Mesa Arch

Canyonlands National Park, San Juan County, Utah, USA, March 11, 2017. Nikon D90, Tamron SP AF 10-24mm, f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF B001N at 10mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/22 for 1/13 second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

It seems that everyone that has ever visited Canyonlands National Park, has been to Mesa Arch. When we arrived a little before sunrise, it was pretty much a circus. There were a bunch of college aged kids having a mini rock concert off to one side, about two dozen photographers lined up and jockeying for position to try and get that iconic shot of the sunrise through the arch, and a bunch more folks just hanging around and taking it all in.

After all the hubbub died down, I wandered over to the right side of the arch and made this image, which in my mind is my favorite of the morning!

Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, San Juan County, Utah, USA, March 11, 2017. Nikon D90, Tamron SP AF 10-24mm, f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF B001N at 10mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/8 for 1/30 second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

Lauri and I did wade into the melee and get a few images. There was no way to negotiate the crowd with a tripod, however. I tried and it just wasn't working, so I decided to handhold and managed to get a couple of fairly decent images. It is magical how the sunrise colors the bottom of the arch. It is not just a sleight of hand of those who photograph it, but needs to be experienced to be appreciated fully.

Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, San Juan County, Utah, USA, March 11, 2017. Nikon D90, Tamron SP AF 10-24mm, f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF B001N at 10mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/22 for 1/13 second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

Arches National Park Teaser

While certainly not a comprehensive list, some other interesting things to see in Arches National Park are shown in a few images here. The petroglyphs at Wolfe Ranch are believed to be Ute images. The ones below are pretty obvious. The one above leaves a little more to the imagination!

The sparse vegetation in this barren and harsh country can be intimidating to some, but having spent much of my formative youth in similar piñon-juniper country, this always seems like home to me!

Even though it is a harsh and barren environment, if you walk slowly and allow the wildlife to not be disturbed, you can often catch glimpses of critters that appear unexpected, even in the heat of the day!

The Fiery Furnace, an intriguing place to be sure, but not one I have ventured into - yet!

There has been so much damage to the ground underneath and near Landscape Arch that the NPS has fenced it off and getting the images I would like is not possible. Of course having the beautiful sunny day turn gray and overcast didn't make the job any easier.

Different Perspectives

Arguably the most widely recognized feature in Arches National Park, Delicate Arch was not part of the of the U.S. National Monument in 1929, and was not included within the original boundaries. It was later added when the monument was enlarged in 1938. According to legend, due to its distinctive shape, the arch was known as "the Chaps" and "the Schoolmarm's Bloomers" by locals.

It was named by Frank Beckwith, the leader of the Arches National Monument Scientific Expedition, who explored the area in the winter of 1933–1934.

A story that sometimes still circulates that the names of Delicate Arch and Landscape Arch were inadvertently exchanged due to a signage mixup by the National Park Service is false. There was no such mixup, even though Landscape Arch could easily fit the name of "Delicate Arch."

For years our family drove past the entrance to Arches National Park and marveled at the extremely long lines of vehicles waiting and baking in the hot summer sun to drive slowly bumper-to-bumper up into the park. Even the knowledge of what was there gained from years of watching old home movies and slide show was not enough to convince us to join that caravan!

Early this Spring, however, we decided to spend a few days in Moab and the crowds were not around mid-week.  We decided to chance it and go see what was there. Of course, Delicate Arch is a highlight, but it is certainly not all there is to see and explore and make images of.

One of the things that is so fascinating about this arch is that images of it are everywhere, but they are strikingly similar - everyone wants that iconic shot with the LaSal Mountains in the background.  Granted it is a wonderful view, but there are so many other faces to see and explore just by getting a little different perspective.

It really is situated on the edge of a cliff - not the very edge, but close enough that going around the backside is not a comfortable proposition. I am sure Lauri was wondering about my sanity and safety at times, but I didn't take any undue chances.

