Sep 29, 2019 | 7 Image Stories, AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED, AF-S 50mm f1.4G, AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 ED VR II, AF-S DX 12-24mm f4G IF ED, Grand Tetons, Grand Tetons, Nature, Nikon 1 V1, Nikon D300, Nikon D3x, Places
Grand Tetons | a 7 Image Story Are the mountains calling you? Rising sharply from the flats, the Grand Tetons contain pristine lakes, alpine terrain, and incredible wildlife. Fall brings deep colors to accent the already magnificent Grand Tetons Mountains. These images were all captured in the fall from later September to early November. Although there’s snow in the mountains, it’s mostly dry in the fall with heavier snow coming in November. Fall color in Teton country provides many contrasts between the flats and the mountains. The Aspens turn magical by fall’s setting sun. And, Bugling Bull Elk, a distinctive call in the wild, signify the elk rut when bull elk vie for the hearts of the cows.
Million of years ago, the Earth’s crust stretched and thinned along the Teton fault. The west side of the fault line rose to form the Teton Range, which is the youngest mountain range in the Rocky Mountains. The fault’s east side fell to form the valley called Jackson Hole. The east side of the range rises sharply from 4,000 to 7,000 feet above the valley floor where the Snake Rivers flows southward. Since the east side has no significant foothills, the majestic mountain views accented by the winding river are magnificent. In fact, Oxbow Bend along the Snake River is reputed to be the most photographed place in the country.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Grand Tetons.
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Sep 8, 2019 | 7 Image Stories, AF-S 50mm f1.4G, AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 ED VR II, AF-S DX 12-24mm f4G IF ED, Montana, Nevada City, Nikon D3x, Places
Nevada City | a 7 Image Story Nevada City, settled June 6, 1863, is today a restored ghost town in Madison County, Montana. The Bovey family restored it between 1945 and 1978. It’s also a tourist attraction with fourteen original old buildings along with 94 additional authentic gold rush era buildings moved to Nevada City by the Bovey family. Essentially, the whole town is a living old ghost town museum. It also has a large collection of old-time music boxes, player pianos and calliopes. It keeps the memory of the original Old West alive.
During the summer months, a number of buildings house businesses including a small hotel, bed & breakfast, bakery, and coffee shop. In the winter, it returns to more a ghost town. The town is currently managed by the State of Montana.
The old mining camp of Nevada City started when gold was discovered nearby in 1863. Nevada City was comprised mostly of miners working several nearby mining districts. In the beginning, the mining district was part of the Idaho Territory. In fact, until neighboring Virginia City became the Montana territorial capitol in 1865, there was no law in Nevada City except for the miner’s court. In the 1860s, Nevada City and its sister city, Virginia City were part of the “Richest Gold Strikes in the Rocky Mountain West.” Virginia City and Nevada City are about one mile apart. They are located along Adler Gulch where one of the richest placer gold strikes in the Rocky Mountains was found. In the early 1860s, an estimated $30 million worth of gold was removed from the gulch over several mining seasons. Although it was a boom town in the early 1860s post-Civil War era, the town was virtually a ghost town by 1876.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Nevada City.
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Jul 28, 2019 | 7 Image Stories, IMHO, Kodachrome, Minolta AF 75-300 f4.5-5.6, Minolta XTsi Maxxum, Minolta XTsi to Yellowstone, Nature, Places, Yellowstone
Minolta XTsi to Yellowstone | a 7 Image Story This trip to Yellowstone was my first. My newest camera at the time was the Minolta XTsi Maxxum. It had several new electronic features, but the basic camera was more consumer than the more professional Minolta XG-9. Still, as you can see, it produced some nice images. These images were scanned into digital by the film processing provider and burned onto a CD. They are only 1.6MP, but they came along with the slides or prints and negatives.
Although I’ve been back to Yellowstone many times since this first trip, I’ve only seen and photographed a grizzly one other time. I’m still looking for my first really good grizzly image. Also, several images show burnt forest. Yellowstone has had some major fires in the past. The biggest was in 1988 when over a third of the park burned. The forests have, of course, regenerated themselves since then.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Minolta XTsi to Yellowstone.
