Gulch Sunrise: I suspect many early bird photographers were treated to a spectacular, colorful sunrise today. I was timing my morning to be at the Rendezvous Park at first light, so I didn’t get up as early as I usually try to do. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-500mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Snake River: I posted this one to Instagram yesterday. It got a lot of likes and spurred a few more people to follow me there. I didn’t post it on the daily journal, but thought I’d add it here—after the fact. Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm Lens, Handheld.
First Stars: I stayed out until 12:30am last night doing a few star shots. That’s another reason for not getting up extra early today. This was taken from the top of Shadow Mountain at 9:45 pm. Last evening, I timed the drive UP Shadow Mountain from the flats to the top. It took a full 25 minutes to creep up the rough road. It took 23 minutes to drive down the same route. Nikon D5 and Sugma 24mm Art Lens, Tripod.
Milky Way Over Shadow Mountain: This is why I went to Shadow Mountain. Maybe I should say this is why I returned to Shadow Mountain. The last time I tried to get this shot, I was set up and ready when a bank of clouds rolled in. This is a five shot vertical pano, stitched in Lightroom. The wildflowers were an unexpected bonus for this time of year. Click on the photo to see it much larger! Nikon D5 and Sugma 24mm Art Lens, Tripod.
American Robin: While at the Rendezvous Park, I kept an eye out for wildlife. I usually see some, but this Robin is the only one I photographed today. Recently, a Moose calf was hit by a car along the roadway, and a few days later a vehicle killed its mother. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Tripod.
Trumpeter Swans in Gold: Taken along Flat Creek in the late afternoon. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Tripod.
Trumpeter Swans in Gold: Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Tripod.
Trumpeter Swans in Gold: Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Tripod.
July 11: Wednesday
Osprey: If you are reading this page, you found my temporary web site. I spent a lot of my morning dealing with the downed site and emails, but went out long enough to get a few nice Osprey shots. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Osprey: These were all shot with a Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm at 1/1600th second, F/8 and AutoISO while in Manual Mode. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Osprey: I can occasionally see a few small heads, but I can’t tell how many are in this nest yet. Another nest is visible on the Buffalo Valley Road. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Osprey: The approach to the nest. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
July 10: Tuesday
Shadow Mountain Sunrise: I had to wait a while for the clouds to fill in this morning, but it was worth the wait! The “look” of the morning changed numerous times. This is a three shot pano, stitched in Lightroom. If you go up, take insect repellant! Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Tripod.
Shadow Mountain Wildflowers and Clouds: The roads are dry, but rough, going up Shadow Mountain. Wildflowers are putting on a show right now. Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Tripod.
Wildflowers: There’s a lot of variety and a lot of color. Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Tripod.
Wildflowers: Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-500mm G2 lens, Handheld.
One Flowers and Tetons: Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Tripod.
July 9: Monday
Four Moose: This is a record shotof four Moose I watched for a while this morning. They are likely the same four I saw in the same area yesterday. Something in the cottonwoods spooked them towards the East and out of sight. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Tripod.
Mt. Jackson: This is a pano created from four or five vertical captures using my telephoto lens. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Tripod.
Terraced Waterfalls: Also captured with a telephoto lens. This can be seen from Lupine Meadows. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Young Pronghorns: These appeared to have been earlier in the year. Interestingly, five of them were hanging around a single doe. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-500mm G2 lens, Handheld
Pronghorn Doe and Fawn: This little one seemed to be much younger. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld
Pronghorn Fawn: Same little fawn. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld
Trumpeter Swan Family: The three Cygnets are still part of the family along Flat Creek. I took this one from the observation platform this afternoon. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Tripod.
Haying: Captured along Spring Gulch Road as I was heading home. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld
July 8: Sunday
John Moulton Barn: Sunrise at Mormon Row. Clouds looked good towards the East, North, and Northeast, but not over the Grand. Nikon D500 and Tamron 18-400mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Murphy Homestead: Click this image to see it much larger. Nikon D850 and Nikon 70-200mm lens, Tripod.
Murphy Homestead: Click this image to see it much larger. Nikon D850 and Nikon 70-200mm lens, Tripod.
Sun in Clouds: Taken along the Gros Ventre River. Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Tripod.
Reflected Sun: Seen in one of the side channels of the Gros Ventre. Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Tripod.
Feeding Moose: Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Tripod.
Cow Moose: Taken along the Gros Ventre River. Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Tripod.
