I was visiting my family in the Seattle area. One day we got up early and went to a spot with great views of mountains and a valley. The only issue was that we were in the valley and had to hike 2 miles up the mountain in order to get to the overlook.
The Rattlesnake Edge Trail is a trail cut into the side of a steep mountain lying in its angle of repose. The elevation gain over the 2 miles is 1160 feet. I’m not ashamed to say that it was a tough climb for me, but I made it. We got there about 10 minutes before sunrise.
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If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
This week I’m sharing some waterfalls dressed in their autumn colors. One, Yellow Creek Falls, I took a year ago on our trip to Great Smokey Mountains National Park. The others were taken on our recent trip to Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Looking Glass Falls is at roadside but is difficult to photograph because it is tucked away in a little grotto and it’s difficult to find a position that provides a good angle. The other falls are tucked away on short trails that require minimal effort if you can navigate rocks and roots as well as some steep descents to the riverside. We had some nice autumn colors but mostly overcast skies.
Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution!
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
Two weeks ago, we had the privilege of visiting Shenandoah National Park and some of the surrounding Virginia countryside. The autumn color was in the early stages of turning color. Though not at its peak, it was still wonderfully cloaked in its coat of many colors.
Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
A few weeks ago, a section of our backyard was set aglow in the early morning sun. We have a small wood pile I made hoping it might become a bee hotel. The bees ignored it. It’s now a larder for chipmunks, a hunting ground for wrens, a perch for squirrels to eat dinner and other things. It’s great fun to watch. On this day in August, the logs sprouted multicolored species of fungi and the sun poked its rays through breaks in the trees to set the fungi glowing.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
To me, forests are magical. There are few places I’d rather be than hiking in a forest as the sunrises as the golden sunlight penetrates breaks in the canopy causing dappled sunlight to highlight various vignettes. As often as I may have hiked a trail, the time of day and the angle of the sun reveals things I’ve never seen.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
This is a slow time for me and my photography. So, I thought I’d share some sunrises. As you look at these, please pay attention to the captions. Some of the tell a story about the place and the circumstance.
More to come!
Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution!
Tunnel View is an iconic view at Yosemite. I visited it many times. I Often mused that a photo with the sun peeking from behind Half Dome. I planned this shot for 2 years until I was finally able to be there at the right time and it was all that I expected.
Zabriske point is the go-to place for a sunrise at Death Valley. On a typical day, the sun rises over your shoulder, casting an alpenglow over the mountains on the far side of the valley. If you are lucky, there will be a few clouds over the far mountains, and you can watch the sky turn from orange and magenta to gold. On the day we visited, the thick cloud cover from the previous day’s storm was breaking up. We got the beautiful color we had hoped for. But, in addition, we got a marvelous rainbow. It was an unforgettable moment.
Some days you just get lucky. We were having a family vacation to St Simons Island, Georgia, USA. I didn’t really plan to do any photography but took my equipment anyway. While there, I saw that the sun would be rising at a great spot. So, my wife and I got up well before sunrise and before anyone else woke up, went to this spot and it was wonderful.
The Badlands are an interesting place to visit anytime of the day but at sunrise and sunset the colors pop. The dry valleys cut from the highly eroded plateau are beautiful. Most of the valleys are drab and dusty. While scouting for places to shoot, I spotted this unique little valley with its creek and green floor. My research showed that the sun would be rising from a good position. We watched the beautiful sunrise paint the sides of the valley.
This “rainbow” can only be seen at sunrise in February at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I was on a photography workshop, camping in Yellowstone. It was a wonderful experience to be with a small group of like-minded people enjoying this rare opportunity.
The Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California are a wonderful place to visit. It is a field of immense boulders that sit in front of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s a place with many arches, boulders and trails. It becomes a place of wonder when the sun rises over the White-Inyo mountains to the east and paints the Sierras with it orange-red alpen glow. My spirit feels at home there.
Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
Earthwatcher 