Monthly Archives: January 2020

January 31, 2020 · 6:55 am

Scale And Reference In A Photo

Most landscape photographers roll their eyes at including people or anything man-made in their images. I always try to get a few shots with people or other evidence of “civilization” in them because I believe this gives a sense of scale and reference to an image, thereby helping the viewer wrap their heads around the vastness, immensity, or smallness of a scene or feature within the landscape.

This was my daily look during my 9 days in Yellowstone National Park this past autumn: bedraggled and sweaty from lugging photo gear on all my hikes, yet happy as a clam at high water to be out there doing what I love the most.

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Filed under Arizona, Canon, National Parks, Petrified Forest National Park, Photography, Travel, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park

Tagged as Canon, National Park, national parks, people, Petrified Forest, photography, reference, scale, travel, Yellowstone

January 28, 2020 · 8:56 am

It’s Trivia Tuesday!

Did you know that Emmons Glacier in Mount Rainier National Park has the largest surface area of any glacier in the contiguous U.S.? And a great place to view this glacier and The Mountain is at Emmons Vista, in the Sunrise area of the park.

Knowledge is power, folks!

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Filed under Canon, GX7 Mk II, Mount Rainier National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, National Parks, Photography, Trivia Tuesday

Tagged as Canon, Emmons Glacier, Emmons Vista, Glacier, Mount Rainier National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, National Park, point and shoot, point-and-shoot, travel, Trivia Tuesday, volcano, Washington State, where the trails take you

January 27, 2020 · 12:26 pm

Earthquakes In Yellowstone

Mud Volcano area on a chilly autumn day, Yellowstone National Park

With my background in earthscience, I am always interested in the geology of national parks I visit. Today’s edition of the National Parks Traveler has an interesting article about earthquakes in Yellowstone National Park and how often they occur.

To read the article, click on the image above.

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Filed under Canon, National Parks, National Parks Traveler, Photography, Yellowstone National Park

Tagged as Canon, geology, National Park, National Parks Traveler, photography, travel, where the trails take you, Yellowstone, Yellowstone National Park

January 26, 2020 · 11:10 am

It’s Sunrise Sunday!

Mornin’, Folks! It’s Sunrise Sunday! And, it’s even sunny where I live (it’s been gray and dreary this past week). I haven’t posted much in the past few days because I’ve been busy with family things and working on another article for the National Parks Traveler.

I thought I’d sit down and go through Yellowstone images I hadn’t worked on yet, and found this lovely sunrise image of the Lower Yellowstone Falls. I have a thing for waterfalls, I guess, and this place is magical in the autumn, on cold, crisp, clear days. It wasn’t until later that I realized there were more observation points than I’d first thought, and I never got to see them during my 2019 stay there. Next time I visit this national park, you can bet I’ll be going to the places I missed.

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Filed under autumn, Canon, National Parks, Photography, Seasons, sunrise, Travel, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park

Tagged as autumn, Canon, National Park, photography, sunrise, travel, waterfall, where the trails take you, Wyoming, Yellowstone, Yellowstone Falls, Yellowstone National Park

January 25, 2020 · 9:50 am

Made For Monochrome

It’s a gray, rainy, cold day here in my part of central Washington. So, I thought I’d post a black and white image, courtesy of a freezing winter’s day in Glacier National Park. Some landscapes were made for monochrome, like this view of the mountains from the icy shoreline of Lake McDonald.

May the day find you exploring someplace beautiful, camera in hand.

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Filed under Canon, Glacier National Park MT, monochrome, National Parks, Photography

Tagged as black & white, black and white, black&white, Canon, Glacier National Park, ice, Lake McDonald, monochrome, National Park, photography, snow, travel, where the trails take you, winter

January 22, 2020 · 8:42 am

My 10 Fave Pics From 2019

Every January, I write an article for the National Parks Traveler about my favorite photos from the previous year. The number of favorites differ each year, and this year, from my visits to four different national parks, I chose 10.

To read the article and see which 10 I chose, click on the image above.

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Tagged as Canon, National Park, national parks, National Parks Traveler, photography, travel, where the trails take you

January 21, 2020 · 9:24 am

Would You Pay $150/Night For A Tent In The Everglades?

