For the last three years or more I have been promising myself a trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park.  I wanted to time it so the tide of tourism would be out and the rather formidable winter had not yet rolled in. O.K., I'm a wimp.  Minus 40 degrees is a bit more than my old bones can handle.....maybe later.....maybe much later.  The nice part of winter photography is the short days.  One gets to "sleep in" and eat dinner at a reasonable hour and still chase the magic light of the day.  I was too late for the Autumn leaves but.....not to worry.

    I searched the internet and books  for  where to be for the first days sunrise but struck out.  Since nobody was sharing this secret with me I picked a likely spot on the highway map and went for it.  From Jackson Hole, Wy. it's about a 50 mile drive north in the dark until you get to........shhh....it's a secret......no more......  Sure Ansel Adams found this place a few years back but I didn't remember the name until I drove up to it......OXBOW BEND!  This is a spot where the Snake river, the road, and lofty Mt. Moran come into juxtaposition.  It was clouded over that night and initially I wasn't sure I was in the best position however as I thought about it......I figured why not?  Score another point for DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY.  I did a time exposure of the area and it lit up like high noon!  Yup, this is where I wanted to be when the sun came up.  Another use I found for  digital photography was as an aid to keep from getting lost.  Not as good as GPS but if you are in a remote area on a hike, photograph the topography behind you as a guide for the return trip .  Ansel, eat your heart out!  The sun broke through the cloud cover and painted Mt. Moran with an alpenglow that was breathtaking.  What a way to start the trip!  It only got better from then on.....well, I'll let you be the judge of that.  LET'S GO....click HERE