The good news was precipitation was slightly above normal in April (measured: 1.02″; normal: 0.89″) although it mostly fell as rain and not as snow (measured: 0.3″; normal: 5.0″). The moisture helped keep the trails in great shape. Only towards the end of the month did the trails start to become dusty.
Kelly Canyon
This is an out-and-back that can start from either the top or bottom of the canyon. We chose to start low because there would be water at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash and I wanted to visit it earlier in the day. Good choice.
Early morning light at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash.Mid-morning light at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash.Some wildflowers (valerian) to gaze at as we run the canyon.Running up the canyon.Sometimes you run; sometimes you walk.
The warm and dry winter continued into March with some extraordinary high temperature records all across the west in the latter part of the month. Consequently, we were able to run in Flagstaff on dry trails as well as in Sedona. In fact, it was so warm in Sedona on some of these runs that we started our runs earlier in the morning to avoid the heat. Cooler temperatures and rain finally arrived on the last day of the month.
Earls Loop
This is mostly an out-and-back with a loop at the far end (“lollipop loop”) and is not a well-known trail. That’s because the trail does not appear on modern maps. It still gets some regular traffic from hikers, runners, and mountain bikers (even though some of it traverses a wilderness area).
A runner on the Earl’s Loop Trail in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness.Water-worn channels in the sandstone of Dry Creek.Posing at the far point of the Earl’s Loop trail.Wildflowers on the Earl’s Loop Trail.
In a recent post I talked about a photo session in which I captured images of Orion using a wide-angle lens. My next goal was to use a telephoto lens to zoom in on specific areas. My first effort did not go well. It was cold and windy. My attempts to get the star tracker aligned were mostly unsuccessful — because of the cold and wind. And the lens I used (Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6) was too big and heavy for the tracking mount.
Flame Nebula and Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion with Star Removal.Flame Nebula and Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion.
I tried again the next night and there was less wind–but it was still cold. This time I used the Nikon 180mm ƒ/2.8 ED AI-S manual focus lens. It is much lighter and easier to focus and it produces a very sharp image by the time it is stopped down to ƒ/4.0. My goal was to capture the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) and the Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) plus one or more stars from Orion’s belt.
Both the Horsehead Nebula and the Flame Nebula are in the constellation of Orion and are part of the much larger Orion molecular cloud complex. (Note: an amusing reference to the “Horace Head Nebula” appears in Isaac Asimov’s “The Stars, Like Dust“. Check it out!) The Flame Nebula is an emission nebula while the Horsehead Nebula is a small dark nebula.
I shot 73 one-minute exposures plus the usual assortment of darks, flats, and bias images. The images were stacked using Siril 1.4 with Star Reduction, histogram stretching using rnc-color-stretch, and finally post processed in Lightroom and Photoshop.
The first image is the result with Star Reduction turned on; the second image is without Star Reduction. I like them both.
Nikon D850, Nikon 180mm ƒ/2.8 ED AI-S @ ƒ/4.0, ISO 400, 73 x 60 seconds.
The warm weather continues and has allowed us to run in Sedona on dry trails. Trails in Flagstaff, however, tend to be muddy unless you run early enough in the morning when they are still frozen. So we mostly run in Sedona.
Flagstaff FUTS run
Our only run in Flagstaff this month was on New Year’s Day–and it was raining. By the end of the run the trail was getting pretty sloppy.
Public art along the Flagstaff Urban Trail System (FUTS) on a gray, rainy New Year’s Day.
The Hogs and Chicken Point
This run connects many trails to get a double loop: •Hogwash •Hog Heaven •High on the Hog •Broken Arrow •Chicken Point turnaround •Broken Arrow •Submarine Rock •Broken Arrow
Expansive scenery from the Hogwash Trail in Sedona.Two runners traverse a sandstone bench on the Hogwash Trail in Sedona. Fortunately it was warm enough that this was water and not ice.
Brins Mesa–Soldiers Pass Loop
A runner ascends the final steps to the top of Cibola Pass. Several large red rock towers can be seen in the distance (Morning Glory Spire on left; Cibola Mitten on the right.The calendar says January but the weather has been warm and rainy so it is no surprise that wild flowers (Cliffrose) are already blooming.A panoramic view from the top of Brins Mesa looking towards Wilson Mountain.
One of my goals this month was to capture the constellation Orion using a wide angle lens. Several months ago I purchased the Tamron 35mm f/1.4 Di USD lens. This is a very good wide-angle lens for astrophotography because the stars remain sharp in the corners. I have written about this lens in a previous post.
Orion and neighboring gas clouds and nebula.Orion and neighboring gas clouds and nebula with labels.
A good reason to photograph Orion with a wide angle lens is the abundance of interesting objects that are near and surround Orion. These include the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, the Witch Head Nebula, Rosetta Nebula, Flame Nebula, and Barnards Loop, among others.
A screen shot from the Stellarium application showing Orion and the field of view with a 35° lens.
I shot 40 two-minute images (80 minutes total exposure) at f/2.8 and ISO 400 and then stacked them using Siril. I also ran a star reduction algorithm to remove some of the stars so that the gas clouds would be more visible. Here are the results of that astrophotography session.
Next I would like to use a large telephoto lens to zoom in on some of these objects. Now I just need to wait for the Moon to shift into the early morning hours.
