Yellowstone – Page 2

Best of 2014 Redux

Arizona, California, Desert Southwest, National Parks, Utah, Wildlife, Wyoming, Yellowstone, Zion

Per request by a fellow blogger, I’ve presented the Best of 2014 so you can watch at your own speed. I’ve also added some pics. You can purchase these images as prints that I print myself (Low Cost) at Dawn2Dawn Photography Each print is signed and numbered.

Utah Autumn

Yellowstone’s Amazing Waters- Hot and Cold

Images, Montana, National Parks, Out In The Field, Photography, Photos, Rivers, Waterfalls, Wyoming, Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park is a wonderland of waterways. Living in the parched desert of Southern Utah, I was jealous of the vast network of waterfalls and rivers that are ubiquitous in the park. During my recent trip to Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons, I was amazed how green and lush the landscape was. And don’t forget the hot waters from springs that generate a myriad of colors from the bacteria that flourish there. Click on image for larger view. To purchase prints of these images and the latest go to What’s New!

Video Of Clepsydra Geyser At Yellowstone NP

video, Yellowstone

Clepsydra Geyser is a perpetual geyser. Before the 1959 Lake Hegben Earthquake near Yellowstone, it erupted every 3 minutes. Clepsydra is a Greek term for water clock. because you could tell time by its eruptions. Now it just goes on and on with eruptions up to 45 feet high. Watch at HiDef at Full Screen

I’m Heading To Yellowstone For Christmas This Week?

Out In The Field, Uncategorized, Yellowstone

I will be passing through Grand Teton National Park and visiting friends working in Yellowstone this coming week. The weather report calls for SNOW Friday night at Yellowstone Lake where I will be camping! The employees celebrate Christmas every August 25th at Yellowstone. Legend has it that a group of people years ago were stranded in a blizzard at Yellowstone on August 25th. I hope history don’t repeat……..

Photo Of The Week- Zoom In On That Rainbow

Desert Southwest, Out In The Field, Yellowstone

You need a really wide angle lens to capture a full rainbow so I will zoom in on a rainbow to fill up the frame with the bright and brilliant colors.

Why You Should Take Up Backpacking

California, Desert Southwest, Out In The Field, Sierras, Yellowstone

To get the shots I really wanted, I went out and bought a backpack. A tent. A stove. A mattress. A headlamp. A small pillow. A Jet Boil. A knife. Extra camera batteries. Matches. A wine bota. If you want to shoot in the golden light, miles from the nearest road, you’re just going to have to pitch a tent and spend the night. It’s difficult to shoot around sunset and high tail it back to your car in the dark especially if you have to negotiate dangerous terrain. I’ve tried that in the past and ended up getting lost in the dark by losing the trail. The shots below were taken during various backpacking trips.

HIKING OUT OF HAVASUPAI CANYON — You have to backpack 10 miles to get to Havasu Canyon. There aren’t any roads to the Indian Village at Supai. But it’s worth the effort.

MT. WHITNEY RANGE IN MORNING — To get to the top of Mt. Whitney in California, it’s a 22 mile round trip death march as a day hike with a 6,000 foot elevation gain. I’ve completed that but also a 3 day backpack where you can move slowly and plan some great shots such as this one early in the morning.

LOOKING NORTH FROM TOP OF MT WHITNEY — From the top of Mt. Whitney. You can’t drive your car to this spot. No gondolas either.

PANORAMA TRAIL VIEW OF HALF DOME — Backpacking on some of the lesser-used trails at Yosemite gives you different looks of the iconic Half-Dome. We were nearing the end of a 65 mile backpack and the last mile was all uphill. Figures.

GRAND TETON SUNSET — Camping in the back country at Grand Teton National Park will afford some epic sunset shots.

HIKING IN THE ANDES — Trekking through the Andes in Peru gets you to spots that most people can’t access. This is the Salkanty Pass at around 15,000 feet

NEVADO SALKANTAY — Couldn’t chew enough cocoa leaves to counter the effects of the altitude. That’s Nevado Salkanty at over 20,500 feet. No roads here either. There were Peruvian women selling Snickers bars and warm beer along the 30 mile route. You dunk the Snickers in the beer.

COYOTE GULCH — Utah’s Coyote Gulch provides a passage through tilting sandstone cliffs and water-carved alcoves. The next shot of Jacob Hamlin Arch produces fiery reds and golds but only at sunset

GREBE LAKE SUNSET — And when you arrive at your destination, you can slip off the pack and enjoy the sunset. Grebe Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Photo Of The Week- Grizzly Stare- Warning! Not For The Squeamish

Out In The Field, Yellowstone

The look on the face of this grizzly bear at Yellowstone National Park still gives me the creeps. Looks like he is mad because I took his picture or that I found him finishing off this elk carcass. I was about 100 yards from him and only 50 yards to my vehicle. He was also in the middle of the Yellowstone River on a small island. So I felt safe.

Photo of the Week or What is The State Insect of Nevada?

Out In The Field, Yellowstone

It’s a damselfly called a vivid dancer. I captured this slick looking bug at Yellowstone National Park. That look on his face reminds me of those old clown face photos that would scare the hell out of me when I was a kid. Damselflies are like dragonflies except for the creepy looking faces.

I was told as a kid that dragonflies etc. would zip your lips shut. I used a telephoto lens to get in close.