Trust me when I tell you, I’ve paid more than $150/night for a simple cabin (but with a bunch of other perks) at Camp Denali in Denali National Park. But, would I pay $150/night for a tent with a fan and a queen-sized bed and really, not much else, in Everglades National Park?

Would you?

The National Parks Traveler recently published an article about this $150/night tent and wants to know what you think. To read the article and leave your comment, click on the image above.

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Tagged as camping, Everglades, glamping, National Park, National Parks Traveler, tent, travel

January 19, 2020 · 11:39 am

Must You Visit A Place In Order To Connect And Want To Protect It?

That’s a question asked in one of today’s articles in the National Parks Traveler. It uses Katmai National Park and Preserve as an example. I found it to be a very interesting, well-written read, and it not only brought back memories of my own 2013 visit to this amazing park, but it also left me feeling a little weak, as well. Personally, I don’t need to visit a place to care about it’s welfare, although having actually experienced a place does go a long way in getting a person to connect. I’ve certainly met enough people who have never ever visited a national park or national monument who could care less about its welfare, simply because they have never been able to experience what it’s like to be in that place.

To read the article for yourself, click on the image above.

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Filed under Alaska, Katmai National Park, National Parks, National Parks Traveler, Photography, Travel

Tagged as Alaska, bears, brown bear, Katmai, Katmai National Park, Katmai National Park and Preserve, National Park, National Parks Traveler, photography, public land, public lands, where the trails take you

January 17, 2020 · 8:34 am

Fun Fact Friday!

It’s Fun Fact Friday, folks! Did you know that the average weight of an Alaskan brown bear in Katmai National Park (after eating lots of salmon) is 1,000 lbs (~454 kg)? That’s a bunch of bear!

It’s hard to believe 6 years have passed since my visit to this national park. That little cub you see there should be full grown (hopefully) and around to eat plenty more salmon coming through the Brooks River.

Speaking of Katmai National Park, the 2020 Brooks Camp Bear Pin Logo Contest is underway. When visitors first arrive in this national park, they must undergo a mandatory bear safety orientation. The pins are presented to the visitors after completion of this training session as a visual reminder.

If you are interested in knowing more about the contest, click on the image above. You have until February 14 to enter.

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Filed under Alaska, bears, Katmai National Park, National Parks, Photography, Travel, wildlife

Tagged as Alaska, baby, bear, brown bear, Canon, cute, Fun Fact Friday, Katmai, Katmai National Park, Katmai National Park and Preserve, photography, travel, where the trails take you, wildilfe

January 15, 2020 · 9:03 am

Where The Road May Take Me In 2020

In 2018, the road took me from southeast Texas up to central Washington, with stops in places like Petrified Forest National Park, in Arizona, as seen in the photo above.

In 2019, the road took me to Mount Rainier, Olympic, andYellowstone national parks in addition to the North Cascades Complex.

This year, 2020, I believe the road will take me to several places. I’ve already made reservations for a cabin in May outside Crater Lake National Park, in Oregon (yes, I’ll take my snowshoes). And, I was talking to my National Parks Traveler editor, Kurt, yesterday, who gave me a list of some lesser-visited places about which he’d like to see stories written, and I think I have a plan, now.

You see, here in the Pacific Northwest, I live closer to more national parks and national monuments and national recreation areas and national historic sites than I ever did in southeast Texas, and I’d like to explore a little “closer” to home, within driving distance, this year. So, I think I’ll make trips to Lake Roosevelt NRA (with a side trip to Grand Coulee Dam), and John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. I’ve seen spectacular landscape images of that Oregon site.

I’d also like to make a longer road trip to follow (and photograph) the 38 sites (or most of them, anyway) of the Nez Perce National Historical Park. This covers four different states (WA, ID, OR, and MT) and would certainly be an undertaking. This, though, hinges on what happens to me in April. You see, I applied for one of three Artist-In-Residence positions in Glacier National Park. They are supposed to notify their choices in April. I’m definitely not holding my breath on this, though, since last year’s applicants numbered around 600, I believe I was told. Six hundred applicants for 3 spots. That’s quite a bit of talent from which the Glacier staff can choose. So I’ll do a little alternate planning in the meantime.

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Tagged as Canon, national historic site, national monument, National Parks Traveler, national recreation area, photography, travel, where the trails take you