Wyoming and Yellowstone via Instagram

I just recently returned from a fifteen-day road trip out West. Along the way, I ate amazing barbecue food in Kansas City, saw the most gorgeous sunset in rural Kansas, crossed paths with celebrity mechanics in Colorado, and made way too many photography pit stops while getting to the ultimate destination, Yellowstone National Park (where we spent seven days). I have been slowly editing the images I have taken in and around the park with my primary cameras (Canon 7D and Canon 5D Mark II) as individual posts on my photoblog, Erudite Expressions; that Yellowstone gallery is now complete. Here, I wanted to highlight some of the mobile photographs I captured during this trip, most of which were taken with Instagram on my iPhone.

Stopping in rural Wyoming

Stopping in Rural Wyoming.

One of the most fruitful stops was this unassuming place called Cowboy Cafe in the town of Dubois, WY. Don’t let the tiny size fool you: the food here is spectacular. We met a group of people inside who said they’ve been coming to Dubois for fifteen years, and for every year they come, they have their breakfast, lunch, and dinner here. The TripAdvisor reviews aren’t wrong here. This hole-in-the-wall is a must when stopping in Dubois (or perhaps even making a special visit out of your trip if you’re in the Jackson Hole/Grand Teton area). The pies here, made daily, are to die for.

Cowboy Cafe

Cowboy Cafe in Dubois, WY.

A horse farm in Dubois, WY.

Tire tracking in Dubois, WY.

Population: less than 1,000. Amazing small town atmosphere.

Perhaps a better view of this scene on my photoblog, but…

The Tetons.

Fall approaching in Yellowstone National Park.

Crystal clear lake.

The most popular feature of Yellowstone National Park (also presented here in long exposure form)

The world-famous Old Faithful geyser.

Because of the wind gusts, it was a not-so-uncommon occurrence with people losing their hats at the park. Here, I document a white hat lost in the Grand Prismatic Spring area. Compare to the photo of “The Red Hat” lost at Mammoth.

The Lost Hat.

A hot spring at the West Thumb Basin (next to Yellowstone Lake):

At the West Thumb Basin.

Fall colors at Yellowstone.

An out-of-this world scene at Mammoth Hot Springs (compare to this photograph):

Mammoth.

We spent a few days in West Yellowstone, Montana. Among other things, the town is famous for these decorated bison found on its streets. You can read more about this initiative here.

Buffalo statue at West Yellowstone, Montana.

Sunset in West Yellowstone, MT.

I took a late evening bike ride to the far edge of the city of West Yellowstone. I wound up on this rural road and saw an incredible sunset in the distance:

End of the road. Remains of the day.

On the way back from Yellowstone, we took a different road: I-90 in Montana to I-25. We stopped in historic Sheridan, WY:

Old railroad. Sheridan, WY.

Exploring Sheridan, WY.

This was a peculiar sight. The word pharmacy spelled in Russian Polish on the back wall in Sheridan, WY:

Pharmacy.

And what would a trip to Wyoming be without a stop in one of its greatest store specializing in barbed wire?

The best store in all of Wyoming.

I have dozens of more mobile photos that I captured on this trip, but the significant ones I’ve profiled in this blog post. If you’re still curious to see more photos, I highly recommend checking out my Yellowstone Gallery and reading through the captions of each individual post. This was an amazing road trip, if my photos are any indication :).

66 thoughts on “Wyoming and Yellowstone via Instagram

  1. These are fantastic. I love The Lost Hat and Mammoth. I haven’t been out West in almost a decade. You’re making me want to go back. Thank you for sharing and congrats on being Freshly Pressed.

  2. I love Yellowstone! It’s on my list to revisit – and stay at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel this time – I can’t think of a better place to unwind. Loved the pictures – makes me want to go tomorrow. Congrats on being Freshly Pressed.

  3. Wonderful pictures, too many to pick a favourite, but At the West Thumb Basin is up there 😉

  4. I didn’t even know the Cowboy Cafe had reviews on Tripadvisor, but I came across it a few years ago and they have the best bison burger ever! So happy to hear others are enjoying it as well!

  5. Yellowstone is in my bucket list. The scenery of the American west is so breathtaking…and it sounds like that pie might be worth a stop too 🙂

  6. Very nice photos! I especially love the Tetons photo. Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!

    I’m curious about the hot springs. Do they have any kind of smell, like sulfur?

  7. I’m so glad I opened WordPress this morning! What a treat to see these photos. I love Yellowstone. My folks took us there when I was a kid. I finally went back a couple of years ago and it’s exactly how I remembered it. Spicing up the pics with Instagram was like opening up my very own photo album from the 60’s! Love it!

  8. I helped friends move from CA to Sheridan this summer. I left a piece of my heart there, it was great to see your pictures of it!

    • Thanks for the comment. I loved traversing through Sheridan. May have been my favorite city in Wyoming. Hard to decide after seeing Dubois, Laramie, and Sheridan in detail 🙂

  9. Hi congrats on the FP. I loved the photos. I did notice one little typo there though. The pharmacy you photographed is Polish not Russian, with the Polish emblem next to it. I assumed that’s what you meant since you said only one wrong letter, and Russians use the cyrillic alphabet. Sorry to nitpick. I gotta show my Polish pride 😉

    аптека {f}
    фармация {f}

    Both of these words are for pharmacy in Russian.

  10. Yee haw. I love Wyoming too. From Saratoga, to Pinedale, Medicine Bow, the Shirley Basin, Thermopolis, Laramie Peak, Devil’s Tower, Big Horn Canyon to Yellowstone-BIG WONDERFUL WYOMING has antelope, eagles, BLM barrens and high country.

  11. Absolutely gorgeous! I love nature and rustic scenery. It’s great to be able to enjoy earth’s natural beauty. Thank you so much for sharing!

  12. Git to love Yellowstone. I love nature. Will you be posting more nature pictures in future?

  13. This post was so inspiring! I’m headed to Utah and Wyoming next week and I absolutely cannot wait for the gorgeous scenery. I love getting to know your blog…this post really jumped out at me since my blog is focused on travel throughout the U.S. but I can’t wait to read more of your posts! Your photography is wonderful!

  14. Great idea to present your photos with Instagram layars, looks great. The shots are amazing and give a nice impression of Yellowstone and Wyoming, well done!

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