View this gallery in a slideshow

Okie Derby, Yellowstone : September 10-24, 2025

Part 1

September 10: MYF - INW - SAF

On the way out to another Okie Derby, I had planned to visit the California Condors at the Navajo Bridge near Marble Canyon Airport, but I found out the airport has been permanently closed. :( I rearranged plans and headed for Santa Fe, NM instead.

Pipeline crossing on Bill Williams River	Oak Creek and Sedona	Meteor Crater	Downwind at Winslow Airport
Whiptail lizard	cIMG_94913.JPG	cIMG_94914.JPG	pIMG_4549.JPG
Rio Puerco looking S	Cabazon Peak

September 11: Los Alamos and Valles Caldera National Preserve

Back of Hans Bethe House	pIMG_4562.JPG	Oppenheimer House	pIMG_4576.JPG
cIMG_4577.JPG	cIMG_4587.JPG	Golden Eagle (?)	Cerro Santa Rosa
Sulphur butterfly	Gunnison's Prairie Dog	pIMG_4615.JPG	pIMG_4617.JPG
Loggerhead Shrike	Mountain Bluebirds	pIMG_4630.JPG	pIMG_4631.JPG
pIMG_4637.JPG	pIMG_4642.JPG	American Kestrel	Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Flicker	Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel	Common Raven	Cerro La Jara
pIMG_4668.JPG	pIMG_4670.JPG	Elk	pIMG_4682.JPG
Bull elk	pIMG_4689.JPG	pIMG_4691.JPG	pIMG_4695.JPG
pIMG_4696.JPG

September 12: Sundance Airport, Oklahoma City

Final approach at Sundance Airport

Tawny Emperor resting on FBO window

Crescentspots also on FBO window

pIMG_94947.JPG

September 13: Okie Derby

A friend of mine flew commercial from Jackson WY to be my copilot for this year's Okie Derby. We won first place with 4s of time error and 0.5 gallons of fuel error over a 204nm course.

Sunrise on Okie Derby day	Checkpoint 1: Cordell Muni (F36)	Checkpoint 2: Vici Muni (5O1)	pIMG_94994.JPG
Spider found lunch

September 14: HSD - AAO - CYS - JAC

After the derby, I flew my friend home and stayed to visit a few days in Jackson.

Praying Mantis	McConnell AFB (IAB)	Beech Factory Airport (BEC)	SIAI-Marchetti S-211 at Jabara Airport (AAO)
Hays Regional Airport (HYS)	pIMG_95022.JPG	cIMG_95024.JPG	A small airshow just wrapped up at Cheyenne Airport
pIMG_95029.JPG	pIMG_95032.JPG	Granite Peak, Wind River Range	pIMG_95041.JPG

September 15: Grand Teton NP

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort	Black Bear on Moose Wilson Road	Another bear browsing near the wetlands overlook	pIMG_4714.JPG
pIMG_4715.JPG	pIMG_4719.JPG	pIMG_4721.JPG	pIMG_4726.JPG
Green-winged Teal (?)	pIMG_4733.JPG	cIMG_4734.JPG	Bison
Double-crested Cormorant	Elk in the distance	cIMG_4749.JPG	cIMG_4754.JPG
cIMG_4761.JPG	Common Merganser	pIMG_4773.JPG	pIMG_4774.JPG
pIMG_4775.JPG	Spotted Sandpiper (?)	pIMG_4780.JPG	cIMG_4785.JPG
Canada Goose	Sandhill Cranes	pIMG_4797.JPG	cIMG_4801.JPG
Osprey	cIMG_4805.JPG	cIMG_4807.JPG	Two Ocean Lake
Ruffed Grouse	pIMG_4822.JPG	pIMG_4826.JPG	cIMG_4829.JPG
pIMG_4833.JPG	pIMG_4835.JPG	A moose in the sage	A cow is resting nearby
pIMG_4850.JPG	pIMG_4864.JPG	pIMG_4870.JPG	pIMG_4873.JPG
pIMG_4874.JPG	pIMG_4883.JPG	pIMG_4891.JPG	pIMG_4897.JPG
pIMG_4899.JPG	pIMG_4907.JPG	pIMG_4913.JPG	pIMG_4918.JPG
More moose on the Gros Ventre River	pIMG_4930.JPG	pIMG_4935.JPG	pIMG_4940.JPG
pIMG_4945.JPG	pIMG_4946.JPG	Sheep Mountain ("Sleeping Indian")

September 16: Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

We hiked the Rock Springs Loop at the top of the mountain.

pIMG_4958.JPG	pIMG_4961.JPG	pIMG_4963.JPG	cIMG_4971.JPG
pIMG_4972.JPG	Rock climbers	pIMG_4981.JPG	cIMG_4998.JPG
Jackson Hole Airport, with my plane on the ramp	pIMG_95058.JPG	pIMG_5012.JPG	cIMG_5023.JPG
cIMG_95063.JPG	pIMG_5032.JPG	pIMG_5044.JPG	cIMG_95078.JPG
Uinta Chipmunk	pIMG_5051.JPG	cIMG_5054.JPG	pIMG_5059.JPG
Probably a pika haystack	American Pika	pIMG_5068.JPG	pIMG_5070.JPG
pIMG_95089.JPG	Dark-eyed Junco (pink-sided)	pIMG_5080.JPG	cIMG_5085.JPG
pIMG_5088.JPG	pIMG_5092.JPG	cIMG_5093.JPG	pIMG_5094.JPG
pIMG_5107.JPG	pIMG_5111.JPG	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Cassin's Finch
pIMG_5119.JPG	Red-tailed Hawk	pIMG_5127.JPG	pIMG_5135.JPG
cIMG_95096.JPG	cIMG_5137.JPG	pIMG_5148.JPG	pIMG_5149.JPG
pIMG_5160.JPG	pIMG_5169.JPG	cIMG_5183.JPG

September 17: Jackson area

pIMG_95108.JPG	pIMG_5198.JPG	Ring-necked Duck	Black-billed Magpie
pIMG_5204.JPG	pIMG_5209.JPG	Redhead (?)	pIMG_95123.JPG
cIMG_5211.JPG	Tachinid fly (?)	Bumble bee	pIMG_5218.JPG
pIMG_5226.JPG	Rendezvous Mountain	Hermit Thrush (?)	pIMG_5238.JPG
Northern Flicker	pIMG_5248.JPG	Don't mess with me!	American Red Squirrel
Mule Deer	pIMG_5277.JPG	pIMG_5280.JPG	pIMG_5289.JPG

September 17: Teton Raptor Center

We were invited to a private party at the Teton Raptor Center and got to meet some of their avian ambassadors.

Rough-legged Hawk ("Tundra")	pIMG_5298.JPG	cIMG_5306.JPG	American Kestrel ("Cache")
pIMG_5314.JPG	pIMG_5318.JPG	pIMG_5320.JPG	pIMG_5323.JPG
pIMG_5325.JPG	pIMG_5328.JPG	Turkey Vulture ("Aura")	pIMG_5341.JPG
pIMG_5355.JPG	pIMG_5360.JPG	cIMG_5385.JPG	pIMG_5414.JPG
pIMG_5440.JPG	pIMG_5456.JPG	pIMG_5460.JPG	pIMG_5484.JPG