Returning to the Past: Grand Tetons and Yellowstone Series Resumes!

 So, way back in 2021- in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic - I decided to take advantage of an opportunity to go to Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks.  Road Trip!!  I love them. 

Unusually for me, I posted several posts regarding my trip within three months of the actual trip!  Then I got derailed by my mental health, namely anxiety and depression, and didn't post again until January 2022.  At that point, I got derailed kind of permanently by those same issues; I just had a photo editing block and a writing block.  I just couldn't do it even though the memories and reminders of my trip brought me great happiness and pleasure.  It didn't help that my computer was getting older and was less and less able to handle my photo editing software...and just life in general I guess.  Just like me.

Well, I'm back.  With a new computer and a healthier mentality, I'm ready to revisit one of the most amazing experiences of my life. 

Check out my earlier posts!

Jackson Hole, Grand Tetons Day 1, Jenny Lake Campground, Elk Herd

Beautiful Jenny Lake, Foxes and Bears

Lovely Vistas full of Bison and Horses

Mormon Row, Pronghorn Antelope, and Ravens

Wildlife Art, Yellow-bellied Marmot, Colter Bay, and Ground Squirrels

Colter Bay to South Yellowstone

Black Sand Basin and Bison

More Bison, Old Faithful, Biscuit Basin, and Beginning of Artemisia Trail Hike

And with that, we are caught up! 

It was on the gorgeous, bright morning of May 19, 2021, when I decided that I was going to hike the Artemisia Trail from Biscuit Basin to Morning Glory Pool.

I decided to try something slightly different for me and video the sights along the trail.  Mainly, as I mention in the video, because I was hiking solo and this gave me a reason to talk to myself which helps scare off bears.  Not that I was too worried about bears as this hike is pretty popular and suitable for many skill levels.  Including overweight and out of shape level - like me! And it's about .9 mile each direction although you can walk all the way to Old Faithful.

Here is the sign at the trailhead which shows most of the trails, geysers, and pools in the Upper Geyser Basin which includes Old Faithful, Black Sand Basin, and Biscuit Basin.

I mostly took video on this hike but did take a few pictures on my Nikons.  This is Gem Pool - a lookalike to Morning Glory but both beautiful in their own way.  

Gem Pool closeup:

Not sure what this pool is called...  I have the picture labeled Blue Pool with Yellow Border.  Descriptive!

This is the Firehole River which runs parallel to the trail from Biscuit Basin to Morning Glory Pool. 

These next two photos are from the bridge over the Firehole River after is turns left to cross the Artemisia Trail.  First view is downriver and second is upriver. 

And now...the famed Morning Glory Pool!  Simply gorgeous.  

Some closeups...  Including what I called the "galaxy inside the pool" - the sparkly blue-green center. 

And one last shot of the Firehole River.  This is the view from the highway.  I ended up walking along the road so I could get this lovely shot.  haha

After the hike, I decided to drive to West Yellowstone.  I saw some animals on my way there! Yay!  Including some Red Dogs - AKA baby bison.  

On the road to the West Yellowstone Gate, I saw some elk in a meadow in the woods.  I pulled over (of course) and got out of my car to have a look see.  I noticed the elk were looking away from me, further towards the tree line.  As I looked, I saw that there were a couple of coyotes and the elk were keeping a watchful eye on their movements. 

Amazing.  I love coyotes and I was happy to see them.  I would see a whole pack later in my trip.  But we'll save that.  

I headed into West Yellowstone to go to the Grizzley & Wolf Discovery Center.  I stopped at a market in town and bought an air mattress for my tent and a 6-pack of Huckleberry Honey Ale of which I drank a can later in my campsite.  It was yummy!

I also bought dinner at a restaurant that I can't remember four years later (eye roll).  I wish I could.  I tried to search on Google and there are a few restaurants that look similar to what I remember but I couldn't see the dish I remember.  But all I remember was meat with a Huckleberry bbq sauce.  Delicious.  

I spilled the sauce in the front passenger seat of my car and on the floor which caused me to have a panic attack about bears.  I cleaned it the best I could but you could still see and smell it quite a bit.  I went up to the Madison campground headquarters and talked to a ranger about it.  She could obviously see how worried about it I was and I explained that I neglected to bring bear spray with me and now that my car smelled like a restaurant, I was panicking.  

