Wrentit at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Another photo of a bird from Point Reyes National Seashore in California.  This wrentit was flitting about our campsite at Coast Camp on a cold December morning daring us to take his portrait.  So, we did.

Wrentits hang out in the coastal chaparral at Point Reyes singing from the top of shrubs and dropping out of sight into the tangled branches.  These are tiny birds about 6 to 6-1/2 inches long with a long tail and short stubby bill with mostly brown feathers around the body and grayish around the head.  They're described as being elusive, but this little guy was just the opposite.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

White crowned sparrow at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

This is a close look at a white crowned sparrow.  This little guy was flitting around the reconstructed Coast Miwok village called Kule Loklo near the headquarters of Point Reyes National Seashore.  This National Park unit is some forty miles north of San Francisco on the California coast.

We always look forward to hearing the sing-song call of these little birds, especially when we're staying in the Point Reyes backcountry, and their call kind of tells us that we're "home."  Notice that this little guy has a bird band on its leg.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Fly Geyser, geothermal feature in Nevada

We went on a tour of the Fly Ranch on October 20, 2018. The tour includes the world-famous Fly Geyser. It was the result of an attempt to drill into the geothermal area in 1964 to generate electricity but it didn't work out. The feature has been building up minerals ever since. That's 54 years! At the rate of 6-8 inches (15 - 20 cm) per year. It isn't a true geyser, though, because there is never a quiet period, since it's spouts water continuously. We've looked it up and learned that the proper name for this feature is a "perpetual spouter." We counted 5 spouts at the top.

Unfortunately the right side of this formation was shot at, leaving it looking crumbled.

Settings were ISO 100, f16, 1/45 sec, with a 35 mm focal length with a polarizer.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Fly Geyser, Gerlach, Nevada

After knowing of the existence of this geothermal feature in northern Nevada for a number of years, from photos in photo magazines, we finally got to go on a tour of this private ranch to see the Fly Geyser up close and personal.  This feature resulted from a geothermal test well drilled in 1964 that was either never capped or was capped improperly and has been spouting hot water into the air ever since.

The cone has formed from deposition from the mineral-rich water cooling as it emerged and is growing at a rate of 6 to 8 inches per year.  This is a phenomenal rate for a geyser.  But, then again, this is not a true geyser.  A true geyser has a quiet phase and an eruption phase.  We've checked the terms for geothermal features and it looks like perpetual spouter would be the most accurate term for it.  In any case, this mound of mineral deposits and brightly-colored algae growing on this cone is a spectacular sight.

These photos were taken with an eclipse filter on the lens to force a long shutter speed of 30 seconds and f16 and it produces a silky look for the five spouts of water emerging from the top of the cone.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Eye of the Needle, Death Valley National Park, California

This is a nighttime shot of a natural window in Death Valley National Park, California, called Eye of the Needle.  Seems self-explanatory how it got its name.  This arch is about one and a half miles up Echo Canyon on a dirt road.  The road appears to head straight toward this arch, but then wraps around the rock formation, so that you can see this arch from both sides while driving.

We camped near this feature and were taking starlight shots of it when someone drove by lighting up the rock formation with their headlights. This photo was taken with a zoom lens set at 28 mm and the exposure was 30 seconds at f/3.5 with the ISO set at 800.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Half Dome with a cloudy scarf

Got this image on a winter trip last February to Yosemite Valley. The clouds formed small puffs of cotton around Half Dome and slowly drifted around it. This cloud moved into just the right spot as the sun was getting lower in the sky, that its shadow went all the way across the face of Half Dome. Another nice feature was the snow on top of Half Dome and on the ridge west of Half Dome, too.

The ISO was set for 100, shutter speed at 1/250 sec, and the f/stop was 5.6. This was taken right about 5 PM so it was getting close to sunset for the third week in February. Taken from the Sentinel Bridge in Yosemite Valley.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Pronghorn Antelope feeding at north Yellowstone, close up

When we entered Yellowstone National Park from the north, from Gardiner, Montana, we saw a herd of about 14 pronghorn antelope grazing right by the road. Some other antelopes not part of this herd were grazing on the other side of the road close to the town of Gardiner. When we saw them and watched for a while, they approached the buildings of the town and even crossed over a parking lot to search for edibles. We took pictures of them in that position, but didn't think to include them in our blog, since you could see roads and buildings in the image, along with the animals.

