Horton Springs

Our plan was to hike to Fossil Springs today. On the way, we saw a big sign that said Fossil Springs is closed. Denise called the hotline and found out that the AZ game and fish is removing non-native fish for most of the month. Our plan B became Horton Springs. Just 17 miles east of Payson, is an exit for Tonto Creek Picnic Area. Just a bit further up the road, the Horton Springs Trailhead can be found. It is quite an amazing place because Horton Creek is at first dry. After about a 1/2 mile, water seems to suddenly appear. The water must go underground before it meets up with Tonto Creek. I like the Horton Springs hike because of all the water features, which gives me the oppurtunity to use my tripod and long exposure times. The actual springs is basically a hole in the rock with water spewing out. Cool! We did see an elk family frolicking in the water, quite exciting. It was a gorgeous day and quiet! Here are some of my favs:

 

this young elk was splashing around in the water while ma and pa elk watched, they ran off before we could get any closer

Relaxing next to a mini waterfall

Camping Labor Day Weekend - Near Williams, AZ

I wouldn't normally pick Labor Day weekend to go camping because everyone else in the world has the same idea. I thought we could go near Williams being further away from Phoenix than Flagstaff or the Mogollon Rim. We drove to White Horse Lake, not wanting to camp there, and continued all the way to Sycamore Point to catch the sunset. We back tracked 4 miles and found a lonely spot off a forest road. The mosquitos were suprisingly thick, although not as bad as the midwest. A little insect repelent made the evening bareable as we cooked dinner and set up the tent. The next day, Sunday, we drove to the Sycamore Falls trailhead. The water was not running but the rock cliffs there were amazing (a hot spot for rock climbers). We continued to the Sycamore Vista before returning. We ate lunch at White Horse lake and were serenated by motorized vehicles and other revelers by the lake (not our kind of camping). We returned to our campsite and relaxed. And then, it RAINED! The lightning was close. We took refuge in our tent and flinched at every nearby lightning strike. The rain stopped around 6pm, leaving us daylight to prepare dinner. Monday morning, we packed up after breakfast and hit up Dogtown Lake for a easy 2 mile hike. It was great to get away for a couple days and RELAX. 

Sycamore Point

from Sycamore Falls

storm clouds gathering

after the storm

night time sky show

warmth by the fire

30 second exposure

fire lit trees and full moon rising

fire lit trees and full moon

Bald Eagle at Dogtown Lake

going, going....

gone

Oak Creek is for Sundays

Oak Creek is full of life! This Sunday, it was teaming with people escaping the summer heat and cooling off in the chilly waters of Oak Creek. I particularly like finding abstracts in nature here. I found myself picking out these abstracts because I have recently started teaching Photo 1 at Yavapai College, which means I am lecturing on principles of art and design to my class. The following photos convey these kind of elements: texture, pattern, balance, line, contrast, scale, depth of field, focus, perspective...

Hiking Little Bear Trail in Flagstaff

The day was overcast, rain threatened but it only sprinked briefly. The trailhead is via Sunset Trail off of Schultz Pass Road northwest of Flagstaff. The trail looped to the left through a couple year old burnout area and back up a steep hillside to descend back down through a lush forest. We experienced a 1,200 ft elevation change for this six mile jaunt. It was a decent workout rewarded with spectacular views.

spot of light

Olympic National Park - Part 3

Hurricane Ridge is just over 5,000 ft in elevation, about the same as Prescott. Hurricane Ridge had 36 feet of snow last winter, Prescott had (I guess) 12 inches. The flowers were plentiful, the air clear and blue. We were lucky to be able to see the entire range of mountains without the usual cloud cover. After wandering on Hurricane Hill, we drove over to Seattle, catching a ferry on the way. We ate dinner at Cedars, a nice Indian restaurant near the University. Dessert was at a local ice cream shop where everything is handmade. Capping off the trip, we saw the sun set on Mt. Rainier. We sure were lucky lucky lucky!

random folks



Lupine

Magenta Paintbrush

Oh, dear!

shot this photo from the moving vehicle (I was a passenger, don't worry)