Moon setting over Cathedral Rock in Sedona

May 7, 2012 in Astronomy, Photography

Even though it was full almost two days ago the waning gibbous “Supermoon” (Wikipedia; NASA) was still 98% illuminated this morning. I used “The Photographers Ephemeris” to find the perfect location — as well as a backup site — to get this sequence of images. Good thing, too, since my prime location was gated and locked!

Moon over Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona. (0554 MST 07 May 2012)

Moon over Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona (0554 MST 07 May 2012). First light is just touching the top of the rock.

 

Moon over Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona. (0604 MST 07 May 2012)

Moon over Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona (0604 MST 07 May 2012). The rock is now fully illuminated by the rising sun.

 

 

Moon over Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona. (0611 MST 07 May 2012)

Moon over Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona (0611 MST 07 May 2012).

The first image shows the moon above Cathedral Rock (0554 MST) in Sedona, Arizona. It then slides down and to the right appearing again in the V-shaped notch (0604 MST) and then finally in the lowest portion of the gap (0611 MST). The sky was brightening rapidly so that in the final image the moon is almost overwhelmed by the sky.

Afterwards we hiked up the trail to the saddle in Cathedral Rock — where the moon had set less than an hour earlier.

 

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Desert View Watchtower at Grand Canyon National Park

May 2, 2012 in Photography

Recently some friends visited northern Arizona and we gave them the quick, one-day tour of Grand Canyon National Park. We visited many of the easily accessible overlooks as well as a few that required some hiking which gave us some moments of solitude. The canyon is spectacular, but on this day I was more intrigued with photographing the interior of the Desert View Watchtower.

 

 

Mural on the wall of the Desert View Tower at Grand Canyon National Park.

Mural on the wall of the Desert View Tower at Grand Canyon National Park.

The Desert View Watchtower was the last of the series of Mary Colter-designed visitor concession structures at Grand Canyon National Park and was designed to resemble the Ancient Pueblo Peoples watchtowers found at Hovenweep National Monument and Mesa Verde National Monument. From the tower there are majestic views of the North Rim, South Rim, and East Rim as well as some of the better views of the Colorado River below as it turns westward.

 

Looking up through the grand staircase at Desert View Tower.

Looking up through the grand staircase at Desert View Tower.

The tower rises as an open shaft lined by circular balconies overlooking the central space and the interior walls contain many murals, including this one by Fred Kabotie. Many other petroglyph-style decorations art adorn the walls.

 

...And looking down on the visitors...

...And looking down on the visitors...

 

Looking up…and down…gives a grand sense of the structure.

 

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Spring snowfall at Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon

April 18, 2012 in Canyons, Photography, Weather

A late season storm brought snow to the high country of Flagstaff where almost a foot of snow fell over the weekend. But snow also occurred in the lower elevations including Oak Creek Canyon. Here was a final opportunity of the season to photograph new-fallen snow on the red rocks of Slide Rock State Park.

New snow on the red rocks of Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon.

New snow on the red rocks of Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon.

Unlike my previous snow photo shoot here back in early December temperatures were considerably warmer. (On that cold morning it was below zero in Flagstaff and only in the upper teens at Slide Rock State Park.) In fact, the temperatures remained above freezing overnight in this part of Oak Creek Canyon. This meant that the snow had been melting all night long leaving only patches on the ground. On the other hand, the relative warmth also meant that the rocks were only wet rather that covered in ice as in that previous session. So this made walking around substantially safer.

 

Snow covered boulder sits in Oak Creek in Slide Rock State Park.

Snow covered boulder sits in Oak Creek in Slide Rock State Park.

 

Low clouds hung over northern Arizona that morning and the light was dull and flat as a result. Consequently the photographs don’t have the *pop* they might otherwise have if there was sunrise light reflecting off the high cliffs above the creek. Still, the juxtaposition of snow on the red rock is always worth a chance.

 

Boulders in Oak Creek in Slide Rock State Park.

Boulders in Oak Creek in Slide Rock State Park.

Afterwards, a trip to the Indian Gardens Oak Creek Market was in order. Having a hot cup of coffee after a chilly morning of shooting is always welcome. And their bakery items are pretty good, too.

