2020 Arizona, part I

This winter I headed west to AZ with a dear friend. We took a new-to-us route across a large part of LA and TX avoiding the major cities. What a good decision that was! My thanks to Jerry and Wanda for the new route!

Our first night in AZ was spent at a wonderful small campground near Portal that friends had stayed at and recommended. We were very glad we stopped for the night. It was quiet except for the sound of the creek that ran along side the campground. I went out at night hoping for a clear dark sky and was well rewarded.  I took a few images looking to the north (in this one you can clearly see the Andromeda Galaxy to the left of the Milky Way) and then some to the south. As I was standing on the bridge over the creek marveling at the night sky I noticed that the motion sensor light on the side of my trailer came on….. since there were lots of signs about bear activity I took the camera off the tripod, turned on my flashlight and started making lots of noise as I headed back to the trailer. I was happy with the images I had taken and was content to call it a night. Never did see what made the light go on and I was just as happy not to, it could have been a skunk or a bear!

After a few days visiting friends at Quartzite I went to visit another friend in Buckeye. One of the day trips we sometimes take is to the Desert Botanical Gardens. They often have special displays around Christmas and this year was no different. It featured a variety of very large plastic animals that were lit up at night. There were small info boards next to the displays with very brief info trying to tie the critters to nature or the desert in some way. The signs also said the critters were made of recyclable plastic. Personally I would have been more impressed it the critters were made of recycled plastic. Plastic critters aside it is always an interesting place to explore, I always find something new to enjoy there.

After going back to Quartzite for a week a few of us ventured west to Blythe, CA for a couple of nights at a county campground next to the Colorado River. Can safely say been there done that now. Blythe isn’t far from Q and has a couple of good grocery stores. The country around it is largely farming with hay the major crop. We did see a few Sandhill Cranes in the fields.

 

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2019 Tetons Final

Fall colors in the Tetons are not the same as in NH but they offer their own special touches.   Add in a bit of snow on the mountains and it’s really special.  

Not only are there moose around but if you get up very early and can locate some elk you my be treated to watching a bull elk taking care of his harem (this means watching over the cows and driving away rivals) and bugling.

As the moose rut progressed the bulls were getting more active. One morning we got to watch this bull drive away a younger one then chase the early cow first i n one direction then in another. They were moving at good speed and sent some photographers running. They can turn on a dime and are as agile as a lot of horses.

Down by the river the willows grow very tall and thick. This provides food for the moose and also hides them very well. I tend to not go into the willows, you never know what may be in there with you!

 

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2019 Tetons, more moose

Still in the Tetons and enjoying the moose Had a clear night recently so I went out to see if I could capture the Milky Way. As always out here it is spectacular and humbling.

Catching the moose has been a test of patience. They’re wild animals so where & when they will be visible is unpredictable. Being able to watch them is always a joy.

 

There is a river nearby and they tend to head towards it, the feeding is good there with the willows. But the willows are tall and thick so simply wandering in them to look for a moose is unwise. Fortunately when they decided to cross the river there was a wide clear spot upstream where we could watch.

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2019 Teton Moose, week one

Handsome bull
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Another September in the Tetons watching moose. I’ve been here a week and had some great opportunities so far. When I arrived it was very warm but that ended with a few rainy days and now it is clear and cold. Frost on the van windows the last two mornings. The rain down her bright new snow to the mountain tops.

 

The three bulls
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The moose count has varied, one day 4 bulls and 4 cows, but mostly we’ve seen 3 bulls and a couple of cows. This morning it’s down to 1 bull and 2 cows. Not sure if he’s driven the other bulls off or what.

When the 3 bulls were here they were all sparring together with one exception, see the photos for more info.

The cows seem more active, watching people and chasing each other at times. We have to be very aware of where the animals are because they are big and fast and can get pretty darn frustrated this time of year. Watching a bull

Early morning
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thrash away at a bush then jumping around and trotting away can give you an glimpse of that. They are surprisingly agile given their size. Watching a cow chase another one away or a bull chase a cow brings home the fact these are not sedate harmless critters they are big and fast and not much will stop them.

All three bulls
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2019 Yellowstone Aurora Borealis

Labor Day weekend in Yellowstone and the solar wind is arriving, this means possible Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) sighting. Oh boy!  I went out around 9 pm thinking I try to get some images of the Milky Way then stick around to see if the Aurora was

Aurora Borealis, Yellowstone NP
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visible. Didn’t do much as far as the Milky Way went but I had picked out a good spot for the Aurora so about 11 pm I headed over there.

Aurora Borealis, Yellowstone NP
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I could see faint color with an easily visible spike so I decided to stick around. I was there until after 2 am and it got darn cold but it was worth it!  As time went on the color got better and pillars were visible.

 

I did move slightly so to be closer to White Dome geyser as it

Aurora Borealis, Yellowstone NP, White Dome geyser on the left
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went off. Imaging capturing the Aurora in the sky and the geyser with all it’s power from underground. The are some other geysers in some of the images, they were further away and I don’t know any names (if they are named).

 

Aurora Borealis, Yellowstone NP
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Aurora Borealis, Yellowstone NP
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Aurora Borealis, Yellowstone NP
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Aurora Borealis, Yellowstone NP, White Dome Geyser on left
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2019 Yellowstone day and night

I spent some time in Yellowstone in late August, moving from Mammoth area to Madison Junction then to Canyon Village. Managed to see some bison and get some nice images at night also.

 

It  was  warmer  than  I  was  hoping for but  all  went  well  

 

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2019 Black Hills South Dakota

Flower seeds
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Robaix Lake, Black Hills NF
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After leaving the COE east of Badlands NP some friends and I headed to the Black Hills. We were thinking the higher elevation might be a bit cooler and a NFS campground might be rather quiet after the COE. Sure enough Robaix Lake NFS campground was just what we were hoping for. The evening we arrived I took a walk down to the lake. On the way I spotted what looked like a giant dandelion gone to seed.

 

Milky Way over Robaix Lake
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Later that night I went back to the lake in hopes of capturing the Milky Way over the water. Sure enough it was there in all its glory, a sight neat never fails to awe me.

The next morning I was up and out to gain take the walk to the lake. I was thinking it

Early morning flower
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might be interesting to see some of the wildflowers with dew on them.

Later that morning I headed out to do the scenic drive called Spearfish Canyon. It is mentioned in so many of the travel magazines about the area I was curious to see it. Well, it is definitely a canyon, with the trees (fir or spruce for the most

Roughneck Falls, Spearfish Canyon,
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part) coming right down to the road. About 1/2 way along I could start to see some rock outcroppings up high but nothing to make me want to stop. There is one very popular and impressive waterfall, Roughneck Falls, it’s well worth the detour and walk along the boardwalk.

At the end of the drive I hopped on I90 east and took 85 south through Deadwood to get to 385 and the campground. Definitely better than retracing the canyon.

 

 

 

 

 

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