Tag Archives: Jackson

An Afternoon Surprise

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lunch of yummy berriesAnother afternoon Moose

The afternoon was waning so I left the little bear to his berries. I planned to continue checking for moose. There’s a swampy area right at the Moose Junction end of Moose-Wilson road. The parking area looks out over the bog. This is supposed to be a great spot for moose but so far I haven’t had any luck here. I pulled in to park for a bit but as the sun slid toward the horizon all was quiet. Time to wrap up for the day.

A Bit of Deja-Vu

Moose in the afternoonAt the end of Moose-Wilson Road I turned right past Moose Junction and the Visitor Center. Taking another right I was back on the main road to Jackson. I’d just passed the Jackson Hole Airport when I saw cars lining both sides of the road. Another critter jam. This time everyone was looking west toward the Teton range. The sun was angling right into my eyes. At first I couldn’t see what everyone was looking at because of the sun. Suddenly I got the angle right and I spotted it. It was another moose.

Moose watchingBull Moose

This was the same area where I saw the last moose but that time the moose was on the left side of the road. This time the road was above the marshy ground on the right side of the road. It looked a lot like the same moose. He was just as unconcerned as the other one too. This time instead of wandering along the side of the road he was meandering toward the road from across the large field. It was hard to get an angle where the sun wasn’t hitting the camera lens directly.

Here Comes Bullwinkle

Moose in the setting sun

As the big guy headed toward me I took as many pictures as I could. Since the field only had some streams and marsh I wasn’t going to get that iconic photo of a moose in a pond but I’ll take what I can get. For quite awhile it seemed Bullwinkle would head right at my car but when he was about half way across the field he changed directions. He was still heading for the road but now he was going to meet up with it way behind me. It was time to move on. My photo ops had passed.

 

Moose in the afternoon

Antler Arches and The Town Square

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Elk Antlers make great Arches

Elk Antler arches are everywhere in Jackson but the main ones are the four corners of the town square. The way into the little park is to enter at one of the arches. These amazing piles of antlers were all collected from the elk refuge once the bulls shed them in the spring  The large male elk grow these impressive horns to attract females during the rut.

Antlers on a large Bull elk

They also spar with other males to exert dominance. Once the successful males have gathered their females (harem ) they will “drop” their heavy head gear in the spring. The boy scouts collect the dropped antlers and sell them at public auction each May. The money raised from the sale of these antlers is funneled back into the Elk Sanctuary in the form of feed for the next winter. Don’t think you can snitch an antler from one of the arches, that’s considered theft and there’s a $750.00 fine! Sanding under the archway is a great place for a “selfie”.

Antler Arch in Town Sq. Jackson WY

entrance to gakkeryNext Up, Mangelsen Nature Gallery

I don’t have many famous photographers that I follow. I’m happier with local talent. They are approachable and easy to talk to, sort of. As long as I don’t let myself become too awe struck. Of course there are the National Geographic photographers. I couldn’t tell you any of their names but I admire their work. Which brings me to Thomas D. Mangelsen. I’ve admired many of his photos. They’ve served as both my challenge and my inspiration. He has a gallery right there in Jackson. Of course I had to stop in. Because of copy-write laws I can’t show you any of his photos here but follow this link. http://www.mangelsen.com/ I promise it will be worth it. You’ll find my favorite photo of all time in the Legacy Reserve Collection. Can you guess which one it is? See the brown bear catching the fish while standing in the falls? That’s THE PHOTO, my absolute all time favorite. http://www.mangelsen.com/legacy-reserve-collection/catch-of-the-day-legacy-reserve-collection-1698lr.html I can just imagine the challenge, the patience, the number of close but not quite shots. And he did with film! Not a digital camera. Amazing!

A little Slice of the Old West

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Jackson Cowboy Neon SignJackson Hole, a Little Valley with a Big Old West Feel

The Wild West comes alive in Jackson. Jackson is the biggest little town in Jackson Hole and the county seat of Teton County.  Jackson is the town, Jackson Hole is the Valley. My visit was in the fall, a shoulder season so many of the rootin’ tootin’ cowboy activities were done for the year. To embrace the Old West Days you need to plan a visit on Memorial Day weekend. Jackson kicks off the tourist season with a celebration of western heritage. Enjoy the Jackson Hole Rodeo and the Town Square Shoot Out.

