The Little Missouri

Oxbow Overlook, Little Missouri River, Theodore Roosevelt National Park - North Division, North Dakota

On our cross country drive from Oregon to Connecticut, we tried to visit as many National Parks and Monuments as we could along the way (thank God that we missed the closures that were forced by our idiots in Washington). When we hit Badlands in South Dakota, our initial plan was to continue to head east. Greg has a bucket list item to visit all 50 states and was championing for heading to North Dakota even though it was 6-8 hours out of the way. After doing some research, I discovered that there was a national park there that I had never heard of, namely Theodore Roosevelt National Park, located in the North Dakota Badlands.. That sealed the deal for me and off we went.

 Theodore Roosevelt National Park is made up of three main divisions: the South Division (right next to Madora), Elk Horn Ranch (about 35 miles north), and the North Division (about 80 miles north). We didn't have time to visit all three so we skipped Elk Horn as it had a lot of unpaved roads. 

I really enjoyed what we saw of this park. The scenery was a bit different than what we experienced in the Badlands of South Dakota. The landscape was not quite as harsh as its cousin to the south but beautiful nonetheless. This view is from Oxbow Overlook in the North Division, showing an oxbow bend in the muddy Little Missouri River. 

 

Ceiling Access

Lonaconing Silk Mill, Lonaconing, Maryland

Last week I posted an image from the Lonaconing Silk Mill in western Maryland. The trip was part of a workshop I attended that was run by Denise Ippolitto. For those of you who are not familiar with her work, she is an extremely creative and talented photographer and I highly recommend her workshops.

The silk mill is quite the large urbex type location with the only light streaming from windows. Being my first time at the mill, I wanted to get the lay of the land and, since Denise has shot there so much, she told me the best spots to shoot and sent me on my way.  Maybe a few hours later, I was in the basement and ran into Denise where she led me to the little room in this photo. We both shot the scene and talked about who would post it first since we were both embarking on pretty challenging travel schedules (the workshop was in early August). Unless I missed her post, I beat her. So here it is Denise. Now it is up to you to post your image. I am sure when I see it, I am going to wish that I posted your image instead of mine.

Autumn in New Hampshire

Cathedral Ledge, North Conway, New Hampshire

Autumn has finally reached Connecticut the last few days. I went out to some of my favorite places in the area last week, but the color was disappointing and I didn't shoot much. I hope to get out again this week. In the meantime, I went back in the archives and found this photo from a couple of years ago. The location is Cathedral Ledge in North Conway, New Hampshire. From this spot, you can see the Presidential Range (part of the White Mountains), whose peaks are named after American Presidents. The setting sun was lighting up this beautiful valley that was dotted with farms. Scenes like this are the reasons that tourists flock to New England in the fall.


 

 

Rugged Sunrise

Door Trail, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

One of the routines that many landscape photographers perform is to scout a location before they shoot it. There are times that this isn't possible and your only hope is that it works out. This was the case on the first sunrise shoot in Badlands. We had checked in to the hotel rather late in the day and weren't able to do any scouting. Doing some research on the web, I discovered that there was a half-mile trail that supposedly led to a sunrise location. I decided to give it a try since it was only a few miles from the hotel, and would make my getting up before dawn a little more manageable.

The location was the Deer Trail on the eastern side of the park. I was a little surprised that the trail was actually a half-mile boardwalk. I could see that location was going to be fantastic, but, in order to get the right compositions, a bit of climbing was necessary. I noticed only one other photographer at the location so I had the run of the area. 

The location turned out to be amazing as the rock formations were spread out almost 180 degrees. As the sun began to rise, they took on that great light and began to glow orange. So much for scouting (sometimes it is better to be lucky than good).

Lubrication

Lonaconing Silk Mill, Lonaconing, Maryland

Back in early August, I visited the Lonaconing Silk Mill in western Maryland on a workshop with Denise Ippolito. The silk mill closed in 1957 and was the last operating mill of its kind in the United States. The years have not been kind to the mill but much of the interior is unchanged from the day it closed it's doors. The owner of the mill is trying to raise funds to repair it and allows photographers access to shoot it. I found this shelf in the basement of the mill that had the lubrication that was used to keep the machinery running.

