Snotet

You're probably wondering what a Snotet is. It is Tetons spelled backwards. Our hectic fall continued this past week with a trip to Driggs, Idaho, on the west side of the Tetons. Ken had a couple days of meetings while I got to drive and hike with my camera in hand, hoping for some inspired shots. Driggs is a great town about 30 miles northwest of Jackson Hole. It is much quieter than its Wyoming neighbor and feels like a true community rather than the tourist mecca that Jackson can sometimes appear to be. The views of the Tetons from the Idaho side are just as beautiful but rarely captured - I assume because they lack the drama of the stark rise from the valley floor. 

I put on a lot of miles in a few days as I tried to take in much of Teton Park as well as hike some of the local trails. 

 This big bruiser, above, surprised me in Lamar Valley on the way home. I had hiked out to the edge of the cliff that led down to the river, hoping to capture some bison crossing the shallows. I didn't realize this lone bull was just over the hill and coming my way. I was further away than it looks with my 400mm lens but he still caught me off guard when he suddenly appeared.

 These two baldies were sharing a branch in a tree near Hoback Junction.

 I love the "plasticized" look of this common merganser as she popped up from underwater fishing at Oxbow Bend.

 This pronghorn seemed to be fat and healthy despite having horns that were obviously distorted.

 A trumpeter swan shakes off water in a pond near Jackson. This shot made me think of the movie "Ten" when Bo Derek was shaking her head as she ran down the beach!