Ready to go camping this summer?
Wilderness Society Tweeted: Starry sky from near Beaver Meadows in Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo by Bryce Bradford
Bryce Bradford captured the Milky Way from Beaver Meadows in Rocky Mountain National Park.
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Astronomy, Milky Way, National Parks, Nature, photography, Public Lands, Travel | Tagged: Astronomy, Milky Way, photography, Public Lands, Rocky Mountain National Park, Travel | 
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Posted by Ed Darrell
Four minutes of a glorious full Moon rising over Joshua Tree National Park — reduced to a 6-second Vine.
I do like a little well-done time lapse. In this one, the action of the clouds playing peek-a-boo with the Moon is a lot of fun. It’s just the sort of astronomical action I love to watch in the National Parks.
Desert sunset at Jumbo Rocks Campground, Joshua Tree NP. Photo by Brad Sutton/NPS
I wonder where Lian Law took that time-lapse of the Moon. Anyone know?
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Screen capture of the Moon rise Vine video by Lian Law, National Park Service.
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Posted by Ed Darrell
Somewhere in Arizona?
Saguaro cactus and the Milky Way; photo by Bob Wick, U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Via Wilderness Society on Twitter, and flickr.
The Wilderness Society added a quote:
“I wish to know an entire heaven and an entire earth.” – Henry David Thoreau
If I had to guess, I’d say somewhere between Phoenix and Tucson, but I don’t know. Mr. Wick managed to get a good exposure without distorting the shapes of the stars. Somewhere far away from city lights.
Anyone have more details? Gotta track down the quote, too.
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Leave a Comment » | Astronomy, Conservation, History, Milky Way, photography, Public Lands | Tagged: Astronomy, Bob Wick, Conservation, Milky Way, photography, Public Lands, Saguaro, Wilderness Society | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
February 23, 1945. It’s a date that will live in famous heroics, war brutality, photography, and bronze.
On the morning of February 23, U.S. troops raised the U.S. flag on a hill known as Mt. Suribachi, on the island of Iwo Jima — a visual signal to U.S. troops that the high ground had been taken, and the battle turned for the U.S.
First flag-raising on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, on February 23, 1945. Photograph for Leatherneck Magazine by Sgt. Lou Lowery.
Later in the day, an officer ordered a larger flag to be posted, to be more visible. AP photographer Joe Rosenthal caught that raising on film.
Is this the most iconic photo ever? Wikimedia caption: Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, Joe Rosenthal’s historic photo depicts five United States Marines and one sailor raising an American flag over Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The image above is an Associated Press photograph that won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography. It was taken by Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945.
February 23 does not appear in the list of dates by law recommended for Americans to fly the U.S. flag. You may want to fly yours today, anyway.
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Iwo Jima Memorial, near Washington, D.C.
Mt. Suribachi’s prominence is clear in this photo of the island of Iwo To, as it is known in Japan. Suribachi is a 546-foot (166 m) dormant volcanic cone, on the southern tip of the island. Wikipedia image
12 Comments | History, History images, photography, U.S. Flag, U.S. Marines, World War II | Tagged: February 23 1945, History, Iwo Jima, photography, U.S. Flag, World War II | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Old buddy Gil Brassard (from the airline days) sent me a slightly different version of this video; this is the YouTube version from “Mr. Goodviews.” It’s shot from the cockpit of a commercial airliner coming into Queenstown, New Zealand:
Details:
Published on Oct 23, 2013…sometimes what a pilot sees in a day, people won’t see in their lifetimes..
amazing Queenstown, New Zealand.
I invite people of the world to come visit this beautiful country and its people.
It was probably shot with a camera like a GoPro stuck on the window pointing out, in robot mode so the copilot and pilot gave full attention to flying the aircraft, and were not distracted by operating a camera in a cockpit. I mention this because US Federal Aviation Administration is looking into claims that selfies from cockpits — usually of small planes — may have contributed to accidents in the air. We may see some bans on shooting such videos in the future.
