Sam & Pongo on the South Rim

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

Pongo's biggest camping adventure was a camping trip we took to Grand Canyon last year.  The South Rim is one of the few pet-friendly National Park areas I've found.  Dogs are allowed on leash on the paved trails around the rim.

OK, technically I'm on the trail taking this photo and Pongo and Sam aren't.  You got me.  Still, you get the idea.

We only made a small dent in covering the South Rim trail before Pongo wore out.  I don't know if Pongo enjoyed the views or not but he certainly enjoyed seeing all the wildlife on those short hikes.  Birds.  Lizards.  Squirrels.  Chipmunks. Good times.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 135, image #0569.

Short-horned Lizard

Short-horned Lizard -- Mesa Verde National Park, CO
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, ISO:1600, f/5.6, 1/1250s

We met this cute little lizard at our campsite in Mesa Verde National Park.  He did a nice job of keeping the place clean of insects.  Well, at least until he took off for the evening, then the ants came out.

One More from Monument Valley

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, UT
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, f/10, 1/100s, ISO: 100

I think I used this one in a panorama.  It stands up nicely on its own as well.  Well, here's the panorama again,  I posted it earlier.

Horses in Monument Valley

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, UT
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, ISO: 100, f/8, 1/125s

Horses become part of the scenery in certain areas of Monument Valley.  Used for snapshot poses as well as for riding, the horses add to the mystique of the place even if their presence is clearly due to tourism.  Capitalism isn't always such a bad thing.

Perspective in Monument Valley

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, UT
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, f/8, 1/60s, ISO: 100

This photo gives a little perspective of the size of some of the rock formations in Monument Valley.  They're large, to be sure, but not Yosemite Valley or Grand Canyon large.  It's not their size that knocks your socks off on the driving tour, it's the majesty.

Monument Valley in Sepia

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, UT
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

Black and white can work wonders with certain types of skies.  Going with a sepia tint seemed appropriate given the subject of the photo.

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.

A Whale's Tail

Humpback Whale -- Monterey Bay, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/5, 1/1600s, ISO: 800

Tough to beat seeing a whale in real life as far as wildlife sightings go.  It's pretty much a guarantee on whale watching tours in Monterey Bay.  That doesn't diminish things, at least in my book.

Monument Valley

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, UT
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, ISO: 100, f/10, 1/125s

It doesn't even look real, does it?

More Cranes

Sandhill Crane -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 IS II USM, f/5.6, 1/2000s, ISO: 3200

Not the most interesting photo, but I like how the crane on the right is looking right at the camera.  Cranes have such little heads for their big bodies.

Sandhill Crane

Sandhill Crane -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EJ 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/5.6, 1/1600s, ISO: 400

Mount Shasta

Mount Shasta, CA
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS

Interstate Five is not the most interesting drive one can make.  I've driven it scores of times between Portland and Buttonwillow and I'm very familiar with the entire stretch between Seattle and Los Angeles.  The best section is the drive between Redding and Medford.  Mount Shasta is in view a lot of the time.  I often stop for pictures of that big boy.  It's an under-appreciated  mountain.  I think a case could be made that it's the most spectacular of the mountains in the Cascade Range.  At 14,179 feet in height it's second only to Mount Ranier (14,410 feet) in height in the range.  With no peaks near it the full scale of the mountain can be seen from all directions.  It reminds me of Mount Fuji in that sense.  While it's glaciers aren't as impressive as Ranier's, it's a beautiful, moody mountain that changes its look on an hourly basis.  It's also more consistently visible than most of the Cascade peaks.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 133, image #5047.

Monument Valley in Cinemascope

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, UT

Used the cinemascope filter on this photo for a little 1950's feel.  Kinda fun.

John Ford Point

John Ford Point, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, UT
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, f/8, 1/60s, ISO: 100

Jim and I are both big John Ford fans, which was one of the big draws for us to go to Monument Valley.  I watched The Searchers after getting home from this road trip and I enjoyed seeing how Ford used the park in the film.  This particular location was featured prominently.  It has since named after the great director.

Early Light in Monument Valley

Monument Valley Tribal Park, UT
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, f/8, 1/80s, ISO: 100

I've seen a lot of spectacular scenery in the last few years.  I've taken a lot of scenic drives.  Monument Valley is the granddaddy of them all, if you ask me.  There's magic and wonder in this landscape.  I don't think the fact that the land is managed by the Navajo Nation can be discounted.

