Travel – Page 19 – Circadianreflections Blog

100 million yrs of erosion created this land…

November 17, 2010November 17, 2010Posted in hikes, Landscapes, Nikon, Nikon D90, TravelTagged Arches National Park, Cairns, Petrified Dunes; Sage Brush, Rock formations, Sheep Rock, The Three GossipsLeave a comment

Continuing down the main road in Arches National Park my friend Theresa and I were in awe of this landscape with its huge rock formations, vast views, and the wonderful colors of the Southwest.

Here some of the Petrified Dunes covered in Sage brush that gently roll through this part of the park:

“Nature and Science
The forces of nature have acted in concert to create the landscape of Arches, which contains the greatest density of natural arches in the world. Throughout the park, rock layers reveal millions of years of deposition, erosion and other geologic events. These layers continue to shape life in Arches today, as their erosion influences elemental features like soil chemistry and where water flows when it rains.

Arches is located in a “high desert,” with elevations ranging from 4,085 to 5,653 feet above sea level. The climate is one of very hot summers, cold winters and very little rainfall. Even on a daily basis, temperatures may fluctuate as much as 50 degrees.

The plants and animals in Arches National Park have many adaptations that enable them to survive these conditions. Some species are found only in this area. The diversity of organisms reflects the variety of available habitat, which includes lush riparian areas, ephemeral pools, dry arroyos, mixed grasslands and large expanses of bare rock.”
~Moab Adventure Center

Marking the many trails both well trod, and those that are not are Cairns like this one . Theresa and I found these invaluable as we missed one on the Trail to Delicate Arch and NOT seeing one after a little while I knew we took a wrong turn.

Here’s a closer look at The Three Gossips, and Sheep Rock. I zoomed in on this shot to try get more of the details. This view is from the La Sal Mountains Viewpoint.

In the next blog post we’ll continue down the road to The North and South Windows area where we hiked a little of the Primitive Trail and shot the sunset.

A Road Trip Adventure

November 10, 2010November 10, 2010Posted in Nikon, TravelTagged Road Trip, Soldier Summit Utah4 Comments

Meet James,

Story teller, Good Samaritan, and my Guardian Angel in time of need.
While traveling to from Salt Lake City to Arches National Park on Nov. 6, 2010 I had a problem with my rental car about 2 hours south of SLC. I pulled over at the first gas station I saw. It had a light on inside the store, but the door said closed. Theresa my friend knocked on the door because she saw a man inside. He came out and verified what I thought- the gas tank or line was leaking. He invited us into the store to call the rental company and to keep warm. We left SLC at 5AM and it was only about 6:40AM when I pulled into the Tesoro Service Station.
I called the rental company and while on the phone I heard James(the man at the gas station) tell Theresa the station doesn’t open until 8:30AM and he rarely goes in early.
The rental car co. was going to set me up with a “tow exchange” and they needed to know my location.
I gave them the address. The woman on the phone with me needed a zip code so she could find me on the map. James said, ” We don’t have one. Soldier Summit is 30 miles south of Spanish Fork on Hwy 6.” We were surprised by this, but the woman on the phone looked on the map again and Soldier Summit wasn’t on her map.
Fortunately, I was at the only Tesoro Service Station within miles so the tow truck driver wouldn’t have a problem finding me. She got all the paper work started and told me it would take a minimum of 4 hours to get the replacement car out to me. After I hung up and told Theresa and James it would be awhile before they got a car out here James said, ” That was the smoothest I’ve seen a call to a rental company for help go, and I’ve had 11 tows out of here this year.”

James we discovered is also an amateur photographer. When we told him where we were going to Arches to take photos he got goose-bumps! He pulled out a big black 2 inch binder fully loaded with photographs he took. There were also old photos of the town his mother took. Each photo had a great story to go with it.
He also likes to tell jokes. Like this one- When giving back change to a customer I heard him ask this when he handed him his change. ” Do you see this quarter? That’s a WY quarter. See this horse? What kind of horse do you think this is? Appaloosa, Mustang, Palomino?”
When the customer replied, ” I have no idea.” James said, ” It’s a Quarter Horse!”