Why Yellowstone is the best of the National Parks.

Out In The Field, Yellowstone

Just because you’re first doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the best. But there is a reason why Yellowstone was named the first national park on March 1, 1872 by President Ulysses Grant. Its biodiversity and geologic wonders are what grabbed the attention of Congress through the photos and paintings of Jackson and Moran respectively during the 1871 Hayden Expedition into Yellowstone. What makes Yellowstone unique is its 67 species of wildlife, 322 species of birds, 16 species of fish, eleven hundred species of flowering plants, 7 species of conifers, over 10,000 geothermal features including more than 300 geysers(half of Earth’s total), approximately 300 waterfalls, beautiful, crystal clear rivers and one gigantic caldera. No national park has all of these natural resources to offer including those in Alaska. Below are images that capture the diversity of Yellowstone. All photos were captured by Michael Just and Dawn2Dawn Photography.

GRAND PRISMATIC SPRING — Grand Prismatic Spring, North America’s largest at 370 feet in diameter.

CHROMATIC POOL — Bright colors are produced by microorganisms called thermophiles living in the hot waters of Chromatic Spring.

CASTLE GEYSER MORNING — Castle Geyser steams on a cold morning.

The landscape is always changing as trees come and go for a variety of reasons.

STORMY BLACK SAND GEYSER BASIN — A Storm Passes Through Black Sand Geyser Basin

IMPERIAL GEYSER — Imperial Geyser appears out of nowhere.

And the wildlife…….

BULL ELK BUGLING — Bull elk bugling during rutting season.

BULL BISONS WRESTLING — Bull bison must prove their manhood during the rut.

YNP GRIZZLY BEAR — Ursus Arctos Horribilis (Grizzly Bear)

This moose is smiling because she's in her favorite park. — This moose is smiling because she’s in her favorite park.

YELLOWSTONE BADGER — This badger was so focused on the hunt, it was unaware I was standing 50 feet away.

Otter's head and tail — The river otter patrols the cool waters of the Yellowstone River

A coyote waits patiently along the Yellowstone River to surprise a river otter and its catch.

GREY WOLF WITH ICY STARE — The reintroduction of the wolf to Yellowstone has produced excitement for visitors if not controversy. But what other park tried this?

Yellowstone Red Fox — The red fox is mostly nocturnal but frequently visible during the winter daylight.

BISON FULL OF SNOW — Bison endure the harshness of Yellowstone’s winters. Barely.

Elk heard heading to higher ground. — Elk herd heading to higher ground.

BALD EAGLE BENT OVER — Adult bald eagles are one bird who may stay in the park year round.

No butt heading allowed with the wildlife please. — No head butting allowed with the wildlife please.

Pronghorn are North America's fastest mammals. — Pronghorn are North America’s fastest mammals reaching speeds up to 60 mph.

SWANS TAKING OFF — Trumpeter swans are very visible during Yellowstone winters.

OSPREY ON ITS PERCH — An osprey peers into a river below for its next catch.

And waterways……

FIREHOLE RIVER CANYON — The Firehole River is one of many fantastic waterways in Yellowstone.

The Yellowstone River carved The Grand Canyon Of The Yellowstone.

The Yellowstone flows north out of the park.

LAMAR RIVER WINTER — The Lamar River on a snowy day in late April?

Tower Falls is one of many falls in the park, too numerous to count and still being discovered.

There's a reason why over 3 million people visit Yellowstone each year. — There’s a reason why over 3 million people visit Yellowstone each year.

PHOTOGRAPHING BEARS — This cub was taking baby steps at 3 months old.

STEAM AND TOURISTS AT MIDWAY GEYSER BASIN — These tourists look rather insignificant in the steam and fog.

Beehive Geyser gushes amongst the throngs.

OLF FAITHFUL INN LOBBY FLAG — The lobby at The Old Faithful Inn. Some rooms here don’t have bathrooms. You have to go down the hall. Must have been a palace when it first opened in 1904. Still is.

Only some 100,000 visit the park in the winter.

Yellowstone has nice sunsets as well. — Yellowstone has nice sunsets even at a fire-scarred forest.

And the flora…….

And colorful flowers. — Colorful wildflowers like the Camas.

WHITE-RAYED MULE'S EARS — White-rayed Mule’s Ears

COVILLE'S COLUMBINE — The rare Coville’s Columbine

Bison grazing on wildflowers in Lamar Valley

Morning fog permeates a lodgepole pine forest — It’s not smoke from a forest fire but morning fog trapped in a lodgepole pine forest.

Thick snow-covered forests stretch beyond your eyes. — Thick snow-covered forests stretch beyond the horizon.

A rising sun struggles to penetrate the morning fog.

A lonely pine stands out from the steamy landscape at West Thumb Geyser Basin — A lonely pine
stands out from the steamy landscape at West Thumb Geyser Basin

THE ABSAROKAS — The high country of Yellowstone.

Standing on the top of Electric Peak will make your hair raise..

The next time you visit Yellowstone, the natives will be watching you.

Images in from the cold. Winters past.

California, Out In The Field, Sierras, Yellowstone, Zion

Many of you just endured a pretty harsh winter. It was way too cold to go outside. But, if you have a sense of adventure, a good down vest, winter boots, lots of fresh batteries, photographing winter can produce some memorable images.