For Purple Mountain Majesties

“Wyoming is good, but Montana is like heaven on earth.”

— Henry Winkler

With all due respect to The Fonz, I’m gonna call this one a toss-up.

After spending a few weeks in both Montana and Wyoming, I’m not sure that I can pick a favorite. We’ve discovered that this is about the most beautiful part of the country we’ve ever visited.

Fresh air.
Clear views.
Soothing sounds.
And the scent of the pines.

I should have known this but was surprised to learn that Grand Teton National Park is just a couple of hours down the road from Yellowstone National Park. In fact, the original proposal from the locals was that the land of the Tetons would be incorporated directly into Yellowstone National Park. However, after more than a decade of political debate, Grand Teton National Park was finally incorporated as a separate entity in 1929.

We spent three full days in the Grand Tetons and - in hindsight - we should have stayed a full week. Just spectacular views in all directions and so much to discover.

The shot that I’m most proud of from this segment of the trip is surely the one at the top of this post. Like most decent shots, it required a lot of planning - and a bit of luck.

Since we were staying in Victor, Idaho, it meant that we needed a 4:00 AM wakeup call. While Chloe’s not thrilled about this routine, she’s still a bit on eastern time, so it hasn’t been horrible for her. Of course, Lisa’s a trooper. While I take care of Chloe, Lisa’s getting the coffee and oatmeal ready. Soon, Chloe’s back to sleep and we’re on the road to the location of the shoot.

On this particular morning, it meant that we had an hour drive through the dark and twisty Teton Pass at 8400 feet above sea level. This got us from Victor, Idaho to Jackson, Wyoming.

We still had to find our way to our target: a little place called Schwabacher Landing in Moose, Wyoming. We really didn’t know what we were looking for or what to expect when we got there. We did know that it was getting very close to sunrise and we had better find it soon.

When we finally arrived, we discovered it to be not much more than a parking lot. But a quick scramble down to the Snake River provided us with a view of Grand Teton almost directly to the west. With little time to spare, I found a spot on the bank of the river. The clouds were heavy and ominous. The sun was just starting to rise over my back right shoulder in the east.

And for less than a minute - the colors were just absolutely spectacular. Purple mountains majesty.

Sometimes you prep and shoot and process and hope that there’s something hidden deep in those bits. This time, I kinda had a sense that I’d like it the moment I got the shot. As it turns out, it’s becoming quite popular on social media as well. While my typical posts get between 75 and 100 “likes”, this particular one is hovering around nine thousand making it a personal best!

On that same day, the clouds began to dissipate and we took a run up to Oxbow Bend to capture this reflection.

We also took a ride along the Snake River. When the lighting and colors don't cooperate, you take a different approach. I hear this guy named Ansel got his start here with a similar technique.

The T. A. Moulton Barn is all that remains of a homestead that Thomas Alma Moulton constructed with his sons in the early 1900s. We got there at sunrise to capture it during golden hour.

We couldn't quite find the unobstructed reflection view that we were seeking for the triple peaks. Solved that with a beautiful morning hike to Taggart and Bradley lakes. That's why they call them the Grand Tetons.