Hiking the Columbia Gorge

Bridal Veil Falls, Columbian Gorge, Oregon

The Historic Columbia River Highway is a 75-mile road that runs alongside the Columbia River in northern Oregon. Originating in Troutdale and terminating in The Dalles, the road is home to some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the west. Many of the waterfalls are easily accessible from the road, although a few require a short hike.

One of the waterfalls we visited was Bridal Veil Falls, which is accessed by a .6 mile downhill hike. After reaching and photographing the falls, I started to head back toward the parking lot. Right below the falls, there is a nice wooden bridge that you cross on the trail. As I was coming to the bridge, I noticed a very rough path that looked to follow the runoff from the falls. Being somewhat curious, I decided to go through the brush in the hopes of getting a shot of the wooden bridge. I tried quite a number of spots but I couldn't  get a clear shot. I finally happened upon this spot where I could walk on the rocks and be able to stand on a decent sized stone.

Guarding the Pacific

Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Newport, Oregon

Many of those who follow this blog are well aware of my love for lighthouses. Living in New England, there are some amazing ones that can be found from Connecticut to Maine. I am always on the lookout for lighthouses wherever I go and my trip to the Oregon Coast this past summer allowed me to visit and shoot quite a number of them.

This particular lighthouse, Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport, Oregon, is perhaps Oregon's most picturesque. The light was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the 1870's. The lighthouse tower measures 93 feet tall and is the tallest in Oregon.

The day we visited the light, we were attacked by swarms of flies. I am not talking about a few flies but rather hundreds, if not thousands. I asked a volunteer if this was normal and he told me it was, especially when there was no wind. He further informed me that there were two types of flies: ones who bite and ones that didn't and I should be happy that the flies present were the non-biting type.

I wasn't about to give up an opportunity to shoot the light, so I put up with the onslaught to get some shots (my wife and son headed for the car after taking a quick walk to the light).  I second guessed myself when, walking back to the car, I spotted another photographer that literally had half of his back covered with flies. 

 

Hot Rocks

Palette Spring, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park has a very diverse landscape. Its geological features includes volcanic thermal features; waterfalls; forests; canyons; rivers; lakes and mountains. The park is extremely large measuring almost 3,500 square miles and each section has its own feel to it.

In the northwest corner lies Mammoth Hot Springs where the park's thermal hot springs are the most prolific. This amazing landscape was created over thousands of years as a result of hot water flowing from the Norris Geyser Basin and fed into a spring where the water cooled and deposited calcium carbonate forming the rock formations. As can be seen in this photo of Palette Spring, this process continues to form the landscape of the area.

Magical Evening

  Myers Creek, Gold Beach, Oregon

 

The Oregon Coast is one of the most beautiful coasts in the US. The rock formations that dot the coast are amazing to see and I always wonder how they got there. In my opinion, the best time to photograph them is in the evening. This particular stretch of the coast is known as Myers Creek (after the creek that feeds the Pacific) in Gold Beach. 

Shooting in the evening often means getting an early dinner and hoping that the weather cooperates. Most of our stay was challenged with fog, so after eating dinner, we hoped for the best. It turned out to be a magical evening. There were only a few people on the beach, leaving us with this wonderful landscape to enjoy. The setting sun cast some great light and the reflections on the wet beach were outstanding.

When I took this shot, I didn't see my son hurrying out of the photo, I noticed him during the post-processing but decided to leave him in to add some scale to the rock formations. 

 

Won't See This in Connecticut

Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming

Usually I write a little blurb to go with each image that I post, but I think this sign that my son spotted at a store just outside Devils Tower National Monument speaks for itself. Have a great weekend and watch where you step.

No Encounters of Any Kind

Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming

Ever since I saw the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", I knew that someday I would get to visit Devils Tower National Monument in northeastern Wyoming. Well, it has taken me 36 years (the movie premiered in 1977) but I finally got there last month. It is located in the middle of nowhere about 60 miles northeast of Gillette, WY and about 110 miles northwest of Rapid City, SD.

We got a late start from Gillette and the winds were quite strong. Driving on the highway was challenging, requiring two hands firmly on the wheel. When we got off the interstate, we were shielded a bit by the formations on either side of the road. Devils Tower is quite a large formation that sticks out of the landscape as it is surrounded by plains. Despite that, I couldn't get a glimpse of it until we were almost there.

