Final Post: Ontario

Ahh, so here is the final update to this. The reason I want to finalize it is unclear, yet I suppose that since I started it, it simply needs an ending.

I’m back in Ontario. Back to flatter land and (slightly) warmer weather - although the temperature out west seems to have risen since I left.
I confess that I’m not a great “alone” traveler. It always takes a few days to get used to the fact that not only are you alone, but your experiences are yours alone as well. Yet, posting my photos and rambling thoughts has - in a way, brought about some relief from this.

I’ll admit, I was discouraged after the fourth day, when I had practically nothing photographic to show for my time, travel and expense. That morning in Dillon, Montana, with the snow and cold and wind blowing at 7am, was hard to face physically; and certainly even more difficult to get enthused over from a visual sense. My head and hands were cold and I didn’t feel like getting my gear out to shoot, let alone getting inspired. I hadn’t dressed for this and besides, winter is the time for snow; not May! Should I have heeded the advice to go to Cuba or Arizona? Didn’t matter for there I was.

Yet it was during that day when both the weather and my outlook got a boost. The sun found its way through those gray skies for just a few moments. The hills around Dillon were mostly deserted and it gave me space to just feel the desolate beauty of the place. Bannack, a Ghost Town/National Park was my nearby destination and it was such a blast to be alone and do a walkabout there. This same feeling stayed with me all the way back to the Northwestern area of the state and into Glacier, continuing across the border and along the Alberta Foothills.

I did get some images: No, nothing close to my goal of 50-80gigabytes worth, but some worthy shots.

I will go back out there. I would love to return to Waterton and the Foothills, perhaps visit Glacier National Park and maybe even get down to Jackson Hole in Wyoming. Get permission to shoot some First Nations people on both sides of the border.

Maybe I’ll take along a 400 or 500mm lens to get so much closer to the spectacular wildlife. Grizzlies?

Just not in early May.