Some trips are brim with photo opportunities, and it seems you have your camera out around every bend of the road. Others? Not so much. Usually Yellowstone is the former. But I’ve learned to take what nature gives and enjoy the trip either way. This trip was pretty slow, and the Lamar Valley was a pretty lonely place for the several days we were there. A year ago we saw over forty wolves in three days. During this trip, we only saw three. (Ironic huh? – only three. Not long ago there was no hope of seeing a wolf in the wild unless you wanted to travel to Minnesota, Canada or Alaska.) The sky was dark and overcast for almost the entire stay; not really conducive to photography with a long lens. We didn’t come across many animals within shooting distance; at least like I’ve grown accustomed to. Really the only animals we saw in the Lamar close enough to shoot was a lone coyote and a couple of Big Horn Rams. But I’ve always said, “My worst day out shooting is better than my best day at work.”
Here are some images from that mellow little trip last January. The wolf is a female that left the blacktail pack and was looking to join the lamar canyon pack. At one point she stood right on the road and howled for two or three minutes, then she moved away from the road and howled for another five or so. I’ve heard wolves from a distance before, but watching one howl from so close was a treat.
