Daily Image - Jun '23 Archive

01 Jun 23 Should you decide to take the ride from Nevada City to Virginia City, or vice versa, the Alder Gulch Shortline departs from Nevada City every hour on the half hour from 1030 - 1730 and from Virginia City every hour on the hour from 1100 - 1800. Haven't yet found the excursion price but hope to learn about it this Sunday at church. The shot for today is taken from the rear of the station in Nevada City which is also a museum. Would love to see it but it is never open when I visit. At the rear of the station is the train boneyard for lack of a better description but for me the best part of the visit. The derelict boxcar seen on the right hand side of the image is one of 8 boxcars if I remember correctly; 6 for sure but I think I recall seeing 8. It would be a lot of work, a labor of love for sure, but I do believe a very rewarding task to restore all these old cars and make a museum for them here in Nevada City. Any takers? This is what the camera captured. Alder Gulch Shortline Station & Retirement Center Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1 /1,250 sec @ f / 9.

06 Jun 23 Before we leave Nevada City and move east to do a bit of mining for gold, I thought I'd share one more shot of a very curious building. Although the park is filled with many buildings having been gathered from all over MT, this one building is rather unique. It is one of just a few buildings outside the park proper and one can wander around and in it if desired. There are others but they are closed and you can only peek inside. Likewise you can see several of the buildings either as street fronts or from a side of the park that is constrained only by a small fence that you could easily get over if desired. It is there that my favorite shop is found, the local barber shop of course. If I ever get there when the park is open I will definitely want to visit all the shops but the barber shop will be the first stop. To get to where you can look over the small fence you must pass this unique building. I've shared a shot or two of the barber shop in the past but this is a first for this building. So if you haven't yet looked at the picture you should do so now and take a guess at what you think it is. The first few times I saw and shot it I had no idea what it was but the visit a year ago had a sign on it explaining what it was. After you've studied it a bit, come back to find out its use. . . It is a two story outhouse. This is what the camera captured save for a bit of cropping and straightening. Two Story Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/320 sec @ f / 9.

07 Jun 23 As we leave Nevada City it is maybe a 1/3 mile walk or drive to a location where one can pan for gold. It is a hit and miss situation, much like visiting a casino, but you do get to keep any gold you find. Of course your chances are slim, but then, that just makes the findings all the more glamorous. This Alder Gulch Valley produced millions of dollars of gold in the late 1800s, but, as you can imagine, those glory days are long past. There is an information board in the center of today's offering, I'll let it give you all the details. You'll need to zoom in to at least 100% to read it but when you do it is easy to read. If you travel along Hwy - 287 between I-90 and Ennis, do make a point of stopping off to see all these relics of the past. This is a 6 pane pano that I've cropped for presentation, otherwise it is what the camera captured. The Mount Vernon Dredge Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f / 9.

08 Jun 23 Continue east another 2/3 of a mile and you will have reached the eastern end of the Alder Gulch Shortline in Virginia City. This little city is another outdoor museum but one with open businesses in addition to the museum shops. There is an active theater with frequent plays, a couple of restaurants, and a few more attractions to get your attention. The first building you encounter is the train station which also serves as another museum as does the station in Nevada City. If you drive down the small road between it and the theater you get a view of the yard operations for the train as well as a lovely little lake of which I've shared a few photos over the last couple of years. Today's offering is somewhat similar to one I shared last year in the snow; this time sans snow but a lovely blue sky with interesting clouds. This is what the camera captured. Maintenance Yard Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,000 sec @ f / 9.

12 Jun 23 While I was wandering around the service yard at the Virginia City end of the Shortline Jan and Selby were walking along the boardwalk peering into the various store fronts. I caught up with them about the time the wind started really blowing and separating flags from their attachments. I carried one that had blown off The Road Agent's Roost (a restaurant) and while returning it to the proprietor whose name was almost the same as Maggie's, I noticed what looked to be an interesting menu and we decided to stay for an early dinner. Got to chatting with her and she told us we were experiencing the normal spring winds. More like gale winds to my way of thinking but winds for sure. Finished dinner and headed on toward Ennis. Now, depending on your perspective, Nevada and Virginia cities are on the front of a hill and Ennis is on the back or vice versa. In any event, once you leave Virginia City you travel over the top of this hill to its summit at roughly 8,000 feet and then head down the other side to Ennis. The locals think of them as hills - there are several of them bunched together in the area - as the cities sit at approximately 7,000 feet. So another thousand feet or so is more or less a hill. As you start down the other side there is a pullout featuring a grand view of the Ennis Valley. I shared a set of 3 shots last year when we were there in the snow. This time we had blue skies, white clouds, and a major storm which we didn't fully appreciate at the time but which you can see a part of at the right hand edge of the image. About an hour after I took this set of 8 shots we were in some very dark conditions with LOTS of falling liquid. But that only lasted for perhaps 45 minutes and that was to be the last of wet weather for the visit. The valley you are viewing is a major farming area paralleling the Madison River which as I've mentioned many times is a prime trout fishing river!! Other than for some cropping for composition, this is an 8 frame panorama as the camera recorded it. Overview Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 250; 1 /2,000 sec @ f / 9.

