Mt. Rainier

Carol Freshley October 7, 2019

Known as ‘The Mountain’, this imposing stratovolcano is located 59 miles south-southeast of Seattle. With an elevation of 14,411 feet it can easily be seen from everywhere within a hundred miles when the clouds lift from covering it up. It is part of the Cascade Range and the highest mountain in Washington. It is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, due in part to its massive amount of glacial ice which would produce destructive mudflows if it were to erupt.

One of the first impressions I got of the ‘Mountain’ was its immense size and overwhelming presence that is visible from just about anywhere from miles away when it is out from behind clouds.

We stayed in a campground where Mt. Rainier could be seen from the road down into our camp.

Mountains as large as Mt. Rainier can produce their own weather systems. Seeing a cap on Mt. Rainier was not unusual.

If I recall correctly, this was our first stop on the way to Sunrise, one of two main entrances into the National Park. We were fortunate to have Bob give us a tour of the Sunrise side. He is a fellow Nikonian and an excellent photographer. He lives… — If I recall correctly, this was our first stop on the way to Sunrise, one of two main entrances into the National Park. We were fortunate to have Bob give us a tour of the Sunrise side. He is a fellow Nikonian and an excellent photographer. He lives in the area, knows the mountain very well. He has completed the The Wonderland Trail, a 93 mile hiking trail that circumnavigates the mountain. It goes up and over many ridges so its cumulative elevation gain is 22,000 feet!! Only an estimated 200-250 people complete the trail in any one year and it takes between 10 and 12 days to complete.

Kim and John Ostlund are Tom’s friends ‘from way back’. They were in the area visiting their daughter and joined us for two days of exploring Mt. Rainier. John is relatively new to photography and Kim was happy with just using her phone . . . . unti… — Kim and John Ostlund are Tom’s friends ‘from way back’. They were in the area visiting their daughter and joined us for two days of exploring Mt. Rainier. John is relatively new to photography and Kim was happy with just using her phone . . . . until I loaned her my Nikon Df and a decent walk around lens.

The wildflowers were abundant everywhere, but extra special with the mountain in the background.

Tipsoo Lake is one of the most popular stops to capture The Mountain. Bob knew exactly where to take us for a wide view scene.

Getting low still affords a peek at that mountain!

I’ll just bet that there are the same blue lupines up in the valleys on the sides of the mountain!

Every day seems to have a different mood. One morning its fog, another one brings sunshine.

There are lots of hiking trails, some with overnight camping destinations.

Sunrise at Little Tipsoo Lake (pond). It is just across the street from Tipsoo Lake.

We were encouraged to take the gandola at Crystal Mountain to get a different view of Mt. Rainier. Ride, food and photography were all memorable.

Of course, a mountain and some water always invite . . . This is Reflection Lake and it is located closer to the Paradise entrance. We were there several times but only once did we find the water to be still enough for a reflection.

Bob and I really wanted to capture the Milky Way from Sourdough Trail. Tom kindly came along. This is a blue hour photograph from our selected spot to wait, fuss about gear, wait, wait. One thing to note about this trail, though, there is heavy traf… — Bob and I really wanted to capture the Milky Way from Sourdough Trail. Tom kindly came along. This is a blue hour photograph from our selected spot to wait, fuss about gear, wait, wait. One thing to note about this trail, though, there is heavy traffic from hikers coming down AND going up the mountain!! They use headlights, of course, and that can be disruptive to Milky Way photography.

Bob got the best photograph, by a long shot. One day I will go back.

A special thanks to our contributing photographers, Bob, John and Kim.

Anacortes

Carol Freshley September 24, 2019

Anacortes is located on Fidalgo Island, in the Pacific Northwest. For photographers it is a convenient central location to photograph the Northern Cascades, Mts. Baker and Shuksan, Fidalgo Island, Deception Point and the San Juan Islands. We spent a month camped in a magical forest, enjoyed very cool and often foggy weather, took the ferry to San Juan Island, and enjoyed multiple drives to the mountains.

Mt. Baker in the background of Anacortes harbor.

There is a lot of agriculture on and off the island..

From Erie Hill looking south towards Seattle

Wooden statues such as this are found everywhere.

Deception Pass Bridge which links Fidalgo Island to Whidby Island

Seaplanes are a common form of transportation with landing terminals near the ferry

One of the lakes along Chain of Lakes Trail which goes through Heather Meadows

Picture Lake with Mt. Shuksan in the background.

Photos from the passenger’s seat always give a flavor of the place. Here we GO!

Palouse Revisited

Carol Freshley September 8, 2019

The Palouse is located in southeastern Washington. It is the designation given to an area with rolling hills that have been formed over thousand of years from wind blown dust and silt. The best view of these rolling hills can be seen from Steptoe Butte. We love The Palouse. So do so many other photographers! The place to set up your tripod to get the ‘classic’ Palouse landscape is up on Steptoe Butte. This butte is a big thumb right in the middle of it all. It is a Washington State Park (annual fee for a statewide permit is $30). The road winds up and around and around and around. There are several prime spots and you can count on having the company of many other photographers on any evening to photograph the deep shadows on hills of wheat and canola. From Steptoe Butte the rolling hills look like giant sand dunes, no surprise since they were formed in much the same way.

You might have noticed that some of these hills are pretty steep. You might also have thought that the usual straight line farming would no work well (think errosion of soil). So, how do farmers plow and harvest these hills? Well, I checked into it and found out that at one time that was a serious problem. The hills are, in fact, steep enough to cause tractors and combines to tip over. An innovative solution was found by Raymond Hanson (age 19) in 1941. He invented the control mechanism that then lead to the development of a self-leveling combine!! This system allows the chassis and cutting part of the machine to follow the slope of the hill while the body and cab remain vertical. This is the number one wheat producing area of the country.

When we first arrived in Palouse the canola plants had not started to produce their flower which gives the landscape that gorgeous yellow that we love. By the time we left it was just beginning to show up in some fields. There was just a hint of it … — When we first arrived in Palouse the canola plants had not started to produce their flower which gives the landscape that gorgeous yellow that we love. By the time we left it was just beginning to show up in some fields. There was just a hint of it in some of the first photographs above.