Wyoming Memoirs
Being able to travel has been a blessing. The state of inner peace and clarity it provides me saves me. Too easily do I get lost in the necessary dailies of the world. The six days spent in and around Wyoming could not have been any more perfect. The memories of this adventure will undoubtedly live forever in fond stories shared amongst our families.
This much anticipated trip began as our flight from San Diego arrived in Salt Lake City at 11pm. This was the first time any of us had been to Wyoming. We drove through the night through Utah and Idaho towards the west side of Wyoming. After a quick stop for supplies we headed north. Long drives at night are some of my favorite moments. It’s a time to reflect on life and clear the head. The calmness of the empty road and the starry sky soothed my soul.
After 4 hours or so, the plains of Idaho began to wake up. There was a beautiful layer of low hanging mist hugging the sea of trees. The soft early morning light bathed the landscape ever so quietly. It was a beautiful way to bring in the new day.
We arrived in Yellowstone and were taken back on it’s beautiful landscape. We visited many of the big iconic locations but also took time to stop randomly at some of the more quieter viewpoints. All of which were beautiful and had their own unique personality. There’s no wonder why this is one of the most visited parks in the country.
Looking back at our time in Yellowstone, one of my favorite moments was the sunrise experience with the sleeping giant, Old Faithful. We arrived long before sunrise to enjoy the softly lit scenes in the surrounding areas. Outside of the one other photographer, we had the entire show to ourselves. I made some of my favorite images from the trip this morning but it no way accurately captured the experience. The light and the geothermal mist that morning was so fleeting. Watching them dance amongst the lightly lit trees was a moment I will never forget.
After a few long days, we were at the end of the Yellowstone portion of the trip. We had a nice dinner at the lake and followed it up with some stargazing. It was the perfect way to end the evening. We were all pretty beat by this point in the trip. The previous days had all been long and fatigue was catching up to us all. We decided to sleep in and get some much deserved rest as tomorrow we were heading south to Grand Teton National Park for the next portion of the trip.
The next morning I opened my eyes and realized it was almost sunrise. After some internal debate, I decided to walk down to the lake and watch the sunrise. I arrived just in time as the east was already glowing in purple tones. The light was changing quick but I was able to make two images of the composition that spoke most to me. I then reminded myself that I should put down the camera and just enjoy the moment. I headed back to bed for a few more hours of sleep.
Later that day we crossed into the Grand Teton National Park. We were greeted by an amazing view of the The iconic mountain range. There was so much drama in the sky. I made an 8-image large panoramic but it didn’t do the scene justice. Like majority of our experiences in Wyoming, you just have to see it in person to truly understand it’s grand beauty.
Hands down, the top place I wanted to experience was the Snake River Overlook. This location is where Ansel Adams had made one of his great images. I have watched his KPBS documentary countless times, followed his work and am currently reading his autobiography. So being in the same location that Ansel Adams was meant something really special. The view from the overlook has changed since his visit in 1942. It was nice walking around that some overlook as he did long ago. I fired a few frames but none of them worked out for me. But it was perfectly ok. It was not the point.
As we did in Yellowstone, we experienced many of the historic locations and the wildlife of the park. From waking up to deer outside our cabin, to experiencing the historic Moulton Barns, the amazing hikes and dinner on Elk Island, it couldn’t have been a better way to round up our trip to Wyoming.
I reflected a lot as we made the long drive trip back to San Diego. So many amazing memories with amazing people. It was a blessing to not only experience this beautiful part of the country but to do it with an amazing group of humans.
It has been a few weeks since we have returned and we are back to our daily lives. It’s only now that I am in the right headspace to write about some of my experiences and process my images.
Not all of our stories are included here, but I think it is better that way. These days, anything and everything is being shared online. Some things lose a little bit of preciousness when it is shared to the world. There are fond memories from our trip that I would like to live as nostalgic conversations shared amongst family through the years.
A special thank you to Kat, Marc, Michele, Max, Oliver, Diep, Isa, Penny and the “TODFTHR” for all the memories. Thank you to all the kind people we met on our adventure. Your sincere kindness and hospitality is something we need more of these days. It is how everyone should be treating their fellow humans. And finally, thank you Momma Earth for blessing us with such a wonderful landscape to experience.
I know this is just the beginning of a long term relationship with Wyoming and it’s surrounding areas. See you again soon, friend.
Below are some of my images from our first trip to Wyoming. Thank you for reading.
- Marco