13 Jun 23 Upon reaching Ennis we gassed up, bought groceries, and headed out on Hwy-287 on the last leg to the condo. We weren't driving more than 10 minutes when we encountered the storm and my hopes of having a sunny visit rapidly diminished. But maybe 30 minutes later we were out of the storm, enjoying lovely blue skies once again, and almost to Quake Lake. As we passed the end of Quake Lake we noticed a single car headed into a small pullout and slowed way down to see what might be there. A few moments later we saw why the car had stopped; a few Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep on the hillside. We stopped, turned around, and went back to the small pull out. I got out to do some shooting and suddenly realized there were a LOT more sheep than I had initially thought. Selby then got out and we started shooting with me talking to the sheep. Eventually the entire herd of maybe 30 animals came into view in one area of the hillside. I then started encouraging them to come down to where we were. Over the next 30 minutes the entire herd came down off the hillside to a small level area just in front of the SUV and perhaps 8 feet higher. I kept encouraging them as they kept inching closer, and we both kept shooting. After feeding and watching us for several minutes on the flat section several of the rams started leaving that flat area and coming down to right where we were standing in front of the vehicle. Not wanting them to do anything silly like bound past us and into the highway I decided it was time to leave them to their dining and move on; so we did. Today's offering is of several of those sheep browsing on that small flat area slightly above us. This is what the camera captured. Getting Close Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 1,000; 1/250 sec @ f / 8.

14 Jun 23 Got up Sunday morning to a lovely blue sky, with bright white clouds and an abundance of sunshine. No sign of inclement weather so I took a little time to myself and went out with Maggie for an early morning shoot. First stop was at the intersection of Hwys 287 & 191. I took a few minutes to simply take in the beauty of the location as we listened to the babble of Cougar Creek. Thought you might appreciate what we were enjoying so I took a pano of the spot and that's what I'm sharing today. Now, if one is in the rental business, it does sometimes help to have a bit of a sense of humor. If you had been with us when I took this set of photos you would have been standing at roughly 6,500+ feet of elevation and looking at 10 - 12K foot high mountains. A renter who arrived a couple of days after we departed complained to our rental agent that they were thoroughly deceived by the photoshopped images of the location as there were no mountains and all the animals were added into the pictures. 😂 While the image I'm sharing wasn't taken at the spot on which the condo sits, it is just 3 miles away. The view you are seeing represents about 90 degrees of the view from the condo as it is surrounded by close mountains on 3 sides (W, N, & E) and distant ones on the fourth (S). I could only laugh at the complaint. The "orange" in the shot is a form of short bushy willow the name of which I can't find when searching for the flora of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem but it grows wherever there is year round water; you can see traces of Cougar Creek to the left center of the closest tree. But for the traffic traveling to and from Boseman on Hwy-191, this would be a grand spot to bring a chair, and maybe a set of binoculars, to just kick back and idle the day away. Other than a small amount of cropping for composition, this 12 frame pano is what the camera recorded. Where the Deer & Antelope Play Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 250; 1 / 2,500 sec @ f / 9.

15 Jun 23 On our way in to the condo Saturday evening I noticed that the dam side of Lake Hebgen was still a bit frozen. So leaving the 287-191 intersection Sunday morning after taking that pano I shared yesterday, we headed toward Hebgen Dam via 287, or Hebgen Lake Road if you prefer, as I wanted to see what might still be there as the likelihood of the ice remaining much longer with the warming weather was slim. Along the way we passed a small group of bison - one in particular in the road directing traffic - and a few others taking advantage of the situation. We arrived at the dam to some beautiful skies, lovely white clouds, and the perfect light with just a wee bit of ripple on the water's surface. While I strolled around with the camera trying to get a nice recording of what we were enjoying, Maggie decided she needed to check out everything there. That went fine until another group of folks decided they needed to disrupt our quiet time. As I walked around the end of the lake - the dam creating the edge - my thoughts ran the gamut from big pano to selected section to straight down the middle. Each had a different look and would provide for a different visual experience. Couldn't decide which would be best so I shot for all three approaches. Ultimately I made the decision today to go with the center view. This is what the camera recorded with the help of a polarizer. View From the Dam Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1 / 1,600 sec @ f / 9.