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Jul 14, 2019 | 7 Image Stories, Colorado, Garden of the Gods, IMHO, Kodak Signet 30 - 44mm f2.8, Kodak Signet 30 to Garden of the Gods, Nature, Nikon Coolscan V, Places
Kodak Signet 30 to Garden of the Gods | a 7 Image Story My first trip to the Garden of the Gods with my first camera, the Kodak Signet 30, was an intense learning experience. Luckily, a few photos turned out reasonable well. In the Garden of the Gods, on a clear day you can see forever unless there’s a mountain in the way. An easy rock climb adds incredible vistas to photograph.
Garden of the Gods is a Colorado Springs Park with 300 foot high sandstone rock formations. It’s a registered National Natural Landmark. In 1859, two surveyors began a townsite survey; later to be called Colorado City. While exploring they found a beautiful area of sandstone formations. One suggested that it would be a “capital place for a beer garden”. His companion exclaimed, “Beer Garden! Why it is a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods.” In 1879, Charles Elliott Perkins purchased two-hundred and forty acres in the Garden of the Gods for a summer home. Although he added eight acres, he did not build on the property. He wanted it left in its natural state for the enjoyment of generations to come. He passed away in 1907. Two years later, his children conveyed his four-hundred eighty acres to the City of Colorado Springs with the stipulation that it be known forever as the “Garden of the Gods ” and remain open to the public, free of charge.
Manual cameras like the Kodak Signet 30 with no light meter or rangefinder really make the photographer think. The photographer must guess the distance while making the depth of field large enough and the shutter speed fast enough to keep the subject sharp. In other words, the photographer must determine aperture and shutter speed for the best exposure as well as the estimated distance. Of course, the film used determines the ASA/ISO value. Instead of my usual Kodachrome 64 slide film, these images are from Ektachrome slides. In this case, High Speed Ektachrome is ASA 160.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Kodak Signet 30 to Garden of the Gods.
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Jun 30, 2019 | 7 Image Stories, Action, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Michigan, Nature, Nikon 1 V3, Places, Pleasant Lake Kayaking
Pleasant Lake Kayaking | a 7 Image Story Paddling along Pleasant Lake’s shoreline generally turns up watercolor and wildlife. The Water Iris line the northwest shoreline. Naturally, the Swallowtail Butterfly visits them regularly. These magnificent large butterflies feed on flowers. They keep their balance when feeding nectar by beating their wings. Although Canada Geese make a nuisance of themselves to people living on the lake, they too contribute to our wild heritage. The flowers of water lilies are just beginning to pop up. They provide additional color while paddling around them.
The north side of the lake contains a large number of beaver dams woven together making a wildlife wetland. Most kayak trips along this shoreline encounter some type of wildlife. On this trip, the Eastern Kingbirds were nesting on a branch just a few feet above the water. A long telephoto lens is definitely required. If you get too close to the nest, the male Eastern Kingbird starts screeching and dive bombing you. As you can see, the male is perched about 5 feet off the water. The female and her nest are below him, about 2 feet off the water. When photographing them, I tried not to disturb them by using a 300mm telephoto lenses to stay far enough away. Remember, the 300mm lens on a Nikon 1 V3 with a 2.7 crop factor yields 810mm. Looking forward to my next kayaking trip. For another Pleasant Lake kayaking story, see Kayaking on Pleasant Lake | a 7 Image Story.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Pleasant Lake Kayaking.
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Jun 9, 2019 | 7 Image Stories, Action, Aviation, Flying to Alaska, Kodachrome, Minolta XG-9, Nikon Coolscan V, Nikon Zoom Touch 500, Places, Vivitar 75-300mm f4.5-5.6
Flying to Alaska | a 7 Image Story Why fly to Alaska from the lower 48. Why not? After 10 years service, my company offered a sabbatical; an extra 8 weeks vacation taken at one time. Time to recharge the batteries. What better way to recharge than to fly; perhaps, a flying adventure. My criteria was simple; fly somewhere unusual, see something new, and make the trip a bit difficult, at least, for a flat land flyer like me. To be clear, it’s all about the flying; flying first, sightseeing second. So, I chose Alaska; America’s last frontier. My flying to Alaska summer adventure occurred during the last part of the film era. In the future, it’s my intention is to write a daily Alaska Flying Log with much more detail for the pilot.
