The goats’ ability to easily traverse treacherously steep terrain is legendary.
Tag: Rocky Mountains
Most Photographed Mountains?
I don’t know if it’s true, but the Tetons might just be the most photographed mountains in North America. A convenient turn out on the highway running south into Jackson Hole is the place where most folks stop to photograph the Tetons and this past weekend I was one of thousands. A quick run through…
Medicine Wheel, Bighorn Mountains
I visited this well known landmark many years ago. At that time the chain link and barbed wire enclosure resulted in an unwelcoming experience. Everything about the old enclosure seemed to yell “stay out!” I’m glad we took the time to revisit the site on a recent trip to the area. In 1996 the Bighorn…
Curlleaf Mountain Mahogany: Witness of the Ages
And so it begins. A little snow melt running down a crack in the rock, a little pooling here and there, and when all the pieces of the puzzle fit together, a native shrub germinates in a sea of rock. It’s not hard to imagine why this green plant is attractive forage for big game…
Finally
Finally, a decent snow in the Bighorn Mountains.
Short Days Perk
One of the perks of these short winter days is my drive to and from work is right at sunrise and sunset. We have had some beautiful shows this last month. The light across the Bighorn Basin is hard to capture: It changes subtly, yet so quickly. Most of the time I just enjoy it,…
Among all the dainty flowers above 9000 ft in the Bighorn Range sits the showy Primula parryi, named in honor of Charles Parry, an esteemed botanist in the early days of the US Department of Agriculture. The second photo is the flower from the side, showing the united petals.
A Cow Horse I Once Knew
Here’s a good video from the Wyoming Office of Tourism highlighting some of the uniqueness of Wyoming and the west. There is a tall, lanky, pale palomino in that horse herd, reminding me of a horse I once knew. The story follows below. We were working on a very large cattle ranch. The lanky palomino…
Rookie Photographer
After having my DSLR camera for more than a year, I’ve decided it’s time to delve into its finer capabilities, ie, quit using all the auto features. I used to do a pretty ok job back in the day before digital, setting my own aperture and shutter speed, but it’s been awhile and digital has…
Winter Treasures
I thought I needed a new look for the blog now that winter is here. Winter in Wyoming has a beauty all its own. We’ve had some bitter cold temps over the last week, but the cold creates a kind of light unmatched on warmer days. Every morning and every evening there is a rosy…
Arctic Blast
A temperature drop of 80 degrees in less than 48 hours: That’s what most of Wyoming experienced early this week. It was a balmy 60 degrees late Sunday night, and a klondike-like 16 degrees below zero Tuesday morning. I can’t help but wonder how the local flora and fauna survive these extremes. The range plants…
Western Blue Flag
Iris missouriensis forms a rhizomatous clump and can exist in large colonies. Its range extends from BC to Baja California and east to Minnesota. The beautiful purple flower is actually composed of three sepals, three petals and three petal-like styles. Also called Wild Iris and Missouri Iris, the leaves, stems and roots are poisonous if…
Wyoming Life 