The Lakes are Full of Water

May 10, 2023

The upside to the epic Winter we recently experienced is the tremendous amount of snow melt that filled many of the lakes across northern Arizona. Over the past several weeks we have visited several of these by car, mountain bike, running, and hiking.

Upper and Lower Lake Mary (27 April 2023).

This is one of my favorites. It shows Upper Lake Mary, a portion of the spillway, and Lower Lake Mary. It’s also nice that there is a nice mirror reflection of the trees in the water. This shot is only possible when both lakes are full.

Earlier we had visitied Marshall Lake. It’s not as full as it was a few years ago but considerably better than the past several years.

Marshall Lake, Coconino National Forest (20 April 2023).

We did a trail run along the Arizona Trail on top of Anderson Mesa and visited Prime Lake and Vail Lake, both with lots of water.

Prime Lake, Coconino National Forest (24 April 2023).

Vail Lake on Anderson Mesa, Coconino National Forest (24 April 2023).

Here are some additional images of Lake Mary taken on various days in April.

The outlet on Upper Lake Mary and inlet on Lower Lake Mary.

We rode our mountain bikes up Schultz Pass Road to Schultz Tank. It has been a small puddle the past two seasons but is once again full.

Finally, we did a short hike through the upper portions of Pumphouse Wash to this set of cascades.

Cascades along the upper portions of Pumphouse Wash, Coconino National Forest (03 May 2023).

Series of cascades that terminates in a large and deep pool on Pumphouse Wash.

The snow melt is done and we are now in our dry season. Lake levels and stream flows will diminish until the summer rainy season starts in July.

Sunrise, Sunset, Rainbows, and Fog

August 18, 2022

The North American Monsoon continues to bring convective activity to much of northern Arizona on a daily basis. There have been plenty of opportunities for colorful sunrises and sunsets as well as rainbows and even some fog.

Light rain showers are illuminated by the rising sun over Anderson Mesa.

A partial rainbow appears right after sunrise over Mormon Mountain.

Sunset colors illuminate a thunderstorm near Twin Arrows.

The setting sun briefly illuminates heavy rain falling on the San Francisco Peaks.

Light rain from a dissipating thunderstorm is illuminated by the setting sun.

The almost daily rainfall has resulted in many opportunities for morning fog.

The rainy season should continue for at least a few more weeks so there should be additional opportunities for colorful photographs.

The Moon and Two Planets in the Evening Sky

May 13, 2021 / 2 Comments

Yesterday (12 May 2021) provided an opportunity to view the thin crescent Moon very close to the planet Venus. Also visible in the evening twilight sky was Mercury higher above the pair.

For a few months each year, it is possible to be located so that the setting of the 1-day old crescent Moon aligns along the length of Upper Lake Mary. This allows for a long fetch of water in which to get reflections of the Moon and planets. Of course, this only works if it is not windy and spring is our windy season. So it was very nice to have both clear skies and very light winds for this event.

Moon, Venus, and Mercury in the evening sky.

In the above image the crescent Moon is just slightly above and to the left of Venus. Near the top center of the image is Mercury. Venus is still rising higher in the sky each day while Mercury is dropping lower. Later this month they will pass by each other with ~0.4° of separation. That should be another interesting event to photograph.

The Moon and Venus during evening twilight.

Two days earlier there will be a total Lunar eclipse taking place in the pre-dawn hours.

A Thin Crescent Moon Reflected in the Lake

April 30, 2020

Although it’s fun to photograph the Full Moon, I actually prefer photographing a thin crescent Moon, usually just a day or two after the New Moon. The thin crescent is brightly lit while the remainder is softly lit by light reflected by Earth, hence known as Earthshine. It’s also known as DaVinci Glow. As well, the Moon does not overwhelm the night sky so that stars can also be in the photograph.

A wide-angle view showing the crescent Moon just above the horizon with Venus shining brightly above. The stars of Orion, Pleiades, and Hyades are also visible.

During late Spring and into early Summer the crescent Moon sets in the west-northwest and this makes it a good target for shooting at Upper Lake Mary. The long and narrow lake is aligned WNW–ESE so that the Moon casts a brilliant reflection that can run the length of the lake.

I’ve shot this several times over the last few years but never tire of it. All it requires is enough of a gap in the clouds for the Moon to shine and for light winds so that the lake surface is relatively smooth.

A zoomed-in view of the crescent Moon with reflection on Lake Mary.

As the Moon settles closer to the horizon a thin veil of high clouds adds some interesting texture to the scene.

A Late Winter Storm

March 29, 2020

A winter storm brought snow, clouds, and fog to some of my favorite photographic locations. The early morning sun lights up a band of clouds that encircles the San Francisco Peak. Below the peaks, fog lies in the low areas of both Upper and Lower Lake Mary.