Yellowstone (part 1) - Imagine the Hunt

Welcome back! It’s been quite a while- we’ve been travelling some and it made me want to create a new photos series to share with you, YELLOWSTONE. A visual diary of our time spent and the things we experienced. My Husband and I ended up in Montana and being from Maryland originally, I was shocked. The landscape is so radically different that you almost feel like you’re in a different country- and THAT- is part of why I love travelling this country of ours. Each corner offers you a completely new perspective and the sights to match. The state of Montana and the (western) Yellowstone area is no exception. I mean if you ever feel like you’re at the top of your game or you’re the apex in your area- leave. Visit a place like this or any National Park, be humbled and see firsthand how much of a tiny thing you are on this world. It’s hard to be “the big fish” when you realize that there are predators around you. And let’s be honest, you’re NOT a predator, you are part of the predator tribe! Haha you’re a season ticket holder, you are not on the field, there’s a massive caveat there! You and I are small in the face of nature’s beauty- but also- a part of it. Which is boggling to digest if you give it some real thought. However, if you want a shortcut you could find a taxidermy and stand next to a petrified Brown Bear for scale. I think you’ll enjoy how well a single paw perfectly engulfs your entire head! This also may be why I enjoy photography gear and a long lens so much- ain’t nobody got time for that! But some of you like learning the hard way, and this is where I’ll leave you. Toodle-loo mf.

Before we left home we did research and found places and things we may want to see and knowing we had a rental gave us options to drive around. We made sure to take advantage of more local spots than the typical hotels. We also found out some towns didn’t have the hotels or booking we might frequent- which in the end turned out to be the better option- we got to explore! But as we got closer to leaving something kept sticking out in my mind- the wildlife. Bears, Elk, no, a Buffalo. I wanted to come home with an iconic photo of an up-close and personal encounter with a Buffalo. Traffic be damned, I wanted the shot and started to imagine how I might weasel my way into just the right space and **distance to make it happen. I’m not about to be one of those dolts who walk up and taunt a 3,000lbs animal because it’s cool. It’s not cool btw. Anyhow. I had a goal to look forward to for the entire trip and it could happen at any, time…

This was like unadulterated, child-like excitement haha, but I encourage you to do these kinds of things- why not. It’s fun and gives you extra motivation to break through your norms and maybe have a new experience. I arrived in Bozeman just 20 minutes before my husband’s flight landed and we had a not so quick turnaround making it out of the airport. Still, this was another first for me seeing this part of the country and immediately the scenery grabbed my attention. This may not be special to you but hey, I’m coming from Ohio, it’s at minimum a nice change from endless flat stretches of corn and an infamous roadside billboard that reads “Hell is Real”… We’ll gladly take the trade-off for a moment.

The first thing we realized is how vast it is when you hear the name of the town named BIG, SKY. It’s seriously impressive. Being raised in Maryland- the sky is small; everything is jammed up or overcast by storm and cloud systems chewed up between the Appalachian Mountains in the west and Chesapeake in the East. Massive lightning storms and wind became a thing after I came home from college too- things that barely used to happen. So, when I moved to Columbus I thought how amazing it was that the sky was so wide open, sunsets last much longer and the sky is way less clustered. Stepping into this place took that idea to an even greater level and now I’m comparing the scale between a cat and a brachiosaurus. Big sky country is the only way to describe it- it goes on forever in any direction and you almost begin to feel like it’s part of the land somehow, like there’s more sky than ground! I also learned you’d be foolish to not look around below the big sky. Rivers and roads are kinda like their own gang; they’re always side by side and that makes for excellent road tripping views. There’s always a view somehow.

And then look at this… This was just literally on the side of the road- people casually rafting around like they’re going to get pizza. What in the blue hell- this place is different. Y’all are wildlings, and I’m flabbergasted. What strikes me about things like this is how normal it is from place to place. Recreation like this doesn’t happen where I’m from, or so I thought. Local ziplines became a thing of late and even laser-tag courses in the woods, all the things we wish we had when we were young. My first impression of Montana however, even at just 1 hour in; I have seen some things, and I’m smiling. All this eye-candy I was able to capture and soaking in, all from the passenger side of the car. I’ve been fortunate to see many places, (I’ll have to tell you about Alaska sometime), but I don’t think one has overtaken the other. I’m still awed every time and curious to see how different its people are and how each place functions. You start to understand the vibe of the town(s) if you care to people watch for a moment to just be present in your surroundings. With that said, this place gave me plenty to awe for.

And then, we climbed a mountain…