Rick used his Canon PowerShot to get this 24x zoom image, with an ISO setting of 400, f8, 1/1000 second.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Little Gibbon Falls, in Yellowstone NP, along the Gibbon River

We were hiking out from Wolf Lake in Yellowstone and saw a sign for a side trail to Little Gibbon Falls, along the Gibbon River. We figured it would be worth the time to go take a look and we weren't disappointed. This image is the view from the trail, which has a steep dropoff in this area. The water falls over rocks that have a stair-step pattern, which matches the sedimentary rock layers in the cliff face next to them.

We spent quite a bit of time here and were joined by dayhikers. We discovered from the map, that this waterfall is only about two miles from the road. But we were approaching it from the wilderness area, having backpacked in to Wolf Lake the night before. We also realized that we could've hike in to Wolf Lake from the main road on this trail and would've had less distance to cover. Backpacking in from the Ice Lake trailhead was a little bit longer. Something to keep in mind for next time!

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Pigeon Point Lighthouse and beach

The Pigeon Point Lighthouse is fifty miles south of San Francisco along the central California coast near the town of Pescadero.  At 115 feet tall, it's one of the tallest lighthouses in America.  It was first lit in 1872 and, although the lighthouse tower is no longer active, the point is still an active Coast Guard station.

The lighthouse is in need of restoration and has been closed since 2001 when pieces of the brickwork near the top fell off.  The grounds are still open, but the area around the base of the tower is fenced off.  The park used to have an annual lighting of the historic lighthouse event in November to commemorate when the lighthouse was first lit, but discontinued the lighting in 2011.  The historic lighting may resume after the restoration project on the tower is completed.  The 2000 pound first order Fresnel lens that sat atop the tower and cast the lighthouse's light out to the sea is now sitting in the fog signal building.  It's 16 feet tall, 6 feet in diameter, and consists of 1008 prisms fastened to a brass framework.

Bob took these photos of the lighthouse in 2010 on the day of the historic lighting event and posted his night time shot of the lighthouse lit up in an earlier posting.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

An osprey in Yellowstone, along the Gardiner River

As we were driving into Yellowstone National Park from the north entrance, we caught a glimpse of an osprey along the Gardiner River. Rick pulled off quickly at the next turnout, which fortunately was close enough to look back at the bird on the opposite bank. We had some conifer branches to hide us and to frame the osprey. After getting some images of the bird, we tried moving down the road to get an unobstructed view, but our movement startled it. We watched it fly upriver away from us. This is the best image we got of the osprey, while we were still partially hidden from it.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Half Dome with a cloud on a bright sunny day

Half Dome is Yosemite's most iconic feature. It has many moods depending on the lighting, the presence of clouds, the season, and the angle from which you view it. This photo was taken from Sentinel Bridge, a popular spot from which to photograph Half Dome. The bridge connects the Southside Drive to the Northside Drive over the Merced River in Yosemite Valley. The face of Half Dome is in shadow in the mornings and isn't lit up by the sun until the afternoon.

Normally, we avoid visiting Yosemite in the summer because of how crowded it can be, but from time to time, we do make a summer time visit. This image was taken in early June, 2010. Rick lives close enough to Yosemite that he can make a day trip to visit the park. This was early enough in the season that there was still some snow on Half Dome. This was before the big five-year drought that California experienced. the dark trees in the image provide a nice framing effect and the cloud capping off Half Dome adds interest.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Nearly full moon setting sequence over the Grand Teton summit, Wyoming

On the first morning of our recent Teton/Yellowstone trip we were up in time to catch the moon setting over the Teton Range in Grand Teton National Park.  Bob caught the following sequence of the moon setting where it passes behind the summit of the Grand Teton peak itself.  Mount Owen is to the right, which, along with the peak called Teewinot constitutes the group of peaks known as the Cathedral Group.

We were set up at the Mountain View Turnout along the Teton Park Road to photograph the moon's setting.  The mountains are especially red because of the rising sun which was also helped by a forest fire in this region. At the same time we also saw the sun rise over Jackson Hole as you can see in the photo we posted earlier.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Sunrise over Jackson Hole, Wyoming

On the first day of our trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone, we reached Jackson Hole to try to get shots of the nearly full moon setting over the Grand Teton summit.  While following the moon as it approached the summit, we turned around and noticed the rising sun in the east.  This shot was through clouds low to the horizon and was probably enhanced by smoke in the air from a wildfire near Rexburg, Idaho on the west side of the Teton Range.  We took this shot near the Mountain View Turnout along the Teton Park Road in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Pronghorn buck at the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park

During our recent trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone, we encountered a herd of 14 pronghorn outside the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana.  This buck seemed to notice the lenses we had aimed at him for photography, so we got this head-on shot.