19 Jun 23 Walk from the shoreline of Hebgen Lake next to the dam to Hwy-287, and then downhill for maybe a minute, and you come to the bend in the Madison River that I've mentioned many times as being a prime trout fishing spot. Only once have I driven past this location, and that includes a blizzard, and not seen one or more individuals fishing in this spot. When I drove past it on the way to Quake Lake that Sunday morning there were three gents fishing, upon my return about 30 minutes later there were 13. The 13 is the most I've ever seen at one time although 5 - 7 is quite normal. Often one or more will be accompanied by their dog as was the case in the blizzard. The fishing must be very good or maybe it is just the location as I've only seen a very few fish caught. But the scenery is spectacular, the water generally very shallow - take a good look at the water in the image - and the air wonderfully clear and clean. Both banks are very suitable for a picnic and if that doesn't suit your needs there are two fishing lodges just around the bend at the right. Out of view to the left nearer the release gate of the dam were 2 more folks wetting their lines. Perfect location to while away a few restful hours!! I'm thinking of replacing the image of a lone fisherman on the Firehole River we have at the condo with this one on the Madison. This is what the camera captured. One Shy of a Dozen Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/500 sec @ f / 9.

26 Jul 23 The other major player at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center is of course the wolves. There are three packs of them but each of the "packs" number just two - three wolves. One of the "packs" has a nice viewing stand but the enclosure leaves a lot to be desired as does another of the enclosures. The third and main exhibit is behind a cyclone fence which makes photography a challenge but it also has a very nice viewing building with a large plate glass window that lets you get close to observe and photograph the animals. You do have to contend with dirty glass at times and reflections but it is not impossible to get some nice shots of the wolves. The other option is to shoot outside and deal with the wire fence. That can also provide for some nice opportunities but you have to work with the fence. If your camera is small enough such that the diameter of the lens can stick through the fence you can get some really nice stuff. If not you need to do the best you can with wide apertures and long lenses to put the fence out of focus. Today's offering is a shot of the latter type in which I got the fence rather soft and then "blended" it out in software. Not absolutely sure which wolf this is but I'm thinking her name is Shasta. They are fun to watch and at times can be very entertaining. Other than some tight cropping for composition and removal of much of the fencing, this is what the camera recorded. On Watch Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/500 sec @ f / 9.

20 Jun 23 Returning from our morning outing, we all had a nice breakfast and started out on our day's adventure. First stop was the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. I've written about it several times so a little something new about it. One of our congregational families visited the condo shortly after we left. We had told them about being able to have youngsters assist the keepers in placing the treats for the bears so they timed their visit so their 8 year old son could participate in the activity. While he was placing the food he inquired of one of the keepers if it was safe and if they kept track of the bears and the children. She assured him that they did telling him there was a 300 pound gate, then another, and finally another so they were very safe. He looked at her, thought about it for a minute, and then asked "then why do you have bear spray?" Out of the mouths of babes. As he made it back home with all his limbs intact with his family the keepers were apparently true to their word. The image I'm sharing for today is of one of those little lasses and some company for whom he might have been hiding the food. Never to be left on their own, those ravens are always quick to take advantage of even the smallest scraps left behind by the bears. Other than some serious cropping for composition, this is what the camera captured. Enjoying a Healthy Lunch Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1 / 500 sec @ f / 9.

22 Jun 23 Sorry about no image for Wednesday; life events got seriously in the way. The image of the bear I shared Yesterday garnered some interesting comments so I thought I'd share one more. This is the same bear but this time just strolling across the play area looking as if she had just returned from an afternoon at the spa. I'm always impressed at the size of the claws on these critters and this capture shows them off neatly. When you watch them overturning boulders you really get an appreciation not only for their function but the power behind them. For those of you who have never visited the western side of Yellowstone do put this center on your bucket list. Even though it is a form of a zoo, the display and care given these magnificent animals leaves you feeling as though it is otherwise. You will find yourself thoroughly engaged with them. Other than some severe cropping, this is what the camera captured. Just Back from the Spa Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1 / 640 sec @ f / 9.