 

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Night Lights in Las Vegas

April 10, 2012 in Photography

The weather has been very dry and warm for much of this winter. Blame it on La Nina, if you must. It has resulted in excellent mountain biking conditions across the west. So we took advantage of the great weather and excellent trail conditions and found ourselves in southern Nevada in early March.

But this entry isn’t about the mountain biking. Rather, it is about an evening spent in Las Vegas in between days of mountain biking. I wanted to shoot pictures of the fabulous hotels, resorts, and casinos in evening and night light. So we found ourselves slowly walking along “The Strip” and stopping every few minutes.

Of all the images I think these three are my favorites.

I really like the fantasy buildings from the Excalibur Resort. This resort endeavors to re-create the Middle Ages and the fortress-like structure boasts a drawbridge, moat, turreted towers, and stone columns. And it’s all beautifully lit.

 

The night lights at the Excalibur resort in Las Vegas.

The night lights at the Excalibur resort in Las Vegas.

My other favorites are from the Bellagio. Most visitors to the Bellagio are interested in the fountain displays that are choreographed to music and, not surprisingly, most images that appear on the web are of the fountains. This image was taken at the far end of the pool is more subtle and the colors far more captivating.

Blue reflections in the pool at the Bellagio Resort.

Blue reflections in the pool at the Bellagio Resort.

Finally, this image of glass flowers was taken in the main entry way of the Bellagio. Look up because it’s part of the ceiling. This vibrant flow petal chandelier, entitled Fiori de Como, was designed by glass sculptor Dale Chihuly.

The Fiori de Como was designed by glass sculptor Dale Chihuly.

The Fiori de Como was designed by glass sculptor Dale Chihuly.

So it was a fun and interesting evening and we spent a total of…wait for it…nothing.

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Get Your (Running) Kicks on Route 66

March 31, 2012 in Photography, Running

Always looking for new trail running routes, the Northern Arizona Trail Runners Association (NATRA) found themselves on a section of old Route 66 between Ash Fork and Williams, Arizona, on this sunny and warm spring morning. This section is also known as the Ash Fork Hill Bicycle Tour. (Map here)

NATRA runners on Route 66: 1932 alignment near Ash Fork, Arizona.

NATRA runners on Route 66: 1932 alignment near Ash Fork, Arizona.

 

NATRA runners cresting a hill top on Route 66.

NATRA runners cresting a hill top on Route 66.

 

Two parallel segments of Route 66 exist here: the original 1922 alignment (also known as the Old Trails Highway) and the 1931 alignment that replaced it. And, of course, the newest alignment is Interstate 40 just a few hundred meters away. The 1931 segment is composed of old and crumbling asphalt while the 1922 segment retains the original gravel road.

Route 66: 1932 alignment.

Route 66: 1932 alignment.

 

The group initially headed westward on the paved segment which has a net downhill and made the return trip on the uphill graveled segment. The soft gravel combined with the steady uphill climb made us pay for our earlier cruise on the downhill.

The 1922 alignment of Route 66 with the original gravel road bed.

The 1922 alignment of Route 66 with the original gravel road bed.

A comparison of the retired segments and the current Interstate highway provides an interesting perspective on how American highways have evolved over the decades.

Kaibab Forest marker for Historic Route 66.

Kaibab Forest marker for Historic Route 66.

 

It’s fascinating to imagine cars driving on these old roads — where they came from and where they were going.

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Bright objects in the night sky — Part V

March 26, 2012 in Astronomy, Photography

I expect that this will be my last chance to photograph the Moon with Venus and Jupiter before they move away from each other. The two planets are drawing away from each other each day from their closest point on March 12 and 13.

The Moon and planet Venus as seen in the middle of the afternoon.

The Moon and planet Venus as seen in the middle of the afternoon.

Venus has been bright enough to be visible in the sky during the day IF you know where to look. That’s not easy. But today the crescent moon — which IS easy to see — was very close to Venus. So, find the Moon and find Venus. This image was taken mid afternoon on a beautiful early spring day in northern Arizona.