Enjoy ’em while you can.
Noodling around YouTube, I also found these videos of airplanes in and out of Queenstown, New Zealand.
Landing without the clouds:
Published on Apr 4, 2013
ZQN Baret arrival
And a passenger’s view of take-off and climb-out (longer piece, no music edited in):
Published on Feb 7, 2014
Flying over New Zealand from south to north. Nice views of Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown. Passing over Mount Cook – the highest mountain in New Zealand. Later a landing at Auckland Airport.
Better videos of this route anywhere?
Even cooler videos of other routes?
Can’t say how often I’ve regretted not having a good video camera on my flight from Farmington, New Mexico, to Provo, Utah, in a Cessna, especially coming down Provo Canyon. But alas, that was before video was even portable . . .
1 Comment | Airlines, Airplanes, Aviation, Geography - Physical, photography | Tagged: Aviation, geography, photography, Queenstown New Zealand | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Flights Arriving Daily! Birds are funneling into Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex Photo: A Mize/USFWS; from @USFWSPacSWest
Photo from last fall. Some of the ducks probably overwinter. Others continued south, and will be arriving at Klamath NWR soon, again, heading north.
Our public lands at work.
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1 Comment | National Wildlife Refuge, Outdoor Recreation, photography, Public Lands, Wildlife | Tagged: Klamath NWR Complex, Outdoor Recreation, photography, Public Lands, Wildlife | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Tweet from the Wilderness Society. Devil’s Tower National Monument, in Wyoming, at night. Photo by Alex Weimer, from his flickr feed
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Posted by Ed Darrell
Enough of the jokes about how nature makes Dallas beautiful by covering everything up.
There were some nice views of Dallas today, with the fog, though.
From WFAA-TV’s tower camera, just before sunrise:
Dallas in the fog, December 9, 2014; photo from WFAA-TV’s tower camera.
This photo produced the most stir, I think. Terry Maxon posted it at his Aviation Blog with the Dallas Morning News:
Maxon wrote: “Mike Alvstad was flying into Dallas/Fort Worth on Tuesday morning and took a photo as his flight from Tampa, Fla., passed south and west of downtown Dallas. He shared it with Lee Evans, who shared it with us, and we liked it a lot.”
Looking for landmarks? Maxon explained:
In the sea of clouds, you can see the top of Reunion Tower a bit lower to the right. There’s the wedge-topped Fountain Place in the lower center of the downtown cluster. Off to the left by itself is Cityplace, we believe.
Note that even though we could barely see a block ahead of us at ground level, the skyscrapers are casting shadows on the top of the fog clouds.
You want to see what it looked like from the upper floors of those buildings? Kathryn’s office is below the clouds. When I worked in the high floors of the old Ling/Temco/Vought Building (now Trammell Crow Tower, I think) we didn’t have cell phones with cameras, and electronic imaging was in its commercialized infancy. I never had the old 35mm film cameras with me on those few occasions when we rode the elevators up out of the fog, and could almost wave to someone in the tower across the way. Justin Turveen got off a few shots today, but is being stingy with the photos at his flickr site. Check it out if you wish.
It was foggy across the area starting last night, including Denton, which is home to the University of North Texas and Texas Women’s University:
Photo by Samantha Irene Balderas, at the campus of the University of North Texas (UNT), December 8, 2014
Jeff Rogers got a sunrise in McKinney, through the fog:
Sunrise through fog in McKinney, Texas. Photo by Jeff Rogers
Angelica Villalobos Yates took her camera with her walking the dog; quintessential Texas fog shot:
Angelica Villalobos Yates surprised a tree in the Texas fog.
Toni Wolff Margolis caught birds on a wire in the fog.
From the tall buildings in downtown Dallas, a shot by Cindy Ackerson Bivins:
Photo from the Bank of America Tower of other Dallas buildings in the fog, December 9, 2014. Photo by Cindy Ackerson Bivins
Mike Prendergrast at Aerial DFW.com sent his DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus Drone to work, rising above the clouds, with good results, I think. He had me when I read that he included some time-lapse in there . . .
