Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
It was a hazy, smoky day in Wyoming when we spent some time in the Grand Teton National Park. In September and October, western states’ wildfires would mar many of the images on our trip. We stopped at one viewpoint in the Grand Tetons where I saw a placard naming the peaks visible from that point. The second-highest peak in the range is Mount Owen at 12,933 feet (3,942 m). Continue reading
This week it’s Ann-Christine’s turn to issue the challenge. Her challenge of “Soft” reminded me of Teddy Roosevelt’s quote, “Speak softly and carry a big stick…” that summed up his philosophy in dealing with foreign interests. Since I don’t have any posts that speak to politics, I’ll take a different tack to my response. In any case, you can read Ann-Christine’s challenge post here.
North Cascades National Park, Washington.
On our way to the North Cascades, we picked up the scenic byway at Twisp. This 140-mile (225 km) byway leads to the mountain range often considered to be the North American Alps. The opening photo features a view of the byway as it winds up the side of a mountain on our journey. There are pull-offs aplenty and lots of opportunity for photography. This post and gallery are but a small sampling of the images I gathered on the way to and through the park. Continue reading
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota.
The South Unit of the park is by far the most popular of the three units. Last week’s Cellpic Sunday featured a view of the North Unit. We didn’t make the trip through to the third park unit, Elkhorn Ranch, as that part of the park is undeveloped and only available to those with 4-wheel drive vehicles probably meant more for off-roading than anything else. The largest section of the park, the South Unit entrance is located on the main street of the city of Medora. Continue reading
Patti Moed is this week’s host for the photo challenge, and she is asking us to focus on subjects beginning with the letter S. She writes, “You can also include signs and graffiti with the letter S. For an added challenge, capture an image that illustrates a concept with the letter S, such as serene, sharp, spooky, or silent.” You can read her entire challenge post here. Continue reading
Toutle, Washington.
The best access to the blast area defined by the eruption of Mount Saint Helens is via State Route 504, also known as the Spirit Lake Highway. Built to replace the original highway destroyed by the eruption, this 52-mile (84 km) highway contains 14 bridges that span the valleys west of the mountain. The tallest bridge on the highway spans a deep valley where some 370 feet (113 m) below, Hoffstadt Creek winds its way west toward the Toutle River. Continue reading
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota.
In mid-September, 2020, we explored the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park for the first time. For travelers along I-94, the South Unit is but a short jog off the Interstate. The North Unit, on the other hand, is an hour’s drive north of I-94 just off U.S. Highway 85. Unless you have another reason to travel north of the Interstate, it’s an easy choice to choose the South Unit, the largest section of the park. Continue reading
This week, guest host Shetal Bravon invites us to share a glimpse of our world in the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. She writes, “Show us the things you love that makes your world spin or things about your world that make you delirious with joy.” You can find her entire challenge post here. Continue reading
Mount Saint Helens National Monument, Washington.
May 18, 2020, marked the 40th anniversary of the eruption of Mount Saint Helens. It would seem that there was plenty of warning that something big was going to happen on that Spring day in 1980. After all, there were a couple of months of earthquakes and small eruptions. According to the USGS, however, advances in technology in the last 40 years might have allowed for reduced risk and earlier notification. But those advances were the result of the catastrophic eruption that “fed a towering plume of ash for more than nine hours, and winds carried the ash hundreds of miles away. Lahars (volcanic mudflows) carried large boulders and logs, which destroyed forests, bridges, roads and buildings.” Continue reading
Buckeye, Arizona.
Regular readers know of my love of Arizona sunsets and my regular trips to the desert a couple miles from our house to photograph them. Well, I missed the trip to the desert for one spectacular sunset. You see last week was Superbowl Sunday. Of course, I had to watch it. By half-time, the game was all but decided and though it was no longer interesting, I sat and watched like some robot. Continue reading