29 Jun 23 To reach the four attractions in the middle geyser basin you must first traverse the Fire Hole River via a nice wooded bridge the end of which brings you right up close to the runoff from the Excelsior Geyser Crater meandering over and through a large bed of thermophyles. The water is hot flowing down the hillside and crashes into the river raising the temp of the water by several degrees. The river bleeds the heat off rather rapidly and by a few hundred yards downstream the river temp is close to "normal" again. Hard to explain why - haven't seen any info on any of the signs - but there is generally a mass of foam-like bubbles where the outflow hits the river. You can see such in the lower left of the image. You can follow this flow of water back up the hill - it parallels the boardwalk at this location - where it is much shallower and spread out over a much wider area. Here the temp varies and you can tell so by the various colors of the thermophyles. The hot water flows over a number of very small drops making for several tiny waterfalls as it makes its way to the river. It is the most colorful section of the basin but I seldom see folks taking pictures of it. If you visit this basin be sure to take a few minutes to observe this portion of it; you'll pass by it on your way to and your return form the 4 bodies of water. This is what the camera captured. Watering the Thermophyles Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/ 1,250 sec @ f / 9.

27 Jun 23 We left the bears and wolves to the other visitors in West Yellowstone and headed out into the park to see what we might on our initial visit. We passed lots of bison and even had a bit of a traffic delay along the way likely due to a few of them playing between the white lines on both sides of the yellow. Our first stop was to be the middle geyser basin to view all four thermal activities located there but mostly to have a look at Grand Prismatic Spring. The wind was doing its best to obliterate the spring but standing still and being patient resulted in several instances of the vapors being blown such that the entire spring was visible, a first for me. The colors yellow, green, and teal were dominant while we observed with very little red or blue being present. That varies with every visit and even during the course of a few hours. The thermophiles in red and brown were in abundance making for a nice pallet of colors even if a bit subdued. Granddaughter Selby got to see on her first visit what it has taken me a decade of visits to see. I'm standing on the boardwalk roughly 1/3 the distance in from the left. This is a composite of 18 out of 30 some shots I took from far left to far right. The full set was too much for the software to handle. The clouds to the left of the trees and those to the immediate right of the tree tops down to the 2nd hump were generated by the software; everything else was captured by the camera. This was perhaps the best visit to Grand Prismatic I've enjoyed to date. Other than some minor cropping, a little straightening, and a bit of contrast enhancement plus what the software did, this is what the camera captured. Full View Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,600 sec @ f / 9.

28 Jun 23 In addition to Grand Prismatic Spring in the middle geyser basin there are three more attractions. One is the cratered remains of the Excelsior Geyser which is said to have violently erupted thousands of years ago, and the other two are pools, Opal and Turquoise. Both pools are totally misnamed by my visual interpretation as Opal looks more blue than anything and Turquoise is nothing like the color of the stone called turquoise. But that is what they are named. Here is a shot of Turquoise Pool looking completely across it. You can be the decider if it is appropriately named. Now, having said what I have, it is entirely possible that the color of the pool is different during times when I haven't visited, like summer. In any event, it is the last attraction on the circular boardwalk that constitutes the middle geyser basin experience. If you want to see Prismatic Spring, you will walk right past this as well as Opal Pool as you make your way along the boardwalk. Other than some cropping for composition and the stitching together of 12 frames, this is what the camera saw. End to End Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,600 sec @ f / 9.

02 Jun 23 It being macro / close-up Friday I thought a close-up shot of some lovely blue and gold iris might be in order. As our (Jan's) front yard flower garden grows so do the number of different plants and expanded numbers of each. Last year we had maybe 2 or 3 of these blue iris but the wintering over must have gone well as this spring we have about a dozen. These guys have petals which are a deep rich blue and feature a deep yellow center. Not sure how they will display on each of your screens so I decided to describe them. The blue is so deep it almost looks purple in the "right" light. Our slugs thought they would be tasty so we had to deal with them through chemistry. I had hoped we would have a sufficient number of Garter snakes to handle the slugs but so far I haven't seen a single one. It is not obvious in the photo but the plants are roughly 3' in height with the petals spanning 5 - 6". I took the shot at mid day following a heavy overnight rain but we still had some degree of overcast (God's light box) so the colors really punched. Still a bit of that liquid variety of sunshine on some of the petals, one in particular. Other than some serious cropping, this is what the camera captured. Too Blue Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/125 sec @ f / 9.