This image was the first one I shot of the day and is a great view of the structure. The wind was blowing so hard that I had to hold onto my tripod to keep it from blowing over. The clouds were a bonus and were moving quite rapidly the whole morning. And as the title of the post suggest, we did not see any aliens.

Badlands Moonrise

Norbeck Pass, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

I have been going through the images that I shot last month at Badlands National Park and they have confirmed that the park has to be one of my very favorite places. The landscape has everything that a photographer could ask for: jagged buttes, twisted canyons, rugged spires and rock formations in the shape of domes often striped in different colors. All of these contrast greatly with prairies on either side of the park.

The formations and buttes form what it is known as the Wall. It extends for 100 miles. Approximately 31 of those miles is paved and easy accessible on Route 240, otherwise known as Badlands Loop Road. North of the Wall, there is nothing but plains and the formations cannot be seen.  Coming from the south, the formations can't be missed, showing a sort of natural "skyline".

This image was taken from Norbeck Pass on the other side of the jagged peaks that I shot here.  It shows an almost- full moon lighting up the dome-like formations with their colorful striations. It is amazing to realize how close these two type of formations are from one another. 

Time for a Drink

Bull Moose, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

One of the major attractions of visiting national parks out west is the possibility of seeing wildlife in their natural environment. Since I am not a wildlife photographer, my main reason for visiting the parks are the landscapes. Good wildlife photography requires very large, expensive and heavy lenses along with a lot of practice and expertise in shooting wildlife that is usually far away and moving pretty fast.

That is not to say I won't try to take shots of wildlife when I encounter them, but rather, will do so if the opportunity arises. Usually, I am disappointed when I do as my lenses are not long enough or my skills in capturing fast moving subjects are not up to par.

Once in a while, I get lucky when an animal is pretty close and not moving at all. Such was the case when I captured this bull moose in Grand Teton National Park this past July.  The leader of our group, Jeff Clow, noticed a bunched of cars parked along the road. Usually when you spot a group of parked cars in a  national park, it usually means wildlife is in the area. True to form, the moose was feeding alongside the creek. The group of us were situated above it on the opposite shore. It was my first exposure to a bull moose and I must say, it is quite the large and magnificent animal.

Anticipation

Snake River, Oxbow Bend, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Landscape photographers know that to get that golden hour light, especially in the morning, getting up before dawn is a requirement. Sometimes the alarm clock goes off at 4am and the immediate reaction is to hit the snooze button. Those who hit the button will often miss some wonderful light.

This scenario was very tempting for me in Grand Teton National Park last month. Pretty tired after driving almost 500 miles the day before, I almost didn't get up to take the ride down to Oxbow Bend. When I got there it was still dark and, even after finding a location and setting up, dawn was still some time away. It is during this time period that the anticipation of the sunrise becomes the only thought in my head. Will the clouds block either the sunrise or block the mountain tops? 

On this morning, as the sun was almost up, I glanced eastward to check out the sky and saw this wonderful scene. While this is not the typical Oxbow Bend image with Mount Moran, the tranquility and beauty of what I saw needed to be captured in an effort to convey the feeling that I had when I shot this. 

Cascading

Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

As I mentioned in previous posts, my recent travels took me to many national parks. There are so many to choose from that it is hard to pick the ones to visit, especially in the west. Once you start getting east of South Dakota, the number of parks shrink considerably and they are far and few between. Fortunately, after we left Chicago, we headed to a national park just south of Cleveland, namely Cuyahoga Valley National Park. 

I had heard of the park but really didn't know anything about it. It was established in 2000 and is the fifth most visited national park in the US. It is unlike any national parks I have visited as there are no spectacular formations or mountains that you find in the west but rather loads and loads of trails, numerous waterfalls and lots of other outdoor activities.

This photo depicts a portion of the park's most famous waterfall, Brandywine Falls. There is a nice boardwalk trail that takes you to the falls but only gives a fixed view. Leaving the boardwalk is not permitted so it is hard to shoot it from other angles without being significantly blocked by trees and branches. Nonetheless, it is quite a relaxing and tranquil location.

Playing the Tourist

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota

After yesterday's post from Badlands National Park, we remain in South Dakota, become tourists, and head to the state's most famous attraction, Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Even though it was mid-September, the crowds were out in force. I can't imagine what it must be like in the middle of summer especially in the heat. The number of photos that were taken by tourists the few hours that we were there was mind boggling. It was hard to come up with anything original so I focused on a tight shot and tried to bring out the details in the heads in post-processing.

