Capturing the Moment

I'm in front in yellow Air paddling    I enjoy a good white water rafting ride. You can judge that by my exploits down the Zambezi River and the Nile in Africa. So when my dad mentioned the possibility of some early season high water rafting down the snake river here in Jackson I thought it sounded right up my alley.   I didn't expect too much craziness from the way everyone was talking, especially since the entire trip takes less than an hour, but due to the high water caused by all the snow melt from the Grand Tetons it was a blast, and enough to get my nerves going! About to get a face full of ice cold water   I went with Lewis and Clark rafting company and the guide Aaron was great. He had just gotten back from a big rafting trip through the Grand Canyon and was gearing up for his 15th season on the Snake. He was really excited for the water to come down a little so the standing wave at Lunch Counter would start working for river surfing. He had...

Famous Barn in front of the Tetons Leading line to the Tetons Landscape Photos from Jackson Hole, Wyoming   It is a place of big skies, open plains, jagged snow capped peaks, and endless views. The landscape photo potential also seems endless here in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.   There are several famous photo spots and viewpoints here in Jackson Hole that have shown up in well known photographs over the years by legendary landscape photographers like Ansel Adams. But what I found is that there are still secret areas to find that provide everything you need for an incredible vista. Springtime in Jackson   There are three things I look for in a good landscape photos; an interesting background, a dramatic sky, and something in the foreground to give a little story to the landscape. If I can find a road or some other 'leading line' that draws the viewers eye deeper into the scene it is a definite bonus. Opportunities to combine all of these elements aboun...

 Yellowstone National Park contains a caldera of a supervolcano that measures 35 X 45 miles. All kinds of geothermal activity can be seen here from steam vents, to hot springs, to geysers. It is caused by the movement of the North American Plate slowly sliding over a hot spot...very similar to Hawaii. Driving around Yellowstone and seeing the wildlife mix with the volcanic activity, it is no wonder that it was destined to become our first national park in 1872.   The extreme temperature of water in the geysers and hot springs create a unique environment for colorful extremophiles, bacteria that survive and live in the scalding water. The bacteria can be quite colorful, making the springs very picturesque.Some pools were bright orange while other were a greenish blue, while some had just about every color you could imagine in a bright rainbow array of colors.  Most of my best photos came from an area around the Grand Prismatic Spring. It is the largest hot ...

Map of Yellowstone   Yellowstone Wildlife Safari   I've been lucky enough to spend a lot of time in Africa, leading safaris from Kenya down to Cape Town. One of the big draws of traveling all the way to Africa is to see and experience a place where big animals still roam, and the predators still rule.    So imagine my surprise when I found out that you could have a similar experience right here in my backyard, a place called Yellowstone National Park. After leading adventures in British Columbia this spring I flew into Jackson Hole, Wyoming to meet up with my dad and Cheryl to go on an American wildlife safari and this is what we saw.... in one day.    To get to Yellowstone from Jackson you drive north through Grand Teton National Park and after an hour and a half you enter the south entrance of Yellowstone. Before we got to the entrance we had already come across a major traffic jam cause by a grizzly bear near the road. We got out and w...

  Tucked in between the Teton Range and Yellowstone National Park, the town of Jackson Hole provides some of the most amazing backdrops. Landing in Jackson Hole airport has got to be one of the most picturesque place to fly into.    I was still soaking in the beauty of the Tetons meeting the plains when I rolled up to a sprawling log cabin that I thought may be a museum with all the bronze statues in the yard. Then I realized that this is the house I'm staying at for the next few days. We were in the middle of the Elk Refuge, although they all move out after the winter. A few of the bronze statues depicted what it must be like in the winter, although I have to admit I will take the nice spring weather and look for the elk elsewhere.   One of the statues depicted a cowboy on a bucking horse which I learned is one of the main symbols of Jackson Hole. The real elk also left a clue of their passing, having broken off one of the antlers from a bronze elk statue. ...