Owning two rambunctious, medium sized dogs made it all but impossible to stay inside during our winter break in Eden, South Dakota. In order for them to let off steam, we needed to brave the elements everyday. It became a challenge to see how long they could handle the temperatures outside and how long we could handle it outside. I tried to bring my camera most of the times we walked with them and attempted to capture the details of this cold, winter landscape.

Was this winter colder and snowier than usual or was it just me? Personally, I’m ready for spring and the sun. However, I’m going to take you back in time to the holidays. In December, we took a road trip to Eden, South Dakota. If you remember, the whole country was forecasted to have bracing temperatures, wind, and general nastiness, From a weather standpoint it was pretty icky, however, from a photography standpoint this road trip was fairly epic.

When we came up with the plan to visit Saratoga, WY the primary goal was to get out of town, take a break, do some snowshoeing, and soak in the hot springs.  Wildlife viewing was on the table but not in any sort of expected, planned way.  I half (okay, all the way) wanted to see some moose on our drive through the Poudre Canyon and Walden (moose viewing capital of the world) on the way to Saratoga but didn’t expect to fulfill those desires.  Sadly, we didn’t see a thing except snowy, windswept landscapes that were glowing in the on and off again sun.  Unfortunately, I would have been looking straight into the wind and blinding snow with my camera, so I only have memories of this weather.