Canyon Silver

Nowhere Series

Part 5

Red Rock Canyon

Last post was about the gold found in the canyon. Everyone knows gold and silver is often mentioned together as treasure, so this is my silver find to complete the vision.

Entering one of the side canyons I found the sun illuminating the silver bark on the leafless trees. The branches reminded me of veins of pure shiny silver. The red walls of the canyon helped support the thought.

History records that Red Rock Canyon was a favorite camping spot for early day travelers that were headed to the gold fields of California in 1849. The 49ers if you will. Located on the southernmost route, abundant water plus shelter from the elements, provided a more than adequate spot for wagon repairs and filling water barrels for the next leg of the journey westward. Ruts cut by the wagons can still be found on the west rim of the canyon. Even before these visitors, the Plains Indians could be found wintering in the protective confines of the canyon walls.

I was to young to remember my first visit to this canyon. Suspect it was probably when I was still safe and sound in my mothers womb. This canyon was her favorite picnic grounds while growing up in the area. In her adulthood we visited the place often. Fried chicken, potato salad with watermelon and cantaloupe was the usual summer fare. Gallon of sweet tea to wash it down, all while sitting on homemade quilts.

Mother's parents, my grandmother and grandfather, first brought her here. The canyon was owned by the Handley family at that time. Later it was sold to the State to become a State Park where my first memories of visits begin.  I counted. Beginning with grandma and grandpa and going thru the generations to my great grandchild, the count comes in at an amazing SIX generations of family that has been camping or sharing a meal in this canyon . That's a lot of fried chicken!

Canyon Gold and Silver? Yes! This old well used canyon with it's many visitors over the centuries holds a wealth of treasures for this visitor!

There's a storm brewing...

...and everybody knows that during high winds and lighting the first thing you do is climb to to top of the tallest metal object you can find!

I told Aaron I would set the D3s to nine frames a second so if he got blown off the windmill by a bolt of lighting I could capture it all in photos. LOL

About two minutes after Aaron retreated from the top of the windmill the sheets of rain started.

Today it is snowing. Man, I miss Hawaii!

Dallas Zoo In B&W.

These pictures it was shot last weekend in the rain. There's a photography contest at Dallas Zoo, and I'm trying to get a best shot to enter this contest.  I have look into last year winners, these shots are trash compared to them.  It looks like I have to make a few more trips to the zoo to get the shot I wanted.  

Another jungle scene...

Here's a sprawling tree that caught my eye on the walk up to Waimea Falls. Very lush and green on the windward side of Oahu.

Into the Jungle

I think this tree needs a haircut!

The Three Amigos

Had the dogs out for a hike last weekend. Turned out it rained most of the afternoon but as you can see their spirits weren't dampened by the weather. In fact that's about the biggest dog smile you're ever going to see from Buster in the bottom picture! How is that old saying... "A tired dog is a happy dog"

Star Light, Star Bright

Technically it's a planet, Mars to be exact. 

This past Monday Mars was supposed to be the brightest in the sky that it has been in the last two years and was supposed to also glow an orange color.

I decided to get off the couch and try to take a few shots. The moon was pretty bright and as you can see, there was a haze of clouds in the sky. Mars was definitely bright but the camera just didn't pick up the orange glow very well but the orange wasn't very pronounced to begin with.

Next week is a lunar eclipse at 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday. I'll have to see how ambitious I want to be.

Shallow Water

Just swimming along one of the coral reefs in Maui. The wave formations on the top of the water is what caught my eye.

This shot shows a prime example of what is known as "backscatter" in underwater photography. It's usually caused by a flash lighting up the particles in the water you normally wouldn't see (or pay attention to) but in this case it was the sunlight causing the backscatter because I was in such shallow water and shooting into the sun.

 Tuweep NP.

 Mesa Arches.

Yellowstone, Wyoming

Yosemite NP.

 Kauai, HI.

False Kiva, Canyonlands

Color of the Sunset, and Sunrise.   These are the most favorite places that I would love to come back again before I kick the bucket!

Somebody stole my camera!

So I stepped away from my camera for a few moments to, um, water a bush, and Aaron snuck in and used it to get one of the better shots of the day when I wasn't looking.

Pesky kids, always wanting to play with your stuff! LOL

Canyon Gold

Nowhere Series

part 4

Leaves of Gold

It is said that gold is where you find it and it can be in many forms. Seems mine happened to be in gold leaf next to a canyon wall. Well lit by the sun the leaves caught my attention as a possible photo along with the shadows of the two trees that point the way. 

Last Years Gold

After all the excitement in Nowhere, my next stop was Red Rock Canyon State Park south of Hinton, where I found golden leaves still clinging to the spindly trees on this March 14th day. My golden find.

Rough Landing

Splashdown!

I guess pelicans are like people, some are more graceful than others.

Shama Thrush

I spotted this interesting looking bird from quite a distance away. So with great care and no sudden movements I fitted the Sigma 120-400 to the camera body and took a number of pictures all the while keeping a respectable distance so as not to scare the bird away. Sure enough when I was done with my great big production my wife walks right up to the bird and takes a picture with her point and shoot! 

Like shooting fish in a barrel! Some of the birds in Hawaiian are so tame...

Great Blue Heron

 While in Oklahoma on our last trip we seen a few of these Great Blue Herons. Not many would allow us to come close to them. Most would just fly by. So to get any photos of them going by you had to see them way before they got to you.

Sailing Lesson!

Well, I got selected as a member of the sailing racing for my company today.  The race will be in France for 2 weeks in Oct.  It won't be calm and sunny like in this picture, I know it going to be a rough ride for 10 days of racing.  Therefore, if you know any books or anything for me to read or watch before we training for this race in next couple months.  Thank you in advance!  HELP..........

Cold and Gloomy Aloha Friday

I'm taking a page from Val's book (or blog) and making it an Aloha Friday. Every Friday is Aloha Friday isn't it?

It's cold and gloomy here in Kansas today so I thought I would post a gloomy photo of Hawaii. They're really hard to take you know!

I'm hoping the clouds and cold go away and the weekend ends up more like this. Ahhhhhh...

Another Waikiki Sunset

This post isn't about the sunset so much as the ritual that goes on each and every evening in Waikiki where locals and tourists alike find a good vantage point and watch the sun setting on the western horizon.

Beacons in the Night

The line of red lights is a series of wind generators off in the distance.

The glow from a cell phone tower.

Not quite grown up

 I found this juvenile bald eagle at a local lake in late December of the year. Him and his parents were sitting in a tree watching the ducks and geese fight for position in the middle of the lake when it was froze over. The parents split as soon has they saw me but I guess he wanted a better look and flew directly over the top of me a couple times. I only cropped these about 25% to cut out some of the blue sky and position the eagle where I wanted in the frame. Shot all at 500mm handheld.  

Found at a Crossroads

Nowhere Series

part 3

What a surprise! 

When I started this unplanned day trip to nowhere, little did I know that there is an actual place by this name. After leaving the signature cliffs I kept driving the County roads in a southwesterly direction towards Ft. Cobb Lake. Coming up to a Crossroads, in the middle of nowhere, I found this tank with the name "Nowhere Okla." clearly stenciled across it. I had arrived! Spent a full 30 seconds taking in all the sights. Pulled up to the tank, stuck my camera out the window, and clicked the shutter. Found me a title for this little series!

Now that I had officially been to Nowhere, decided that I should go somewhere before ending this adventure. Next post we will go to some canyons where gold and silver awaits us!