"Paw" Lickin' Good! ... Bobcat licks his lips after a satisfying mule deer dinner

February 2010 I was one of the few fortunate photographers to witness and photograph a very healthy young bobcat … quite close. I’ve blogged about this amazing experience earlier this year but have just processed a few more images from this time … so it’s time to share!

As you might imagine, seeing a bobcat, unexpectedly come out of the woods would make me shake in my boots. Literally. I was set up with my tripod and 600 mm lens on the side of the only road opened in the winter time at Yellowstone. The road goes West from the Gardiner Mt entrance and on to Cooke City, Wy. The snow and ice covered road was monitored by the Yellowstone Rangers and lucky for the photographers that were standing there the ranger was not the same mean one that I had encountered the first day I was there ( I got yelled at for parking 1/8 inch into the road .. he came after me where I was set up in the field to photograph bull elk .. he yelled and yelled – very uncalled for as my mistake was not intentional but more on that when I finally post my elk images).  .. so the ranger just tried to keep the photographers and onlookers off the road but didn’t make anyone leave.

Earlier this same day there had been some photographers telling me that they had seen a fox and a coyote on a carcass and this is where it was. I parked and set up along with a small line up of other photographers. We all chatted and tried to keep warm for a few hours until suddenly someone yelled ” Bobcat!” … Sure enough, here he or she came from up on the hill to the right and out of the woods. He just sauntered down, paying no mind to the people there admiring him. He was on the scent of the food that the fox had cached earlier that day.

He came quite close .. images of the bobcat filled my full frame D3X . …. Quite literally I was shaking in my boots and so excited I could barely move .. I watched him with my eyes and through my lens and had an absolute incredible time witnessing this beautiful creature … sharing the moment with others as well was a magical time.

Bobcat on the scent trail of a mule deer carcass. A fox cached food earlier and the bobcat was out to take advantage of the work of the fox.

Statuesque and beautiful bobcat stops for just a moment to look around.

As the light slowly faded away, the golden landscape beckoned an image.

Keep track of my bobcat images on my photography website as more are added! All images are here for you to enjoy or to purchase

Serene Scene of Bison at Sunset in Yellowstone National Park

The bison roam the landscapes of Yellowstone .. to me, it is the bison that are Yellowstone's signature.

Just over a year ago I was visiting Yellowstone National Park with my friend Kimberli. My trip was part of a 3 1/2 week trip through parts of the West, mostly National Parks. I wasn’t so enthralled by the many tourists but yet I was in a way enthralled with them because I am happy to see people out enjoying our National Parks. It means that they care about what is out here, .. or at least that is what I imagine it must mean.

Kimberli and I camped at the West end of Yellowstone, in Lamar Valley, hoping to see and photograph wolves. I did an incredible 8.6 mile run and could have gone on for days.

To me, the bison of Yellowstone are the signature Wildlife of Yellowstone. The majestic creatures grace the grand landscapes of Yellowstone and can be found almost everywhere. I love the close up images I have of some of these large creatures as we connected quite well via eye contact. Though these animals often look quite gentle, they can be unpredictable …

My February 2010 trip West took me first through the badlands and then back through Yellowstone National Park … for winter bison images.

Keep checking this link for more bison images on my photography website. All images are available for your viewing enjoyment and for purchase.

Details Yellowstone Bison

Details Yellowstone Bison Sunset

As the day grew on I drove South towards Monument Valley. It had been a hot day hiking down into the canyon at Canyonlands National Park, where I was the only one hiking the almost non existent Wihite trail. The trail descended into the canyon via rock climbing and cairns that marked the trail were easy to miss. .. I had a blast!

So the heat of the day drifted from my mind as I entered Monument Valley. I had seen the storms brewing in the distance for quite some time as I made my way through tiny towns and mountain forests, and beautifully twisty roads that led me to this land that would now enchant me with her lightning and thunderous skies. See all of my Monument Valley Photography.

I drove and got out at various places to just breathe in the humid (but pleasant) air and watch the lightning and photograph the quickly changing sky over the land. When darkness fell I made my way back to an amazing cozy and quaint inn called the Desert Rose Inn. I enjoyed my usual dinner which was always a picnic from my cooler, and a hot bath.

When I’m not camping and spending nights in a hotel, my tradition is to download my images while in a bath tub. While munching on veggies, fruits, cheeses flavored with sips of red wine, I’d do an initial cull of my images from the day.

This place was wonderfully cozy and the next morning I headed out to explore. I came back to shower and to get back on the road again. I stopped first into the coolest little coffee shop, Combridge coffee, for a latte and a cookie. I loved this place and so will you .. don’t miss it if you make your way through this part of the country!