This view is quite deceptive. The platform at the base of the arch is really quite large and there is little danger of falling, but this is the only place I nearly fell.  Looking straight up through the viewfinder of my camera I got vertigo - it seemed as though I was on a very narrow ledge and was in imminent danger of falling in either direction.  Had I done so, I would have bruised my ego, but little else.

Just before you get to where you can see the arch, the trail goes past a small arch (window) in the ridge where you can see the arch from a completely different perspective - one that gives a good feeling for just how steep these rock faces are and the rugged country the arch is located in.

Find a way to go and see this amazing site. It will not disappoint, but see if you can arrange it when the road in the park is actually open!

Front or Back?

I have been to and around the Teton Range many times over the span of about a half century (that sounds worse than it really is). This is the view that is most familiar to me from the Idaho side in Ashton. All of these images are composites from multiple images and this one is obviously taken from much farther away, but to me, this represents the "front" side of the Tetons.

Front Side?

Teton Range, Ashton, Fremont County, Idaho, USA, May 11, 2017, Nikon D90, AF-S Nikkor 70-300, f/4.5-5.6 at 70mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/16 for 1/60 second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

Now, obviously, the more familiar view from the East that those who live or work or play in and around Jackson see as the "front" side, would be the "back" to me.  I like it equally well, so in that regard, my feelings are much like Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken," probably my favorite poem of all time.

This image was taken this past January from Teton Point Overlook on the first day of Nature in Focus' Grand Teton Winter Photography Workshop. It was the first and only time we saw the mountains until the last morning of the Workshop, but that is another story.

Back Side?

Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, Moose, Teton County, Wyoming, USA, January 9, 2017, Nikon D90, AF-S Nikkor 70-300, f/4.5-5.6 at 70mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/8 for 1/3200 second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

In mid-May Lauri and I spent a night in Jackson on our way home from Yellowstone and I made this image from Elk Ranch Flats Turnout as we came into the valley from the north very late in the day.

Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, Moran Junction, Teton County, Wyoming, USA, May 13, 2017, Nikon D90, AF-S Nikkor 70-300, f/4.5-5.6 at 70mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/4.5 for 1/800 second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

The next morning, after a very cloudy non-sunrise, we drove over to the National Elk Refuge and found a big group of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep rams and made a bunch of images there.  Afterwards, I made this image from the northeast side of the refuge. 

Teton Range, National Elk Refuge, Jackson, Teton County, Wyoming, USA, May 14, 2017, Nikon D90, AF-S Nikkor 70-300, f/4.5-5.6 at 70mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/13 for 1/1600 second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

One of the very nice things about a forty-mile long, very rugged range of mountains is that you can view them from so many different angles and see similarities and differences based on location and time of year.  So, perhaps it doesn't matter which is the front or the back, just enjoy them from all sides and all angles.

Zion Night Skies

We passed through Zion National Park on Friday evening after sunset - much later than anticipated. We left in plenty of time, but dilly dallied around in several places along the way and turned a 3-1/2 hour drive into about a 12-hour one. To be fair, we avoided the Interstate and took back roads, stopping at several small towns and locating ancestor's graves and just generally enjoying not having a deadline or set timeframe.

As we were passing through the park in the dark, I decided to check Sky Guide and sure enough, the Milky Way is high in the sky and the moon doesn't rise until very late. A perfect setup for some good night skies images. We are both beat, however, so we decided to sleep in the next morning and have our little photography experience the next night. The downside of that is the show we are here to see at Tuacahn won't get out until around 11:30 pm on Saturday, on the other side of St. George.

By 1:30 am we were set up at the "Bonsai Tree" waiting for some vehicles to provide a little light painting for us. Never happened, so we did a little painting ourselves and made some dark images as well.

"Bonsai Tree," Zion National Park, Kane County, Utah, USA, June 18, 2017, Nikon D90, Tamron SP 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF B001N at 10mm, Manual Exposure Mode, f/3.5 for 30 seconds, ISO 3200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

The Watchman was well lit by the lights of Springdale as usual. I wanted to get a little reflection off the Virgin River, but that didn't turn out so well. Not enough reflected light from the sky and light painting catches more than the river, so. . . . I do have some ideas to try next time.