Planning for this Alaska trip began almost a year before the trip. It started by reading The Don Sheldon Story “Wager with the Wind” by James Greiner which gave me a better feel for the challenges of flying in Alaska. Then, it continued by reading the Alaska Airmen’s Association Logbook by Don Bowers cover to cover while underlining important parts. Planning a first trip to Alaska without the AAA Logbook would be much more difficult. The MilePost and the AOPA Airport Directory become very handy when a change in plan becomes necessary. Of course, the US and Canadian VFR charts are necessary as well as the Airport Facility Directory along with the Canada Flight Supplement and the Alaska Supplement. Much has changed since my Alaska trip. If the trip were being planned today, more sources of information would likely be required, probably available online, and downloadable to an iPad.
Preparation Flying to, from, and In Alaska is not for the faint of heart, flat land pilot. The trip absolutely requires extensive planning and preparation. Extra time is needed when flying VFR over the roads. Weather can change quickly. Good stick and rudder skills are required; especially cross wind landings. Mountain flying skills are a plus. Before leaving, I flew several training flights to hone my cross wind skills.
Airplane & Equipment For this trip, I flew a Piper Cherokee 235 with a fixed pitch propeller. It cruises at 133 knots and burns about 12 gallons per hour. The panel included King radios, an Apollo Loran, and a simple 2 axis autopilot. Nope, no GPS; the trip occurred before GPS became common. The plane and the pilot were IFR certified and current, but my intention was to fly the entire trip VFR. I Followed Roads once into Canada; specifically the Alaska Highway to Alaska then state highways and roads once in Alaska. To fly through the north country, emergency gear is required including a large emergency backpack, basic camping gear, and a rifle, required by Alaska, at the time. When clearing US customs in Alaska, they actually checked for survival equipment and a firearm. The airplane required a little extra preparation. Obviously, all the maintenance was up to date. Although not used, I also carried tire tubes and a couple of air cans for the tires as well as extra tools and oil.
My camera gear included three cameras; Minolta XG-9 SLR, Nikon Zoom Touch 500 35mm point & shoot, and Minolta IX-Date VE TIS2000 compact point & shoot. The Minolta XG-9 SLR had a flash and several lenses: Minolta 50mm f1.7, Minolta 135mm f2.8 , and Vivitar75-300mm f4.5-5.6 zoom. And, of course, tons of film!
Route of Flight My planned route of flight was basically to fly the Alaska Highway VFR through Canada to Alaska, then after reaching Alaska, to fly the highways VFR. Thus, numerous flight plans were required for different routes in order to fly where the weather was good. The trip required extensive research and planning since I made no reservations of any kind until after landing for the last time of the day. This trip worked for me, but will not likely work for others. Everyone should do their own research, planning, and preparation to meet the challenges of flying to Alaska. My final flight path:
| To | Aurora IL ➞ Sioux Falls SD ➞ Williston ND ➞ Havre MT ➞ Lethbridge ALTA ➞ Whitecourt ALTA ➞ Fort St. John BC ➞ Fort Nelson BC ➞ Watson Lake YT ➞ Whitehorse YT ➞ Northway AK |
| In | Northway AK ➞ Tok AK ➞ Gulkana AK ➞ Merrill Airport in Anchorage AK ➞ Mt. McKinley AK ➞ Fairbanks AK ➞ Coldfoot AK ➞ Anaktuvuk Pass AK ➞ Fairbanks AK |
| From | Fairbanks AK ➞ Northway AK ➞ Whitehorse YT ➞ Fort Nelson BC ➞ Fort St. John BC ➞ Lethbridge ALTA ➞ Cutbank MT ➞ Grand Folks ND ➞ Minneapolis MN ➞ Rochester MN ➞ Aurora IL |
Flying Trip: Major Highlights
- Flying the Alaska Highway with nowhere for an emergency landing except the road below. Mountain flying meant flying the valleys while keeping your finger on road on the sectional chart so you don’t fly into a canyon you can not fly out of. Also, the road provides the only place to land in event of engine problems.
- Flying over the mountain lakes just east of Whitehorse.
- Morning takeoff from TOK with only half the runway, about 1500ft, available.
- Flying from Gulkana AK to Merrill Airport in Anchorage was the most beautiful flying in my life. This flight leg followed the Glenn Highway in the valley below as well as the Matanuska River. The height of the valley floor varied but was mostly less than 3000 MSL. Flying at VFR at 4500 or higher gave me plenty of altitude. The glacial mountains on both sides of this valley were over 8000 MSL with some over 11,000 MSL.
