Wyoming – Page 2 – Michael Rappa

American Northwest Trip, 2017: Midway Geyser Basin in Yellowstone

December 27, 2018January 9, 2019 Michael Rappa

The Midway Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park features several geysers and springs. The crown jewel of this basin is the Grand Prismatic Spring, notable for its massive size and spectacular colors. I first saw the spring up close and then I hiked up a hill to an overlook to get a bird’s eye view, which is the best way to appreciate its beauty—truly one of the most memorable sights in the entire park. All of the mist you see in these photos is actually steam rising from boiling water in the geysers and springs.

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Grand Prismatic Spring (viewed from the eponymous lookout trail).

Opal Pool

Yellowstone National Park: Midway Geyser Basin - August, 2017

Grand Prismatic Spring

Excelsior Geyser Crater

View from Grand Prismatic Spring Lookout Trail.

Boiling water from Excelsior Geyser running down into Firehole River.

Excelsior Geyser

Turquoise Pool

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

August 15, 2018January 9, 2019 Michael Rappa

Seems appropriate, as I count down to my upcoming trip to the actual Grand Canyon, to share some photos of a different “grand canyon” in Yellowstone National Park. My day at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone included a couple of hikes along the spectacular gorge with nice views of the lower falls, a short hike to the brink of the upper falls, and a stroll to a secluded area of the Yellowstone River just ahead of the falls. Of the many fascinating areas in Yellowstone, this among its most beautiful.

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Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: View from Artist Point

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: Brink of the Upper Falls

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: I hiked all the way down to the boardwalk below. It was a long climb back up.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: View from Red Rock Point Trail

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Wyoming Scenic Drive

August 7, 2018January 9, 2019 Michael Rappa

These photos are from my long drive across the entire state of Wyoming from Yellowstone to Deadwood, South Dakota, a roughly ten-hour drive counting stops and other delays. The road trip began with a scenic drive out of Yellowstone via the East Entrance (first photo), followed by a gorgeous drive through Shoshone National Forest (middle nine photos).

After a stop in Cody for dinner and a visit to an Old West town, I got back on the road and spent hours as frequently the only car on a flat, single-lane highway—the kind of seemingly deserted road you see in the movies. I passed by myriad ranches and their large, wooden entry gates, as well as numerous oil derricks. For a moment I was concerned that I might have to drive through major cities during rush hour, but then I remembered I was in Wyoming, where there’s no such thing as a major city.

I was beginning to think that the rest of the drive through Wyoming would be mostly flat and uninteresting—until I hit Bighorn National Forest (the last four photos). What a stunning drive that was, up and down a mountain range through spectacular scenery. It’s a shame I only had time to stop for a few photos (ones that don’t do it justice) because I literally could have stopped every hundred feet. It’s an area that demands a return visit some day just to spend more time basking in its breathtaking scenery.

If you ever find yourself driving through Wyoming, I highly recommend leaving the freeway and taking a drive along Highway 14 through these amazing national forests.

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East Entrance Road, Yellowstone National Park - August, 2017

Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming - August, 2017

Quick shot from moving car.

Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming - August, 2017

My last photo stop. I could have stopped every hundred feet in this gorgeous forest but it was getting dark and I had a long way to go to get down off the mountain.

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Grand Teton Historic Buildings

July 18, 2018January 9, 2019 Michael Rappa

There are numerous historic buildings located throughout Grand Teton National Park. Here are some shots I took of the iconic homesteads along Mormon Row, as well as a few photos of the Chapel of the Transfiguration.

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Mormon Row: John Moulton Barn

Mormon Row: John Moulton Homestead

Mormon Row: Thomas Murphy Barn

Mormon Row: John Moulton Homestead

Mormon Row: Clark & Veda Moulton Homestead

Mormon Row: Andy Chambers Homestead

Mormon Row

Mormon Row: Andy Chambers Homestead

Mormon Row: T.A. Moulton Barn

Chapel of the Transfiguration

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Grand Teton National Park

June 27, 2018January 9, 2019 Michael Rappa

When I was planning my trip out west last year, I wasn’t sure whether a day trip to Grand Teton National Park was worth spending one fewer day in Yellowstone, so I inquired with a couple of friends, who told me that I should definitely see it. I decided to go for it, and I’m glad that I did. Grand Teton is a park filled with majestic mountain peaks and beautiful lakes. The photos below feature shots taken at Jenny Lake, Jackson Lake, and Snake River (site of one of Ansel Adams’ most famous photographs), as well as miscellaneous photos taken from around the park. My next post will highlight Grand Teton’s historic buildings, such as those located on Mormon Row.