 

The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter in the twilight sky over the Kachina Wetlands...with ducks.

The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter in the twilight sky over the Kachina Wetlands...with ducks.

After sunset the triangle of Venus, Jupiter, and Mars put on quite a show over the reflective waters of the Kachina Wetlands near Flagstaff, Arizona. The ducks had just recently alighted on the waters for the evening and their trails through the water are easily visible.

The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter in the twilight sky over the Kachina Wetlands.

The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter in the twilight sky over the Kachina Wetlands.

 

And as the sky darkened the triplet shone even more brightly above the now quiet water.

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Thinly sliced snow

March 19, 2012 in Photography, Weather

A major winter storm dropped anywhere from one to two feet of snow in the Flagstaff area this weekend. The mountains got even more with some areas reporting more than four feet of new snow.

 

Thinly sliced snow.

Thinly sliced snow.

Deep snow was sitting on this table and set of chairs in front of one of my favorite coffee shops — the Kickstand Kafe. The weight of the snow was pushing the snow below it through the vertical bars of the chair back resulting in thinly sliced snow.

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Bright objects in the night sky — Part IV

March 16, 2012 in Astronomy, Photography

A few nights ago I had an opportunity to take a tour of the telescopes operated by Lowell Observatory at the Anderson Mesa Station. I’ve driven and biked onto the mesa top many times over the years and often wished that I would have an opportunity to tour the telescope domes. Finally!

 

The 72-inch Perkins Telescope at the Lowell Obervatory Anderson Mesa Station.

The 72-inch Perkins Telescope at the Lowell Obervatory Anderson Mesa Station.

We were taken into the 72-inch Perkins Telescope for a brief visit.  There were ongoing experiments and data collection so we were limited in what we could visit. Still, this was a nice, large telescope and worth seeing. This was followed by a longer visit to the smaller 42-inch John Hall Telescope where we were treated to observing the research staff collect photographic images of Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux.

The 42-inch John Hall Telescope.

The 42-inch John Hall Telescope.

Afterwards, I set up my tripod and camera for yet another image of the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. The closest approach of the two planets occurred a few days ago and they are now moving apart.

Venus and Jupiter shine brightly above the telescope dome at the Lowell Observatory Anderson Mesa Station.

Venus and Jupiter shine brightly above the telescope dome at the Lowell Observatory Anderson Mesa Station.

In a little over a week the new crescent moon will once again move near the two planets providing another interesting photo opportunity.

 

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Dramatic lenticular clouds above the Kachina Peaks

March 11, 2012 in Photography, Weather

A strong cold front and upper-level low was rapidly approaching Arizona. Ahead of this weather disturbance these spectacular lenticular clouds developed over the Kachina Peaks during the night of 03/06/2012. As the sun rose in the morning the clouds were nicely illuminated. About an hour after sunrise atmospheric conditions began to change and the wave clouds became more diffuse and detached from the peaks and drifted downstream.

Dramatic wave clouds above the Kachina Peaks.

Dramatic wave clouds above the Kachina Peaks.

Here is a video clip showing the wave clouds. The original clip is 40m40s long. The clip shown here has been sped up by a factor of 200x so the time lapse now occurs in around 12 seconds.

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Bright objects in the night sky — Part III

March 2, 2012 in Astronomy, Photography

Venus and Jupiter continue to shine brightly in the western twilight sky each evening. The two planets have been converging and will be closest on the evenings of March 12 and 13 when they will have an angular separation of only three degrees (about the same as six moon diameters).

 

Conjunction of Jupiter, Venus, and the ISS over the Kachina Wetlands near Flagstaff, Arizona.

Conjunction of Jupiter, Venus, and the ISS over the Kachina Wetlands near Flagstaff, Arizona.

On the evening of 01 March 2012 the International Space Station (ISS) made an evening transit low in the western sky. Its track placed it just below the planetary pair resulting in a great photographic opportunity. Shooting a total of six 30s exposures captured the ISS rising from the low hills to its high point just below the planets then moving into the southwestern sky. The 1st-quarter moon provided more than enough light to brighten up the scenery of the Kachina Wetlands with reflections of the planets visible in the water.

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