First Stop the Visitor CenterFlat Creek in the Elk Sanctuary

I was nearing the end of my visit to Wyoming and other than driving through Jackson I had spent very little time there. I thought I should take a few hours and explore. My first stop was the Visitor Center. You’ll find the Visitor Center as you drive into Jackson from the Airport. It will be on your left. It’s a large building right next to Flat Creek. In fact, there’s a large observation deck out the back of the building that looks out over the marsh. A great place for bird watching. Outside by the entrance is a statue of an elk.

Elk Statue

Inside the Visitor Center

Elk Herd Diorama

Maybe Welcome Center is  more appropriate because the inside was warm and welcoming. To your left is a diorama of an elk herd. Follow their lead to the 2nd floor to view beautiful paintings and prints of the Jackson Hole area. Back down on the first floor is a large  gift shop with the usual T shirts, sweat shirts and key chains but the registers are manned by rangers and very knowledgeable locals. They have all the most recent information on animal sightings and maps. Needless to say, I did not leave empty handed!

The Elk Herd Has Arrived

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The Elk are moving!

The elk are starting to migrate to the sanctuary. This was one of the things I was hoping to see. Timing is everything. Too early in the fall and they won’t have formed a herd too late and the antlers will be dropping and they will already be in the sanctuary. So far I haven’t seen too many elk and  no large herd. The sanctuary has been empty.

Elk Bucks

Teton Village

After the bear encounter I headed back to the resort at Teton Village. As I approached one of the ranches on my right I caught a glimpse of something moving in the field. As soon as I had the chance I turned around. No one else had noticed anything. There were no cars pulled over. I thought I must be imagining things but there they were. The biggest herd of Elk I’d seen so far. The males were sporting beautiful antlers. The main herd was both females and younger elk. Maybe  survivors from this spring? Needless to say I was mesmerized. These are majestic animals and they are right near my resort!

The Bull and his harem

An Elk Photo Op

A pair of Bull elk

I pulled to the side of the road. My camera was already on the seat with my long lens attached. I could use the car as support for the heavy lens. I settled in to watch the scene unfold before me. It was quiet. The bulls milled around the females but there was no bugling. I’ve since been told that they only bugle before the herds form. Once the males have their harems they get quiet again. Only one other car pulled over as I watched. I had the herd to myself.

Time to move on

Elk Migration

The herd put on a good show before finally moving off. A female leading the way and the bulls pushing from behind. 40-50 animals all moving together. They started at a walk, moved up to a trot but never hit a full out run. Breathtaking! I’m told that the herd can number in the hundreds and by the time the sanctuary is full in the winter there are thousands but this was enough for today.

 

In Search of the Perfect Christmas Card

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Its hard to believe another Christmas has come and  gone and the count down to the new year begins.   One of my favorite parts of the holiday traditions is making my special Christmas Cards.

The photos I use are always from the year before. In other words, I will use a photo from this year for next year’s card and so on. I do this so I won’t feel too stressed out looking for a last minute holiday picture. Usually I have something in mind. Last year I planned a trip to Disney World with the sole intention of finding a picture for my card this year. The result was the train.

chiistmas-2016

A few years ago I wanted to use one of the decorated homes in town.

Christmas house

One year I was trying to get a good candle picture for my cards.

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So with a possible card theme in mind I took off to Jackson NH for a day trip.  Now a drive to Jackson from Taunton is about 4 hours.  I figured I’d have about two hours there to get the  special picture and then I’d need to head back home.

What I had in mind was a sleigh ride drawn by a team of horses. “Dashing through the snow”…but when I arrived in Jackson, there was no snow! Oh Oh. Strike one.

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Strike 2 was that to go on the Jingle Bell Chocolate Tour you had to be staying at one of the Inns. There was no room at any of the Inns, not that I really had time to stay overnight.

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Strike 3 was no sleighs (since there was no snow) well, in a way there were sleighs. They were mounted on wagon frames.

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To make a long story short, I didn’t get the photos I had visualized and at this point I don’t think they will make the cut for next year’s card but you never know. It all depends on what other shots I come up with. I had a good time and met some nice people and that’s what’s really important.