Round Prairie Bison

This is where I like to start my day and work back to Mammoth. I'll frequently start in near darkness hoping to see moose. As local sun rise nears ground fog increases and there can be incredible mood shots. If a bison will model for me, all the better. Of course if he had been exhaling steam it would have been better. The curse of a photographer, always hoping for better.

Mother Moose and Calf

On one of the last mornings in Yellowstone we were able to watch this moose pair for a few minutes. Our attention was called to them by another visitor who had spotted them on the way into the Park. We quickly parked, got our gear, and watched from a distance. The quiet of the morning was unbroken and our whole world was in this little corner of the meadow.

Wandering

This trail in the snow reminds me of one of my favorite quotations "Not all those who wander are lost." by J. R. R. Tolkien. This coyote was on a mission of survival in search of food.

Round Prairie Morning

One of my favorite places along the road into Cooke City is Round Prairie. It's a great location for several of the large mammals and also has a changing landscape character throughout the day. I rarely post more than one image but since these images were taken a couple minutes apart it seemed appropriate to make an exception. The trees are the same, only my location is has changed.

Note for next time: Bring a shovel to carve space into the snow on the road shoulder. Rangers strongly discourage taking photos while standing in the middle of a traffic lane. 

Birch on Round Prairie

I look at these trees each time I pass them on the way to Pebble Cr. It has taken the short trees just protruding through the snow almost twenty years to spring back after decades of over browsing by elk. Nature has its own schedule.