She was so kind.  She talked me off the ledge and gave me a can of bear spray and explained the do's and don'ts of bear spray.   She really reassured me and stopped me from hightailing it home.  

On that note, I'll end this post.  I do have some photos from the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center but I'll put those in a later post.  But I will say that it was really informational and cool to see the rescued animals. I definitely recommend.  

xoxo

Nikon D600 Nikkor 28-300 mm

Nikon D7200 Sigma Contemporary 150-600 mm

Google Pixel 4 for video

In Search of Monarchs at the Wrong Time of Year - Walking the Natural Bridges Monarch Trail in Santa Cruz, California

 Hello!  We're back to continue the fun adventure I had in Santa Cruz, California back in April 2025 where I wanted to rediscover my love for photography and see some beautiful flora and fauna in the process.

Click on the links below to see my previous posts from this series:

Flowers! University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanical Garden

Brandt's Cormorants Nesting Colony on the bridge at Natural Bridges State Beach

After spending the morning with the flowers and the early afternoon with the cormorants, I was ready to take my next walk and discover the Monarch Trail at Natural Bridges State Beach.  

I have been wanting to go and see the monarchs over-winter there which happens from mid-October through early February.   So on this outing, I didn't really expect to see any monarchs...I just wanted to familiarize myself with it so I could come back during winter feeling more comfortable. That pesky anxious thing again.  

But I was doing pretty good as I walked up to the Visitor Center.  I decided to go inside so I could see the exhibits and the little gift shop.  I got to talking to the lady working in there and she told me that it wasn't monarch season but that she had seen two monarchs flitting around a couple days before!  Exciting!

So I headed out...  It is quite beautiful and peaceful there.  The weather was amazing and the walk was filled with trees, birds, and other lovely sights.  First I walked through the little garden next to the VC. 

Couldn't resist a semi-macro shot (using a zoom lens lol) of this lovely yellow flower.  

And I loved these little red flowers on a bush...  Love both of these pictures.

Then I headed out on the trail proper.  The eucalyptus trees surrounded the boardwalk along with lilies and other beautiful foliage.

After walking about five minutes, a Spotted Towhee landed on the fence about 10 feet in front of me!  I love these birds...they are so cool looking.  Love the bokeh made by the leaves in the sunlight too. 

And there were a few stragglers here and there by the fence.

The eucalyptus trees are so gorgeous.  I love their bark; it reminds me of puzzle pieces and the colors are so pretty. 

It's a prettyish kind of a little wilderness! (Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice reference. IYKYK)

Complete with copious amounts of Poison Oak.  Walk carefully!

And then I saw them.  Two bright orange and black butterflies flitting around the meadow.  I was so excited!  I lifted my camera and said a prayer that I would be able to capture a halfway decent shot.  My prayer was answered!  Truly I got halfway decent shots.  lol It was so hard!

I watched, enthralled, as the two butterflies fluttered and swooped around the meadow going in every direction.  I loved it!  I was so happy to just stand there and watch, occasionally raising my camera to try to capture them. 

These photos, as you can see, are nowhere good.  Not clean.  Not clear.  Soft and unfocused.  lol  But I love them.  I was having such fun!

And then they flew over the trees and flitted away.  It was a wonderful visitation and seemed special just for me.  

I kept walking for a little bit.  I only walked a little of the entire trail.  The bit I walked was about .6 of a mile in and out.  There was a little marsh with very cool plants in the water which sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight.  Unfortunately, this picture doesn't fully capture the mystique. 

On my way back to the VC, I saw another Spotted Towhee.  It might be the same one?  But I was happy to see it anyway.  It's flicking its tail at me. 

I went back to the VC and found some birds out in the garden.  I think this is an American Goldfinch but I'm not certain.  Pretty bird and pretty bokeh.  

And there were some finches flying about.  I'm not sure if this is a House Finch or a Purple Finch but I'm leaning towards the latter.  The lady in the VC thought Purple as well.  Whatever it was, it was gorgeous. 

I went inside the VC to tell the lady that I had seen two Monarchs and she was as excited as I was.  lol  I bought a cute little Monarch pin to remember it by. 

