Last weekend I took my first trip of the year to Yellowstone. The month of May can be an exciting, yet unpredictable time to visit the park. On one hand, Spring can be one of the best times of year to view and photograph black and grizzly bears, as they are just coming out of hibernation and are searching for food sources at lower elevations where there is less snowpack. This makes the chances of seeing them from the roads much higher than other times of the year. On the other hand, the weather during May in the Northern Rockies can be quite erratic and you never know what to expect. You might get sunny days with highs in the 70’s or you might have blizzard conditions with lows below freezing. Needless to say, you always have to be well prepared.
I always like to plan a trip to Yellowstone sometime in mid to late May each year. Going later in May gives a little extra time for some snow to melt and ensures that a majority of the park roads will be open for travel. But, the big crowds start showing up on Memorial weekend, which can often push wildlife away from viewing areas, so I always like to get a trip in before then. I had a business meeting in Jackson Hole last weekend so that gave me the perfect excuse to plan a full weekend in the park around it.
Though the weather wasn’t ideal for photography (heavy rain and lots of clouds), I still managed to have a very successful trip and was able to gather a lot of new reference material for future paintings. I was able to see several bears, including one black and one grizzly at close distance. In addition, I had a great time observing and photographing the numerous newborn buffalo calves (often referred to as red dogs). It doesn’t take those little guys long after they’re born to start showing off their youthful energy. They remind me a bit of my kids and are entertaining to observe, to say the least.
0 comments:
Post a Comment