… the fluffy stuff of course. We finally arrived yesterday afternoon and began gearing up for the days to come. We arrived with an hour and a half delay from Chicago O’Hare airport. The delay was worth it however. The Boeing 757 we were on had a 182 person capacity and was only filled with 50 people! Worth every moment.

Once we got settled we headed out the following morning in search of elk, and big horn sheep near miller butte. Miller butte is part of the National Elk Refuge. A key aspect of the area is the valley known as Jackson Hole. It provides a shelter from the more severe heavy winter weather prone to the area. This morning was filled with elk and scattered big horn sheep amongst the mountain tops. We saw bison from a checkpoint, but could not pass. Prohibited for protection of wildlife. We will have to luck out for bison elsewhere.

Next stop Kelly! We moved on to the town of Kelly, really tiny, you can see it all with your own eyes from one spot (and no not on a mountain top, just on level ground.) We took Gros Ventre road and followed it on through. Moving real slowly to find any wildlife along the way (also to avoid a tragic accident or harming of any animals.) As we were driving I spotted this beige hump in the snow. As we slowly crept closer (wish we had a hybrid so the engine would cut off) he picked his head up. A coyote! We were full of excitement. Not just at the sight of him, but the proximity. Could you believe he was 12 feet right from the car. He was munching on a vole he caught from the subnivian (the space between the bottom of the snow layer and the top of the earth) layer under the snow. (Coyotes use their hearing and scent to locate the voles and then pounce head first into the snow. The pouncing is to create a large enough distance to avoid vibration that would cause them to flee.)

Adrenaline was running and we got to recording. As I start shooting the shutter stops. Card is full, oh no! Like a doofus I forgot to switch cards at the last stop. I’m panicked now because my CF card wallet is in the back of the trunk with my camera bag. I’m thinking if I get out he is surely gonna bolt. I get out as quietly as I can leaving the door open not to slam it. Creep around the back get the hatchback open and scramble to change the card. I turn the side of the car and he is still there. Unphased. Munching on his newly discovered treat. After flying through half of an 8gb card he begins to approach. So close it was only a few feet, no more then an arms length! He comes close glances at me and trots off across the road on his way to find more grub. What a compliment!

Elk climbing the butte to escape some of the numbskulls whizzing by.

Big horn sheep and a ewe grazing the sage brush just 20ft from the car. They don’t seem receptive to the traffic (if traffic is 2 cars all around.) Thankfully though as it was such a treat to have them move down by so much.

Elk on the move. Sitting and working from the cover of your car keeps them mostly in place. As soon as joggers went by a whole herd of them was on the move. This is only a small portion seen to try and work out a darn electric pole. That isn’t blur on the bottom. Those are the snow drifts. Massive sustained winds randomly swept in from the mountains above. 27 degrees, pretty darn warm, until you factor the 30mph winds in. Ah to have windproof shells; a necessity in this weather.

Kelly warm springs. This is a hot spring just near the town of Kelly (go figure I know.) This is on the outer skirts of the massive volcanic activity to be found under the earth in north west Wyoming.

Who says there is no color in winter? These gorgeous willow bushes line the sides of the road. Took me back to the warm feeling of fall. Warm by Jackson,WY standards.

The pièce de résistance. What a beauty to withhold.

As he bids us all farewell in is his never ending persistence toward survival.

The silence is something that must be experienced. Not a combustion engine to be heard for miles. You can only hear the blood coursing through your veins. This special place holds a silence that makes one whole again.