The beginning of sunrise over Padre Island National Seashore, in Texas
Good morning, folks! On this Trivia Tuesday, it’s time to test your knowledge with the latest quiz and trivia piece (written by moi) published in the National Parks Traveler. This one is all about our national seashores. Just how much do you know?
To take the quiz and read the trivia, click on the image above.
After you’ve finished with the quiz, stick around and check out the other articles published in the Traveler. If you are planning a national park or national monument or national seashore trip soon, you’ll want to read about what is open and what is not.
My photo article has been published on the National Parks Traveler. Usually, my columns are published a little closer to the end of the month, but this one is different in that it deals with what you might see if you happen to visit Mount Rainier National Park anytime soon, since it’s reopened the road from the Nisqually entrance to Paradise.
To read the article, click on the image above.
As for this photo – the rain was pelting down as I got out of the car with my camera. I captured this image handheld because it was a pain to get out the tripod and set it up in the downpour. Even my camera’s rain protection was beginning to get saturated, and my bangs were plastered to my forehead. Yes, I did wear a rainjacket but didn’t pull the hood over my head because water kept dropping from the hood onto the camera. It was a mess and I was lucky to get this shot.
This was using my Nikon D850 and 24-120 lens. This is the lens that I won’t ever use again because out of all the shots I took with it, only this and one other image turned out. I’d read about problems with this lens but didn’t think it would happen to me. I guess sort of like people thinking coronavirus won’t happen to them. I *thought* everything was hunky dory after doing some lens calibration, but apparently not. Live and learn. Better to have this happen with a nearby park trip than next month’s Crater Lake trip.
The forestin monochrome on the road up to Longmire Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
No, I haven’t gone into the park, yet. I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning for that. The weather is supposed to be iffy, which means “The Mountain” will probably be in hiding. I wonder if that will affect the number of people who come into the park.
Got off on a tangent there. What I meant to write about is that I listened to the latest podcast (#69) from the National Parks Traveler. It’s an interview with large format photographer and environmentalist Clyde Butcher. It was a great interview, and I’m pleased and proud that many of the things he says about photography, I’ve been writing about in my columns for the Traveler. I don’t agree with this assertion that mountain photography is “a bunch of rocks,” but then, he loves photographing the Everglades and Big Cypress, which are teaming with all sorts of life and light.
Two things that really struck me about the interview is that Mr. Butcher said “what is photography but light?” and the fact that he wants his photos to tell a story.
Give it a listen, if you have time. It’s only about 40 minutes long. Definitely makes me want to get back out there and work on my monochrome shots.
True or False: The Tetons in Grand Teton National Park are the youngest mountains in the Rockies. This is one of the quiz questions in today’s publication of National Parks Quiz And Trivia #9. Each time I write up one of these quiz and trivia pieces, I am exercising my brain muscles. Why not do the same for yourself and go see how much national park knowledge you have.
Click on the image to go to the quiz.
This image was captured shortly after my arrival through the park etrance booths at Grand Teton National Park. It was a smoky afternoon getting smokier, due to forest fires outside of the park near and/or far. I chose a wide-angle shot to capture not only the mountains and the smoke, but also the sagebrush plant nearest me, isolated sort of from the rest of it’s sagebrush brethern in that field.
The beautiful, cold, clear, turquoise water of the Stehekin River winds its final mile through a portion of North Cascades National Park before emptying into the head of Lake Chelan and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. During my visit to the small, isolated community of Stehekin, a favorite place for photography was at High Bridge, the dividing line between the national park and the national recreation area.
You can learn more of my favorite places for national park (and national monument) photography in the latest article published in today’s edition of the National Parks Traveler. Some of these places have partially or completely reopened to visitors, so if you decide to go out with your camera, please do so safely and at a safe distance from others. Who knows? My favorite places might become yours, or my favorite places might already be your favorite places!
To read the article, click on the image above.
Oh, if you use Instagram, go on over to @national_parks_traveler and check out the video I posted of the Stehekin River. Yes, I’m still maintaining and posting to the Traveler’s Instagram site. Show the Traveler some love and start following the account.
Looking through the window at Balcony House, Mesa Verde National Park
If you really must get out this Memorial Day weekend, then it’s worth a check with the National Parks Traveler to see which parks are open and how much of those parks are accessible. Mesa Verde National Park will open this Sunday, but the cliff dwellings will not be accessible. That said, other parts of the park will be accessible.
To find out what national park units are open, click on the image above.
I’ve only visited Mesa Verde once, but it was a cool trip and I did lots of stuff while there. I took most of the guided cliff dwelling tours (like the one pictured here, of Balcony House) and a guided backcountry tour to Mug House (also very cool) as well as a twilight tour of Cliff Palace. I checked out the ruins on the ground, too, in addition to those above the ground. The scenery is stark and beautiful. The sunrises are gorgeous – especially at Park Point Overlook. I stayed at Far View Lodge, which was very nice … except for the part about finding a black widow spider on the bathroom wall – that shook me a little bit. All in all, it was a great trip and one I recommend if you are interested in learning about the culture and architecture of an ancient people.
A highlight of my summer visit to Padre Island National Seashore a few years ago was the opportunity to photograph a public Kemp’s ridley sea turtle hatchling release into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. If you are thinking of attending a public viewing of the releasing of these nacho-sized little guys, however, you’ll have to wait until 2021, as all public viewings have been canceled for this year due to the coronavirus. As you can see in the last photo, there is definitely NO social distancing of the 700 – 1200 participants who attend these viewings. On that particular day I took the photo, there ended up being 900 people.
Fruiticose lichen and sphagnum moss on Acadia’s forest floor
You can learn a lot from children’s books, you know. That’s one of the things Jeopardy phenom James Holzhauer did: go to the library and read books from the children’s section. So, in this latest quiz and trivia piece I penned for the National Parks Traveler, I used a children’s book about national parks for most of the information in the quiz. Click on the image and go on over and check it out. See how much you know, and how much you learn. One of the questions deals with what you see in the photo above, which was taken of the forest floor when I visited Acadia National Park, years ago.
It’s time to exercise your national park brain muscles, folks, and try your knowledge on this latest quiz and trivia piece I’ve penned for the National Parks Traveler. Ah, but wait, the quiz and trivia are not about national parks – it’s all about national monuments this time! See how much you know.
To take the quiz, click on the image above
And, while you are there, perhaps you’d be willing to show the Traveler some love on this #GivingTuesday and help the Traveler continue to provide daily news coverage not only of our national parks and protected lands in general, but how this coronavirus pandemic is affecting them (and it is, believe me).
As for this photo – well, it was taken in the only national monument I’ve had a chance to visit (and photograph): John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. This is from the Painted Hills Unit.
So, what can you do and see in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon, if you only have 3 days? Plenty! Check out my latest article published in the National Parks Traveler.
All images on these posts are the exclusive property of Rebecca L. Latson and Where The Trails Take You Photography. Please respect my copyright and do not use these images on Pinterest, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat or any other business, personal or social website, blog site, or other media without my written permission. Thank you.
You can reach me at rebeccalatson@wherethetrailstakeyou.com
