Sunrise at Yellowstone National Park

There are a few rare places in the world where time as a linear construct just doesn’t seem to make much sense; places where the past, present and even the future seem to be all jumbled together, like pack ice piled up along a shoreline. For me, Yellowstone National Park is of those scarce spots. There is a magic about Yellowstone that comes from the mist of hot bubbling springs and steam-sprouting geysers. In the hills and valleys throughout the park, ghostly sulfur mist rises from soft rock outcroppings and thin, crusty salt surfaces. Boiling brooks below gurgle in the ground. The geysers hiss, whistle, give and moan before erupting.

Right before our wedding anniversary, we decided to go Yellowstone and explore the amazing nature and wildlife there. We spontaneously booked a last minute trip from LA to Yellowstone. Getting there was challenging; we had to drive more than 50 miles in old roads to go from the airport to our the Mammoth Hotel and Cabins inside Yellowstone. After driving down from Bozeman, Montana, pass through Yellowstone’s Western Gate in late August, and park rangers in Smokey-the-Bear-style hats and khaki uniforms greet you with a map. On the way there, we were also greeted by a herd of bisons and elks. When we arrived at the hotel, it was end of sunset. We were a bit upset about not catching the sunset but decided to catch the sunrise early in the next morning. So, we went to bed very early that night.

The next morning was a very, very early start, to get up and all the way out to Madison Lake for sunrise. It was 6 a.m. and the sun had yet to emerge over the craggy peaks of Yellowstone. The air was eerily still, and silence hung over the Lamar Valley, where much of the park's wildlife had gathered. The land felt deserted. We started making our way to Lake Madison. On the journey, moose, foxes, elk, otters, and all manner of wildlife made cameos. It was a ton of fun though – driving down the old roads and finally biking from the parking lot to the lake in a mad race with the sun. Every moment was laced with anticipation for what we would find when we reached the water. I was a little nervous so tried to keep my head down and concentrate on my pace. “One, two, one, two” I repeated in my head as we biked. When I looked around I was in complete awe of the views around us. I wasn’t sure how much longer we had to bike but the concentration occupied me as I followed my feet.

When we got to the water, we needed to walk down the shore a bit to get to this location, eager to get into shooting, but taking the time in the early after dawn light to take in the whole scene, let it speak to me and then focus on what was speaking loudest. For me, it was the sun and the lake, and the spiritual connection between them.

I was there with my wife ,who captured this photo of me watching the sunrise near the lake and appreciating the moment.

My wife actually took a bunch of photos and we later looked through all of them and chose the best one representing what I wanted to focus on. I used Snapseed to edit the photo, mainly edited the contrast, did not apply any filters.

Before leaving the park, we stopped at a gift shop and bought a junior park ranger hat and a buffalo-shaped bank for my nephews.