• National Parks,  quotes,  Yellowstone National Park

    You had to be there!!

    September 3, 2022

    “You can only appreciate nature by feeling and seeing it with the heart and the eyes of a child.”

    Michael Bassey Johnson

    I would not be able to look myself in the mirror if I visited Yellowstone National Park without a photograph of the lower and upper falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I got both! Crowds were small at Artists Point due to the time of year. Without crowds I was able to just stand there watching, listening, experiencing the awe and wonder of it all. I took this photograph about 2:00 pm and that’s why the lighting is flat, but I also know any image would fail to express the experience. You had to be there!!! The waterfall captures most people’s attention but the canyon with those precipitous jagged cliffs and that yellow rock cause me stand speechless while listening to the sound of the waterfalls power echo in the canyon. I already wanna go back.

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  • Avian,  National Parks,  Yellowstone National Park

    A Day in Yellowstone Park

    September 2, 2022
    Bald Eagle in Lamar Valley

    Monday was a 12 hour day spent in Yellowstone Park. We were able to get a pass into Lamar Valley as it is closed at the Northeast Entrance. They are limiting the amount of traffic while they repair roads. The pass only gave us access from Tower Junction to Slough Creek. That was enough for us to get photos of bison, antelope, this eagle and the beauty of of the park. Here is a link to a map and video of the damage to the roads within the park from the floods in June.

    For those who are into numbers, I drove a total of 1,222 miles and averaged 29.8 miles to the gallon. And, for those who are into plays, we were able to see the musical Bright Star at a theater in West Yellowstone called The Play Mill Theatre on Saturday evening. One heck of a play!

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  • Grand Teton National Park,  landscape,  mountains,  National Parks

    I’m back

    August 31, 2022
    The Tetons from Oxbow Bend

    I got back yesterday evening around 6:30 pm after a long day on the road, almost 12 hours. I drove back through Yellowstone National Park which required me to stop several times for photographs. I enjoyed this trip immensely. I camped two nights a Fremont Lake which gave me plenty of alone time except for the couple hours at the coffee shop writing my last post. I so needed that alone time. The time with Duane and Jan was also exactly what I needed. They kept me busy with things to see and do. I already miss them. I will post images from the trip over the next few days rather than one post with too many photos and words.

    My original plans did not have me drive home through the park. Nor, did I expect to drive by Oxbow Bend. Last time I was in this area was 19 years ago. As I reflect on that I realize that was too long ago.

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  • landscape,  National Parks,  quotes,  river,  Smoky Mountains National Park

    The Earth is a Gift

    August 12, 2022
    Fall colors on Roaring Fork River in October of 2003

    “Our elders say that ceremony is the way we can remember to remember. In the dance of the giveaway, remember that the earth is a gift that we must pass on, just as it came to us. When we forget, the dances we’ll need will be for mourning. For the passing of polar bears, the silence of cranes, for the death of rivers and the memory of snow.”

    Robin Wall Kimmerer

    This quote reminded me of my visit to the Roaring Fork River back in 2003. I went up there with a fellow photographer to share expenses and have my first visit to the Smoky Mountains. It was also my first year with my first digital camera, a Nikon D100. I was very impressed with the beauty of this area. Someday I would like to make a return visit.

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  • clouds,  landscape,  mountains,  Rocky Mountain National Park

    Apocalypse

    October 22, 2020
    East Troublesome Fire seen from Running Deer Natural Area

    This is my second post today because I wanted to share the sad affairs we are experiencing due to the fires in Colorado. I took this image today about 1:00 pm. The East Troublesome fire that began a week ago, erupted on Wednesday afternoon due to high winds, plenty of beetle killed pine and very dry conditions. It jumped from 19,000 acres to over 125,000 acres by Thursday morning, a rate of about 6,000 acres an hour. The town of Grand Lake was evacuated yesterday evening. As of 1:00 pm this afternoon the fire had jumped the Continental Divide and was burning in the upper reaches of Rocky Mountain National Park. They have confirmed active flames in Forest Canyon just west of Moraine Park. It has now clearly jumped the Continental Divide and is burning on both east and west sides of the Divide. Estes Park has been put on mandatory evacuations. People are evacuating so Highway 36, 34 and 7 are a mess. I saw a video a while ago of elk heading east, they’re evacuating also. The sky looks apocalyptic.

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