The Watchman, Zion National Park, Washington County, Utah, USA, June 18, 2017, Nikon D90, Tamron SP 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF B001N at 10mm, Manual Exposure Mode, f/3.5 for 30 seconds, ISO 3200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

The Milky Way was too far up in the sky by 2:30 am to get the Meeting Hall and the Milky Way in a single image from the West side.  As I was experimenting, however, with various angles and set-ups, the moon began to rise in the East. That created the perfect light painting scenario for an image from the East of the Hall rather than the West.  This is one of my favorite images of the night!

Grafton, Washington County, Utah, USA, June 18, 2017, Nikon D90, Tamron SP 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF B001N at 10mm, Manual Exposure Mode, f/3.5 for 30 seconds, ISO 3200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

As we were leaving to head back to St. George about 3:30 am, I wanted to stop and make a few images of the Rockville Bridge with the Milky Way behind and above and the tiniest amount of light painting from the moon.  Also one of my favorites.

Rockville Bridge, Rockville, Washington County, Utah, USA, June 18, 2017, Nikon D90, Tamron SP 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF B001N at 10mm, Manual Exposure Mode, f/3.5 for 30 seconds, ISO 3200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

Temper Tantrum

This young Osprey is a character! I first shot him about 5-6 weeks ago in the nest. Lately, he has taken to hanging out in this tree about 80-yards from the nest.  I was here shooting him when an adult began approaching carrying a fish.

The background is that there are a number nests and nesting pairs in a very small area here. Anyway, he was sitting peacefully in the tree waiting for his parents to come and feed him when this other adult flew past.

He went berserk! He flapped and hopped around and called and squawked and just made a ruckus. All because he got passed up and someone else got the fish!

This is part of a sixteen-shot series of the encounter.

Osprey, Midway, Wasatch County, Utah, USA, June 10, 2017, Nikon D90, Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 at 600mm, Manual Exposure Mode, f/16 for 1/400 of a second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC. (All images.)

Golden Eagle

As we were "rocking down the highway" nearly to Kemmerer, Wyoming, we spotted a Golden Eagle sitting on a fence post just off the road. Normally, just the act of slowing the vehicle is enough to send them flying, but we did everything right in this instance.

First of all, I did not react quickly, but traveled on a fair piece before coming to a stop and slowly turning around. So far so good. I then slowly drove back toward the eagle and it let us get directly across from him without reacting.

I had my camera ready and began immediately firing off a series of rapid-fire images. He just sat there posing.



Then he turned his head slightly to look at us. . .

Squatted down. . .

And launched!

He didn't fly very far, but landed on a snow fence about a hundred yards back up the road. We decided that lightning could strike in the same place twice, so I drove very slowly with my camera at the ready until we got along side once more. Just as I stopped and raised the camera, he took off and this time it seemed he was in earnest.

I got out of the truck and made a few images as he grew smaller and smaller. I had given up and was climbing back into the truck when I noticed he had turned around and was headed right toward us.  The following sequence was as he passed by!

Golden Eagle, Lincoln County, Wyoming, USA, May 14, 2017, Nikon D90, AF-S Nikkor 70-300, f/4.5-5.6 at 300mm, Manual Exposure Mode, f/8 for 1/1600 of a second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC. (All images.)

Living On the Edge

When I walked out onto the catwalk at Kepler Cascades, this is the first thing I noticed. Not to say that the cascades are not impressive, they are, but it was this upside-down skeleton of a tree hanging precariously to the cliff that really caught my eye. To be fair it was not even the only tree image I made here, but it was the first.

Kepler Cascades, Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming, USA, May 13, 2017. Nikon D90, AF-S Nikkor 70-300, f/4.5-5.6 at 70mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/10 for 1/50 second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

A little boy once fell out of bed, and when someone asked him how it happened he said, "I suppose I went to sleep too close to where I got in."

We all take chances in life. We have to. Nothing of consequence is achieved without stepping out beyond our perceived borders. However, it is also important to keep our risk taking well out of the extreme range. It is always good to go to sleep well within the bed so we don't risk falling out. John Donne said, "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind: and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

Others are depending on us, you know!

