Wyoming visit

[cnycharles]

Last week I traveled to wyoming to celebrate our mother's 80th birthday party. Collected in nj and traveled to jackson hole and then to bondurant where my oldest sister lives with boyfriend on working black angus ranch. We stayed at the Black Powder Lodge which is a very relaxed, down-home lodge along with five cabins which are basically separate motel rooms. Many come to visit the area and go with guides on horseback rides, fishing trips and very many go on hunting trips to various places in the mountains, for which they have very qualified hunt/camp guides. We didn't do any hunting/fishing though if there were more vacation days and money available I probably would have gone fishing (trout, mmmmm)

there are tons of pics, but i've separated them by subject and thread

the humble cabin #4 at black powder lodge where brother and I stayed

excellent warning for greenhorns

mother and stepfather's rv parked at black powder with mountains in background

teton mountains during rainstorm taken with smaller digital camera

framed view of 'sleeping indian', gros ventre mountian range as viewed
near jackson airport

same mountian viewed from closer to town

horses along road between wilson and jackson

across the road, there were some horses that were scratching itches
on a stone monument. this one was scratching it's behind; the one to
the left was on it's way to rub it's neck on the rock

view from ridge near campbell ranch showing northeastern section
of grass meadow used for winter feeding ground. here, the grass is
being cut by amish-directed horse teams (three teams traveling in a circle)

horses at main campbell ranch center; may be mostly draft horses

more in next window

 

[cnycharles]

part two

dude riders near teton village (greenhorns on slow horses)

view to south of main campbell ranch and view near bondurant, wy.
merged images

same spot but with wider angle view with small digital camera

one of the new bridges for migrating herd animals over the highway.
each year, elk moose antelope and other animals migrate in different
directions. in some areas there are tunnels underneath the highways
so that animals can get to the other side without having to dodge traffic.
there are high fences to funnel the animals to the bridge or tunnel. you
might ask 'why do you think the animals will come to this bridge?? won't
they just go around or somewhere else?' this is a good question, and since
many animals travel the same migratory route every year, their instinct
is to take the same path forever. if there is an early heavy snow in the
mountains, sometimes antelope who use a mountain top to get south will
be trapped, because their instinct often will prevent them from going down
the mountain to where there is food and/or less snow cover so that they can
continue south. sometimes park service rangers will actually catch antelope
and place them on sled trailers so that they can take them beyond a trouble
area so that they will live and continue to their winter feeding grounds

there are bison ranches in wyoming, here is a herd of a few dozen

a few miles up the same road, there is a small herd of nearly-white
bison. the legend of the white buffalo is prevalent throughout the west
and canada, and people are now trying to raise 'white buffalo', though
these are more likely 'blond' than 'white'. I have heard that there is a
white buffalo someplace in the u.s. (these may be white, I don't know
for sure though a relative told me these were more likely blond)

here is a small power-collecting station near the bondurant post office
which feeds the local power grid

very small stream near road along campbell ranch

 

[SlipperFan]

Thanks for the tour, Charles. I always enjoy your trips.

 

[Clark]

Sweet!
We stayed in a cabin just like that out there, except yours looks newer.

 

[eaborne]

I will go there one day!

 

[Ray]

Definitely a different part of Wyoming than I've ever seen.

Flew into Salt Lake City, climbed up onto the plateau, and drove 4 hours east to Grainger. It was so desolate on the entire drive (did see some pronghorns and coyotes), that for the entire drive "Walkin on the moon" played in my head.