Pronghorn are unique to North America.  Like other horned animals, their horns have bone at their core, but unlike others ungulates, their horns are covered in sheaths that they shed every year, much like antlered animals shed their antlers annually.

Pronghorn are the fastest land mammals in North America capable of hitting 55 miles per hour.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Mount Spencer lit by the sun through a break in the clouds, Kings Canyon NP

In early July, 2018, we backpacked in to Evolution Valley in Kings Canyon National Park. From there, we day-hiked to Evolution Lake and had lunch before heading back to our campsite. While at the lake, we were rained on for a while, but also saw breaks in the clouds. When we looked up from eating lunch, we saw the sun light break through the clouds and light up the mountain to the south of Evolution Lake, Mount Spencer. We also noticed the clouds curling over the top of the mountain. After taking a few shots, the rain came down more heavily and we headed back to camp.

This section of the trail through northern Kings Canyon National Park has both the Pacific Crest Trail and the John Muir Trail combined.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Yellow-bellied marmot on the move, Kings Canyon

The yellow-bellied marmot is also called the rock chuck, closely related to the wood chuck. We encountered this one at our campsite in Evolution Valley in the northern region of Kings Canyon National Park. It was the morning after a rainy evening and we were setting our gear out to dry in the morning sun. This marmot came along, seemed to have something to eat while hiding in a crevice, then came out to search around the area for more food. It didn't seem to mind our presence that much, so we had a chance to take 20 - 30 images.

I used my camera that has a 50x zoom lens so we didn't have to be that close. We didn't want to disturb him and for him to show natural behaviors. I got lucky in taking this image while he had his rear right foot off the ground while he was on the move. He hung around camp for about 20 minutes or so.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Cascade along Grouse Lake Creek in Yosemite's backcountry, Wawona area

On the second night of a three-day backpacking loop trip in the backcountry of southern Yosemite National Park, we camped near this cascade along a tributary of Chilnualna Creek.  This tributary flows out of Grouse Lake. This was just a hint of what was ahead of us as we looped back to Wawona and followed Chilnualna Creek back down the slope.  Chilnualna Creek forms a number of cascades and waterfalls before forming the biggest drop Chilnualna Falls, a 240 foot drop into a cataract.

We enjoyed this little cascade as our dining spot not far from where we camped in our hammocks. Getting an image with the feathery effect is accomplished by using a slow shutter speed. The shutter speed for this image was 2 seconds with an ISO of 50 and f/stop of 22.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Half Dome view in the winter, before and after

We skied out on the Glacier Point Road in Yosemite to look down on Yosemite Valley during the winter. Clouds moved across the sky and obscured our view. We stopped at the Washburn Point turnout and saw a cloud bank. Rick thought it made an interesting image of Bob's silhouette against the gray clouds. A few seconds later, the clouds separated enough to see Half Dome in the distance. These two images make a very interesting "before and after."

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Sugar Pine Trail, Rails to Trails, Fresno Clovis

The Sugar Pine Trail in Fresno and Clovis is an example of a rail to trail project. I use it regularly for jogging and biking. So, I've made a video describing it and it's on our YouTube channel. It actually has the record in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most trees planted, 4400, by 3000 volunteers.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

The Best View of Chilnualna Falls Ever, in Yosemite

For a while, we became obsessed with getting the best possible picture of Chilnualna Falls, in the southern part of Yosemite National Park. Everyone who hikes from the Wawona area to Chilnualna Falls, sees these falls from the north looking south. In fact, the trail is always north of the creek. We found a much better view by crossing Chilnualna Creek and positioning ourselves where we could see the falls from the south looking north, plus being there at the time of day when the sun's light reaches all the way to the bottom of the falls. Searching for the best possible view also invloved us climbing a rope up to a tree branch along the trail and also rappelling down the cliff face to the area at the right in this photo where the dried plants are located. That position got us too close to the falls to get it all in a single shot, so we figured on backing up further in order to take it all in. So that's what we did and how we got this image.

