Raven Ravens tend to hang around the parking areas in Yellowstone. Ravens are among the smartest of all birds and have accompanied people around the Northern Hemisphere for centuries by following their wagons, sleds, sleighs, and cars looking for a quick meal.
Around the Ranch The ranch’s southern boundary lies along the Gallatin River. Color along the river abounds this timer of year. This image was captured just before the sun set over the Tobacco Root Mountains. Nice ending to a nice day.
Mammoth Hot Springs Although it rained all morning, as we stopped for lunch outside Mammoth Hot Springs, the clouds began to part and beautiful rays of sun provided a picture perfect view as we dined. Mammoth Hot Springs, in the northwestern part of Yellowstone NP, is a large complex of hot springs on a mound of travertine, a form of limestone, created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate. The spring’s energy comes from the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas. The hot water that feeds Mammoth comes from Norris Geyser Basin after traveling underground via a fault line. The water temperature at the spring hovers at about 170 °F (80 °C). Algae living in the warm pools have tinted the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green.
Yellowstone Rainbow A few rain showers in the distance yielded several rainbows. This rainbow ends near Mammoth Hot Springs and Mt. Everts on the north part of Yellowstone NP. It’s difficult to show the vastness of Yellowstone. Hopefully, this image begins.
Pronghorn Crossing Yellowstone River In the morning light this Pronghorn along with a herd of about a dozen, made a river crossing in the fast moving Yellowstone River. The Yellowstone River is not very deep, but still the rapid flow and slippery rocks make can make the crossing a bit dangerous.
Entering the Ranch This evening, just before sunset, the Gallatin River exploded in color as we were crossing the bridge to the ranch. Its been one of those perfect October days, 70 and sunny, in Montana.
This B-26 Marauder Bomb Run image was captured by a WWII AAF Photographer, who I’ll be featuring on this sight very soon. He was using a Speed Graphic 4×5 camera. For the younger photogs among us, that means manual settings, photographic plates, and big camera.
This B-26 Marauder Crew image was captured by a WWII AAF Photographer, who I’ll be featuring on this sight very soon. He was using a Speed Graphic 4×5 camera. For the younger photogs among us, that means manual settings, photographic plates, and big camera.
This weekend the 22nd BG is having their reunion; sure wish I could be there.
At 0715 on 8 Dec 1941, less than 18 hours after the first bombs dropped on Pearl Harbor, the 22nd Bomb Group, the Red Raiders, took off in brand new B-26 medium bombers from Langley field, VA headed for Muroc, CA to fly shore patrol. My father was a crew chief on one of those B-26s in the 33rd squadron. From Muroc, they boarded the airplanes and flight crews onto ships and sailed to Oahu. At Hickam Field, they reassembled the planes and island hopped to Australia.
The 22nd BG was one of the first units to take offensive action against the enemy. From from bases in northern Australia, they flew bomb missions without fighter escort against Japanese bases and shipping around New Guinea and the surrounding waters. The Marauder could actually fly faster than the enemy fighters. Still. loses were heavy in the early part of the war. As the war continued, they island hopped toward Japan while also moving from B-26s to B-25s to B-24s bombers.
