Hollow Rock Dreamscape

The final location for the night ended up being Hollow Rock Resort along the shores of Lake Superior. As I drove back down the Arrowhead Trail the sky was completely socked in with clouds and a thick fog covered the ground. I thought for sure these conditions would persist all the way home. As luck would have it, however, when I got back to Highway 61 along the Lake Superior shore the fog had lifted and there were some openings in the clouds. By the time I was driving by Hollow Rock the clouds were receding quickly and the sky was full of dancing northern lights. Of course I had to stop at Hollow Rock once I saw these conditions! This is the first time I have been able to photograph the aurora directly over the rock. Since the view here is more east/southeast than north you don't get very many opportunities to see the aurora from this angle. On this night, however, the sky was full of dancing lights and plenty of them were directly above Hollow Rock. This photo was made about 3:30 in the morning and was the last shot I made before heading home and crawling into bed. It sure ended up being a fantastic night!

Riptide

You can find several of these signs on all the beachs warning about the logs coming in out of the water.

The skiers are taking over!

New snow and warm temperatures this final weekend in June brought out the most skiers I have ever seen on Rainier. The DC, Emmons, Winthrop, and Fuhrer Finger were all skied. The ski conditions were great for the most part. The snow was firm but somewhat punchy down to 13,000 feet. Conditions improved as the snow softened and became less wind- affected. There was good corn skiing from about 11,500' to about 10,000'. The snow became heavy and wet below that altitude. Above is a photo of one of those skiers descending the Cleaver. Although the skiing can be fabulous, be realistic about conditions and your ability, and be sure to be "on your game", as exposure to cliffs below can severely impact your outing in the event of an uncontrolled slip!

Conditions and weather have combined this week to give us stable weather and great climbing. Climbers summitted via the Disappointment Cleaver, Ingraham Direct, Fuhrer Finger, Kautz Glacier, Tahoma Glacier, Liberty Ridge, Winthrop Glacier, and the Emmons Glacier. Of course, the warm weather has its downside: rock fall and ice fall have increased exponentially, and a few routes have started to melt out... notably Gibralter Ledges, which had seen quite a few ascents this year.
--Adrienne Sherred - Photo by Andy Anderson

More Spots

The Ebb and Flow of the Tide...

On my first visit to the Schoodic Peninsula, when the tide had been low, we had noticed a little house along an inlet that had a dock on stilts. We had driven past it before we realized what we had seen. On the 17th when we left Acadia National Park and headed 'down east' I stopped and photographed that little house. I would go by it on two more occasions, when the tide was at different levels. I guess you could say I was a little fascinated by the tides and how different it looked under the various conditions. If you ever get there, this little spot is on the right side of the road, just as you exit the National Park on the Schoodic Peninsula.






At high tide, or thereabouts. 12:43 pm on September 17th.




Not quite low tide, at 10:48 am on September 21st. It was a cloudy, rather dreary day.






At low tide. 3:14 pm September 27th.

I'm Not in Kansas Anymore!

Tuesday, May 10th - - It never crossed my mind that I'd spend nearly six days in Kansas, much less enjoy most of it! Crossing over into southeastern Colorado the countryside looked much the same as it had in western Kansas. Fields were under cultivation to begin with but as I ventured further south and west there were more vast expanses of prairie.



However, within a few hours, the view changed dramatically. Mountain peaks touched with a dusting of snow could be seen off in the distance. It wasn't long before they loomed much larger and closer. With the change in view came a dramatic change in daytime temperature – from a high in the upper 90s to a high in the mid 50s. Thank goodness that, unlike the air conditioner, the heater in the van works!





West of Walsenburg, Colorado on U.S. Highway 160/285.

My destination for the night was the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, near Alamosa. I had visited there once before, way back in May of 1979.





This time, Mother Nature was definitely not cooperating with me. The further west I traveled, the cloudier it got. Once at The Dunes, the sun would occasionally peek out from behind the clouds, but even then the lighting wasn't that great. This is the view from my campsite. The base of The Dunes is about a mile and a half distant.





The image above and those following have been modified. I was going to say “enhanced” but that is entirely dependent upon who is viewing the images. Since you aren't going to see the originals, suffice to say that I think these are an improvement over the originals, considering the lighting conditions at the time.





Human figures add a little perspective on the size of these dunes. They (The Dunes) truly are magnificent.



And from what I remember from back in 1979, they are extremely difficult to walk on. I did go out to the base of The Dunes but simply did not have the energy or stamina to go any further. Besides, it was getting late in the evening, a strong wind was blowing, and it was cold!





The quality of light was pitiful, and it was nearly gone, but the views were still awesome even though they can't truly be captured by the camera.

Wordless Wednesday :: Schooldaze ~ Fourth Grade