The falls can't be seen from the Wawona area because there's a big granite wall in front of it. After getting this shot, we also managed to get to the top of that wall and look at the falls straight on.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Granite arch in Yosemite, along Chilnualna Creek, Wawona area

During a backpacking trip in Yosemite during the second week of June, 2018, we were headed out on the last day along Chilnualna Creek and visited this natural arch. We had already found it years ago during a trip to this area. We think it was formed from a pothole in the granite that eroded downward until it broke through the bottom of a ledge. By estimating the size with Bob's tripod, we determined that the opening was about 1.5 meters or about 4 feet across. That puts it in the "minor" arch category, but still, an arch made of granite is a rare thing. We first approached the arch from the side of the creek where the trail runs along, but we took these pictures after crossing the creek upstream from this spot and positioning ourselves to see the maximum opening possible.

This was the third day of a loop backpacking trip we took along the Alder Creek trail and looping clockwise to come out by the Chilnualna Falls and cascades, which are dramatic in their own right. We really took our time in this area, almost 4 hours, before heading down the trail which loses about 2000 feet (610 meters) in elevation to the trailhead where we parked the car.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Golden Gate Bridge and full moon rising

The world famous Golden Gate Bridge with a full moon rising behind it.  Because of the high contrast between a night scene and the full moon, it's very difficult to have the entire scene properly exposed.  Because of that, these images are a composite of two shots.  The first shot was exposed for the night scene and the second was zoomed in and exposed for the moon.  Bob then resized and positioned the moon shot over where the moon was in each of the first shots.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Yosemite Moonbow, Memorial Day Weekend 2018

In Yosemite National Park, California, in spring and early summer and around the time of the full moon, the mist from Yosemite Falls can form a moonbow, or lunar rainbow or a waterfall mistbow. A moonbow is a rainbow caused by moon light, rather than sunlight. When viewing this phenomenon, most people can't see the color of the spectrum because the moonlight is too dim to stimulate the color receptors in your eyes.  We have encountered some people who claim that they can see some color in the moonbows,  however.  With a long exposure, 20 to 30 seconds, with a camera, the colors appear in the final image. The night of the full moon is the brightest, but up to 2 days before or after the night of the full moon could also work.

For the above images, Bob went on the night of the full moon on Memorial Day 2018 to Lower Yosemite Falls.  Although the images look like they could've been taken during the day, he included stars in the sky to prove that they were nighttime shots.  In the vertical image, the Big Dipper hangs over the Lower Yosemite Falls and the moonbow.  When Bob first got to the falls, the moonbow was fairly high above the mist from the falls, but as the night went on, it got lower and lower until it was in front of the mist.

One of the great challenges of taking this sort of image is that you need the mist from the falls in order to get the moonbow, but then if the mist reaches high enough, it can make the rest of the image look fuzzy. There's also a very good chance that you'll get wet  depending on how great the water flow over the waterfall is and on which way and how strongly the wind is blowing.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Pacific Dogwood bloom in Yosemite

In late spring, usually peaking in May, Pacific dogwoods (Cornus nuttalli) bloom in Yosemite National Park.  This photo is of a dogwood blooming in Yosemite Valley around the Majestic Yosemite (formerly the Ahwahnee) Hotel.  Bob took it just after a light rain had swept through the valley.

Besides May being a good time to visit Yosemite to see the dogwoods blooming, it's also a great time to see waterfalls pouring off the granite walls of Yosemite Valley after a good rainy season.

The dogwood "flower" actually consists of a tight cluster of tiny flowers in the middle with several large white bracts that look like petals.  The leaves of dogwoods exhibit what's called "arcuate venation."  This means that the veins on its leaves curve toward the leaf edge instead of going in a rather straight path from the main stem toward the leaf edge.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Pacific Crest Trail Association annual meeting April 28, 2018

Rick's October 1982 solo trip on the Pacific Crest Trail, covering the distance of about 70 miles from Sonora Pass to Echo Summit. I bought the pack new and unfortunately didn't consider the hype about it's design. I ended up carrying the entire weight of my gear on my shoulders because the hip belt was nearly useless. After this trip, I got rid of the pack and went back to my older one, which I had kept.

