Gibbon Falls

Gibbon Falls -- Yellowstone National Park, WY

If I'd never been to Yosemite I might think Yellowstone has the most amazing waterfalls of any National Park in America.  I've been to Yosemite, though.

To be honest, although Silver Falls State Park in Oregon doesn't have any single waterfall over two hundred feet tall, I might take that park over either in terms of drama and mood.  Tough call, given Yosemite's waterfalls are probably a bit more dramatic if a little less moody.

Anyway, Yellowstone's waterfalls are wonderful.  I think the main drawback is that it's tough to close close to most of them.  This is the best view you'll find of Gibbon Falls, and it's obviously taken from some distance away.  Pretty awesome waterfall, if you ask me.

Firehole River

Firehole River -- Yellowstone National Park, WY

I'm pretty sure this is the Firehole River.  I've been uncertain about that with other pictures in the pat and I turned out to be right so I'm just sticking with it here, too.  This is a little-above-average roadside view in Yellowstone.  The steam in the upper left is coming from Grand Prismatic Spring and Excelsior Geyser. 

Lewis Falls

Lewis Falls, Yellowstone National Park, WY

Coming into Yellowstone from the South, Lewis Falls is tough to miss.  It's a stunning little section of Yellowstone National Park where the Lewis River meanders alongside the highway.  I've seen buffalo in this area.  On this particular day, fly fishing seemed to be the rage.

Lewis River, Yellowstone National Park, WY

Return to Firehole River

Firehole River, Yellowstone National Park, WY
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, ISO: 100, f/10, 1/100s

Black Sand Basin is a nice stop between Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Spring on Yellowstone's Southern loop.  It has some volcanic pools and a geyser or two and the Firehole River runs through it.
I need to learn to fly fish.  This type of river is what fly fishing is all about.  One of the problems I have with travelling is that I don't stop in one place for long.  I'm always moving on to the next thing.

That might become a thing, fishing.  We'll see.  I also want to do more river kayaking and buy a small travel trailer.  My list is getting longer.

Wolf Creek

Wolf Creek, CO
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, f/5.6, 1/60s, ISO: 125

Imagine being locked up in a car for two weeks with this guy.  Is there any wonder I've lost my balance?

Desert View

Desert View, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, ISO: 100, f/8, 1/60s

Desert View is my favorite spot on the South Rim.  It has clear views of the Colorado River below and the West-facing cliffs light up at sunset.  There's a goofy gift shop built like a watchtower right on the rim.  I like complaining about that silly thing, but it's kind of fun, too.  The reason to visit Desert View is in the name, it's the unparalleled view.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 134, image #1041.

Peering Into Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend, AV
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM, f/10, 1/100s, ISO: 100

Jim likes to walk out onto the edges of cliffs and look down.  Gives me the willies.

Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend, AZ

Can't go to Arizona without getting a picture of Horseshoe Bend, right?  It's an amazing sight, photos don't do it justice.

Salinas River

Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM, 1/100s, f/9, ISO: 100

I saw a river otter at this spot last month.  It's the only river otter I've ever seen in the wild.  He was floating in the river just off shore, maybe twenty feet away from me.  He disappeared under the water before I could take a picture.  Jerk.  I saw sea otters on that day as well, so that was kind of cool.

This picture is kind of funny to me.  Not "ha ha" funny, I just can't quite pin down whether I like it or not.  I thought it was kind of dull when I first processed it but kept it anyway.  Later it came up as my computer's wallpaper and I really liked it (that's how a lot of photos end up here on the blog).  It's gone back to dull for me.

Down to the River We'd Ride

Elwha River, Olympic National Park, WA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM, 1/40s, f/6.3, ISO: 100

I posted a photo a few days ago if the Elwha River emerging from a canyon a couple of miles or so from the place where a dam had been removed a couple of years ago.  The river was running gray in the photo,  laden with silt that had backed up over the years behind the dam.  This photo was taken just above where the dam had been.  As you can see, there's still a lot of earth to be removed by the river.  Eventually this view will disappear as the trees return to the riverbanks.

