Postcard from Mexican Hat

Yes, there really is a place called Mexican Hat. It is in southern Utah, on US Highway 163, just north of Monument Valley and the Arizona border. Population 88, at the last census. It gets its name from Mexican Hat Rock, a distinctive rock formation located just outside of town (see below).

The town has a big celebration every year on March 8, commemorating the fact that the US Census Bureau has officially named it as a “census designated place.” Everyone in town who can make it shows up wearing…you guessed it…a Mexican Hat.

The hills pictured above are also just outside of town. When I first saw them, a few years ago, they reminded me of a Navajo blanket, for some reason. Probably because I had just left the lands of the Navajo Nation behind me when I first came into town. But, they are also similar to the Painted Hills of Oregon, which you have also seen here before.

So, besides the Mexican Hat Rock, located nearby is Goosenecks State Park, a wonderful place to see the Green River flowing through a series of goosenecks….and not far north are the fascinating red rock formations of the Valley of the Gods. As you may have noticed through my blogs, southern Utah is a beautiful place and worth many sightseeing trips.

Postcard from the Painted Hills

I came across this photograph taken a couple of years ago in the Painted Hills of Oregon and realized I had never shared it here. Neglectful of me, for sure, as I think it is a good photo.

I don’t have much more to say about the Painted Hills that I haven’t already shared with you before. It’s located in North Central Oregon and if you live in the Northwest as so many of you do, you definitely need to go there someday and enjoy the exquisite colors. Although it is part of a National Monument, there is no fee to get in. Just go, already!

Postcard from Chicago–Navy Pier

Welcome to Navy Pier, one of Chicago’s most popular landmarks and tourist attractions.  Extending nearly 2/3 of a mile into Lake Michigan, the pier houses dozens, if not more, tourist attractions, such as the carnival rides pictured here.

It took two years to build and opened to the public in 1916. It was designed as both a pier to handle shipping and as a public gathering place for Chicagoans. And that is what it did until the era of motor transportation began hitting the shipping companies hard.   By the late 1930s, the pier was used as more of a summer playground, with recreational facilities that included picnicking areas, dining pavilions, a dance hall, auditorium, and children's playground.

During World War II the pier returned to serious marine purposes, as the city leased the pier to the U.S. Navy as a training center. The Navy's air group training arm docked a pair of converted flattops at the pier to use as freshwater training carriers. During this period, some 60,000 sailors and 15,000 pilots, including President George H. W. Bush, trained at the pier.

Moving forward several years, the pier was rebuilt in the 1990s, and now includes fast-food kiosks, shops, a ballroom, a concert stage, and convention exhibition halls. Other attractions include a 150-foot Ferris wheel (pictured here), an IMAX theater, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Amazing Chicago's Funhouse Maze, the Chicago Children's Museum,  and the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows.

There are also several different kinds of excursion boats docked on the pier that will take you for specialized trips around Lake Michigan. For example, I took an old schooner sailing ship for an hour’s cruise on the lake. Quite fun, actually.

If you are ever in Chicago, no doubt you will visit Navy Pier as it is listed as the #1 tourist attraction in this great city. Definitely worth of visit. Be sure and stop in at the Billy Goat Café so you can hear the cooks yelling out, “Cheesebourger, Cheesbourger, Cheesbourger.” That alone is worth the trip.

Postcard from Yosemite–The Smallest Falls

Yosemite Valley is home to dozens of gigantic falls, some of which I’ve previously detailed here. With the valley being around 4,000 feet deep, the giant falls have a long spectacular drop. There is Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Falls, Ribbon Falls, and many others to numerous to name. And in springtime, there are even waterfalls that have no names.

But, in a quiet corner of the valley lies Yosemite’s smallest waterfall…called Fern Springs. Mostly ignored by tourists, it is actually quite easy to get to as it sits right by the road. There is even a small turnout to park your car.  As you enter the valley proper, the road splits in two and becomes one-way in each direction. Cross the Pohono Bridge and it is on your right. 

It is a natural spring bubbling up out of the earth. The water is quite drinkable. Like all Yosemite water, there is less of it in the autumn than in spring…and obviously this photo was taken in autumn…late October to be exact. And there is actually a second set of small falls just below what you see here.

Like all falls in this great valley, water from Fern Springs eventually flows into the Merced River. I hope someday I can go back in the springtime and photograph it again when the falls are full. 

Postcard from Southern Arizona

Sunrises and sunsets are a photographer’s bread and butter. We mostly concentrate on the quality of that more gentle red-shifted light on particular subjects. But, occasionally, we focus on the sunrise/sunset itself, as I did in this photo.

Sunsets are usually better than sunrise, because the ground has heated up during the day and there are more airborne particles in the air to help bring out more color. Such was the case for this photo.

The sun is actually in a different location than where I pointed my camera for this shot. The photo was taken at what we sometimes call “second sunset”…when the sun is below the horizon, but its red light affects cloud formations in all directions. The foreground, while not very spectacular, gives the viewer a point of reference. Remember, if you shoot sunset or sunrise photos, always give the sky either 1/3 or 2/3 of the image…never 1/2. Decide what is more interesting, the ground or the sky…then make your decision.

I took this image about 2 years ago in the Coronado National Forest, in the Mt. Wrightson Wilderness Area, about 40 miles due south of Tucson. I camped out there for a couple of nights and was rewarded with a spectacular evening light show. We do have some spectacular sunsets here in the Southwest. 

Postcard from Oregon

I came across this photo while searching through my archives.  I took it a few years ago with my first digital camera. The location is Astoria, Oregon…at the Northwest tip of the state.  It is here that the fabled Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean.

It is here where Lewis and Clark finished their amazing westward trek from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. In fact, nearby there is a replica of their winter fort.

