Grand Tetons Day 3

 One of the things one must accept when you live with someone who loves photography is early morning wake ups chasing sunrise.  So we were up at 5, out the door at 6, and still missed it today (mostly).  Bill had wanted to shoot from a particular spot that had been suggested by the photographer we were with and we BOTH missed the turnoff for it.  By the time we realized it and got back there he decided to pass it on by for an easier stop which did NOT involve the bone crushing drive down a very pothole heavy dirt road since we missed sunrise anyway.  This alternate spot was the location that Ansel Adams set up to take his now famous photos of the Tetons.  I stayed in the car as I'd been there done that for that location and it was in the 30's!  I did however grab a semi-sunrise shot on the road...

 

We were on our way on up the road heading to the northern less busy part of the park and decided to stop at a couple of the pullouts along the way.  We pulled in to one and I saw 2 birds off in the sagebrush.  To our delight it was a pair of Sandhill Cranes!  When I first got the binoculars out they were both standing tall with their heads high.  Unfortunately they were too far away for any iphone pic.  Bill got set up as quickly as he could but by then the male had started preening a lot....  but Bill got a good pic of them and a good pic of the pair with geese, and in the back you may pick out a pronghorn as well!  Three species in one shot!  I'd say that's a pretty special moment.  

We noticed first thing the haze on the mountains.  We didn't know if it was clouds or smoke.  Later when I spoke to a ranger he said it was smoke from the California wildfires.  Very sad for those folks dealing with these fires.  

We worked our way up to Colter Bay to check out that visitor center.  Behind it were bone dry boat docks.  It was disheartening to see.  Climate change is a real thing, and the fires and drought are evidence of it.  

Later it got smokier.  Sometimes you really had to work to see the mountains.  

We stopped to grab some lunch at Dornan's where we could sit outside and also grabbed a huge sandwich from their deli which will be dinner tonight in our little cabin as we repack and get ready to hit the road once again.  We will get an early start as we are going to go up thru Yellowstone and catch the Beartooth Highway to get us to Bozeman which adds a few hours of what we hope to be fabulous winding driving thru some beautiful mountains.  Sorry this is kind of a sleeper post - I hope to make up for it in upcoming ones!