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Jackson Lake

View from the top of Signal Mountain.

Grand Teton National Park - August, 2017

Jenny Lake

Snake River. This is almost the exact same spot from where Ansel Adams took his famous photo.

Snake River

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Old Trail Town

May 22, 2018January 9, 2019 Michael Rappa

During my long drive across the entire state of Wyoming I stopped in Cody for a visit to Old Trail Town, a recreation of an old west town using authentic buildings collected from around Wyoming and Montana. The buildings were disassembled, moved and reassembled at Old Trail Town. Among the buildings here are original cabins used by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a saloon frequented by Cassidy’s “Hole-in-the-Wall Gang,” and the home of the Crow Indian scout who led Custer to Little Big Horn. There are also tons of historic Old West artifacts and grave sites of several notable Western figures.

It’s a nice little diversion on the way to or from Yellowstone for fans of the old west; I think the entry fee was $10. There weren’t many people there so I pretty much had the run of the place and was able to get some nice shots. I chose high-contrast processing for a lot of the photos to give them a more vintage feel. I considered going all out and converting them to black-and-white/sepia but decided it would be too much work. Perhaps I’ll convert a few of them at a later date.

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Old Trail Town, Cody, Wyoming - August, 2017

Hole in the Wall cabin used by Butch and Sundance’s gang.

More graves.

Grave of Buffalo Bill’s grandson.

Saloon frequented by Butch and Sundance.

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Devils Tower Prairie Dogs

March 6, 2018January 9, 2019 Michael Rappa

There is a giant field beneath Devils Tower that is entirely covered with prairie dogs. I was so mesmerized by the little critters with their cute screeching noises that I almost forgot I was there to visit the tower.

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Prairie Dog Field below Devils Tower in Wyoming - August, 2017

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: The Movie

March 4, 2018 Michael Rappa

This compilation of the videos I shot on my trip last summer includes footage of Mount Hood, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Devils Tower, and drives through Shoeshone and Bighorn national forests, Spearfish Canyon, and Custer State Park. I sped up the driving videos for effect and time—I wasn’t really driving that fast. 🙂

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Devils Tower

February 28, 2018January 9, 2019 Michael Rappa

A lifelong dream sparked by Close Encounters of the Third Kind was finally realized when I visited Devils Tower last August–40 years (and many plates of sculpted mashed potatoes) after I first saw the tower on film. Alas, I didn’t find any facilities for hosting spaceships during my hike around its base, but had I made my visit two days later, I could have enjoyed a 40th anniversary screening of Close Encounters at the base of the tower itself. That would have been an amazing experience.

Devils Tower is a sacred site to Native Americans. You can find prayer offerings tied to the trees around the base of the tower (I included a photo of one of these below). Native American names for the monument include “Bear’s House” or “Bear’s Lodge” and it is likely that the name “Devils Tower” came from a mistranslation of the Lakota word for “bear.”

A couple of the closeup shots below feature climbers scaling the tower. Pretty soon, climbing will no longer be necessary because, according to a sign I saw at the site, they are apparently installing an elevator to the top. Although it would be neat to see the top of the tower, I think it’s unfortunate that they are going to ruin its appearance with an elevator apparatus. I’m glad that I was able to see Devils Tower in all its natural glory before this happens.

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Climbers on the tower.

Native American prayer offerings tied to the trees.

Climbers on tower (lower right).

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American Northwest Trip 2017 – The Panoramas

February 1, 2018February 18, 2018 Michael Rappa1 Comment

At last, nearly five months after returning from my trip out West, I finished processing my final batch of photos (sometimes this photography hobby is like having a second job). This collection of horizontal and vertical panoramas feature photos from my visits to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, as well as Mount Rushmore and Portland, Oregon.

Uncharacteristically for me, I took almost no real panorama shots on this trip. In fact, only two of the photos below were shot as panoramas. The rest were created by stitching together pairs of similar shots that I thought would look better combined than as individual photos.

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