- Flying over part of the Knik glacier as the glacier very quickly rises below.
- Landing at Mount McKinley Airport; now called Denali Airport. It took flying close to mountains and compensating for heavy downdrafts at the runway threshold.
- Takeoff at Mount McKinley, a one way runway, then clearing hills southwest by a hundred feet or so.
- Before taking off from Fairbanks, ATIS said visibility was 100 miles. Actually after airborne heading into the Brooks Range, visibility must have been 200-300 miles; clearest day I have ever seen.
- Landing at Coldfoot was particularly interesting with changing right/left crosswinds on final and again on rollout.
- Flying through the Brooks Range onto the North Slope and landing at Anaktuvuk Pass with large gravel runway.
- Flying 100 miles northwest of Fairbanks; seeing Mount McKinley after sunset.
Flying Reflections Most of my flying days were mostly sunny or partly cloudy with occasional scattered showers. Rain and thunderstorms delayed me twice; once at Denali and once in Minnesota coming back. Mountain flying meant flying the valleys while keeping your finger on the sectional chart. By flying the valleys over roads, I did not need to fly very high the entire trip. A few legs were very bumpy. And, the weather can change very fast in the mountains. Clearly, this trip was the most beautiful flying I’ve ever done.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Flying to Alaska.
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Disclaimer This post, which depicts my flying trip to Alaska and back, is for information only. This information may not be appropriate for your purposes. Please see our disclaimer page.
Jun 2, 2019 | 7 Image Stories, Action, IMHO, Kodachrome, Minolta 135mm f2.8, Minolta 50mm f1.7, Minolta SRT-102, Minolta SRT-102 to Yosemite NP, Nikon Coolscan V, Places, Yosemite
Minolta SRT-102 to Yosemite NP | a 7 Image Story My first trip to Yosemite NP was also my first trip with my new Minolta SRT-102 SLR camera. Although my previous cameras were 35mm film cameras, they were all rangefinders or viewfinders. Obviously, the camera was more capable than the photographer. Still, a few images turned out reasonably nice. After scanning the slides, they needed very little restoration. The Kodachrome slides held up quite well. Since the camera and lenses were new to me, I was experimenting with both the 135mm f2.8 and the 50mm f1.7.
Yosemite in the spring is all about rock and waterfalls. Yosemite is really “big country.” On a clear day, you could see forever, if it were not for all the mountains. Hiking Yosemite, particularly the high country, is not for the faint of heart. When hiking the high country, sunsets come quickly in the mountains. One moment it’s sunny; the next moment it’s dark. Best hike there with someone who knows the terrain!
On this first trip to Yosemite, image composition was much more instinct than knowledge. How do you get an up close and personal picture of a tall waterfall? For me, it was trying to capture the texture as well as the length of the falls. Nice thing about waterfalls; they create mist. Mist against dark rocks make an infinite number of interesting images. You can never have too many waterfall images.
For more information on the Minolta SRT-102 camera, please see Minolta SRT-102 SLR.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Minolta SRT-102 to Yosemite NP.
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Apr 28, 2019 | 7 Image Stories, AF 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR, AF-S DX 12-24mm f4G IF ED, AF-S DX VR 18-200mm f3.5-5.6G IF-ED, Gallatin River Ranch, Gallatin River Ranch, Montana, Nikon D200, Nikon P7000, Places
Gallatin River Ranch | a 7 Image Story The Gallatin River Ranch is a 5,900 acre ranch converted into a residential ranch community with a ranch style “old west” feel. Located in the Horseshoe Hills of southern Montana, northwest of Bozeman, MT, it has stunning views of eight mountain ranges, rivers, and rolling farmlands. It’s a hilly high, dry desert area at around 4800 foot elevation. As a midwestern flatlander, walking round the ranch can be challenging. The thinner air quickly becomes obvious and a water bottle is your best friend on a hike. The ranch’s southern boundary lies along the the confluence where the East and West Gallatin Rivers meet. Mule deer and Pronghorn cross the river while eagles, hawks, and water fowl fly overhead.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Gallatin River Ranch.
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This ranch image was stitched from several images captured in landscape mode, then cropped to smooth the edges. 