Summer Moose: These two were very close to the edge of the Gros Ventre River this morning. Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Tripod.
Shoshone: Last year, the large bull Moose I called “Washakie” was active for the first half of the summer, then uncharacteristically disappeared for the rest of the year. I fear he is no longer with us. Another bull was seen several times that looked a lot like Washakie, an it appears that bull is back. This bull has a smaller and thinner dewlap, and lacks the cut in its ear and scratch on its muzzle. Shoshone looks strong, growing and healthy. Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Tripod.
July 7: Saturday
Sunrise Clouds: The alarm went off at 4:00 am. I was out the door at 4:45 and heading north at 5:00. Even though last night’s weather report called for clear skies, Mother Nature had plans of her own. This was taken at Schwabacher Landing, looking back to the Northeast.Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Handheld.
Schwabacher Landing: Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Tripod.
Schwabacher Landing Pano: Click of the panos to see them much larger! Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Tripod.
Snake River Overlook Pano: Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Handheld.
Cloudscape: Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Handheld.
Pinto Ranch Cowboy: Seen riding the fence lines at Elk Ranch.
String Lake: This is a very popular Saturday morning spot for picnics, boating, and swimming during the summer months. Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Handheld.h
Jenny Lake Pano: Taken from the water’s edge along Jenny Lake. Cascade Canyon is in the “notch” in the middle of the photo. Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Handheld.
Pronghorn Doe and Fawn: Seen at Lupine Meadows. Nikon D850 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Handheld.
July 6: Friday
Schwabacher Landing: Nice light and clouds this morning! Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Handheld.
July 5: Thursday
Trumpeter Swan Family: I spoke with someone that saw these Swans yesterday, but today was the first time I’ve seen them this year! Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-600mm lens, Tripod.
Trumpeter Swans: Nikon D850 and Tamron 150-200mm G2 lens, Tripod.
July 4: Wednesday
Fireworks over Snow King Resort: This was taken from the observation platform along Flat Creek. Nikon D850 and Nikon 70-200mm lens, Tripod.
Budweiser Clydesdales: Part of the 4th of July Parade in downtown Jackson. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Tripod.
New Feature Post: Red, White and Blue – Patriotic Colors of the 4th of July Parade.This page is loaded with colorful shots of the participants and the spectators. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Tripod.
Bar BC Dude Ranch: Remains of an old vehicle with the Grand as a backdrop. Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Handheld.
Bar BC Dude Ranch: Crews are beginning restoration of the old clubhouse. Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Handheld.
Boots:Another shot from the Parade. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-200mm G2 lens, Tripod.
July 3: Tuesday
Fireworks at Teton Village: Nikon D5 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Tripod.
Fireworks at Teton Village: Nikon D5 and Nikon 24-70mm lens, Tripod.
Mandolin Orange: I was told this group was playing at Red Rocks near Denver a couple of nights ago, then played for one of the FREE Tuesday concerts at Teton Village. There are bands playing for “almost free” in Victor, ID each Wednesday.
Sleeping Indian: Taken during the evening light period while waiting for the fireworks at Teton Village.
July 2: Monday
Bison: Taken near Elk Flats. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Tripod.
Scratching Bison:
Pronghorns: Doe and two Fawns captured near the JH Airport.
July 1: Sunday
Schwabacher Landing: I’ve been to this spot at least four times this year. Today was the best of the group.
Heron at Waters Edge: Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Great Blue Heron in Flight: Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Moose Trio: Seen along the Gros Ventre River. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-500mm G2 lens, Tripod.
Moose Twins: Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Tripod.
Lip Curl: This is something I’ve never seen before…the month old baby was sniffing it’s mother, then did a lip curl, similar to the larger bulls in the fall rut.Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Tripod.
American Kestrel: Seen along Mormon Row Road. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Mother Fox: Seen south of Grand Teton National Park. Nikon D5 and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens, Handheld.
Fall happens—but not all at one time! Fall is more of a chapter within a book than a specific story in the daily newspaper. Colors don’t begin as wave of spender at one end of the valley that slowly advances across the region. The leaves, even within a single species, don’t change colors at one time. Instead, the phenomenon is more like a Jackson Pollock painting. Constantly changing splashes of color “splattered” across the valley occur over a period of about a month. Credit Mother Nature as the artist at this time of the year! Continue reading "Capturing the Last of the Fall Color in Jackson Hole" 