This is the gas station where I waited for a replacement rental car.
It’s located 30 miles south of Spanish Fork, Utah in Soldier Summit Utah.
After sitting in the store chatting with James the store keeper, and visiting with a few of the customers the sun came out and I said I’d go out and photograph the Old Jailhouse and make Lemonade out of lemons. I was photographing the station and Theresa said she named this station Tesoro Arch since we couldn’t be in Arches National Park we would call this Tesoro Arch. I loved it!
Can you tell there is nothing much out here. There is a house on the hill behind the station, and that’s about it.

This was my rental car. She’s leaking gas. Can you see the little puddle by the back right tire? James put some kitty litter like stuff on the puddle once before I took this photo. Poor thing.

Here’s another view of the gas station. It really was lonely out here!

This is “Guy”

This gentleman came into the station and I was fascinated with him. He had that …”je ne sais quoi”. James, had said “Hi, Guy!” when he came in, but we learned that wasn’t his real name. James always says “Hi Guy” and he says Hi back so it’s stuck.

I asked him if I could take his photo and he said, “Sure!”
While I was snapping my shutter I asked him what he did for a living to get him talking to keep me relaxed. You know I’m not a “people photographer”, and Guy was relaxed! He said he retired from the mine and then my phone rang! I stopped photographing him to take the call as it was from the tow company that was bringing me a replacement car. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him anymore after that because he left just as I hung up the phone.
An American Cowboy. Isn’t his mustache great!

Here’s a plaque just in front of the old Jailhouse that tells the story of how the town got its name:

Copyright © 2010 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
It says:
Soldier Summit
On Sept. 11, 1776, Two Franciscan priests Father Escalante, and Father Dominguez entered what is now the state of Utah, and several weeks later camped in a mountain pass. It is believed that the Fathers gave the pass its first name. Calling it Grassy Pass.
The name was changed to Soldier Pass when Johnson’s army at Camp Floyd was ordered east in 1861.
About 40 officers and enlisted men from the southern states were given permission to leave the US Army and go south to join the Confederate Army. They arrived at Grassy Pass in a blizzard. Six or seven men and a fourteen year old boy were frozen to death and were buried by a spring near the summit of the pass. The Rio Grande Railroad Company in 1880 named the pass Soldier Summit in its first time table.
~Castle Valley Center-Handicapped School. Nov. 1, 1990

The tow truck with the replacement car arrived by 10:20ish. After loading the new car, and saying farewell and Thank you to James we were on the road again headed to Arches National Park by 10:50ishAM.

He was a wonderful host, and I’ll never forget his kindness for letting us hang out in the store to keep warm while we waited for the replacement car.
Thank you James for going to work early, for your hospitality, and for the photograph of the Sunrise across from your Deer Camp.

For additional history on Soldier Summit go here:
http://www.soldiersummit.com/soldier-summit-history

Autumn in the Eastern Sierras

October 28, 2010October 28, 2010Posted in California, Landscapes, Nikon, TravelTagged Creeks, Eastern Sierras, Poetry; Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Rivers2 Comments

This is near the “Tree Tunnel” off the road to North Lake and Bishop Creek I believe. While my companions were photographing the “tree tunnel”, and the creek a little further down I wandered up the trail and found a boulder out in the creek- really this was flowing like a river, and jumped over onto the boulder and set up my tripod to take this photograph.
It was easier jumping on the boulder getting out here than it was getting back…the gap seemed a lot smaller when I jumped out here- why does that always happen? I didn’t fall in! Phew!

Exposure and PP- I used my Hoya warming 81A filter for this scene. I wanted to bring out those lovely reds, oranges, and yellows. I also used my B&W 0.9 Neutral Density Filter to cut the glare of the water and slow it down just a wee bit.
Vibrance, clarity, levels, played with the color adjustment- but liked it the way it was shot originally, and a little sharpening, and resized.

When out taking photos I like to zero in on the little details too. Here’s a little bunch of Aspen leaves. I liked the reds, and greens, and the vein patterns.

“Go, sit upon the lofty hill,
And turn your eyes around,
Where waving woods and waters wild
Do hymn an autumn sound.
The summer sun is faint on them —
The summer flowers depart —
Sit still — as all transform’d to stone,
Except your musing heart.”

~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning

“Come forth into the light of things, Let Nature be your teacher.” William Wordsworth

October 12, 2010October 12, 2010Posted in California, Landscapes, Nikon, TravelTagged Hwy 120, Lembert Dome, Tioga Pass, Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Forest1 Comment

“Come forth into the light of things, Let Nature be your teacher.” William Wordsworth, originally uploaded by dmzajac2004-.

