North Rim Detour

Dave and I agreed to meet at noon at Cliff Dwellers, have lunch and plan our trip to White Pocket.  I was excited!  I left home early so I could shoot along the way.  By the time I reached Flagstaff it was raining.  Dang it!  I knew when I left that the weather was not optimal for this sort of plan.  But, I had agreed to meet Dave and he had already sent a text message that there was a clearing in the otherwise gloomy and stormy skies.  He, optimist that he is, was sure the storm was clearing out.  I, of course, did not want to chance missing out on a great opportunity to photograph at White Pocket.  Dave's early morning photos of Vermillion Cliffs confirm that they are interesting in any light.

Dave hiked Soap Creek, very near Cliff Dwellers Lodge, waiting for me to arrive.  Wowza!  

It is easier to be wise and practical when one takes turns passing the optimism baton back and forth!  We decided to head up to the North Rim, spend the night camped out and take a look at photo opportunities out on Cape Royale.  Dave knows that area very well, had a site in mind where I could park my Miss Precious Prissy Prius.  We planned to set up camp first so that we would not have to do it in the dark.  As it turned out, it was a wise decision as we returned well after dark and in rain.  The whole drive was punctuated by fog, heavy dark clouds, moments of clearing, and snow.

Taken at the scenic viewpoint as you head up the hill to Jacob Lake.  David always looks at the positive side . . . "There are really good cookies at Jacob Lake", he said.

Our campsite.  Photo taken in a break in the weather.  I am going back in better weather.  This is a great find for someone like me who is fine sleeping in her car.  By morning, the overnight rain and sleet had melted the snow.

Taken with my iPhone 6.

Path to Cape Royale lookout points.

Patches of sun, weaving fog, and wisps of clouds played around in the canyon below us.  You can see why David really was hoping to get a great Golden Hour shot of Cape Royale.  Me too.

I have had better sunset shots.  But this one will always be special for the memories of the day it evokes.

My last shot as we left Cape Royale.

We drove back to the Lodge and had a pulled pork sandwich at the Deli.  Then, a long drive back to our camp.  More rain.  I was so glad that the sleeping bag was already in my car.  It had been a long, but wonderful day.  But, I was tired!!  Tomorrow, we just knew, would be perfect at White Pocket.  Clouds, puddles of water and exquisite rock formations . . . . But first, we were going to have to get through a very cold night.  The sound of sleet hitting the metal on my car woke me up several times.  In the morning it was all worth it.

South Mountain Park

South Mountain Park is a treasure, a gem in the middle of a huge city. The seven mile drive to the top of the mountain brings new views and surprises at every turn and there are a lot of curves on the road. We have made two trips in the last week. The first was as the storm was moving in so there were lots of clouds and a cool breeze. The second was the morning after the storm where the mountain top was covered with fog, moving clouds and lots of standing water.

There are few parking places on the drive up. Use any of the main parking spots and a short easy hike gets you into great photo opportunities.

You can't go to South Mountain without a stop at Los Dos Molinos, Tom's favorite Mexican food restaurant. It is located on Central Avenue just north of the park entrance. Be aware that their food is spiced HOT but there are a couple of items on the menu that anyone can handle and their staff is well versed in guiding you through the selection process. While you wait for your food you can photograph a potpourri of interesting items.

ISO 400, f/11, 1/125 at 24mm with Nikon D600 and 24-70mm lens.

You would think these rocks would indicate a steep hike. Not so! Close to the road, an easy stroll. That is just how wonderful this place can be. Spring rocks with wildflowers.

ISO 400, f/13, 1/200 at 70mm with Nikon Df and 24-120mm Nikkor lens.

ISO 400, f/16, 1/90 at 24mm with Nikon D600 and 24-70mm Nikkor lens.

ISO 400, f/13, 1/320 at 55mm with Nikon Df and 24-120mm Nikkor lens.

ISO 640, fl13, 1/250 at 50mm with Nikon Df and 24-220mm Nikkor lens.

Then the rain came! A lot of it. Tom and I headed up the mountain early, catching fog along the way. It was a wondrous trip.

ISO 400, f/8, 1/1250 at 105mm with Nikon D800 and 24-120mm Nikkor lens.

ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/4000 at 98mm with Nikon D7000 and 70-300mm Nikkor lens.

ISO 100, f/11, at 24mm with Nikon D600 and 24-70mm Nikkor lens. Processed as an HDR.

ISO 200, f/8, 1/1600 at 82mm with Nikon D800 and 24-120mm Nikkor lens. Uh, those white spots are water drops reflecting from branches!

Speaking of water drops . . . I spent most of my time trying to get a good one! Not often you get a chance to photograph a naturally occurring one in Phoenix. This one turned out to be my favorite because it captured both blue sky and clouds along with branches gone wild in a drop.