Tractor Crossing

Livermore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 14-40mm f/4L USM, f/8, 1/80s, ISO: 100

Who doesn't love a tractor ride?  Saw this in Livermore on Friday and had to stop for a picture.

The Rolling Toaster at Sunrise

Capitol Reef National Park, UT
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS

Capitol Reef is one of my favorite parks.  It was a one night stop on my week-long road trip to Bryce Canyon in September of 2013, and I am anxious to return.  Its appeal to me I think is in part because it's not very crowded.  It seems to exist in the shadow of the other Utah national parks.  Fine by me.

Sunrise photos are a rarity for me.  I seem to get up early when I'm camping, though.  I was just on my way out of the park to begin the drive down Utah Route 12 to Bryce Canyon when I stopped to get this shot.  This was the start of one of the best driving days I've ever had.

I always like to get a few shots of the car when I'm on a road trip.  I'm not really into cars as you can probably tell by my choice of vehicle, but the car is a big part of the story on a road trip.  This rolling toaster has been very good to me.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 132, image #1010.

Approaching Monument Valley

Monument Valley Tribal Park, UT
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, f/8. 1/80s. ISO: 100

Monument Valley is one of the most spectacular places I've even been.  The views don't hold off until you enter the park, either.  This view can be seen before even arriving at the entrance, and its merely a preview of coming attractions.

Southern Sea Otters

Southern Sea Otter -- Moss Landing, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/5.6, 1/1600s, ISO: 1250

More cuteness from this weekend.  Today it's otters.

Black-tailed Fawns

Black-tailed Deer -- Pacific Grove Golf Links, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/5.6, 1/160s. ISO: 800

Can't play a round of golf without running into some deer on the course at Pacific Grove.  These two fawns are cuties, aren't they?

Pacific Grove Golf Links

Pacific Grove Golf Links, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, ISO: 100, f/4.5, 1/320s

Sam and I went golfing at one of our favorite courses this weekend.  We met Jim and his dad there.  That always makes for a good time, especially on a course as pretty as Pacific Grove Golf Links.

Mama & Her Cubs

Grizzly Bear -- Yellowstone National Park, WY
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/6.3, 1/50s, ISO:640

One of the highlights of this summer's road trip was seeing this grizzly bear and her two cubs feasting on this bison carcass.  We saw five bears on this trip.  The other two were black bears in Grand Teton National Park.

There's potentially a sad story that goes along with this photo.  A couple of weeks after this photo was taken a hiker was killed by a grizzly with two cubs.  She was put down and her cubs sent away to zoos.  She was put down because it wasn't a defensive killing, she hunted the hiker down for food.  The killing happened only a few miles from where I took this picture.

An estimated seven hundred grizzly bears live in Yellowstone.  Out of those seven hundred, how many are mothers with two cubs?  Within that subset, how many were known to frequent that area?  I'm guessing the odds are pretty good that this was the same bear involved with killing of the hiker.  It breaks my heart to think that.

We know we're entering their world when we venture out into a national park like Yellowstone.  How respectful of that environment are we being?  There was a large ranger-managed crowd at this feeding scene we saw.  These bears had been working on the carcass for four days.  They were probably pretty used to the crowds by the end of those four days.  Mama might have even gotten it into her head that one of us might taste good during those four days.  We try to be respectful but whether we like it or not we will have an impact on the lives of the animals we encounter even from a distance.  Something to think about, for me anyway.

Image inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 131, photo #8680.

Coyote on the Cliff

Coyote -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5,6L IS II USM, f/5.6, 1/2000s, ISO: 800

This photo has its problems.  It's back lit.  It's not particularly sharp.  The colors aren't all that interesting.  Still, it's a photo I really like.  I think it captures the spirit of this coyote well.  Not in a spiritual sense but in a sense of energy and composure.

As a dog lover, I find myself drawn to coyotes.  I suspect I'd be drawn to wolves too if I'd had more than one distant encounter.  It saddens me to think that coyotes are thought of as "garbage" animals.  They're intelligent and they're survivors.  I wish everyone could see them as special creatures.