The memorial was the brainchild of a local historian who came up with the idea to promote tourism to the then remote area of South Dakota. The head sculptures themselves are carved in granite and measure 60-foot high.

As I write this, I wonder what these four great presidents would say about the craziness that is happening in Washington with the government shutdown. Certainly nothing favorable.

 

Jagged Landscape

Norbeck Pass, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Badlands National Park has been on my must visit list for quite a long time. When we planned out our cross-country trip, I knew that I would finally get there. There are two main entrances to the park and I decided to stay near the northeast entrance, as my research indicated that there were numerous sunrise and sunset locations in that part of the park. The choice proved to be the right one. The challenge then became to pick two sunrise locations out of the almost ten possibilities. Fortunately, both locations turned out to be stellar. 

This photo was taken from an overlook just around the corner from Norbeck Pass and was taken on the second morning. The jagged peaks that are part of the pass were a great subject, particularly in the early morning light.  The shadows added terrific definition to the photo.

The diversity of the park's landscape makes it a must visit park. After one visit, it has become one of my favorite parks and I definitely think a return trip is in order.

Unexpected Find

Wind River Canyon, Wyoming

After our stay in Grand Teton National Park, we headed towards Devil's Tower National Monument in Northeast Wyoming. It was quite a long drive, so we decided to stop just short of the park and stay in the city of Gillette. As we came across the state, we had two different routes that we could have taken. Not knowing the territory and wanting to drive on back roads, we decided to take Route 20 instead of the interstate. 

Our choice was rewarded with great scenery. As we approached the first mountain range, we expected to drive over the top, but instead, we found ourselves driving through a valley alongside a river that had train tracks on one side and the road on the other. This area is known as the Wind River Canyon and, as can be seen in this photo, the landscape is quite rugged. Quite the unexpected find.

Oxbow Beauty

Oxbow Bend, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

It seems like forever since I last posted on the blog. I am finally home for a while after traveling most of the summer until late last week. Since July, I think I have driven over 8,000 miles while visiting 18 different states and numerous national parks and monuments. It has been quite the adventure.

This last trip was a cross-country drive with my son from Portland, Oregon to Connecticut. I flew into Portland, met my son at the airport and immediately drove to Boise, Idaho where we revisited one of our favorite Triple D restaurants, Bar Gernika. We had another great meal and I highly recommend it. From there we headed to Grand Teton National Park. Even though I had shot there in July, we stopped there as it is one of Greg's favorite parks. This time, I didn't stay in town, but instead stayed at Jackson Lake Lodge.

One of the reasons I wanted to stay at the lodge was that it was only 5 minutes from this location at Oxbow Bend as opposed to a 45-minute drive from Jackson. I was very thankful for the choice when I left the lodge the next morning as the clouds were very thick and I may not have made the drive if I was staying in town. Since I was so close, I took a quick drive and about 15 minutes after setting up, the cloud cover began to clear leaving this beautiful scene. The  morning sunlight gave Mt Moran and it's neighboring peaks a truly great early morning glow.

Fog's Retreat

Whaleshead Beach, Brookings, Oregon

Earlier this year, my son Greg and I drove cross country from Connecticut to Oregon. He spent 6 months with friends and will be coming back to the east coast.  I am boarding a plane this morning to Portland and we will be driving back to Connecticut. Looking forward to finishing the return trip.  I will try to periodically post updates on our progress.

This image from Brookings, Oregon is the result of persistence that one needs as a photographer.  We stayed at the Tu Tu' Tun Lodge on the banks of the Rogue River in Gold Beach. It is one of our favorite places to stay and is world renowned. It is about 12 miles from the coast, so when I got up before dawn and checked out the weather, I was disappointed to see fog in the river valley. As I drove to the coast, the fog got worse and worse. I stopped at various beaches and lookouts, but there was nothing to see but white. My first inclination was to head back to the lodge but, after thinking about it, decided to plod on and hope I would find at least one spot where the fog wasn't so bad.

My persistence paid off when I turned onto the access road to Whaleshead Beach in Brookings. There was a small break in the fog where the sun was starting to shine through. The retreating fog was temporary, as it lasted for only 5 minutes, but I was able to get this image before the scene turned white again.