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Old 04-22-2012, 12:16 AM
 
38 posts, read 107,647 times
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Hi, Everyone!

Last October I got bitten by a photography bug and I want to visit scenic places that I've never seen before; a combination photography opportunity & 'breath of fresh air' time in nature. So, I'm taking the summer off to do some exploring and I want to begin the adventure with the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.

It's just me and my beagle-sized dog. I suppose it could be fun to base-camp from the car through most areas. It might be nice, though, to find a small, inexpensive, short-term rental to serve as a home-base of sorts.

Never having been anywhere North or West of Oklahoma, all I know of the area is what I'm seeing on maps and reading here on the forums. Are there some towns that you think might be better places to seek out such a seasonal-ish rental opportunity while avoiding the whole tourist-trap feel of... well, of a tourist trap area? (that sounds ironic as I re-read it but that's what I'd prefer).

Thank you!
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Old 04-22-2012, 09:06 AM
 
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Personally, I would recommend anything south of the Jackson/Teton area, or over by Meeteetse. Only because you say you don't want to be in a tourist spot.
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Old 04-22-2012, 01:34 PM
 
11,550 posts, read 52,955,895 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NomadicPhotographer View Post
It's just me and my beagle-sized dog. I suppose it could be fun to base-camp from the car through most areas. It might be nice, though, to find a small, inexpensive, short-term rental to serve as a home-base of sorts.

Never having been anywhere North or West of Oklahoma, all I know of the area is what I'm seeing on maps and reading here on the forums. Are there some towns that you think might be better places to seek out such a seasonal-ish rental opportunity while avoiding the whole tourist-trap feel of... well, of a tourist trap area? (that sounds ironic as I re-read it but that's what I'd prefer).

Thank you!
Anyplace that is reasonably close to the "scenic" areas you desire to photograph will be in "tourist" country. The entire front range of communities along the eastern accessible areas to the Jackson-Teton range are tourist oriented. Nor is the Star Valley inexpensive.

"small" & "short-term" do not equate to "inexpensive" in this area or the economic base of the area.

Having a dog will even further limit your options for a rental.

Recognize, too, that most towns that have a motel will be tourist oriented towns. You may not have experienced this before in other areas of the eastern USA, but in Wyoming a lot of little towns in ranching or farming areas may have very limited or no commercial activity at all. Literally, there may not be a grocery store, a selection of restaurants, or lodging available. For many, a gas station and C-Store may be all that is available. With the recent cutbacks in USPS, a lot of them don't even have (or will soon lose) a post office.

Even in the off-season in a weak economy area, for example ... last week in Pinedale, most motels would not accept pets in the $60-70 per night range. The one that I found that did wanted $85/night. Short term housing rentals were non-existent, although I did see two fellows who'd bought an older cabin-style motel and were working on restoring them for the tourist season this year. Pinedale is a fair distance away from the Tetons, but the tourist economy is the most active in the area with the slowdown in the drilling biz. Folk who have rental/income properties aren't inclined to give them away when they have expenses/overhead to meet and the demand is reasonably strong for their product.

I'd suggest that you look into some of the towns in Idaho that cater to working folk that commute to Jackson, or

consider traveling in a Class B RV. That could be your home on the road, having a pet is your own to deal with, and you can camp out in a multitude of public and private campgrounds for a lot less money than a motel stay.
Pencil out the numbers for your travel costs, the ability to have your own kitchen and minimize food expenses ... and it can quickly become the best way to travel the region for an extended stay. Used Class B's that could be serviceable for your needs are available in the $8-14,000 range for the low end price points.

I travel all of Wyoming extensively for my business and I found a Class B RV for $12,000 that fulfills my travel, lodging, and dining requirements. With a fuel economy range of a high of 18 mpg down to 14.5 mpg, and traveling 400-900 miles per week ... the savings over traveling in my 30 mpg car and needing lodging and dining every day aren't even on the same page. With the end of the winter season and public campgrounds becoming available, my overnight costs are minimal and I get to enjoy my overnight stays a lot better than being isolated in a town with motels and the tourist traffic.

Last edited by sunsprit; 04-22-2012 at 01:47 PM..
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Old 04-22-2012, 03:45 PM
 
38 posts, read 107,647 times
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Thank you, branDcalf & sunsprit.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sunsprit View Post
consider traveling in a Class B RV. ... Used Class B's that could be serviceable for your needs are available in the $8-14,000 range for the low end price points.
This is such sound advice, sunsprit, that I'm embarrassed for not having thought of it myself.

Well, I'm off to search for class B's in my area & price range. Thanks again!
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Old 04-22-2012, 08:22 PM
 
Location: Wyoming
9,724 posts, read 21,150,940 times
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I'll second Sunsprit's advice. Another advantage of the camper is that you can scout an area for sunrise photos (use a decent compass and copy the sunrise/sunset/moonrise info from 2012 almanac) and camp near the spot you want to photograph. I used to do that with my pickup camper. Often I could just open up the camper door, step out and be ready to shoot my sunrise photos. Like this one:



You can't "boodock" in the national parks, but you can in the national forests (with some limitations). Even using the campgrounds in national forests only costs $10-$15.

In addition to class B campers, you might also consider a 3/4-ton or 1-ton pickup with an older slide-in camper. A diesel would give you comparable gas mileage but purchase price will be higher. You can find decent older slide-in campers for $5K or less.

Last edited by WyoNewk; 04-22-2012 at 08:31 PM..
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Old 04-23-2012, 03:10 PM
 
38 posts, read 107,647 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WyoNewk View Post
I'll second Sunsprit's advice. ... Often I could just open up the camper door, step out and be ready to shoot my sunrise photos. Like this one:
That is one beautiful scene right there, WyoNewk. Thanks for your comment/info, too. It's definitely good advice.
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Old 04-23-2012, 08:58 PM
 
Location: Spots Wyoming
18,700 posts, read 41,909,179 times
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If you want to get back into areas that afford a lot of photo ops, and you don't mind moving periodically, you might think about a Forest Service Cabin.

I don't know if they have time limits, but you can find out HERE .
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Old 05-01-2012, 07:40 PM
 
38 posts, read 107,647 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ElkHunter View Post
If you want to get back into areas that afford a lot of photo ops, and you don't mind moving periodically, you might think about a Forest Service Cabin.

I don't know if they have time limits, but you can find out HERE .
Thanks, ElkHunter. Sorry I went so long without replying. I've been so busy exploring my options that I completely forgot about this thread until today.

Checking the web site you linked to right now. Thanks so much for this info!
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Old 05-01-2012, 10:28 PM
 
Location: Cabin Creek
3,636 posts, read 6,232,900 times
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Forest service really inforces the camp day limit around Jackson because of summer workers taking up space in camp ground, and when you move I think it has to be over tem miles just not the next camp ground.
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Old 05-03-2012, 02:48 PM
 
Location: Rock Springs WY
400 posts, read 946,000 times
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Did you look on VRBO.com?
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