This is just one of many stops we made along the way to the Eastern Sierras with 2 friends to spend the week-end shooting Fall Color with Bill Wight and Mountain High Workshops. We were able to cross the mountains via Tioga Pass. We had feared the Pass would be closed due to a 2 day rain/snow storm that has passed through the area only days before. Fortunately the sun came out and the roads weren’t snowed under preventing a crossing.
This is a view of Lembert Dome, and the snow capped mountain peaks behind it. This dome is located in Tuolumne Meadows.
I was last here in June of this year and this whole meadow was covered in snow then.

I have lost some of the detail in the snow capped mountains. I shot two frames this was the -0- or middle frame. I suppose I should have taken another shot 1 stop under also then blended the two frames in post processing. However, I’m weak in Photoshop skills. I think in the future I will spot meter the snow capped mountains and work around that chimping and adjusting my EV compensation until I get better detail all over. It’s more satisfying for me to do that in the field than to try and do it in Photoshop later merging, blending, layering, masks and painting…bleh!!

This is the photo I’m happiest with for this stop. No more tweaking or worrying about those blown out mountains caps. I do love the detail in the tree trunks, and light filtering through this grove, the shadows on the trunks and in the mulch below came out well, and the golden meadow looks great with the sky. Overall I think I did a good job of capturing the dynamic range in this one frame.

PP- Recovery, vibrance, clarity, resized, levels and tried curves but that didn’t do anything good to the mountains snow caps.

Nikon D300s, Nikkor 17-35mm @ 19mm, f9, 1/100s, ISO 200

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.” Walt Whitman

October 4, 2010October 4, 2010Posted in California, Nikon, TravelTagged Elkhorn Slough, Moss Landing; Harbor Seals; Pacific Coast; Northern California; Quotes; Walk Whitman2 Comments

A few more photographs from my day at Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing, CA. The day was overcast, but once in a while the sun would peek out from behind a cloud, and when it did there were humans and animals alike out to soak up its warmth. Like this Harbor Seal.

This Harbor Seal below has very pretty blue eyes, but I must admit I didn’t see that at first. What caught my attention first were those huge fingers!

Don’t you like way he’s surrounded by the other seals? I feel like he’s loved and protected here.

This white seal pup was so cute! He watched the boat for sometime. A very curious seal with a wise looking face.

I rented the Nikkor 300mm f4 for this trip. It doesn’t have VR Nikon’s verbage for Vibration Reduction so I kept the shutter speed up all day.

I am very impressed with the performance of this lens. For being on a moving boat, trying to catch the scenes and wildlife as we sailed by it did very well. I like the isolation and colors it gave me, and I didn’t find that it hunted or had trouble locking onto the subject. I didn’t find it too heavy. Well,it is weighty, but not that much heavier than my 80-200mm f2.8, and the tripod collar worked very well on my tripod/ball-head combo. I purchased a universal plate that worked perfectly on the foot.

Renting this lens was a wonderful way for me to try the lens, and get some pretty neat photographs of this trip that I might not have been able to get otherwise. I will rent this lens again, and have started saving for it. I like it that much, and I have birding season coming up! I think this would a fabulous lens to have while at the Snow Goose festival this winter, and in my gear bag.

“There is nothing more musical than a sunset. – the book of Nature. ” Claude Debussy

September 26, 2010September 26, 2010Posted in California, Landscapes, Nikon, TravelTagged Elkhorn Slough, Moss Landing5 Comments

“There is nothing is more musical than a sunset. He who feels what he sees will find no more beautiful example of development in all that book which, alas, musicians read but too little – the book of Nature. ” Claude Debussy, originally uploaded by dmzajac2004.

Another photograph from my Elkhorn Slough Meet-Up on the 18th.

At the end of the day myself and two friends found this beach to shoot the sunset. The sun set right here. This was the best light and color of the sunset. I’m so glad we were here in time for this. After the sun set there was no color at all…the day faded into night. With it we headed north for home.

PP- Recovery, vibrance, clarity, resized
Nikon D300s, Nikkor 17-35mm f2.8 @ 17mm, f13, 1/8s, ISO 200, Manual Mode

A Week-end on the Wild Side

September 20, 2010September 21, 2010Posted in California, hikes, Landscapes, Nikon, TravelTagged Abandonned, boats, Elkhorn Slough, Golden Gate Bridge, Otters, Point Reyes National Seashore, San Francisco, Tomales Point, Tule Elk8 Comments

A week-end full of wildlife photography that is.

