Delicate Arch during thunderstorm, Arches National Park, Utah, October 11, 2023

 On Bob's way to Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah for the October 14th annular eclipse, he visited Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. His first closeup sighting of Delicate Arch back in the early 80s is what inflicted Bob with what he calls "spanophilia," which he defines as a condition of loving natural rock spans, which makes him a "spanophile."

During this particular visit to Delicate Arch on October 11, 2023, thunderstorms were passing overhead and the clouds were letting loose of rain periodically. During the downpours, Bob just hunkered down and waited for the rain to stop. Between downpours, he got this wide angle shot with his GoPro Hero 8 Black. This was the first time Bob visited Delicate Arch when it had been rained on.

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

Pelican flying in front of sun dog, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, California

 

After visiting the Big Sur coast to photograph Keyhole Arch (see some of the previous postings), we stopped by Point Lobos State Natural Reserve just south of Carmel, California. We saw many pelicans during our hike along this dramatic and rugged coastline. Late in the afternoon the sun and clouds created sun dogs, or spectra produced by ice crystals in high-altitude clouds. We happened to catch this pelican flying in front of one of the sun dogs, as there were two, one on either side of the sun.

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

Keyhole Arch during a cloudy sunset

We visited Pfeiffer Beach two evenings in a row to try photographing the sun through the arch. The first evening was overcast, but we wanted to look it over anyway, knowing we'd be trying again the next day. The clouds actually added an element we hadn't planned on photographing, but the texture was amazing. There was only about 4 photographers at the beach this evening.

Photo taken with Samsung a52 ISO 640, f2.2, 1/24 sec., 1.74 mm focal length

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

Great American Eclipse, Annular eclipse, October 15, 2023, from Crater Lake National Park

 Rick and Bob chose to go to different places to observe the annular solar eclipse. Bob went to southern Utah, to Natural Bridges National Monument. Rick went to Crater Lake National Park, in Oregon. The forecast in Oregon was for cloudy skies, so Rick went there with the possibility of not seeing the eclipse at all in his mind. He drove into the park around 6:30 a.m. and got to the rim of Crater Lake, where there were already huge crowds of people hoping to see the eclipse, too. The cloud cover had an interesting pattern, though, so he took some photos of the clouds over Crater Lake and the rising sun over the lake, as well. 

The time arrived for the eclipse to start, but the cloud cover hid the event from us. Rick got nice photos of the lake and sky, but no eclipse. Snow was on the ground from an early storm, but the park service had cleared the roads in time for the eclipse. Rick got in his truck to warm up and kept checking the time to monitor the progress of the eclipse. Then he saw a couple in the next car over get out, put on their eclipse glasses, and start pointing at the sky. That encouraged Rick to get out and have a look and there it was! Through breaks in the cloud cover, you could see the eclipse in progress. This photo was taken at the peak of annularity. The cloud cover ended up adding drama to the image.

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

Sunrise in Yosemite Valley, clouds catch the rays

 

From Yosemite's famous Valley View, Rick watched the horizon get brighter on the morning of June 12, 2022. At first, Rick thought the clouds would block the sun's light, making the sunrise darker than it might have been. But then as the reddish sunlight illuminated the undersides of the clouds, the sky took on a more dramatic look. Half Dome cuts into a red streak on the horizon.

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

Sun and clouds over the Norris Geyer Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Clouds forming over the Norris Geyser Basin cast sun rays in a very interesting pattern.

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!

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.

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!

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!

Window Arch in City of Rocks National Reserve

Window Arch is one of many arches and other granite features in the City of Rocks National Reserve, in southeastern Idaho. This feature can be reached by hiking an easy 0.1 mile trail from the parking spot for campsite number 37. It is situated along a ridge that allows for getting good photos of it from either side. I chose this side because of the interesting cloud formations in the sky that you can see under the arch.

To give you a better idea about the size of the arch, look at the picture below with Rick standing in it.

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

Grand Teton cloud eruption!