Details Monument Valley National Monument	Details Monument Valley National Monument	Details Monument Valley National Monument	Details Monument Valley National Monument
Details Monument Valley National Monument	Details Monument Valley National Monument	Details Monument Valley National Monument

Please enjoy the vistas via my images … all Colorado images can be viewed larger here. There are a total of eight new images. All are also available for purchase in your choice of photo luster (most economical choice), water color paper, or as a limited edition canvas gallery wrap (signed and numbered).

… for a short time only these images will be available as part of a promotional print special – my famous 8×10 inch prints for just $20 and 16×20 inch prints for just $60 … and the more you buy the more you save!  … See this special here

Rocky Mountain National Park was one of my last adventures in photography before three solid days of “heading back” home.

I got to the West Side of the Park late in the afternoon and decided to go for a short hike before heading over to Estes Park on the east side, where I was staying. … so much for a short 50 miles to the other side. In the dark it was a little trecherous for a midwesterner making hairpin curves with no side rail knowing full well that the drop off on the mountain was sheer down! Trail Ridge Road was quite vacant and black as any night I had ever seen. The clouds kept the full moon and the stars from shining any light at all down on me or my nervous situation.

The next day however made Ridge Road and me great friends. The sunny morning gave way to moody storm clouds and gave me brilliant photography as I made my way back to the East side of the park and observed what I was unable to see the night before.

Of course I must hike or run in every place that I make images. Whether I am making images from the hike itself or simply experiencing Nature as she is it seems essential to me anymore to immerse myself in the knowledge of the land. Ute Trail was recommended to me by a volunteer at the visitor center.

I had become quite accustomed to the high altitude of over 2 miles up and really revel in that thin air! Workouts are better and I can breathe so easy! So many have difficulties up here so I swear on the possibility of having been a mountain goat in a previous life! LOL.. You can see by the GPS route that I was at around 2 miles altitude and you can also see the tell tale signs of where and when I went off course and did my own trail blazing.

Sept 6 – Great Sands National Park Evening Photo shoot

The light was extremely dramatic on the drive over to this wonderful park. A rainbow blessed my drive into the park and for just a few moments even treated me to a double rainbow!

I arrived just in time for the dramatic light on the dunes and on the distant mountains. There were quite a few people on the dunes but they faded away just before the best light show of the evening… Of course they leave when the sun sets and I hang out for the afterglow.
The only problem with that is that it is quite easy to turn around to come back to the dunes parking lot and not be able to find it! Darkness sets in and the vastness of the dunes, though I had not wandered in all that far, makes it nearly impossible! Luckily I did spot someone with a very white shirt who had a flashlight and I followed him directly back.

The moon gave me a constant show through a pitch black night as I wandered with my Honda up to a little town called Salita for the night.

Kristen Westlake
Nature and Wildlife Photography on Canvas
WEBSITE: http://www.Kristenwestlake.com
PHONE: (262) 374-0869
EMAIL: kristenwestlake2@gmail.com

Sept 6 Hiking a part of the Continental Divide Trail

I got out of Durango and finally into really beautiful mountain regions of Colorado.
Though several times I have driven by areas that crossed the Continental Divide I had not seen the trail that extends from the North Region of Montana in Glacier National Park to Mexico. Today I did. So I hit the trail for just a 6 mile hike up to Alberta Peak. I imagined myself through hiking the entire 3600 miles and wondered what that might be like with a huge pack on my back and getting through some of these narrow single track that edged the side of the mountain that I was on.
It was breathtakingly beautiful and I could hear a thunderstorm brewing in the distance. If I had been at home it might have been more cause for alarm to get back to the trail head. Here everything is so huge that I could see and hear the storm from my vantage point and it was really quite far away.
Pictures here from the trail and from where I sat at Alberta Point.

Kristen Westlake
Nature and Wildlife Photography on Canvas
WEBSITE: http://www.Kristenwestlake.com
PHONE: (262) 374-0869
EMAIL: kristenwestlake2@gmail.com

Later that day I made my way down to Monument Valley and stayed in a
little town called Bluff. Storms were moving in which gave much drama
to the monuments landscape.

While Arches was a neat park I find a bit more solitude to be
preferable when I am composing pictures. Getting off the beaten path
heightens the atmosphere for creativity and bond with the land.
All the hiking I am doing makes me a part of rather than separate from
my subjects.
This morning I met the canyon for a pre-dawn display and watched as
the canyon bloomed with color as the sun peaked up and over the first
cliff.
A challenging hike called Wihite Trail took me down inside the canyon.
It was hot and I was really really solo on this trek. I wondered how
many, if any, hike this each day. The cairns were there but I really
had to look for them. The trail was sometimes but not often visible as
I made my way down the rocky edge of the canyon, looking always for
the next cairn.
I loved the challenge and had enough water but often wondered if I
should really be doing this alone. … I am glad I did.

I got here early afternoon and went first to Delicate Arch. I loved
the 1.5 mile climb up the slick rock. It's exhilarating and a great
workout!
For me, Arches is full of too many people.. but I love the slick rock
climbs!