Columbia River Gorge Sunrise

It is the middle of summer and the west is on fire.  The air for much of the week was choked by smoke blown in from fires in nearly every direction.  Sunrises and sunsets have been blotted out through the thickness.  But the winds shift and change.  Opportunities present themselves.  Our world is a crazy place sometimes, but there is comfort in the predictability and serenity of a sunrise.  Taking the time to notice the beauty of this world is important.  We spend our days so focused on our work, our screens and news feeds, our stresses and frustrations.  Take moments to enjoy the silence; the stillness; the chill in the air; the colors building in the sky; the blast of light as the sun tears through the horizon.  Experience and be fulfilled by what nature has to offer.

Crater Lake National Park

This appears to be the summer of volcanoes.  First Hawaii, then Mt. St. Helens, and now Crater Lake National Park.  I've lived in Oregon for 10 years and have never visited Crater Lake.  It's a bit of a drive from Portland, and an overnight is recommended.  Especially if you want to photograph the night sky, or sunsets and sunrises.  The caldera which holds Crater Lake is breathtaking to see.  The color of blue that is the lake is like no other blue I've seen.  It is so deep and rich, it's almost unbelievable.  A drive around the rim gives park-goers a variety of viewpoints, hikes, and experiences.  Though only there for 24 hours, I was able to take in a lot.  The park is quiet and dark at night.  For this trip, the moon was a little more than half full, illuminating the lake while not completely washing out the stars.  And the sunrise the next morning, aided by the smoke of a nearby wildfire, was both peaceful and colorful.

Mt. St. Helens

Forces of nature fascinate me.  Volcanoes are particularly incredible, I think, because the shaping of a landscape can occur in such a short period of time.  Most of geology is not that way.  Mountains are built on time scales in the millions, if not hundreds of millions of years.  Mt. St. Helens, a once typical peak in the Cascade Range, radically changed in 1980 with an enormous landslide and eruption.  Approaching 40 years since the event, the landscape is still scarred and recovering - downed trees lie on hillsides, ash blows from the mountain.  But the resiliency of nature is incredible to witness.  Today, though still an other-worldly landscape, trees, shrubs, and grasses have grown back, and in the summertime, the wildflowers display their vibrancy.  Mt. St. Helens is still an active volcano.  It steams sometimes, and its lava dome is growing ever so slowly, recreating the shape of this mountain.  Someday, the pressure will be too much for the rock, and once again, the landscape will be changed in an instant.  For now, go there, admire the beauty and power of our world, and don't forget to stop and smell the flowers.

Hawaii: The Big Island

It's been 30 years since I was last in Hawaii.  Just a kid then.  In the three years I lived there, we never ventured to the Big Island, so this was a first for me.  What struck me most as we flew in to Kona, was the vastness of the lava fields.  This island is raw - young from a geologic perspective.  Though Kilauea continued it's eruptive outbreaks on the east side of the island, this adventure stayed mostly to the west and north. Perhaps I'll return another time and have the opportunity to capture images of molten lava flows.  This time, the camera caught sunsets, turtles, palm trees, flowers, waterfalls, rocks, and beaches.

Arizona: Wintering Cranes and Peaceful Canyons

This area of Arizona is largely farms, ranches, small towns, old mines, and mountain ranges.  It is quiet and the sky wide open to every horizon.  Though the summers in the desert are formidable, the winters are moderate, sometimes chilly, and often quite windy.  I visit Arizona often to see family and friends and always take an opportunity to venture out with the camera to find something new.  This time: wintering cranes gathering in the Whitewater Draw northeast of Bisbee.  Thousands of cranes feed in the surrounding farms in the mornings and return to their nesting area in the afternoon.  It was a very windy afternoon this trip.  The large birds often seemed suspended in the air, navigating the gusts, and adjusting to land in a most graceful manner.

Formation

With large wingspans, these cranes seem to hover on the gusts of wind and appear a little uneasy as they attempt to land.

In addition to the cranes, I pay an annual visit into Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains.  The area is run by the Nature Conservancy and is a peaceful, easy hike along the creek where birds, deer, and other wildlife can often be spotted.  There are ruins and foundations of old cabins sparking thoughts of old west living.

Ramsey Canyon Bridge and Creek

Cranes gather in these wetlands during the winter. As Spring and Summer approach, and the waters dry up, the cranes migrate on to more comfortable climates.

Strutting

Bark Detail - Ramsey Canyon

Creek through Ramsey Canyon

Oregon Coast - A "Spring Teaser" in mid-January

Normally a day trip to the Oregon coast in the middle of January means you'll fight with a lot of rain, fog, wind, and perhaps snow and ice over the Coast Range passes.  The coast is where you go in the summer to escape the heat of the valley and catch up on some much needed sun.  But... Oregon likes to keep it's people on their toes.  So, when a sunny day with temperatures in the 60's presents itself in January...you make a dash for the coast!  The days are still short this time of year, but the views are timeless.

I like to photograph trees and wood. Driftwood offers a wide variety of photographic opportunities - textures, shapes, lines, and of course, the setting. Stripped bare of branches and foliage, these mangled remains, laid to rest by the tide, are some of my favorite subjects.