(Yes, Prendergrast is a great guy, and a good photographer, and he followed the rules and stayed low and out of the way of aircraft.)
Do you have a nice shot of Dallas in the fog to share? Send it to me, or post it in comments.
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Tip of the old scrub brush to Suzy Bangs, who I hope is joining us again this week to take a hot Christmas meal and cheer to the good people at the Pleasant Grove Senior Recreation Center (that’s Pleasant Grove, Texas). Thanks, too, for the splash from Dubious Quality (who is this Gilbert fellow?).
Leave a Comment » | Dallas, photography, Texas, Weather | Tagged: Dallas, photography, Terry Maxon, Texas, Weather | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Nice way to see a city. From Daniel Chen.
Details offered from the photographer:
Lights + City + Timelapse
Enjoy!
Gear: Canon Full Frame (5D3, 6D, someolder shots on crop)
Many lenses but mostly Rokinon 14mm, Tamron 24-70mm VC
Custom timelapse MOCOTrack: Energico by AJ Hochhalter
Leave a Comment » | Canada, Geography - Physical, photography, Time-lapse photography, Travel | Tagged: Canada, geography, photography, Timelapse Photography, Travel, Vancouver | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Wilderness Society on Twitter: Star trails over the famous Desert View Watchtower at the Grand Canyon. Have a good night… (Photo by Spencer Goad)
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Leave a Comment » | Astronomy, Geography - Physical, National Parks, photography, Travel | Tagged: Astronomy, Desert View Watchtower, geography, Grand Canyon National Park, photography, Spencer Goad, Travel, Wilderness Society | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
From our public lands, from the Twitter feed of the U.S. Department of Interior:
@Interior caption: Fall foliage and snow-capped peaks make for a stunning shot of Conway Summit #California @BLMca #nature
In my winter drives through the desert mountains of the Great Basin I often marveled at how a dusting of snow could turn a landscape generally painted in tones of brown with a little green into almost black and white. Then there are those black and white landscapes slashed by stunning gashes of color, or tinted subtley.
Conway Summit shows the stunning gashes of color this week. Grays, whites, blacks — and gold and pink. It’s in the western part of California, near Nevada and Mono Lake:
Conway Summit (el. 8,143 feet (2,482 m)) is a mountain pass in Mono County, California. It is traversed by U.S. Highway 395, which connects Bridgeport and the East Walker River on the north side of the pass to Mono Lake and Lee Vining to the south.[1][2] It marks the highest point on U.S. 395, which also traverses high passes at Deadman Summit and Devil’s Gate Pass.[3]
Conway Summit is named after John Andrew Conway, a settler in the area in 1880.[3][4] Geographically, it was formed from an upland plateau by the sinking of the land in the Mono basin area.[5] The Sawtooth Ridge of the eastern Sierra Nevada, topped by 12,279-foot (3,743 m) Matterhorn Peak, rise to the west of the pass; Green Creek and Virginia Lakes, in the Sierra Nevada to the west of the pass, are two local destinations for fishing, camping and aspen trees. The Bodie Hills and the infamous Bodie ghost town lie to the east.
This scene comes from our public lands, the undifferentiated lands held in trust by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and managed for multiple uses. You and I may look at this photo and marvel at the beauty of America, and say a little prayer of thanks for our public lands. Sens. Mike Lee and Ted Cruz see potential for high-dollar vacation residences throughout this scene, if only the land could be sold off.
Leave a Comment » | Geography - Physical, Outdoor Recreation, photography, Public Lands, Travel | Tagged: geography, Outdoor Recreation, photography, Public Lands, Travel | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Milky Way over Devil’s Tower, Wyoming; Photo courtesy of Dave Lane Astrophotography. — at Devils Tower National Monument-Official NPS site.
