The River As It Rolls Along
Trees and woodlands line the Yellowstone River near the Mary Mountain East Trailhead as it flows north toward Otter Creek with the 9,380-foot summit of Observation Peak visible beyond.
Grand Loop Road, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: Monday, 26 August 2019
part of the Yellowstone National Park album
Sometimes there are images that I try to capture repeatedly, oftentimes because I am not stopping to see the subject and am instead shooting from a moving vehicle. The results can be mixed but I try to learn from each attempt and then iterate with improvements. Such a situation occurred last August as I wanted to frame the Yellowstone River, surrounding woods and background peaks through groups of trees lining the road while moving past at thirty-five miles per hour.
This photograph was taken during the third pass on trip day six. Although some photos from other passes have positive attributes, I choose this one for processing due to the bright and colorful palette seen on this sunnier day. Thanks to perspective distortion, the summit of Observation Peak pictured is more distant than it appears, being approximately 6.6 miles away.
The Wapiti Breakfasting At Bridge Bay
An elk cow (Cervus canadensis) grazing in the meadow adjacent to a picnic table and two campsites in the Bridge Bay Campground at Yellowstone National Park.
Sites 170–171, Loop C, Bridge Bay Campground, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: Thursday, 22 August 2019
part of the Yellowstone National Park album
While making our way through the campground loop on my first morning in Yellowstone National Park, we did not get very far before having the day's initial wildlife encounter. Elk (Cervus canadensis) are "the most abundant large mammal found in Yellowstone," which itself "is home to the largest concentration of mammals in the lower forty-eight states." Indeed, there was an elk bull with a very large rack of antlers grazing in the campground the night before when I first arrived, but it was rather dark and all the photographs came out blurry.
This elk cow was browsing the grasses next to two campsites in the southern end of our loop, not far from the main campground road. She was seemingly unconcerned with our presence in the truck, though was a reasonable distance away to be assured of a hasty departure if needed. We watched for just a few minutes and then proceeded toward the exit, for we were just getting started and had a full day of exploration ahead.