I spent Sat. with a Meet up group out in Moss Landing, CA at Elkhorn Slough. We took a pontoon boat out in the slough and saw oodles of Otters, pups, seals, seal pups, and shore birds. The weather was warm, but overcast throughout most the day.

Here are Mom and pup. Mom trying to relax and the pup was as curious about us as we were about them.

These guys eat 25% of their body weight in clams a day! They are very cute.

Sunday morning myself and 2 friends headed back up North to Point Reyes National Seashore’s Tule Elk Reserve to hike out to Tomales Bay Point to photograph the Tule Elk again ,and some coastal scenics. We had rain in the forecast and were hoping for big dramatic clouds and nice moody scenes along the rocky coast line.

It drizzled the whole 2.5 hour drive up. As we headed out on the trail to Tomales Point it was still drizzling, and the sky was gray with no definition in the sky or clouds. Just overcast.

We reached the pond 3 miles out- there was an Alpha Male with about 25 females and 4 calves in his Harem.
Up on the hill was another male calling the females. He had about 5 females which deserted him for the Bigger Tule Elk down by the pond. He came down the hill and we hoped there would be a battle over the Harem.
The Bull on the hill didn’t put up a fight he let his females go. There was a lot of bugle calling and half hearted, and “I mean business ” charges from the Alpha Male which was enough to scare the Bull on the hill away.
He lost all his females to the Older Bull who had about 30 females in his Harem when we left them to continue out to Tomales Point.

The hike out to the point is 4.7 miles. On the way back my legs were tired. I carried with me the D300s, 17-35mm f2.8, and the 300mm f4 along with accessories and filters, lunch, water, tripod, and trail stool. I think my load was 20 pounds. Right now this is my current limit loaded with all this gear.

PP- Vibrance, clarity, a little fill light, some USM, and resized.

We were about to leave and continue our hike as we thought the action was over. There wouldn’t be a fight and the Alpha was herding the new females into the Harem, and giving them a thorough sniffing and sizing up. Sensing the Alpha was distracted the young bull took advantage and crept around the hill and down into the herd undetected…but only for a few minutes. Once the Alpha caught scent of the other bull, he called and charged! All the females moved out of the way as the Alpha charged the young bull. The youngster ran right by us and stopped just 6 feet away from us! Unfortunately, we had packed up all our gear to make the hike easier. Still, it was so thrilling to be that close to them!

As we headed down the trail the young bull took off and we didn’t see him until we were on the way back.

Out at Tomales Point the sky didn’t have the drama or definition we had hoped for in the sky, but the scenery was beautiful none the less.

Here at the point where the rain runs off were the most interesting and beautiful gullies, and patterns in the cliff.

We left the Point at 4PM knowing it would take us about 2.5 hours to hike back out. We saw a lot more Tule Elk at the pond. More of the unattached males were on the other side of the pond-away from the Alpha and his Harem. We didn’t stop to take photos but did pause a minute to look. Further up the trail the fog rolled in. I spent the whole day damp. Out of the fog we saw on the trail ahead of us 3 females and then we spied another Harem. We walked cautiously past them. Fortunately they were just as cautious about us and moved off the trail inland a little further.

We made it out to the parking lot in 2 hours 15 minutes. We were in dire need of dinner and I really wanted a pot of hot tea! We dined in Inverness at Priscilla’s Cafe. It was wonderful! I had a crab sandwich, mixed green salad, and mixed berry pie for dessert.

After dinner we walked across the street to where the Point Reyes is beached. I took a photos of her a few weeks ago when another friend and I came up. This time a night shot was what we were after. One of my companions had a big LED flash-light he used to light up the boat.

Using a technique called light painting he painted the boat, and foreground with light. I set up my cameras for a long exposure. This was a 67 second exposure.

On the way home I saw the Golden Gate bridge with the fog just starting to come in, and the city lights twinkling like jewels through it and wanted to stop to take one last shot before continuing southward home. My friend pulled over at the Marina Headlands where we spent a good half hour shooting the city and the bridge.

This was 59 second exposure . I was happy to see I captured some Moon beams and a star too!

This was a lovely last shot for my week-end on the Wildside. Life is good!

Nikon D300s, Nikkor 300mm f4, Nikkor 17-35mm f2.8, Sundisk Ultra SDHC Digital Film

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