It is hard to leave. Yellowstone beckons. We have hundreds of great photos. We have left millions. We started today with a "Yikes! Sun!!" Our goal was to drive to the Jackson Lake Lodge to photgraph sunrise from the same place where John D Rockefeller fell in love with Tetons. The history of our national parks is worth reading about.
But, we did not get as far as Jackson Lake Lodge. Instead, we pulled over in another spot so as not to miss a single early shot. Oh, there was sun, but we were not planning for early morning low lying fog. A fog that allowed one to see the tops of the mountains but not the lower parts. A fog that, as we got closer, obscured the mountains completely. Completely! And the road as well. OK! I like shooting fog. Tom does it artistically, capturing the rays and shadows streaming through the trees.
The rolling fog made the land around the sites more interesting. I wandered across the street from one pullout and found . . . the arrival of extraterrestial beings brought in by their mother ship!! (Ok . . . just having fun and laughing at my photo). It is quite OK if you don't see those sun spots as otherworldly beings or the sunburst as a mothership. I understand.
Then I got serious about getting a sunburst without the sun spots.
Finally, we drove to the Jackson Lake Lodge. We walked up the hill that Rockefeller walked to get to the famous picnic spot. Nice view!! Trick is, "what lens do you want to use"? That is Jackson Lake.
The lobby of the lodge is spectacular. The windows that face the mountains were specifically approved by Rockefeller. The story goes that he stood up on scafolding to make sure that the view was as good as he had seen 30 years earlier as he enjoyed his picnic. Tom spent a huge amount of time and effort to create what the lobby would look like if you were there. I asked him, "Where are the people?" He replied that they weren't there!!
After lunch at the lodge we headed back to our room at our own lodge. Wait, we have to check out Oxbow Bend! Tom got the big picture. I got a path that resembles the Snake River as it meanders along the shoreline of the river.
On our way from the lodge to the Moran Junction where we have been entering the park there is a stand of gorgeous fall color. It has gotten better each day. As I pass this spot along the road I smile. This morning Tom hopped out of the car to capture it for me. What a guy!!
Tomorrow morning we are headed to Yellowstone. You will be with us.
Hope your week has started off just as you wanted.