It was 90 some degrees the day before, but only 29 degrees as I stood along the bank of the Yellowstone River waiting for the sun to rise in the Hayden Valley.
The sun didn't disappoint.
There were enough clouds to make the sky interesting and not too much fog rising from the river. It was another good morning in Yellowstone.
Smoke from forest fires outside the park made the light a little different, a little hazy.
Later in the day as the temperature again topped 90 degrees I thought wistfully of my chilly morning along the river. Only in Yellowstone.
It had been a few years since I last photographed Moraine Lake and I was hoping for some good light and a few clouds at sunrise. I didn't get it.
In fact I couldn't even see the mountains across the lake when I got there.
Either low hanging clouds or a heavy fog made visibility less than 100 yards.
I thought about leaving to try and find some light at Lake Louise or up the Icefields Parkway, but for a brief moment the sun hit the summit of a nearby peak and provided the little bit of encouragement needed for me to stay.
It took more than an hour for the sun to finally burn through and reveal the Wenkchemna Peaks just across the lake.
I'm glad I stayed.
