Thoughts on the upcoming wildflower season

I have posted a page with my thoughts on how the recent wet weather will affect the wildflower bloom in Southern California.  In short, I think that, despite a dry January, the precip that these areas received before New Year’s and thus far in February should lead to a pretty good year for wildflowers in the classic spots.  If you have some time on your hands and would like to read more, head on over to my Wildflower Forecast.

 

Day 2: Central Kansas gets pounded again

My day started in Norfolk, NE, after Saturday’s chase.  My original plan was to play the Iowa target, but after considering the conditions in central KS, and the fact that Monday’s target was central KS, I headed south toward…wait for it…central KS.  My route was US81-I70-KS156-US56 to Great Bend.

After checking radar and surface obs in town, I headed west on KS96 toward a developing storm southwest of Rush Center, KS.  I blasted south on US183 in Rush Center, keeping an eye on the precip core to my west and a ragged wall cloud to my southwest.  I stopped just past the Rush-Pawnee county line and watched as the storm became more organized.  Soon, it was apparent that I needed to head farther north, so I turned around and went back to Rush Center.

I pulled off on a gravel road a few miles south of town and shot photos of the amazing storm structure, including a rapidly rotating wall cloud that came close to producing a large tornado.  Alas, it never did, so I continued north toward Rush Center, and my easterly road option, KS96.

Upon entering town, the wall cloud looked like it was going to move right over me, and was spinning like crazy, so I bailed east.  I turned north toward LaCrosse a few miles later, then east again on KS4 as a funnel made its way down near the town.  I didn’t see the dust whirl, probably because I was a little farther east and there were trees in the way.  Who woulda thunk it…trees in western KS.

After that, the storms all merged into a line and became outflow dominant, so I tried some lightning shots near Great Bend, then holed up for the night at the Days Inn.  It was a good chase day, the best I’ve had in a long time.

- JB

 

Eastern Sierra Fall Color

From about the last week in September through the second week in October, there is gold to be found in the Sierra Nevada.  Instead of in the ground, though, this gold is in the aspen trees that cover the hillsides.  It’s a display that, while not as spectacular as the East Coast foliage, is accentuated by the towering granite peaks of the Sierra.

Heather and I made a quick trip to the east side during the last weekend in September.  I had made a similar trip last year, with good results, so we tried it again this year.  We tried some of the Eastern Sierra aspen hotspots:  Lundy Lake, Conway Summit, and Bishop Creek canyon.  It was an intense trip, driving from Sacramento to Bishop on Saturday, then back on Sunday.  However, the fall color was near its peak, and we were not disappointed.

The highlight of the trip was the North Lake road in Bishop Creek canyon.  The aspen stands at the bottom of the road were near peak color, and they provided a great foreground for views of the peaks to the west.  Higher up the road, the trees around North Lake were showing great color, and the stream near the lake was as well.  The morning light was perfect for a great photo session here on Sunday morning.

Images from this trip are now up in my Latest Work gallery.

 

Summer Work II – Mt. Rainier

In my photo travels over the past few years, there have been a few instances where a place has completely blown me a way.  My first visit to Yosemite and my second visit to White Sands come to mind immediately.  Well, now Mt. Rainier NP can be added to that list.  The Mountain, with its glaciated flanks, dense forests, and spectacular light, has moved to the top of my favorite places list.

Heather and I ventured to the park during Labor Day weekend.  We arrived on a Saturday morning, heading to the Visitor’s Center at Paradise first to get our bearings.  We walked around the Paradise area for a bit, then headed back down the valley to check into the bed & breakfast.  By the time we got back into the park, the light was fantastic on the mountain, so we headed up into the Paradise Meadows area for some photography.  The wildflowers, although past peak, were fantastic.  They seemed to stretch forever through the meadows, seemingly all the way to the Mountain itself.

Early the next morning, we headed to Reflection Lakes.  I was hoping for an amazing sunrise, and we were not disappointed.  Plenty of high and mid-level clouds were present in the northern sky, and the rising sun turned them into brilliant orange and red fingers of fire.  The Mountain was bathed in a soft pink, then brilliant red, light, and a lenticular cloud formed above the peak.

After taking in this scene, we went back up to Paradise and hiked up the Alta Vista trail, where we got a close-up view of the glaciers and wildflowers above Paradise.  Then, it was back to the B&B for breakfast and back to Seattle.  The first page of my Pacific Northwest gallery is where you can find images from this fantastic trip.

Mountain, we will be back!

 

Summer Work I: Oregon Cascades

Been a while since the last post…so let’s get started with the first of two new ones.

Trip Report 1: Central Oregon Cascades

After planning my Arizona monsoon lightning trip, I watched the weather models each day for about two weeks. It was apparent early on that the state would be in a monsoon break, so instead of driving all the way out there for minimal chance of lightning, I decided to head north to Oregon. I had never explored this state before, so, although I was a bit bummed about not seeing lightning this year, I was excited to go to a new place.

My itinerary was as follows: Mt. Shasta, Crater Lake, Bend area, Mt. Jefferson area, then back home. I camped the whole week, and the weather was fantastic. My favorite stop of the trip was McKenzie Pass, which is west of Bend. The road cuts through an old lava flow and offers views of the Three Sisters peaks, as well as Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Washington. I spent one evening here, and was not disappointed.

Crater Lake NP was a place that I had wanted to visit for some time. It reminded me a lot of my first visit to the Grand Canyon: all you can say is, wow. I spent one day here, circling the lake a couple of times before settling on the Watchman overlook for sunset. The hike up the trail wasn’t too bad, and the view from up top was stunning. To the south, Mt. Shasta visible. To the north, the peaks of the Central Cascades came into view. And below, the lake sprawled out in all its glory.

The blue color of the water was spectacular, and the gray walls of the crater stood in stark contrast to the rest of the scene. I highly recommend a visit to this place, and I definitely want to return here in the winter, when snow blankets the area and the crowds are gone.

The rest of the photos from this trip, including Mt. Shasta, can be found on my Pacific Northwest gallery page.

 

Upcoming Photo Trips…

…or, if you will, “My Summer Plans.”

I have quite a bit to tackle over the next few months, with family coming to visit and work beginning to get hectic.  My tentative photo trips are as follows:

• May – Big Sur, Yosemite (with family)
• June – Yosemite high country, Little Lakes Valley
• July – None planned
• August – Monsoon storm chasing in Arizona
• September – None planned
• October – Fall Color photography in the Sierra (Bishop area)

I’d like to fit a trip to Mt. Shasta in there somewhere, but we’ll see.  Just like the weather forecast, this is subject to change.