I was travelling from my home in Idaho in late January to a new work location in Wyoming. The weather was clear and mild, perfect for driving over the three mountain passes I would encounter. Anticipating some good opportunities for landscape and wildlife photos, I packed wide-angle and telephoto zoom lenses as well as a 50mm f/1.8 prime.

Unfortunately, at Teton Pass and the drive along the west side of Grand Teton National Park, the scenery was obscured by low-hanging clouds, and the wildlife wandered extremely far off the highway. Nearing the end of my drive and approaching the highest elevation of the day, 9,655' at Togwotee Pass in the Absaroka Mountains, the cloud cover lifted to reveal soft dunes of snow broken only by the tracks of wildlife in their search for food and shelter. The low afternoon sunlight cast beautiful shadows, showcasing the subtle textures and fine details in the still and silent world around me.