05 Jun 23 It's that time of the year out here when the allergies really make themselves known, although this part of the state is an allergy season 11 months of the year. But now the scotch-broom is out in full display painting the hillsides a glorious yellow. It is debatable as to whether or not this particular plant is a major contributor; it all depends on which "expert" you use as your source. The plant isn't a native, and for those folks who are fully anti non-native species, this one in particular is a real sore point. But one thing about it, and the reason it is so abundant, it is a great species for preventing soil erosion and the primary reason for the state having planted it. Plus it self propagates easily making it a cheap solution for the prevention of soil erosion. The easy propagation aspect is also why it is hated. All that aside, I think it is a beautiful plant when in bloom; post bloom not so much, but then that can be said about a lot of plants. A couple miles from our abode is an area that was most recently clear cut - it is an area where trees are grown as a crop and harvested roughly every 25 years - about 5 years ago. When that happened we got a view of the Olympic mountains we didn't have prior. (For reasons I won't go into today it hasn't yet been replanted.) Since then the scotch-broom has taken hold and is gradually blocking out our view of the mountains. Another year and it is likely that we won't have the view but for now we can still see them. Today's offering is a shot of them with the scotch-broom in the foreground. Other than cropping, this is what the camera captured. Swedish Splendor Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,250 sec @ f / 9.

09 Jun 23 The daily walk each morning with Maggie takes us out our driveway and down two additional parcels of property the same size as ours. That amounts to maybe a 1/3 mile stroll at most. It is a lovely walk each and every day except when it is raining. Each season it has something different to offer, but it is at its most lovely in the spring. Hard as it may seem to believe, we have identified 23 different wild flowers that grow alongside the road, 28 if you include the four varieties of berry and one of stinging nettle. Several of them also grow along the edge of our gravel driveway and one of them, trillium, only there. In addition to the flowers we have also identified almost a dozen different grasses. I'm guessing of course, but in all the time we've lived here I've noticed only one other local who takes the time to observe and photograph them. We'll get to enjoy them for just a while longer at which time the County will come out and mow them all down. I thought about it a bit late this year so I've marked the calendar to remind me next year to photograph them all and share them as a single composite. For today we'll look at just one, a plant that has significant medicinal value and one used, albeit very carefully, by native peoples for centuries for heart problems, long before the drug companies got involved. The plant is of course foxglove and probably the largest, as well as among the loveliest with its rows of purple bells, of the wild flowers on our walk. This one is growing on the property. This is what the camera captured save for some cropping for composition. Medicine Bells Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1 /800 sec @ f / 9.

16 Jun 23 I initially had in mind a little something different than that which I'm sharing for this Friday's macro / close-up. While back in MD we attended a large Lutheran church in Gaithersburg that started a Steven's Ministry program and I was part of the first group of trainees. It was two years of preparation for the role and in the process those of us involved formed some lasting friendships. One of our group moved to Oregon a few months before we moved to Washington. We occasionally visit and obviously keep in touch. Another became my prayer partner and I shared some about him a few years back when his son suddenly passed much like Scott. While I was reading the mail this morning I received a very sad message from him that his bride had completed her work here on earth last Friday. It was a bit of a shock but I immediately felt like I needed to do something for her in her memory. No doubt she is now looking out for her soulmate as he completes his work here also. So Betty, this one's for you!! Other than a little manipulation using the Topaz plug-in Glow 2, this is straight from the camera. A Star is Born Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1 / 3,200 sec @ f / 9.

23 Jun 23 A few years back we added a group of plants into the pond that we thought would provide some nice protection for the fish and a pleasant view for us. One of these was a water iris that has been a big performer some years, and not so much so in other years. This summer it has decided to be a player and is in the process of providing us with a series of lovely blooms in the color purple. I've lost the tag that was in the bucket containing the plant so I can't give you its name but I can share a shot of it with you for this Friday's macro / close-up. I grabbed a couple snaps of it the other day after a solid rain and thought a shot of it covered in raindrops might make a nice close-up. Perhaps you may agree. Aside from the tight cropping this is what the camera captured. Displaying Royally Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1 /60 sec @ f / 9 with fill flash.

30 Jun 23 Returning to the garden today for this Friday's macro / close-up. Among my favorite flowers are calla lilies both for the shape of the flowers and their color(s). Over the past several years we've had them in white, yellow, orange, pink, purple, and a reddish variety. We now have started a calla lily section in the garden next to the Asian lilies and together they make for a very colorful section in the landscape. Today we are looking at the orange variety of the calla lilies. The shot is missing an arachnid or some version of a flying pollinator but none were present at the time I pressed the shutter button and my digital collection of insects isn't sufficient to paste one in. Probably need to start shooting more critters and cutting them out for use later. This is one flower where I always think there should be an assassin lurking just out of sight awaiting the unwary visitor. So far I haven't seen such but I can always hope. . . . This is what the camera captured save for some serious cropping. Something in Orange Nikon D500; 18 - 200; aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/800 sec @ f / 9.