Tags
Bison, Brown bear, Carl Rungius, cervus canadensis, cervus elaphus, Cougar, elk, Georges Gardet, Grand Teton National Park, Grand Tetons, Grizzly bear, Jackson Hole, Jackson Visitor Center, Landseer, moose, Mountian lion, Mule deer, National Elk Refuge, Nicola Hicks, Pronghorn, Puma, red deer, Robert F Kuhn, Shepard Alonzo Mount, Wapiti, wolf, |National Museum of Wildlife Art
USA 2018 (6), Jackson Hole, afternoon. After lunch in its restaurant, we had a guided tour, by a volunteer, of some of the exhibits at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Not nearly long enough for many of us, but much better than nothing, a really beautiful museum. There were sculptures and paintings, inside and outside. (Brrrrr – we had divested ourselves of outerwear!) Here are just a few that particularly caught my eye, with references where I noted them.
Moose (American), elk (English)
Mountain lion/puma/cougar
Brown/grizzly bear
Pronghorn deer
This dramatic picture of a bison coming out of the mist occupied a whole wall. I’m tempted to think that the mist is that of the thermal heat in Yellowstone which we were to see later.
Sir Edwin Landseer, ‘The Deer Pass’ 1852. who saw a sphinx in the mountain behind the deer. But did he get the colour of the deer/elk right?
‘Long Island Frog’, 1860 by Shepard Alonzo Mount
‘Pas de Deux’, 1975 by Robert F Kuhn
‘Old Baldface’ c. 1935, by Carl Rungius. (Bears are in a kind of hibernation at this time of year, so we saw none.)
‘The Gangmaster’, c 1020, by Carl Rungius (German)
‘Combat des cerfs’, 1910, Georges Gardet (French)
(Hastily taken as we left) ‘Little Bear’, 2015, by Nicola Hicks, (British)
‘Midnight Serenade’, Robert F Kuhn
I don’t have details for this picture, but even when it was painted, Bison no longer roamed the plains in these numbers. The painting occupies a whole wall.
As we left the museum, a few of us saw some mule deer in the distance, so-called because of their huge round ears.
Afterwards we were taken to a viewpoint of the Grand Teton Range, sadly, as so frequently, topped by cloud, so not seen in their full splendour. 
A panoramic view makes a straight road crooked, so here’s a brief video.
It just so happens that this interesting story on the geology of the Tetons, including a fabulous sunrise photo of them clear of clouds, appeared on Facebook yesterday.
Then it was on to the National Elk Refuge. Elk/Wapiti (cervus canadensis) are closely related to our (European) red deer (cervus elaphus). They migrate northwards each year for the winter, and many come to this national refuge where they are safe from hunting.
Had there been more snow we would have been taken to see them in horse-drawn sleighs. As it was we went in horse-drawn carts.
Our horses
After a short time at the Jackson Visitor Center…
Mule deer seen from a viewing platform. See the big ears.
… we returned to our hotel for a short rest, and then went to dinner at another Jackson restaurant. Because I had arrived so late, I had no other chance to see anything of the town, as we were off the following morning northward for good.
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