From the Department of Interior’s Facebook page:
America’s first national monument, Devils Tower is a geologic feature that protrudes out of the rolling prairie in Wyoming. David Lane captured this amazing 16-image panorama of the monument illuminated by the Milky Way and green airglow. Of visiting Devils Tower, David says: “From ancient stories of the Pleiades taking refuge at the top to the generations of Native Americas that held it sacred, it had a deep sense of age and a stoic nature that impressed me. It’s so unexpected, so large in person, so steeped in traditions.”
Photo courtesy of Dave Lane Astrophotography. — at Devils Tower National Monument-Official NPS site.
Dave Lane Astrophotography seems to have this photographing of the night sky down really well.
Leave a Comment » | Astronomy, Milky Way, National Parks, photography | Tagged: Astronomy, Dave Lane Astrophotography, Devil's Tower National Monument, Milky Way, photography, Travel, Wyoming | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
From the photo archives of the Boston Public Library, we get this postcard:
Post card from the archives of the Boston Public Library: “Boyhood Home of President Wm. McKinley, Lisbon, Ohio. Now Part of Columbiana County Boy Scout Reservation. Built in 1808.
From the Boston Library’s Flickr files, we learn a little more:
Boston Public Library
File name: 06_10_016732
Title: Boyhood home of President Wm. McKinley, Lisbon, Ohio. Now part of Columbiana County Boy Scout Reservation, built in 1808
Created/Published: Tichnor Bros. Inc., Boston, Mass.
Date issued: 1930 – 1945 (approximate)
Physical description: 1 print (postcard): linen texture, color; 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.
Genre: Postcards
Subjects: Historic buildingsNotes:
Collection: The Tichnor Brothers Collection
Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department
Rights: No known restrictions
Is this historic building still part of a Scout camp?
According to Buckeye Council, BSA, the home is still part of what is now Camp McKinley. It’s the home of the camp ranger.
Camp McKinley is located in Columbiana County, near Lisbon, Ohio. The 300 acre camp has been owned and operated by the Boy Scouts of America since 1934.
Camp McKinley is the Buckeye Council’s most historic camp. The modern history of the area began back in 1807 when Ohio was a new state of only three years. Gideon Hughes, a local businessman, built a blast furnace in “new Lisbon” to supply the needs of the settlers heading west. The remains of the Rebecca Furnace are still visible on the camp property. Mr. Hughes also built a stone “mansion” across from his furnace. The house, known as the McKinley homestead, was the home of President William McKinley’s grandparents for a number of years. President McKinley no doubt spent many summers wandering the hills of the present Camp McKinley. The Stone House is now the residence of the Camp Ranger.
President McKinley slept here, as a boy.
Scout camp ranger’s house does not seem to you to be a respectful enough use of a president’s boyhood home? Buckeye Council has preserved the home at least in its exterior appearance.
Another of McKinley’s boyhood homes is now a bank parking lot.
Leave a Comment » | Boy Scouts of America, History, photography, Presidents | Tagged: Boy Scouts of America, History, photography, President William McKinley | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Philmont caption: A view of the Philmont sky this weekend! The Tooth of Time is visible in the lower right corner. We have a Canon 5D Mark II with a 16-35 2.8 lens. The exposure was 30 seconds. Bryan Hayek took the photo.
Milky Way viewed from the National Scout Ranch at Philmont, New Mexico.
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1 Comment | Astronomy, Boy Scouts of America, Milky Way, photography, Travel | Tagged: Astronomy, Boy Scouts of America, Milky Way, Philmont National Scout Ranch, photography, Travel | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Capturing stars and fireflies in the same shot takes some great skill and planning in a photographer.
From his Twitter feed:
Alex Wild @Myrmecos: And also trying more challenging lighting environments, like night shots of fireflies.
Leave a Comment » | Astronomy, Entomology, photography, Time-lapse photography | Tagged: Alex Wild, Astronomy, Entomology, photography, Time-lapse | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
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Ed Darrell on Texas's Colorado River
Come on in, the water's fine. Come often: Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 