Hang In There

Henry David Thoreau wrote, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." I am not sure that is true. I certainly hope it is not in general and even more in particular for those I know and love. We all experience adversity in our lives. It is, in fact, a necessary part of living - muscles do not grow strong without some resistance, nor does anything else. William Shakespeare put it this way, "They say the best men are molded out of faults. And, for the most, become much more the better for being a little bad in the physical sense."

Kepler Cascades, Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming, USA, May 13, 2017. Nikon D90, AF-S Nikkor 70-300, f/4.5-5.6 at 70mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/10 for 1/200 second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

The tree in the center of this image is a great example! It is growing on a cliff to begin with - if you choose your circumstances poorly, don't be surprised when adversity comes calling! When it was knocked down, it could have simply died. Instead, it continued to reach heavenward toward the light and thus became the subject of this object lesson.

So, when the winds of adversity blow into your life, as surely they will, keep going and striving to be the person you wish to be. Treat others with dignity and respect and exercise those muscles. You will be strengthened rather than beaten down. The choice is yours.

Mount Timpanogos

"There once was an Indian maiden by the name of Utahna. . . ." Or, so the tale begins, of how this mountain looks like a reclining Indian maiden. Whether there ever was such a Native American tale or not, BYU professor Eugene Lusk "Timp" Roberts first published it in 1922 in an effort to bolster interest in the Annual Hike Timp pilgrimage to the summit from Aspen Grove. Regardless of its origins, all my life I have been told that Mount Timpanogos looks like a sleeping Indian maiden.  And I can see it. The really funny thing is that my wife sees it too, but in the opposite direction from how I do!

Timpanogos Sunset

Mount Timpanogos, Lehi, Utah County, Utah, USA, May 8, 2017. Nikon D90, AF-S Nikkor 70-300, f/4.5-5.6 at 70mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/4.5 for 1/80 second, ISO 200, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

The name Timpanogos is from the Timpanogots Ute language. It translates as "rock" (tumpi-), and "water mouth" or "canyon" (panogos). The mountain dominates the skyline over Utah Valley, being 7000 feet taller than the valley floor at 11,752 feet and about a mile long (5,270 feet of vertical prominence), making it the 47-th most prominent mountain in the contiguous states.

Last Rays

Mount Timpanogos, Saratoga Springs, Utah County, Utah, USA, April 1, 2016. Nikon D90, AF-S Nikkor 70-300, f/4.5-5 at 70mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/4.5 for 1/100 second, ISO 320, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

There have been a lot of stories about the mountain's glacier. Some say it is melting and used to be more prominent. Others say it is completely gone. The truth is, a little of all the stories is correct. Long ago, there was a cirque glacier that was clearly visible in the deeply recessed hanging valley below and to the north of the main summit. That glacier disappears during the dust-bowl of the 1930s leaving a talus surface in its place. It was assumed that the glacier was gone, even though there are visible snowfields year round most years. Then, in 1994 a crevasse opened up revealing a glacier still did and does exist beneath the talus slope. The debate, however, rages on over whether this actually is classified as a glacier or not. You decide.

First Sunlight

Mount Timpanogos, Orem, Utah County, Utah, USA, January 2, 2014. Nikon D90, AF-S Nikkor 70-300, f/4.5-5.6 at 95mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/4.5 for 1/125 second, ISO 900, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.

I have lived within sight of this mountain for most of my adult life, yet, have never climbed to its summit. That is unusual only because it is the most climbed peak in the entire Rocky Mountains. It is however one of our favorite places to get away for an afternoon/evening to just enjoy being out and to make good inmages.

Nearly Winter

Mount Timpanogos, Wasatch Cache National Forest, Utah County, Utah, USA, October 5, 2015. Nikon D90, AF-S Nikkor 70-300, f/4.5-5.6 at 70mm, Manual Exposure mode, f/5.6 for 1/125 second, ISO 320, processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.