Rick attended the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Pacific Crest Trail Association, in Sacramento. When he worked on the trail crew for the Toiyabe National Forest in the summer of 1982, he got paid to go backpacking out on Mondays and return on Fridays for a couple of months. During that summer, he worked on portions of the PCT, mainly in California's Alpine County. After the seasonal job ended, Rick went back to hike from Sonora Pass to Echo Summit by himself, covering about 70 miles, with most of the trail distance being familiar already.

We have also hiked the Rae Lakes Loop in Kings Canyon National Park, which includes a portion of the PCT. We got a twin selfie shot of us two at the high point of the loop at Glen Pass.

Rick has also hiked a portion of the PCT farther south with a friend, through the Evolution Valley area. We'd like to hike at least the length of the Sierra Nevada soon.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Happy Earth Day 2018 from the Robinson Twins

Happy Earth Day 2018

from

The Robinson Twins

We're standing in Twisted Doughnut Arch with Delicate Arch beyond, in Arches National Park, during Spring 2017. Bob's in the center and Rick's holding a tripod.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Half Dome from the east, looking west

This is the view of Half Dome from the east along the trail that leads to the top of Half Dome. We took two days to reach the top.  On the first day, we hiked past Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall to set up camp in Little Yosemite Valley. This second day we continued the hike, unencumbered by backpacks, to the top. After enjoying some time at the top of Half Dome, we headed back down, packed up our gear, then made it back out to Yosemite Valley. From the other side, the side most people see, it looks like solid rock. From the east side, though, Half Dome looks like a big onion with layers peeling off. That's the way granite erodes, through a process called exfoliation.

Photo of Rick on his way up the cables to the top of Half dome

We heard some other people who were headed to the top exclaim at this view and decide to give up and turn around. Before reaching the base of Half Dome, the trail leads to the "Quarter Dome", also known as the "Sub Dome" seen at the left edge of this image. In some ways, the part of the hike that goes up the Quarter Dome is the scariest part of the hike, because it's steep but there's no railing or cable to hold on to. Plus, hikers are going in both directions. Upon reaching the saddle between the Quarter Dome and Half Dome, you arrive at the base of the cables that lead to the top. Some other hikers made it that far, but after looking up at how steep the way to the top was, decided to head turn around. It is rather intimidating, but we've made it to the top three times...so far.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Point Mariah panorama, Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort, Soda Springs, California

We had been meaning for years to visit the Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort in Soda Springs, California to experience what it's like to cross country ski at a resort.  Most of our skiing has been on trails in national parks or national forests.  The winter of 2017-18 had been pretty dry until good storms in March finally built up the snowpack.  So, in late March, we spent a day skiing at this resort and our intended destination on their trail system was Point Mariah, since it overlooks the Royal Gorge that the resort is named for.  It turns out that the Royal Gorge is the entire headwaters area of the North Fork of the American River.

This panorama is a merger of several vertical shots.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Chuckwalla and rocky textures in Death Valley

This chuckwalla lizard was hanging out near the Dante's View scenic area in Death Valley National Park. It's interesting how the texture of the lizard's skin so closely blends with the textures in the rocks. Chuckwalla's are very comfortable moving around rocks and wedging themselves into the crevices between rocks. One method that chuckwallas use to keep away from predators is to flee into a crevice, then inflate their bodies to create enough pressure that they cannot be dislodged. This one, though, was out in the open for quite a while when people were walking past and looking at the view of Death Valley and the Badwater Basin and also noticing this large lizard sunning itself.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Lake Helen and Mount Lassen in early summer, Lassen Volcanic National Park, California

Twice each year Lassen Volcanic National Park allows bikers automobile-free access to the Lassen Park Road, the 30-mile road through the heart of the park.  The first time is after the road is snow free, but before they open it to motorized traffic and the second time is just before they close the road for the winter.  The actual dates that these happen depends on the snowpack in any given year.

In 2016 we took advantage of a car-free biking day at Lassen on June 11th.  We started at the Southwest Entrance and made it as far as an overlook of Kings Creek Meadow before turning around.  Just past the high point of the road on our way back, we took a series of photos of Lake Helen and Mount Lassen, the high point just right of center, to create this panorama.  The ice and snow covered Lake Helen in the foreground is nearly surrounded by this beautiful turquoise melt water, while Mount Lassen looms in the background.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

El Capitan facing the sunset, Yosemite National Park

As a winter storm was clearing over the Sierra Nevada, in Yosemite National Park, the massive El Capitan faces the setting sun. This time of year, may people visit Yosemite in order to see the "firefall" of the red light of the setting sun causing the the waters of Horsetail Fall to glow and appear to be on fire. Unfortunately, there's no water in the waterfall this year due to a very dry winter. So in this image, we decided we should concentrate on El Capitan and the dramatic-looking sunset. We set ourselves up along the Four-Mile Trail on Yosemite Valley's south side for this picture. We had to leave the trail and go up a little bit of the slope to get a clear view.

