Wyoming

Mt. Moran

Seen from Moose, Wyoming, Mt. Moran is a lonely pillar, covered with an early coat of snow on this late fall day. The aspen still hold their fall colors, but it is clear that they cannot hold on much longer - winter will have it's way. Drifting snow has already started to bury the fences, a process that will continue until they disappear altogether until the following spring.

Winter Hillside

Winter in Bondurant, Wyoming means an average snowfall of 240 inches, which slowly settles into a dense, hard-packed sheet, four feet thick, that will support a wagon and team by late spring. In the early days ranchers drove their teams across the snow to an occasional party to relieve the boredom of the long winter months. The only caveat - return home in the early hours, before the morning sun began to soften the snow pack.

Little Jenny Ranch - Fall

Fall is the time to mow the fields and pile the hay into huge stacks which will feed the ranch's cattle through the winter. Everything fades to brown except the aspen, which blaze forth in bright yellows, and the occasional bush which turns bright red. The high peaks, already seasoned with a light coat of white, await the heavy snows that will soon arrive.

Cat in Deep Snow

The snow drifts are standing five to six feet deep along the sides of this old shed, but the adventurous cat ventures forth anyway - who knows whether a mouse might be doing the same? Cold feet may eventually force him to a warmer perch, but for now it's time to hunt.

Orin Robinson Ranch

When winter arrives in the basin of Bondurant, Wyoming sometime in November, it settles in for a long time. Not until the following April or May will the deep snow finally disappear. Four feet on the level is the norm, and "cabin fever" is to be expected.