This is one of the Columbia Lightships that marked the entrance to the Columbia River at the Pacific Ocean.  The first Columbia lightship took its place in 1892. This one served from 1951 to 1979. It was the last Columbia to be decommissioned on the west coast. WLV 604 is now a museum piece and open to the public at the Columbia River Maritime Museum.

The ship is made of steel and is 128 feet long, 30 feet wide, and draft of 11 feet. The ship was powered by a diesel engine made by Atlas Imperial. The lighting system on the WLV 604 was a 375mm lens visible for up to 13 miles. Fog warning was provided by two diaphone signals on either side of the ship. It was replaced by a lighted navigational buoy. It was eventually retired as well.

I liked this image because of the two bow lines and anchor chain leading from the dock to the front of the ship. The clouds were also a great help. I am very glad I have so many pictures of the great Northwest to remember my time there.  

Postcard from Autumn–Forest Floor

I love these small scenes of nature, as you may have noticed. This was shot in Autumn, late October actually. Where? It doesn’t really matter, I guess, as its just another small, tiny piece of nature in the fall.

Actually, it was photographed in Yosemite National Park…not in the Valley, nor in the high country…but about halfway between…off of the Big Oak Flat Road. I just wandered into the forest and found this little scene. I didn’t arrange anything, just shot it as is. On that safari, I got to the park at exactly the right time.

What is better than wandering in nature, taking in the beauty? Most of the time it is not worthy of a prize-winning photo. But, never-the-less, it is peaceful and glorious to behold. It can restore our souls and wash away the noise and confusion of everyday life. But, it does help to have a camera nearby when you run into a beautiful little scene like this.

In my last blog, I showed you the grand sweep of Bryce Canyon from high on Inspiration Point. By way of contrast, I show you a tiny part of Yosemite here, but no less beautiful than the Canyon.

But, like the last blog where I told you to check out my updated Bryce Canyon photos on the Web, today, I am promoting my updated Autumn photo site on my Web pages. Again, this site has many new, never-before-scene photos, like this one…as well as some reworked images from other Autumn locations. I invite you to see it, at your convenience.

Postcard from Bryce Canyon

You’ve seen this photography before. I shared it with you just over one year ago. I am showing it again because my new blog writing software allows me to show photographs in a much larger size than ever before.  You may have noticed in recent blogs that many of the photos took up the entire top of the blog...like this one.

This is my favorite photo from Bryce and is also one of my favorite photos of all time. And now I can show it in a much bigger version. A year ago, the photo was just too small to really enjoy.

It shows the view of the aptly named Amphitheater in the north section of the park. The view is from high up on Inspiration Point, a rugged bit of a vertical climb. The trail is easy, but at 8,000 feet, you really give your lungs a workout. But on this day, it was worth it.

If you ever go to Bryce Canyon National Park, be sure an be ready to take photographs at sunrise. The canyon walls face east, so the morning light on the hoodoos is spectacular. In close-up photos in many areas, the sunlight bounces of the back walls of the canyon, giving shadow areas a wonderful glow. 

I have a second reason to show you this photo again. I’ve completely redone my Web page section on Bryce…removing several photos, redoing others, and adding several new photos never shown before. I invite you to take a look.

Postcard from the Cascades–Autumn Cartoon

As I have written here before, the Cascade Mountains of WA yield some of the finest autumn colors on this planet. Some years, of course, are better than others. Still, the Cascades are a photographer’s paradise in October.

I completed this image only today and wanted to share it with you right away. I’ve been working lately on upgrading my Web site images, adding new ones, and replacing those I’ve fallen out of love with. These last two days, I worked on some of my autumn images, which is always a labor of love. The colors…my God, how could you not love working on photos from autumn?

As is sometimes my habit, I played with a new, recently acquired Photoshop filter, called Cartoon. I was just experimenting, but loved what showed up. So, of course, I named it, “Autumn Cartoon.” I don’t consider it one of my paintings per say as I just applied a filter.  It does look like one and if I were still doing art shows, I might just put it out for sale.

I hope you enjoy it and in these dog days of winter, a little extra color is always to be savored.

Postcard from Bryce–Three Vultures

I will admit, I am not much of a wildlife photographer. But when three birds pose for me in a tree, how can I go wrong.  These birds are, if I am not mistaken Turkey Vultures.

I took this photo on my last photographic expedition to Bryce Canyon National Park. I believe I was high up on Inspiration Point just after dawn. After shooting down into the canyon, I turned around and there they were…three birds also taking in the morning view (or waiting for me to die). So I lifted the camera and started shooting. Thank God I had a zoom lens on the camera.

To quote from an article about these birds on buzzle.com:

“Turkey vultures are widely found in North America and are also known as turkey buzzards. The adult turkey vultures can weigh up to 6 pound, reaching the length of 25 to 32 inches. The wingspan of the vultures can be about 6 feet. The name turkey is given to them due to the bald, red head that closely resembles that of a wild turkey. Their feet closely resembles the feet of a chicken, which they cannot use to lift or carry food. Instead, their feet are especially designed to hold food in place while eating.

Vultures are basically scavengers, that feed on carrion or carcasses of dead animals. So, like other vultures, turkey vultures too survive on carrion and cannot kill their prey. They usually thrust their heads inside the carcass. Here, their bald head serves an important purpose, while they eat carrion. The fact that their head is bald keeps it clean, while they stick their head inside the body cavity of the carcass. Turkey vultures have an extraordinary sense of smell, which enables them to find out a carcass just within 24 hours of its death. They are also empowered with a sharp eye sight, which helps them to search food. If need arises, turkey vultures can also live on vegetation.”

And that’s the fact, Jack!