Around the GYE

For some time Ken has been suggesting a "round the GYE (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem)" ski tour. We decided this year to finally do it during spring break from my teaching job at the college.

We set out for Jackson Hole last Thursday, spent four days there, then moved on to Grand Targhee for one day and then to Big Sky, Montana for three days, arriving back home late yesterday afternoon. 

The goal was to ski the mechanized hill at each location but also to take advantage of our cross country gear and explore a little bit at each place. 

I didn't take a lot of photographs along the way but I feel I have enough for two posts on what we saw, most of which was in the Jackson-Grand Teton NP area. 

 Never have I seen as many moose as I did during our few days in Jackson. We estimated a dozen different animal sightings, a thrill for sure. Many of the moose we saw were bulls but they have lost their antlers so are not nearly as imposing looking as they were a couple months ago. I have to wonder if it is a relief not having to carry around all that extra weight. Or is it stressful knowing that one of your weapons is no longer available?

 We spotted this female walking on the road as we headed back the Gros Vente. With so much snow this year (more than 500 inches in Jackson!) even the moose are opting for easier travel ways. I didn't take a shot of her on the road but when we came out an hour or so later, she was on a hill beside the road with the sun on her. This is one of those shots where I am sure someone is going to accuse me of superimposing the moose but it was just a beautiful setting with lovely lighting.

Willows are a primary source of food for moose in the winter time. You can clearly see the scars of where this animal's antlers were before he dropped them not too long ago. 

 We drove to Flagg's Ranch one day to ski Flagg's Canyon. The snow was perfect but very deep as you can see in Ken's shot of me leaning on a stop sign at the entrance to Yellowstone Park.

I always welcome the opportunity to photograph Trumpeter Swans in Jackson in the winter. The bird above performed multiple flaps before settling down after its preening. 

The final shot is called "The Hokey Pokey" for somewhat obvious reasons!