Amazing Art in Grand Tetons National Park - National Museum of Wildlife Art

When you think of Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks, the first and probably last thing you think of is nature, animals, and geysers.  But have you ever thought of art?  

I always think of nature and animals AS art, but I didn't expect to find an actual art museum in Grand Tetons National Park.  But there is one!  AND it's about nature so it totally makes sense. 

Before we head out to look at the amazing outdoor sculpture garden at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, be sure to check out my previous posts of gorgeous Grand Tetons NP and all it has to offer!

Click here!

And here!

Here too!

Definitely Here!

Okay, now that you're caught up, LET'S GOOOOO!  Back to Jackson, Wyoming - home of the National Museum of Wildlife!

I confess that, due to time constraints, I didn't go inside the museum.  But I spent a good hour wandering around outside on the sculpture walk where the art and views are just so awesome!  The museum is up on the side of a hill and the art is scattered all around the hillside. 

That's my Hina Hina (my car's name) to the left.  :-)  And it's only fair for Bison to take center stage as you're walking to the Museum from your car!

And then you begin your walk of discovery!  With the beautiful Wapiti! Which means Elk.  :-)  I absolutely loved the cloud-filled sky with all this beautiful art.  I really felt like the animals were coming alive as I watched. 

Another view of the bison sculpture.  Sorry about the butthole angle but it's nature! 

And now I feel like a 12 year old. :( 

And wow!  Right in  the middle of the hill was a furry friend!  A Yellow-bellied Marmot, just having a stroll and chewing some grass. 

Absolutely love these Spirit Totem sculptures.  Each one had it's own inspiration and meaning.  

This one was titled "Dawn" - and it called to me not only with it's shape but also because that's part of my daughter's name.  ;) 

This is one of my favorite shots of the sculptures (along with the moose and mountain goat).  I love birds and this sculpture is so graceful!  And the placement on the slope with the clouds visible though it's eye just made it come to life for me. 

Funny story about my Marmot friend. 

After I walked to the end of the trail up top, I headed back towards the museum and saw a couple gathered near where I had seen the marmot, but just downhill.  As I approached the sheep sculptures which are on the top of the hill just above where I saw the marmot, I saw a couple with their phones out excitingly oohing and awing while trying to lean in for a shot.

The marmot wasn't too happy about this.  They were about halfway down the hillside and the marmot began making his way away from the couple and towards me.  He hesitated a bit but I just kept still and spoke softly to reassure him and not startle him.  He kept coming until he was about 3 feet below where I stood on the sidewalk.

He slowly turned around so his back was to me while simultaneously keeping an eye on me.  Then he backed into a burrow until just his head was out - watching me all the time.  

I kept murmuring reassurances to him and he stopped with just his head out.  Then he watched me for about 20 seconds, then came back out, parked himself back where I had originally saw him (about 5 feet away) and resumed his meal of grass and insects.  

So cute!  This time I could actually see his bushy red tail!

I left him peacefully chewing and continued my walk. 

This is sad part of the exhibit.  These sculptures represent 5 bird species of North America that have gone extinct. 

And with one last shot of the eagle, it was time for me to get back on the road.  

Normally I like to change some things to black and white but with the bright blue sky and amazing clouds I just couldn't bring myself to do it this time.  

I think I missed a few of the outdoor sculptures, but I believe there are some temporary ones as well, so I'm not sure.  But I will be back anyway to see the inside and will be sure to walk the entire hillside art trail next time!

But now, it was time to head up the road to Yellowstone so I can check into Madison Campground before dark.  And I still hadn't been through a few areas of Tetons NP so who knows how many times I'll want to stop! lol  That's the thing with my road trips...I have a plan, but I also don't completely go according to plan.  And that's okay!

So of course I had to take one last shot of the Teton Range from Jackson Hole

As I was heading toward Colter Bay I saw a beautiful tawny fox trotting through a gorgeous meadow!  I had to find a safe space to flip the car around and by the time I got back, there was another guy pulled out with a big camera out.  

And the fox was gone.  lol  He had kind of startled it by taking photos of it and it had turned around and went back into the forest.  So he packed up and left.  I sat in my car for a bit, as I had a feeling that the fox had outfoxed us.  

I was right!  After about 5 minutes, the gorgeous fox crossed the road a bit further up and trotted up the opposing hillside.  lol!  Love it!  I didn't get a photo but I did get to see how a fox out thinks two photographers!

After that, I pulled into Colter Bay.  It's pretty crazy! It's really developed with stores, laundry, campground, etc. 

There is also a swim beach, which was amazing!  It was too cold to be swimming but I was so happy to see a dad and his son on the beach.  I love this photo!  And I'm so glad the kid was wearing red!

This was my last view of the Teton Range during this visit.  Jackson Lake with the mountains fading into the distance was a truly impressive sight!

I found another grass-chewing friend at Colter Bay - this Uinta Ground Squirrel

Next stop Yellowstone!!

xoxo

Nikon D600 & D7200

Morman Row - The Most Photographed Barn in the World - And Well It Should Be!! Grand Tetons National Park

Mormon Row!  Amazing!  Awesome abandoned, historic structures set against the most beautiful backdrop one can imagine.  It's a photographer's dream!  For very good reason.  

But as usual, click the links below to see the rest of our amazing adventure!

The Beginning

Grand Tetons - Elks, Cranes, and Amazing Vistas

Tetons - Jenny Lake, Foxes, and Grizzly Bears

Jackson Hole - Bison, Horses, and Gorgeous Views

And now, back to Mormon Row.  To read more about the area, click HERE for the National Park Service article and HERE for the Wikipedia page.

This beautiful area is just off of Antelope Flats road and well worth a stop even if you aren't a photographer or barn lover. 

And there's more than just one barn.  There was a whole settlement here from the 1890s.  This is the Thomas Murphy Barn.

On the day I was there, they were working on the "Pink House" and I later saw a video (which I can't find now) of it being moved. Apparently, they began preservation work on June 16th per this article in the Gillette News Record.  Since I didn't get a shot of the work and house, here is one in the article:

Photo credit:  Ryan Dorgan News & Guide

But the shots of the other settlement buildings I got made me pretty happy. :)

I'm not sure of if this house has a name or known affiliation. 

This next shot is the John Moulton Barn beside the Pink House.  I took this from a ways down the road and had to photoshop out the cab of a Semi that was sitting there to work on the Pink House which is one reason the "emphasis" of the photo is on the tree, but I still like it. 

This is one of my absolute favorite shots.  This was on the far side of the settlement and there was no one over there while I was there.  Most everyone was around the Pink House and the famous Moulton Barn.  

I walked through the field full of bison paddies and twisted and crouched to get a lower, weirder, perspective.  Then I desaturated a bit.  I love it.

 And this is it.  

The most photographed barn 'in the world' (I do not attest to the veracity of this statement). And this is the shot most similar to everyone else's shots.  Although there are some amazing shots out there during the different seasons, with bison, etc.  But this is the basic shot and angle. 

And then there's this take.  Shot from the other end of the road, through the trees.  I love it. 

And here's a meta shot of what the experience is really like!

Earlier, there were as many as 15 people outlining the barn with even more trying to get some distance shots from further away. Good luck with that!

Just down the road, I was lucky enough to see a couple of lovely Pronghorn Antelope!

My last shot for the day...of course one final view of the Moulton Barn - this time shot from even further away.  

And that does it for my visit to Mormon Row!  In the next post we'll return to Jackson and visit the National Museum of Wildlife Art!

xoxo

Nikon D600 and D7200