Buildings designed for snowy environments have pitched roofs to stop too much snow accumulating. It can gradually shear off the building, sometimes in the form of snow sheets and sometimes, courtesy of some melting, as giant icicles. Wandering around the buildings in Jackson and Yellowstone, I was taken by the large sheets of snow and ice. The visitors’ center at Yellowstone had a particularly large amount of snow drifting off the roof and obscuring the view out of some of the windows. Other icicles looked rather precarious and, if you should find yourself beneath them when they fall, it could be detrimental to your health!
Our ride through the refuge was covered in this post. Scattered throughout the herd were a large number of bull elk. At this time of year they are not competing for anything other than food so there was little tension between them. Instead, they seemed focused on feeding. However, they still had antlers so they made an imposing sight when they looked the right way.
I posted pictures of the snowcoaches in use within Yellowstone but I left one type out. This appears to be the original design for snowcoahces and they are known as the Bombardier’s. I assume this is because the Canadian manufacturer of snowmobiles was involved in their creation. They have a cool body styling and they can get up some serious speed. However, I understand that they are cold and rather uncomfortable. Therefore, I was happy to watch some passing by rather than ride in them (although it might be fun to see how fast they really are).
The colorful pools of hot springs in Yellowstone can be quite stunning to see. Visiting in the deep of winter means they are surrounded with snow and ice but a lot less people. The colors are still there but the low temperatures mean that clouds of steam form above the surface. Gentle gusts of wind might briefly blow the steam away to reveal the intense colors beneath but the steam rapidly returns. As you look into the pools you can see the colors well but it makes for a harder time getting photographs. You give it a try but then just spend time enjoying the impressiveness of the pools.
Located in Jackson WY is the National Elk Refuge. This is a huge tract of land that has been set aside for the elk to winter in as other parts of their territory have been encroached upon. During the winter, thousands of elk make their way down from the higher ground and feed in the refuge. Elk are very skittish creatures and will not hang around if people are nearby. However, they are also not the sharpest of animals and, if a person is within something else, they don’t recognize that they are there.
Consequently, it is possible to take tour groups through the refuge on sleighs. These open sleighs are drawn by a pair of horses and carry about 20 people each. If you were to step out of the sleigh the elk would be off but, provided you stay inside, they don’t much care about you. They may look at you as you pass by but it doesn’t stop them munching.
The sleigh ride is a lot less comfortable than you might think. Despite the deep snow, things are very uneven and you lurch and bump along as you traverse the refuge. There was a large herd quite close by (no doubt courtesy of the food that is periodically laid out) and we were able to make a loop around the whole herd without disturbing any of them. We could have conversations at normal levels without a problem. Just don’t drop anything out of the sleigh. Getting out is forbidden.
When taking our trip to Victoria, we
took the ferry from Tsawwassen just south of Vancouver. The ferry terminal is built on a man-made
spot of land that juts out into the water, presumably to reach the deeper water
offshore. All of the car waiting areas
and the terminal buildings are at the end of this spit. It is pretty exposed a place to be on a cold
and blowy day! I guess it is a good spot
for fishing because we saw a bald eagle sitting on one of the light posts as we
drove in.
Once we were aboard the ferry, I
stepped out on deck to see the ferry terminal as we pulled away. Ferries got from here to a number of
destinations and I imagine on a busy summer’s day, this place could be pretty
packed. A chilly November Thursday is
unlikely to be peak time, although there were plenty of people on our
ferry. We quickly left the terminal
behind us and headed across the water.
I’ve not had a huge amount of luck looking for moose on previous trips.We saw two in our previous Yellowstone trip.When we went on our wildlife excursion in Jackson Hole, I was hoping to see some more.We didn’t have to wait long.We had barely left town when we saw a male munching away off the side of the road.A short way further up the trail and we found a mother and calf in the bushes feeding happily.They weren’t too bothered by us so we watched them for a while.A couple of people we met had actually seen one walking through a gas station forecourt in Jackson itself so I guess they are not that hard to find!
For my birthday, Nancy took me on a trip to Jackson Hole.Part of the trip was a journey in to Yellowstone National park in a snowcoach.The snowcoaches are modified vehicles to handle to snowy terrain.They come in two main forms.One is the tracked vehicle and the other is based on monster truck tires.The one we took was tracked.It was a pretty standard van design with four wheel drive but the wheels had been removed and replaced with triangular track arrangements called Mattracks.These can deal with pretty much any snow.The only downside is that they are a bit noisy, not too fast and boy do they guzzle fuel.One our trip we stopped for fuel twice and were pretty low by the time we got back.
We also saw some of the other vehicles out and about. The monster truck tired vehicles can attain better speeds and efficiency (plus the maintenance is so much lower) but they are not as reliable in dealing with the worst of the conditions. However, they do seem to be the way that everyone is going. Our guide told us the tracked vehicles are gradually being replaced. It should be noted that, after the winter, the tracks are taken off and they revert to normal road use.
This is a throwback to a trip long ago.We went to Italy and started our trip out up in Milan.We made a day trip to Lake Como and I was delighted to see hydrofoils on the lake.As a kid in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the hydrofoils were a part of life.They made the quick crossing to Southampton – half the time of the ferry.It cost a bit more but it was so much easier.When we lived on the waterfront, I got so used to the hydrofoils humming in and out of the harbor.They were built in Italy and one of the ones I saw on Lake Como seemed to be an identical design.They are long gone from the Solent but clearly were still plying Lake Como when we were there.I wonder if they still are?
I was watching a YouTube video recently where they discussed photographing Mesa Arch in Canyonlands. This is one of my shots from my visit there and, while I had some similar experiences to the guys on YouTube, I also had a great overall experience.Mesa Arch is famous for the sun rising through the arch. I wanted to be there for that so an early start was required. Getting there requires a reasonable drive from Moab but we were staying a bit outside Moab anyway so we had a longer drive. I wanted to get there in plenty of time so we started out very early.
As we drove into Canyonlands, I could see some large taillights ahead of me. It looked like a coach and where else would it be going at this time of the morning. Sure enough, we followed it in to the parking lot near the arch. The coach disgorged a group of tourists from Japan and we followed them up the trail.
At the arch itself, a ton of people were lined up directly in front of the arch. We decided to hold back a short distance and see how things played out. Everyone was waiting for the sun to appear over the horizon. The good thing about shooting landscapes instead of aircraft is you know what time things will happen. Sunrise is never late and, while it might be overcast, the sun doesn’t go tech. Up it popped. What followed was quite funny. There was the sound of lots of shutters clicking as soon as the sun popped up. I’m sure it wasn’t immediate but it then felt like everyone turned and walked away. About fifteen minutes later there were probably half a dozen of us with cameras and tripods left alone. The group worked well together moving around and giving each other space and time.
Here is the best bit. The sunrise was okay but nothing special. However, after about fifteen to twenty minutes, the light started to really illuminate the rock surfaces around us. The walls and the underside of the arch were glowing. It was infinitely better than when the sun came up and hardly anybody that had trekked out early that morning saw it. They had all gone. Those of us that remained had a great time. If you ever go to Canyonlands, be patient!
Buildings designed for snowy environments have pitched roofs to stop too much snow accumulating. It can gradually shear off the building, sometimes in the form of snow sheets and sometimes, courtesy of some melting, as giant icicles. Wandering around the buildings in Jackson and Yellowstone, I was taken by the large sheets of snow and ice. The visitors’ center at Yellowstone had a particularly large amount of snow drifting off the roof and obscuring the view out of some of the windows. Other icicles looked rather precarious and, if you should find yourself beneath them when they fall, it could be detrimental to your health!
