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Pic of the day

Photo of the day 4/22/11 – “Respect”

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“Respect”

I think I’ve always appreciated nature, but never realized the impact that I’ve had on it. I started to realize it after first visiting Muir Woods National Monument and Yosemite National Park in late 2007. Having been to six National Parks since then, I have grown to appreciate how precious and fragile our small earth home is and made many changes to reduce my footprint.

So after hearing about the vandals that caused Old Faithful Geyser to become less regular, and witnessing teens poke and throw things in the thermal pools at Yellowstone (yes, I made them stop), it is no accident then today that I show my respect to someone who, 140 years ago recognized similar and reported to the Committee of Public Lands, “the vandals who are now waiting to enter into this wonder-land, will in a single season despoil, beyond recovery, these remarkable curiosities, which have requited all the cunning skill of nature thousands of years to prepare”, Ferdinand Hayden.

Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
May 31, 2009
In celebration of National Parks week, and Earth Day

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Photo of the day 4/21/11 – “Tribute”

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“Tribute”

I had never been to any National Parks or Monuments before I set foot here. I read about this place and it put it on the ‘to see’ list, but not on the ‘must see’ list. And surely I didn’t know at the time how it would change my life. It was this place that created my love for the National Parks and a new found respect for nature and preservation. If I had been to such a place at a younger age, I may well have chosen a career to be able to work in such a place. And if I can hack it when I retire, I know I’ll be working to preserve places like this.

This place is hard to photograph because everything is so close. So while I don’t have any great photos of it, I still chose an image of this place today because it is National Parks week, and because it is the birthday of this National Monuments namesake.

This incredible place is named after a person now coined as the “Father of the National Parks”. A former Wisconsinite, he set out to follow his dream of exploration and study of plants after being blinded for six weeks following a factory accident. It was he who convinced President Teddy Roosevelt to protect Yosemite (including Yosemite Valley), Sequoia, Grand Canyon and Mt. Rainier as National Parks.

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.” -John Muir

Muir Woods National Monument, California
September 11, 2007
In celebration of National Parks week, and his birthday today

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Photo of the day 4/20/11 – “Clingy”

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“Clingy”

Taken while hanging out the driver’s side window, you get a glimpse of the rainforest and moss hanging on the trees.

Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington
July 6, 2009
In celebration of National Parks week

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Bonus Photo of the day 4/19/11 – “Contrast”

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“Contrast”

It probably doesn’t jump right out at you, but the black mass on the right side is a glacier. It contrasts from the glacier on the right not only because it really is black, but because it is two miles wide and is receding, whereas the glacier in the left is white, one mile wide and is advancing.

Margerie Glacier (left) and Grand Pacific Glacier (right), Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
June 5, 2010
In celebration of National Parks week

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Photo of the day 4/19/11 – “Chipping Away”

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“Chipping Away”

By time you hear the crack as loud as thunder of the glacier calving, you probably missed it. You really have to pay attention to catch it.

Unfortunately the photo doesn’t do the grandeur of this amazing place and justice. One easily gets lost in the enormity of it all. To give some perspective, the ice you see above the water is about 250 feet high, which makes the part that calved about 20-30 feet high with the resulting wave about 5-10 feet high.

Margerie Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
June 5, 2010

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Photo of the day 4/7/11 – “Hanging in the Cold”

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“Hanging in the Cold”

While it seemed to be a top news story all week that it was going to be in the fifties and windy, that forecast didn’t stop a bunch of windsurfers from catching the waves.

I was just happy to get a decent shot after getting ambushed with blowing sand and salt-water mist for a half-hour.

Torrey Pines State Beach, La Jolla, San Diego, California
April 7, 2011

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Photo of the day 4/6/11 – “Rare Rain”

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“Rare rain”

With an annual rainfall total of just over four inches a year, and only .1 of those occurring in April, we had what I think is a rare opportunity to experience Joshua Tree National Park in the rain today. We got wet and dried off several times, but got soaked about a quarter way in to our two mile hike to Lost Horse Mine. I took a minute on the way back to grab this shot though.

Joshua Tree National Park, California
April 6, 2011

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Photo of the day 4/5/11 – “Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky in prayer”

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“Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky in prayer”

Without any real plans or scouting of where to be when sunset came, I hurried to find a Joshua Tree that I could actually get a photo of when the sky started turning. I quickly learned that finding a shapely one, without some sort obstacle to work around to get in the right position is quite a task. I’m happy with the result of this ‘with the motor running’ shot.

Joshua Tree National Park, California
April 4, 2011, 7:12 PM

About the photo:
Straight from the camera

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Photo of the day 3/31/11 – “Luckier Shot”

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‘Luckier Shot’
A lot of things have to come together for a shot as this. Me in the right place, deer in the right place, snow, soft sunlight, sunlight shining fairly unobstructed on deer, fairly unobstructed camera view, tree lines leading toward the deer… But one of the most crazy things, as deer hunters will tell you, is that deer have a knack for standing behind a tree…even when they don’t even yet know you are there. And if you so much as exhale or blink when they are looking right at you, it’s over–and ‘der he was…gone.

So to have all of the above work out, and then for me to be able to overcome that ‘buck fever’ shaking and be able get a clear shot at 200mm, I’m happy I got any usable picture at all!

My new secret spot, Wisconsin
March 31, 2011

Photo info:
1/400, f/2.8, ISO320, 200mm, no crop
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