This view might also illustrate why Horsetail Fall is a temporary waterfall. The drainage basin that supplies the water for the fall is just the eastern slope of El Capitan. You can see that basin at the upper right of this picture. So without much rainfall or melting snow to feed it, there is no waterfall.

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Black-necked stilt on the move, Cosumnes River Preserve, Galt, California

Black-necked stilts are small wading birds that feed in wetlands. This one was getting in a meal at the Cosumnes River Preserve before the sun set. There were many people at this part of the preserve looking for sandhill cranes, which we could hear in the distance. In this image, notice how the foot is blurred because of how fast it's moving, but it was captured just before entering the water so you can see its reflection in the surface of the water.

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Western bluebird, American River, Sacramento, California

A male Western bluebird perched in a tree near the American River Parkway in Sacramento, California.  The flash of blue that they show when flying can be quite eye-catching.

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Pintail duck pair, Cosumnes River Preserve, Galt, California

A pair of pintail ducks standing in wetlands along the Lost Slough Wetlands Walk at the Cosumnes River Preserve near Galt, California.  Pintails are distinguished from other ducks by their very pointy tail feathers.  The female has a gray bill, while the male has a blue-gray bill and a brown head with a white stripe running along the back of the neck.

We were visiting the Cosumnes River Preserve hoping to get a close look at the sandhill cranes that winter in the Sacramento Valley, but were certainly willing to photograph any other waterfowl or wading birds that inhabited the wetlands along with them.  Unfortunately, we only saw four cranes flying way overhead heading somewhere other than the wetlands we were visiting.  It was a good visit nevertheless thanks to the abundant birdlife flitting about.

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Butler Wash Ruins in Bears Ears National Monument

This is one of the amazing and interesting features in Bears Ears National Monument, Utah. We stopped for a short hike in Butler Wash, within the Bears Ears, on our way to Natural Bridges National Monument, in southern Utah. At the head of Butler Wash is an Anasazi ruin estimated to be at least 800 years old. The hike to the overlook is only about a mile, where there is a railing to protect hikers from the cliff that drops into the wash. When you're there, you wonder how those ancient people could move around from level to level for one thing and get all that material brought in to do the construction of the walls. It's a fascinating site.

It's sites like this that are why this area deserved protected status as a National Monument.

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Arch Rock in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada at night

This is Arch Rock in Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, taken at night.  We posted a photo of the "backside" of this arch in a recent post, also a night shot.  This photo is from the road side of the arch.

Bob took this photo with a 30 second exposure, while Rick used a military grade flashlight to "paint" the arch and its surrounding formation.  The f/stop was 16 and the ISO was set at 3200.

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Delicate Arch with a sunny halo

Delicate Arch is probably Utah's most famous landmark. It stands on the rim of a huge bowl-shaped depression. So we traveled down into the bowl in order to look back up at it. We noticed how brightly the sun was glowing behind the arch, plus the bright wispy clouds. This side of the arch was in shadow, but we were able to bring out the details in the editing process. Bob accidentally dropped a lens cap that rolled all the way down to the base of the bowl. It turned out it wasn't as difficult to follow the slope down as it looked at first glance. He was able to get the lens cap back.

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A white black phoebe along the American River Parkway, Sacramento, California

I, Bob, have observed this black phoebe in white plumage for the last couple of months, but today I managed to get my closest and longest look at it.  Black phoebes are normally all black, except for a white belly, but this one is almost all white with a little bit of cream coloring.  Black phoebes are members of the flycatcher family and feed on flying insects by waiting on a perch and then darting out after an insect flying by.

This phoebe's territory seems to be around a drainage pump assemblage about a half mile upriver from the Watt Avenue Bridge along the American River's south side in Sacramento, California.

This photo was taken with a Canon EOS 6D Mark II full frame DSLR with a 100-400 mm zoom lens set on 400 and the resulting photo was heavily cropped to get this final result.

For comparison, I've posted below my heavily cropped photo from the same day of a normal black phoebe, also along the American River.

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