Badlands Morning Hike

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I have made 3 or 4 trips now to Badlands National Park in South Dakota and while there’s no question, you can see some amazing things from driving through there, the truth is the real beauty lies in getting out of the car and walking, exploring, and discovering formations that you could never see well from the road.

I have shot most of the iconic spots, Ancient Hunter’s Overlook, Panorama Point, or Cedar Pass…and have enjoyed them all, and will likely stop at all of them again down the road, but the greatest appeal for me now is to simply see what else is out there.  

This image was a result of walking a bit.  Not terribly far, but as you traverse the ridges and mounds, you come to find views like this.  It shows the beautiful etched lines in the mud where water has cut into it…and the striations of color in the land is something to behold…they get particularly colorful when the ground is wet from rains…although I’d suggest not going out too far following rain or snow melt…you’ll bring a lot of the land back with you in the form of mud caked to your shoes.

River Wood Duck

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Wood Ducks, in my humble opinion, are the prettiest of the waterfowl that grace our skies and waters around Iowa.  And really that’s saying quite a lot when you consider the variety of ducks we have nest here and pass through during the fall and spring migrations.  It’s not a slight to any of the other one’s to say that woodies are my favorite.

Over the years I’ve had a few chances to photograph them, but I’ll admit, it was more of an opportunistic thing, rather than by any grand design or effort.  Do really photograph them right it’s probably best to set up a blind somewhere and apply a lot of patience.  

Still, if you come across an cooperative drake on the river, and he’s happy to get his picture taken, who am I to argue.  He enjoyed riding the waves and hanging with a mix of other ducks on a cold an wintry day.  I can’t blame him for looking for company.

Prairie Fire – Sunset At Discovery Park

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I have to admit, every time I’m blessed to see a dramatic sunset in Muscatine, I’m reminded of Mark Twain and his commentary, that after working here, early on in his journalistic career, he always remembered Muscatine for it’s sunsets.  If you have to be remembered for something, beautiful sunsets are not a bad way to go.

If I were to get more specific, for me, fall and some early winter sunsets seem to be more vibrant and captivating.  They are a final goodbye to fall and a last, color bursting tribute, before the dull  gray days of winter set in for awhile.  

Prairie Fire captured one of those lingering, magical sunsets, with some natural grasses providing an interesting foreground.  It makes me think at times of the westward seekers, the pioneers and settlers, looking for faith or fortune in the great plains and beyond.  I suspect they were captivated by the sunsets at times too.

Antelope Island State Park Utah – After The Storm

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For a few years, it was pretty common for us to visit family in Utah, and on most trips, I always made a point to head north of Salt Lake City, and stop in at Antelope Island State Park.  It’s funny because this oasis, as I call it, is just minutes from suburbia, heavy traffic, and tons of people, but you’d never know it out here.

There are almost always birds and critters to photography, from raptors to waterfowl, pronghorn and bison, plus a few coyotes mixed in…it’s just a great place to spend some time with a camera.

On this morning it had rained the day and night before.  You always feel fortunate when you can catch the first light of day and the clouds are slowly breaking up but there are enough of them left to give the scene a nice dramatic tone.  This summer had been particularly dry here so there was no water in Farmington Bay…just a bit of rainwater from passing storms.  Frary Peak in the looked great in the sunrise light.  

Pearl Harbor – December 7th 1941 – We Remember

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It is fitting, I think, to always  make note of the date…December 7th.  Most people alive today will know about the significance of the day, but as time continues to go on, I suspect less and less, will truly appreciate how the events in Hawaii that morning, literally changed the United States, and the world.

The Japanese of course made a monumental attack on the US naval bases on the islands and basically brought American into WWII…where we ultimately fought (and won) on two fronts, in the Pacific, as well as in Europe.  I continue to view this effort as American’s finest hour, and those who fought and supported the war effort as the greatest generation…apply named by newsman and author, Tom Brokaw.  

This image is part of a re-enactment of that morning…where a vintage P-40 Warhawk, takes off amid the bombs being dropped by the Japanese.  Apart from numerous ships and aircraft that were lost, 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 others were wounded.

Big Business – Bighorn Ram

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In the late fall and early winter, in the mountain west, Bighorn sheep, most notably the rams, start getting down to business.   Nearly everyone has watched the head butting battles on film over the years, and I can imagine it’s quite a sight to see.  Hopefully if my timing is right, I will one day witness it first hand.

In this image, this ram has already established his place as the leader among a group of around 20 sheep.  This included ewes as well as young rams, some of whom will one day make a challenge for his dominant position.  I have a feeling, even in his golden years, they’ll have a fight on their hands.

Badlands National Park – South Dakota.