4sharie

Ohh thanks for the location of Oxbow Bend. Hadn't quite figured out exactly where that was. Is there a pull off? Overlook?

I wanted to ask low long Mormon Row might be okay to shoot before the light is harsh but wasn't quite sure how to word it? Something like.... when is the sun too far overhead? ...sounds goofy. I'm hoping mid-morning will still be okay by the time we check out of Signal Mtn Lodge and drive the 30ish minutes to Mormon Row.

Priorities. Yes. We all have them. Part of our problem with getting up for sunrises is my husband has worked night shift for 17 years and we're all natural night owls anyway. He's just being realistic that we are going to be m.i.s.e.r.a.b.l.e. if we try to get all of us up for sunrise after sunrise after sunrise. Ideally we would go to bed early since we'd be so tired, but still no guarantees of good sleep in strange environments.

And of course his other issue with the GTNP sunrise is that we are paying an insane $295 to stay in a lakeside room at Signal Mtn so we can be there for the sunrise, so to him, rolling out of bed and having coffee on the deck at sunrise is perfect. Sort of good bragging material too for his buddies at work. haha For me, the photographer, I'm seriously doubting that will be a decent shot. We're both comprising. He's willing to pay that much to at least get me in the park for sunrise, so I've got to compromise and be content with our view. We'll see....

Myer

There's a sign at Oxbow Bend and a parking lot. Aslo, sometimes there's some wildlife hanging around there early evening.

it's quite close to Signal Mtn.

To get the really warm sun you want to be there as the sun comes up. I guess the first couple of hours will still be nice but not that warm glow.

I didn't have a lakeside view at Signal Mtn. But I was 30 yards from it and just walked over. I got some great shots from there and partway up Signal Mtn road. The turnoff for Signal Mtn road is about 1/4 mile south of the Lodge.

We saw a black bear near the road partway up the mountain.

The sun was just starting to shine on the mountain and there were some clouds sitting horizontally cutting the mountain in half.

I also got some great mid-morning shots on the way to the airport. We kept stopping for more on the way.

Vacation is for all. You have to compromise.

When I vacation with my wife I'm usually out early every morning taking photos.

4sharie

Moongoddess, thanks for the encouragement on the "can't miss hill" and to continue on to Fairy Falls. We'll see how our time is going, but you bring up some really good points about getting away from boardwalks and such.

4sharie

WE DID IT!!!! So spectacular. Details later. We have Tetons to see...

Myer

Great!!! We knew you could.

Now a report and photos.

4sharie

I almost had to force the situation here. DH seemed to be sort of dreading it for some reason. I think it was the time factor (it was getting late in the afternoon and he wanted to get to Old Faithful before sunset) and the "back-country" look of the hill when I pointed it out to him from the GPS boardwalk. "THAT'S the hill we need to go up."

But he knows when I'm on a mission, armed with hours of research, we better do it. Turned out to be one of his favorite memories!

We spotted a bison in the area as we parked, and had lots of warnings from people coming off the trail. We cautiously walked the trail (dirt road) behind him, and wouldn't you know it... he stayed on the trail. There was no getting around him. When he stopped, we stopped. When he went, we went. Was pretty cool, but it did slow us down.

We scrambled up and over a smallish hill hoping to get by him but all we did was meet him on the other side. A couple guys were walking at the same time and I overheard them talking about the video they watched in the visitor center about buffalo. They were VERY cautious!

He finally veered off the trail and walked right through the geyser basin. We said our goodbyes (figuratively!) and picked up the pace. I kept an eye on the other guys as they picked out which hill to go up, then we followed.

It was a fairly easy climb and scramble over downed trees. The kids flew up it. And ahhh, the view! It was breathtaking to see it so much better up there. We took lots of pictures. DS tried to go a little further but it was just more woodsy. There was a downed log that a couple was sitting on chatting with a guy, but other than that, no one else came. Come to think of it, I don't know what happened to the 2 guys we followed up! Maybe they didn't stay long.

We had a joyous walk back to the van. Mission complete, and with a twist!

Still sorting through pictures, but I'll link to some as soon as I can! Thanks for all the advice!

Myer

Glad you managed after all the prep work.

I guess you should put this all together as a report instead of pieces in a few places.

Can't wait to see the photos.

4sharie

HA! You noticed I was piecing it? I'm a little worried if I launch into a 17 day trip report it might take me 17 years to finish and surely I'd lose my audience long before then.

Myer

We're used to reading report. Disjointed, disconnected pieces maybe not so much.