The Muddy Elwha

Elwha River, Olympic National Park, WA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM, 1/30s, f/5.6, ISO: 400

The waters of the Elwha River run gray these days.  It's not merely a reflection of an overcast sky, the water is full of silt that built up behind a dam that was removed a couple of years ago.  I love the fact that dams are starting to disappear in the NorthWest.  I've heard they're considering removing the dams on the Klamath River as well.  I hope that happens. It's nice to think that at least some of the damage we've done to the environment can be undone.

Hoh River

Hoh River, Olympic National Park, WA
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 1/250s, f/4, ISO: 200

There is a bald eagle somewhere in the trees in this picture.  I was following the bird with my camera but it had landed on one of the trees by the time I snapped the shot.  So, yeah, not the most exciting of images but I do love this river.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 101, photo #8888.

Desert View

Desert View, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, 1/30s, f/5.6, ISO: 200

Desert View is a heck of a place for a sunset.  Watching the sun go down as these people are is spectacular, but that's not where the real action is.  The real show is behind them on those cliffs in the background.  The cliffs face West and they light up with an amazing display of color as the sun drops over the far side of the canyon.

The goofy tower bugs me.  It looks ancient, but was actually built in the 1930s as a tourist trap--er--attraction.  I take great joy in grumbling about it whenever I see it.

Inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 96, photo #1212.

Roadways: Highway 101 (Astoria-Megler Bridge)

Astoria-Megler Bridge, Highway 101, Astoria, OR
Canon Power Shot SX40 HS, 1/640s, f/4, ISO: 160

I love going across this bridge.  It spans the Columbia River near its mouth.  The river is massive at this point, roughly four miles wide where the bridge crosses it.  Living in the Bay Area I'm used to bridges of this size and length, but this bridge isn't going across a bay, it's crossing a four mile wide river.  How can a river be that big?

Roadways: Highway 101 (Rogue River Bridge)

Isaac Lee Patterson Bridge, U.S. Route 101, Gold Beach, OR
Canon Powershot SX40 HS, 1/320s, f/4, ISO: 200

The Rogue River Bridge, officially but awkwardly named the Isaac Lee Patterson Bridge, is a real beauty.  Built in 1931, it's supported by seven concrete arches that span the Rogue River near its mouth.

I usually stop for a picture of the Mary D. Hume when I'm driving up the coast.  She's a steamer that was built in the nineteenth century for hauling cargo between Gold Beach and San Francisco.  She's been a sunken wreck in the river for thirty years.  I like picking up the bridge in the background, so I have a number of shots from a similar angle from various drives over the last few years.

Mary D. Hume, Gold Beach, OR
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 1/640s. f/4, ISO: 160

Redwood Creek

Redwood Creek, Muir Woods National Monument, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, 1/4s, f/4, ISO: 800

I got a lot of moody pictures from my last visit to Muir Woods.  It was wet and overcast, and given it was the winter solstice the sun was at the lowest angles it would get all year.  I was experimenting with exposure times and was able to draw out a lot of greens and blues while maintaining the dark feel of the woods on that particular day.  I wasn't sure how I'd feel about these pictures over time, but almost a month has gone by and I'm still very happy with a few of them.  I want to go back soon for more.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone -- Yellowstone National Park, CA
Canon PowerShot SD770 IS, 1/250s, f/8.0, ISO: 80

I've been using this as the background for this blog, but it's never fully visible so I thought I'd post it as today's photo.  This is one of the pictures that got me into digital photography.

They say even cheap cameras are capable of nice photos and I think this picture bears that out.  It's one of my favorite shots and I got it with one of those little PowerShot cameras that easily fit into a pants' pocket.  Now, there's a reason people spend thousands of dollars on camera equipment, so there's a certain level of bullshit to the idea that  it's all about the person behind the camera rather than the camera itself, but yeah, cheap cameras can take very nice pictures.