I'm a little embarrassed it's been five months since my last post. I suck. LOL I had every intention of following up my last post with some cool photos and posts about Yellowstone National Park but the window between that trip and taking a completely unplugged holiday, plus work, just didn't allow it. By the time I got back to work in mid-August I was completely underwater and I hadn't edited a single photo still. Work also got in the way which meant that by the weekends I was just trying to rest up for the week that was coming and then by September I realized that I was hosting a work party In October and the few weekends I had to get ready were rapidly diminishing. Somehow I managed to not only get ready for the party (I had a "honey do this or die list") and finished editing the photos. I may or may not have spent capital I don't have in the process. ;-)  

At any rate. Party is done and photos are edited so I'm finally able to get to a blog post. So.... Yellowstone...

Holy #@#$@%!!! Yellowstone is an amazing place! I was very interested in seeing the geological features there and figured the wildlife would be an interesting distraction between sites. Clearly. I was wrong. The wildlife at Yellowstone is the main attraction. I was thinking it would be nice to see a few species but managed to check off almost all of the major animals without even trying. Big Horn Sheep (check). Moose (Check. Check). Bison (Check-x-20). Elk (Elk-x-ad nauseum). Prairie Dogs (check). Black Bear (check!!!!). Pronghorn (check). Deer (check). Eagle (check). Jeep (check). Unidentified snake (check). Vulture (check). Wolf (nope). Osprey (check). Mountain Goat (check). Elephant (Nope, wrong continent ;-) ). Volcano (check, check, check). I'm sure I'm forgetting something -- there were animals I wasn't even expecting to see there. Just amazing.

While I was just amazed at how much wildlife could be seen each day. I also ate some of the best Bison tenderloin (or tenderloin of anything for that matter) at Buck's T-4 Lodge (note I'm not getting paid squat for mentioning them and I highly doubt they'll ever know I did). I only mention it specifically because if you ever find yourself in Big Sky, Montana and you want a good steak, mac and cheese, or Bison tenderloin, this is your place. I liked it so much that I went twice. The service is outstanding and the food is stupid good. Then there's the atmosphere; it feels local, and just like a place you'd hang out in. When I go back (and I will), I'll be stopping by again.

Okay, so more about the trip to Yellowstone. Outside of Hawaii it is, by far, the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life. The changes in geography, the interest in geography, the wildlife, the opportunities for photography and the overall scenery are endless. On top of that, you have the Grand Tetons not that far away as well. I count myself lucky to have been able to visit both during that week. Over the next few days to couple of weeks I'll start posting photos from Yellowstone, one or two from the Tetons and one of Salt Lake City. This trip was a personal triumph, of sorts. I finally had the chance to visit my home country's interior. I keep a physical map on the wall of my office with push pins marking all of the places that I have visited or lived. There was an enormous gap between the midwest (west of Dallas) and the west coast. I'd never been to Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho or other states in the region. I still have unfinished business out there and I intend to go back; particularly to the Tetons. But in one week I was able to check off Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. There are many places in the world to visit and see but Yellowstone and the Tetons should be on your bucket list. I particularly enjoyed photographing at the mud pots where Artists's Paintpots is located. Every photo is a unique opportunity for an abstract photo of some type. I could have spent an entire day there alone and there will be several photos just from that location coming.

The first photo I have to share is of a black bear feasting on a deer. Perhaps macabre but its something you'd never see in a zoo. This is wildlife being wild and it was absolutely incredible to see.

Black bear feeding in the wild