On the horizon is the towering peak of Grand Teton, as viewed from the west looking east while still in Idaho. This caught Rick's attention because of the way the clouds appeared to be coming out of the peak, as though it was a volcano spewing ash. It reminded him of pictures of volcanic eruptions, so he pulled over to the shoulder of the road to get pictures of the peak and the clouds. There is another string of cloud reaching toward the ground to the right in this image, as well. This also helps to show that the west slope of the Teton Range is gradual and leads up to the peaks, unlike the eastern, more famous side of the range that is known for not having foothills at all.

The camera is a Canon Rebel EOS xSi at f/8, 1/180 sec, ISO 200, focal length 55mm (about 86mm equivalent).

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

Rays of Light From the Setting Sun Create a Silver Lining in the Clouds Over the Teton Range, Wyoming

On August 10, 2016, we were in Grand Teton National Park. After spending some time photographing 4 bull moose along the Gros Ventre River, we drove north along the range and noticed that the sun was setting and creating a fringed look to the clouds. In this image, you can see the silhouette of the Teton range, parts of which still have snow. In the clouds, the lobes of the clouds were creating a light and dark pattern to the sunlight. The clouds themselves appeared to have a silver lining.

The image was taken with a Canon PowerShot SX530 HS, ISO 100, f8, 1/640 sec. zoomed at 65.4mm. Taken on August 10th, at 7:50PM from the Teton Park Road.

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

Cloud stream over the Tetons

Clouds streaming over Grand Teton and other Teton peaks.  This image was taken from the Windy Point Turnout along the Teton Park Road in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

We used a welder's glass held in front of the camera's lens to induce a very long shutter speed in order to give the clouds a chance to move through the frame.  Because of the welder's glass, the original image took on a strong green tint, which we corrected with photo editing software.

The f/stop was 16, exposure was 114 seconds, with the ISO at 100 and the 18-55 zoom lens set at 31mm.

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

Sunset silhouette of the Teton Range in Grand Teton NP

A sunset profile of the Teton Range in Grand Teton National Park. The peak named Grand Teton is the highest peak, third from the right.  The sun's rays are flaring over the southern end of the range.  The highest peak under the rays is Buck Mountain and the canyon to the right that is the low point is Avalanche Canyon. The timing worked out for this image as Bob was driving back to camp and saw the effect the peaks were having on the light from the setting sun, so he used one of the turnouts along the main road through the park.

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

California thunderstorm, lightning and a palm tree

During a thunderstorm in California on July 18th, 2015, Rick stepped out to his backyard and set up his camera on a tripod and set the exposure for 30 seconds, ISO 100, f8, 18 mm wide angle. Halfway through the first exposure, this lightning bolt sparked through the sky leaving a tracing that appears rounded and centered around a certain point in the sky. It also seemed to highlight the silhouette of the palm tree on the right edge of the frame. Rick continued trying more exposures after this first one, but none of the others turned out as "shocking-ly" good.

This image has been cropped to a 5x7 or 10x14 format.

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

Death Valley sunrise

Sunrise as seen from the Furnace Creek Campground in Death Valley National Park in California.  Some of the most spectacular sunrises we've ever seen have been at Death Valley.

Death Valley is famous for being the lowest, hottest, and driest place in America.  The lowest point in the park, the Badwater Basin, is also the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level.  We've seen tourists from Germany here during the summer take pictures of themselves next to a thermometer to show the folks back home what temperatures they got exposed to.  The thermometer showed 117 degrees F.  The record high temperature for Death Valley was 134 degrees Fahrenheit on July 10, 1913 and is considered to be the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.  As for dryness, Death Valley averages just over 2 inches of rainfall annually.  We've visited the park during years when it got over 5 inches of rain and the wildflowers bust out all over thanks to the extra moisture.

We like to visit Death Valley during the winter, because of its relatively mild weather, but we have visited the park in every season.

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

Sunset over Southern Idaho volcanic butte

Sunset at one of southern Idaho's volcanic buttes, probably Middle Butte, as seen from Highways 20 and 26.  Southern Idaho's Snake River Plain is an area of fairly recent volcanic activity, including the Craters of the Moon National Monument, which we have visited many times.  The scene in this photo is east of the monument between the town of Arco and the city of Idaho Falls.

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