Wild, Windy Wyoming

One disadvantage of winter birthdays and anniversaries (his, mine, and ours) is that the weather is a huge factor in planning celebratory get-aways. Snow canceled my birthday trip to Yellowstone (see Deer John...), so Dan suggested an overnight road trip this weekend to celebrate our anniversary. Despite  a wind that howled for four days straight, the snow stayed away. We got up Friday morning to some very forbidding clouds, but by the time we had the truck loaded, the skies were clearing to a beautiful, bright blue. Within an hour, we were in Wyoming. 

Heart Mountain, a Cody landmark

Our destination for the weekend was Riverton, Wyoming, and to get there, we drove through Wind River Canyon. (If you have never taken this drive, get it on the short list!) The road squeezes between the cliffs and the river on one side, while the railroad tracks parallel the other side. I don't know if we have ever driven all the way through the canyon without stopping to take pictures. While we didn't see the big horn sheep that frequent the canyon, and the ducks were less than cooperative, melting water along the cliffs had created some very interesting ice displays. We spent most of the afternoon in the canyon, and we reached our motel in Riverton just as the moon was rising full and orange and bright. 

Part of the reason that we chose this destination for our weekend was to meet up with a long-lost cousin... literally! Dan had not seen Gary for ten years, and I had never met him. We spent several hours over dinner getting acquainted wth Gary and Vickie and their children. We hit it off so well that they invited us to have breakfast with them at their farm the next day. It's hard to beat fresh eggs and home-grown bacon and sausage! However, knowing that daylight hours are so very limited this time of year, we eventually tore ourselves away. With promises not to let another ten years go by before getting together again, we left our new-found friends and headed north. We ran back through Wind River Canyon before deviating from the route that we came by. We started spotting deer, but nothing to make us stop. When we did finally hit the brakes and grab for cameras, it was thanks again to a deer. This one had not made the road crossing safely, and was now eagle food. 

We stopped for dinner in Greybull, and it was just getting dark as we returned to the truck. As we drove out of town, I noticed a glow over a nearby peak. It took me a moment to realize that it was the rising moon. Sure enough, within a few minutes, half of the glowing orange orb had cleared the horizon. We pulled over, and I tried to capture the beautiful scene. And tried... and tried... SIGH! I guess I still have a lot to learn about nighttime photography! Oh well, that just gives us an excuse to go out again!  

*** Bonus Pics***

Both the road and the railroad tracks
pass through tunnels in the Wind River Canyon.

The dark side of the moon, er... the canyon! ;)

The geese were more photogenic
than the ducks!

Dinner is served! 

Deer John,

Sometimes things just don't go as planned!

I have been planning for this weekend for a long time now. Sometime early in the year, I realized that my 50th birthday was going to fall on a Friday. I started  telling Dan that since that was the case, I wanted a party. About a month ago, he asked, "Do you want a party, or would you rather go to Yellowstone?" I didn't have to think about it for very long before the choice was obvious. 

Of course, the problem with a winter birthday trip is weather. Forecasters said all week that we were going to get snow, but we didn't. Friday dawned cloudy, but the roads were clear, so we set out for Yellowstone. Unfortunately, just 30 miles short of Gardiner, the snow began to fall. We pulled off in Emigrant to think it over, then turned around and started back home. A photogenic pair of eagles along the river east of Livingston took most of the sting out of the aborted trip. 

Saturday morning, Dan checked the Yellowstone webcams, and they confirmed that we had made the right choice. But just because we had to come home didn't mean that we had to stay there. The roads closer to home were clear and dry, so we once again went looking for wildlife. We drove to Columbus and hit a park and a fishing access. We didn't find any eagles, but we soon found deer! It quickly became apparent that the rut was in full swing. Most of the does didn't seem overly interested (hence the post title), but that didn't seem to slow the bucks down any. They just kept chasing. (One ol' boy did get lucky.)

The problem with winter outings is that the days are so short. Long before we were really ready to quit, the light began to fade, and it was time to point the Subaru toward home. While it may not have been Plan A for the weekend, it was still an enjoyable outing.