I had planned on going up to the National Bison Range this Friday, as there are babies everywhere! I also wanted to go to Ninepipes Reservoir, which is only about fifteen minutes away from the Bison Range. The problem is, in spite of their close proximity, I can't do both in the same day.
The Bison Range opens their gates at 6:00 am this time of year, and I'm typically there by 5:45. My reason for getting there so early is to be the first one on the range. No other vehicles have been out there yet, scaring off the wildlife, and I always have a much better chance of seeing more animals and getting some good shots. I drive painfully slow there, looking not only ahead of me, but on either side, looking up, looking down, and even keeping an eye on what's behind me, because you never know when a bear will wander out from the bushes along the creek once you've gone by. The sign at the beginning of the mountain road says to allow two hours for the driver over the mountain, but I think they need to add a disclaimer that reads: "Photographers allow a minimum of four hours." Seriously. If you really want to get some good shots, you have to take your time. It makes me crazy when someone goes blasting past you on the road there, doing 35 miles an hour in a 15 mile an hour zone and never stopping or even slowing down, and then gets back to the visitor's center and complains because they didn't see anything. I just want to smack them upside the head. So yes, I take my time, I drive slow. I will pull over and let you pass if you absolutely must. But the animals are certainly not in a hurry, so why should you be? By the time I get over the mountains and back to the visitor's center, it's darn near 2 or 3:00 in the afternoon. By then I'm tired and can't even imagine spending more time at the reservoir; I just want to get home.
This weekend I also had an all day photo shoot scheduled on Saturday, and I really did not want to drive all the way up to the Bison Range on Friday and the drive all the way back up to the reservoir on Sunday. Then I got a call that the event I was supposed to shoot had been cancelled. While normally I would be disappointed at the lost income, this time I hung up the call and said "SCORE!", and booked myself for two nights at the Ninepipes Lodge! My last two summers have been very busy with photo shoots, and I was excited to have an entire weekend to shoot photos for ME.
When I made the reservation, they only had one room left, on the west side, which faces the highway... ugh! The sound of the trucks rolling through late at night would keep me awake all night. But, I took it because I had no choice. At least it was also facing the lake, and that couldn't be all bad, right?
Eight days and counting!
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