Then she told me that there was a Great Horned Owl nest in one of the trees just off limits behind the VC but that I could go try and have a look.  

I saw just a tip of the horns in a beautiful tree cavity nest.  

And then I walked to where my car was parked in the parking lot and saw a beautiful Western Bluebird and a stunning American Crow.  I love Corvids so much. 

Then I headed down to the beach to try to find the tidepools.  Of course I couldn't.  Apparently I didn't walk far enough which I just realized by looking at a map of the beach.  lol  Next time I guess.  Sucks because I timed it exactly right to be on the beach at low tide which was very low.  

I saw tons of By-the-Wind-Sailors washed up on the beach.  Snapped a pic of course.  This was in the little creek that ran down to the water. 

That was about the extent of my "tidepooling".  haha  But I definitely enjoyed my walk and sat by the ocean for a little bit just listening to the wind and waves and looking out at the Bridge rock with the Cormorant colony on it. 

Enjoy a little ASMR video of the waves and wind on the cliffs of the beach!

Then I hopped in my car and drove north on Highway 1 to Shark Fin Cove - an amazing little cove which has two large rocks that look like...you guessed it...shark fins!

It was beautiful of course.  I was hoping to come back at about 3:00 in the morning to try to get some Milky Way shots but I didn't make it.  And that's okay!  I will be going back.  And now I know to walk on the bluffs to the right of the cove for the perfect Shark Fin/Milky Way angle!

And with that I drove to my hotel in Scott's Valley for the night.  

What a lovely day filled with exercise, lovely landscapes, flowers, birds, and butterflies!

Can't wait to go back.  :)

xoxo

Nikon D600 Nikkor 28-300 mm lens 

Shark Fin Cove photo taken by iPhone 15 Pro Max

Bird Spotlight! Brandt's Cormorants in Breeding Plumage - Natural Bridges State Beach Santa Cruz California April 2025

One of the main reasons I wanted to go to Santa Cruz was to see the beautiful Brandt's Cormorants on the colony atop the Natural Bridge!  

It was the beginning of breeding season and I was excited to see these birds in their beautiful breeding plumage.  Brandt's are black birds with electric blue gular patches to match their beautiful blue eyes so of course I wanted to see them relatively close up and try to get some photos.

I was successful and yet, unsuccessful due to hard winds and camera shake. It's so frustrating as I get older.  But luckily Topaz AI is able to help with my shaky photos without looking too artificial (I hope). 

So, after my wonderful morning at the University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanical Garden and a brief stop at my hotel which is right on the way, I made my way to Natural Bridges State Beach to check it out!

There is a parking lot dedicated to parking for viewing the Natural Bridge rock where the colony is. Time limit (I think 30 minutes?) so you can't park for the beach there. But it was perfect to back right up to where the rock is and pop open my rear door for easy access to my camera and a place to sit. 

 You feel so close to the birds and the ocean and beach is beautiful.   

Nikon D600 Nikkor 28-300 lens at 28 mm

The rest of the photos were taken at 600 mm and then cropped, at least a little and some a lot, in Lightroom and Photoshop.  

These California Gulls wanted their photo taken.  :)  But the rest of the photos are of the Brandt's Cormorants.  It's possible there are some Double-crested Cormorants in the colony too.  

And there some Brown Pelicans hanging out too!

This next one has a pretty good look at the nests which are built upon the ground out of seaweed, eelgrass, weeds, etc.  It was very cool to see birds flying to the rock carrying nesting materials. 

This bird looks like it has a red eye but it is part of the seaweed it's carrying to the colony. 

These guys are bringing fresh nesting material. 

I think it looks kind of cool that you can see the people across the cove on the tidepool shelves.  I went over there later but didn't see any tide pools such as I'm used to...even though it was low tide.  But supposedly Natural Bridges has good tide pools so I guess I just couldn't find them.  

Reliving this adventure through my photographs reminds me that I need to make another trip to see the chicks!  Hopefully I can fit that in.  

xoxo

Nikon D7200  Sigma Contemporary 150 - 600 Lens

Photos edited in Lightroom, Topaz Photo AI, and Photoshop