We are both feeling so much better now and life is returning to ‘normal’. Thank you all for your good wishes.

I would like to start today’s blog by saying that the life of a ‘Photographer’s Assistant’ ……… that’s me, is not an easy one! 😔

Covid  🤧or no Covid I’m still expected to jump out of bed before the birds are even singing to perform my duties.

This morning we were up and out at 5.30 a.m. along with quite a few other visitors to the Park. Luckily, it had started to get light so it wasn’t such a shock. The last time we visited here in 2019 is was lovely and hot. Not today, it was very cold.❄️ We have been assured that it will be in the 80’s by the end of the week though.🌞

As I said yesterday, it was our intention to visit Yellowstone today, but after checking the travel details we discovered there are two lots of roadworks that had the potential to add two hours to the journey. As we have visited Yellowstone before we decided to give it a miss this time and to go out and visit some of the areas that Steve Mattheis told Si to check out for early morning wildlife.

As you will see from the photographs, we were not disappointed. As we left Dornans there was the most magnificent red sky so couldn’t decide then if we should concentrate on the sunrise or the animals. The animals won and if the weather permits, we may do an early start for sunrise tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was so lovely to get back in the warm for breakfast after such an early start. Once breakfast was over we managed a little more shopping in Jackson! We both brought hiking shoes with us but after our stay in Capitol Reef and the red soil, they are basically only fit for the bin as they will never be clean again. So, new ones had to be purchased for both of us. Pleased to report success on both fronts.👍

We had a very interesting conversation with a man working in the shoe shop regarding American gun laws. It’s always interesting to hear what the locals think!

Funny thing happened to us as we were leaving Jackson. We walked up to the car and Si couldn’t unlock the doors. He tried, cursed, tried and cursed until I looked at the licence plate and realised the particular vehicle he was trying to open was from Utah whereas ours is from Colorado! Exactly the same car, parking just four places down from ours! I think we need to make an appointment at Specsavers when we get back!! 😂👓

As we are feeling so much better, we’ve decided to go to a restaurant for dinner this evening (with masks of course!😷). This will be the first decent meal we’ve had in days. 👏

Last night we had a visitor to the cabins …………. he came, caught his supper, ate his supper and left! As we do not have televisions in the cabins it certainly made for some  interesting viewing!

Hope you will join us for more adventures tomorrow!

So, I’ll start today (the 6th) with our trip yesterday (the 5th)! Keep up please! As yesterday’s blog was rather short, here’s an extra long one!

It was a long, but fairly easy drive from Capitol Reef Resort. Mainly I think, because it was a Sunday so there were no roadworks or business traffic. We started off in warm, dry, although breezy weather but as we came closer to the Tetons it clouded over, cooled down and started to rain. ☔️

As I’ve mentioned before, the trip took eight hours but as most of the trip was in sunshine 🌞 it was very pleasant and when we do a long road trip, I’m sure like most people, we have a little routine that consists of snack-fests and music-fests.

Our particular favourites for the road are cheese puffs where you end of with really orangey fingers, fruit and mint Mentos sweets and sour patches or similar. Today we added finger Twixs.

We had Apple Play in the car, so it was easy to connect our phones and today, Si’s request was for some John Denver, so that we could have a little singalong. We sometimes have some Brucie (Springsteen) that is but today it had to be JD.

I’ve mentioned the Avis hire car before but didn’t mention that we were not too happy with  it as it was not quite up to the standard we expect it (had 49,000 on the clock for a start!) and had a couple of safety issues with regard to tyres and windscreen wipers. We had spoken to Avis Customer Service and they told us to stop off at their outlet at Jackson Airport and get it changed. This we duly did and thanks to Pedro, are now riding high in a Toyota 4Runner. It is indeed a magnificent beast and more to the standard we expect. The only problem for me is that it’s high off the ground so I have to use the running board to clamber in. Good job it has one! Strange we should be singing John Denver songs as this car comes from Colorado! 🤔

So, when we arrived, Si decided he should take a Covid test as he was due to go today (the 6th) (still keeping up?) on a photographic workshop with a professional photographer who lives here in the Tetons called Steve Mattheis. He has his own YouTube channel and takes some magnificent photographs. This was going to be a special treat for Si after a very difficult year.

He took the test and it was positive. Well, his response was similar to Victor Meldrew from the BBC One sitcom One Foot in the Grave “I don’t believe it!” but with a few expletives thrown in. That meant his day with Steve could not go ahead. You can imagine the disappointment. Still, it just gives us a good excuse to come back again.

Steve telephoned and has given him lots of tips for places off the beaten track where we can go to see wildlife and hopefully, take some good photos. Assuming of course that Si feels okay. At the moment he has a cough, temperature, sore throat and can’t stop shaking.

We are staying once again at Dornans in a log cabin. It’s much larger than the one we left behind in Capitol Reef. This has a separate seating area, fully serviced kitchen plus table and chairs, bedroom and bathroom so it’s a very comfortable place to be unwell in.

There is The Trading Post and Deli (they make the best sandwiches we’ve ever tasted) a pizza/pasta restaurant, a wine shop, that has the best collection this side of the Mississippi apparently and various other places to shop and eat at, plus rental facilities for bikes and boats

It sits next to the Snake River and we were hoping to do some rafting but as things stand at the moment, I think that little adventure will have to wait for our next visit. Likewise, the horseback riding. For those of you who like a little history, this is an interesting read on how Dornans started. 

This morning (the 5th), we left Utah, passed through Wyoming back into Utah, through Idaho and back into Wyoming again. We know how to live!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a few of the other pics I took along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little PS on last night (5th): Si had a dreadful night, mostly coughing, couldn’t sleep 🤒🤧 and things did not look good. However, I think all the good wishes and finger crossings must have worked some kind of miracle because he was out of bed this morning declaring that, besides the cough and sore throat, he felt much better!! What!!?? 🤷‍♀️

So, on to what we’ve been doing today, the 6th of June.

With both of us on the mend, we were so lucky to have had mild doses of this terrible disease, we decided an easy day was in order so went into Jackson for a little shopping. Nothing like shopping to put the spring in one’s step! We managed to find a few things!

We then decided on a drive to one of places Steve had told Si about last night to see if we could see blue birds. Along the way we stopped off at a very popular spot, Schwabacher Landing. It’s a beautiful place to photograph but as it’s quite breezy today the water was not still so the reflection was not good.

Sadly, we did not see any blue birds today but we did see these Pronghorn Deer grazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the rain when we arrived yesterday plus thunder and lightening last night, today has been sunny and warm and we are told will be in the 80s later in the week.

It’s so beautiful here in the Tetons, especially with all the snow still on the mountains.

 

 

All being well, and if we feel up to it, 🤞we may rise early tomorrow to avoid the traffic and make our way to Yellowstone National Park.

Don’t want to speak too soon (whisper it), but I think the holiday may be back on track! 👏