ISO 200, 1/800 with No CPU lens on Nikon D800. Lens is a 55mm Nikkor micro. Aperture most likely 5.6 with manual focus on a tripod.

There was a close contender . . . 

ISO 200, 1/160 with No CPU lens on Nikon D800. Lens is a 55mm Nikkor micro. Aperture most likely 5.6 with manual focus on a tripod. Fortunately, the D800 accepts older Nikkor lens and they are such fun!

ISO 250. f/11, at 40mm with Nikon D600 and 24-70mm Nikkor lens. Processed as an HDR.

ISO 250, f/11 at 24mm with Nikon D600 and 24-70mm Nikkor lens. Processed as an HDR.

ISO 250, f/9.5 at 48mm with Nikon D600 and 24-70mm Nikkor lens. Processed as an HDR.

Panorama like shots were challenging but worth the effort to see the Valley in such a different way.

ISO 200, f/13, 1/250 at 35mm with Nikon D800 and 16-35mm Nikkor lens.

Ah, and the reflection opportunities. Wowza!

ISO 100, f/11, 1/125 at 34mm with Nikon D600 and 24-70mm Nikkor lens.

ISO 400, f/11, at 24mm with Nikon D800 and 24-120mm Nikkor lens. Processed as an HDR, then processed in Nik Silver Effects and then adjusted in Photoshop using layers to bring out blue sky! The D800 captures a very wide dynamic range but no setting could get me detail in the sky and inside the sturcture. That is one time that HDR can be handy. Of course, how much structure you want in an HDR is a matter of taste and I went all out for fun. After all that processing I felt like I neede and real break! Time to pick up my camera go shoot!!!

This is the color version before Silver Effects and photoshopping the sky and clouds. There is more ghosting around the windows because I did not take it back into photoshop and correct with layers (Tom would have).

As above.

The stone was still very wet and that made for much more detail in the scene. This one is not an HDR.

ISO 400, f/8, 1/1250 at 120mm with Nikon D800 and 24-120mm Nikkor lens.

Finally, everything was wet with dew. Even the smallest wildflowers . . . 

ISO 800, 1/2000 with No CPU lens on Nikon D800. Lens is a 55mm Nikkor micro. Aperture most likely 5.6 with manual focus. Was windy, no tripod set up so low on muddy ground. Too much noise for my taste but I wanted to share these smallest of water drops. These flowers are about the size of a quarter of a small pinky nail.

Next time it rains in Phoenix I am headed back to South Mountain Park.

Saying Goodbye to Tetons

It is hard to leave.  Yellowstone beckons.  We have hundreds of great photos.  We have left millions.  We started today with a "Yikes!  Sun!!"  Our goal was to drive to the Jackson Lake Lodge to photgraph sunrise from the same place where John D Rockefeller fell in love with Tetons.  The history of our national parks is worth reading about.

But, we did not get as far as Jackson Lake Lodge.  Instead, we pulled over in another spot so as not to miss a single early shot.  Oh, there was sun, but we were not planning for early morning low lying fog.  A fog that allowed one to see the tops of the mountains but not the lower parts.  A fog that, as we got closer, obscured the mountains completely. Completely! And the road as well.  OK!  I like shooting fog. Tom does it artistically, capturing the rays and shadows streaming through the trees.

 

The rolling fog made the land around the sites more interesting.  I wandered across the street from one pullout and found . . . the arrival of extraterrestial beings brought in by their mother ship!!  (Ok . . . just having fun and laughing at my photo). It is quite OK if you don't see those sun spots as otherworldly beings or the sunburst as a mothership.  I understand.

Then I got serious about getting a sunburst without the sun spots.

Finally, we drove to the Jackson Lake Lodge.  We walked up the hill that Rockefeller walked to get to the famous picnic spot.  Nice view!!  Trick is, "what lens do you want to use"?  That is Jackson Lake.

 

The lobby of the lodge is spectacular.  The windows that face the mountains were specifically approved by Rockefeller.  The story goes that he stood up on scafolding to make sure that the view was as good as he had seen 30 years earlier as he enjoyed his picnic. Tom spent a huge amount of time and effort to create what the lobby would look like if you were there.  I asked him, "Where are the people?"  He replied that they weren't there!!

After lunch at the lodge we headed back to our room at our own lodge.  Wait, we have to check out Oxbow Bend! Tom got the big picture.  I got a path that resembles the Snake River as it meanders along the shoreline of the river.

 

On our way from the lodge to the Moran Junction where we have been entering the park there is a stand of gorgeous fall color.  It has gotten better each day.  As I pass this spot along the road I smile. This morning Tom hopped out of the car to capture it for me.  What a guy!!

Tomorrow morning we are headed to Yellowstone.  You will be with us.

Hope your week has started off just as you wanted.