We weren't sure what to expect this morning, since it had rained overnight. We slept in until 7:30, and when I checked the sky, the clouds were tinted by the first rays of sunrise. We got up and quickly got ready for the morning. Our plan was to shoot along Hayden Valley toward Canyon. We would turn around at Canyon and head back to camp for lunch.
We only got a few miles down the road before we saw the first herd of bison. We pulled over and started shooting as they approached us. Then, they made a change of direction and headed for the river. We couldn't believe our luck. They started crossing the Yellowstone River right in front of us. We shot them as they crossed the river and climbed up the other side to their new pasture. The young bison seemed to be especially excited as they jumped around on the other side.
We looked down river and saw another herd of bison preparing to cross the river from the opposite side. We drove down the highway and turned into a picnic area that we had checked out a couple days before. When we got down to the river, a huge herd of bison was lined up along the shore getting ready to cross. It took a few minutes, but one brave young bull finally started across. For the next half hour, we photographed the herd crossing the river toward us. The lighting on the bison was great, and we had a straight shot at the bison as they crossed.
 |
|
|
We drove out of the picnic area and returned to the main highway. We pulled off at the first turnout and waited for the herd to cross the road in front of us. We shot for another hour as the herd crossed the meadow, made a path between the cars, and crossed the road. It was a great place to shoot because we could shoot the herd in the meadow, crossing in front of the river, and then we were up close enough to get head shots as they prepared to cross the road. When we lost the good light as the clouds rolled in, we returned to camp.
We made pancakes for lunch and crashed for an hour. When we got up, the sky to the west looked very threatening,
but the northern sky still had some blue. We decided to drive the northern loop of the park and see how far we could get.
We only drove a few miles before we lost the sun and the dark clouds filled the sky.
We shot a few places along the river and then headed toward Mount Washburn. Just on the other side of Mount Washburn,
the sun broke through the clouds and a giant double rainbow filled the sky. It was amazing.
The light rain made the rainbow even brighter. It was one of the few times when I could see the end of the rainbow.
This rainbow seemed to grow right out of an aspen tree on the hillside.
After we photographed the rainbow, we continued on to Tower Falls.
The trail to the bottom of the falls is closed now, so we had
to be satisfied with shooting the falls from the overlook. The
lighting was good and there was still plenty of water in Tower
Creek.
As soon as we left Tower Falls, the skies darkened. We continued driving for a few miles, but then the lightening, thunder, and rain began. The rain poured down in sheets. There was no reason to continue driving into the storm, so we turned around and returned to camp.
Tacos for dinner, a nice warm shower, and a movie made for a great ending of the day.
Previous Day
Return to Trip Page