Comet Neowise: Images from the North Cascades

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This first set of images was taken on Monday, July14, at the Baker Lake Boat Launch. Mount Baker looms nearby and Mt Shuksan is off to the north, across the lake.

The Boat Launch has one very big, bright light, high up on a poll, illuminating the area at night. This is the source of the light on the trees.

About 11:30 pm the Northern Lights were visible and I was able to get a few pics.

For the most part I used the following settings: Shutter speed: 30 sec; f/2.8 and 1600-2000 ISO. I used a very long exposure on one of these shots and you can see the stars stretched a bit.

The next night I ventured up the Mt Baker Highway, heading to Picture Lake, but the comet was rising in the Northwest…the road is gated a bit past the Heather Meadows Ranger Station, again, view blocked…so we wound up along the road! Got a few decent pics…

Cape Disappointment

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Cape Disappointment is located at the southwestern corner of Washington State, at the mouth of the Columbia River. There are two lighthouses, wonderful beaches and great camping in Cape Disappointment State Park.

The general area is known as the Graveyard of the Pacific due to the number of shipwrecks over the years. More than 100 days of fog each year! The Coast Guard has an active base at the Cape.

The nearest town is the Port of Ilwaco, with a nice marina and a few hotels. Oceanside is 10 miles to the north, a true Beach Resort Tourist Mecca…

The Cape is at the base of a long peninsula stretching north for almost 30 miles. In many places there is beach access with your car: you can tool up and down long beautiful stretches of sand… Highway 103 extends to Leadbetter State Park, at the northern tip of the peninsula.

Not far from the South Lighthouse is small Waikiki Beach. Here are some day time and night time images from there:

The beacon of the South Lighthouse is visible, as well as the line of ships leaving the bay with the high tide. The two bright stars, to the left of the Milky Way are Saturn and Jupiter…

The North Lighthouse is easily accessible and quite beautiful…

 

The Port of Ilwaco is the nearest town, with a nice marina and a few hotels.

The Palouse

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The Palouse is a section of SE Washington state where they grow a lot of wheat. The terrain is smooth rolling hills and almost all of it is covered with endless green.

The Palouse is the most popular spot in Washington for Photography Tours. There are endless viewpoints and all sorts of photo opportunities over there.

I found a map that shows where all the cool stuff is. Its like a treasure hunt! 

Barns, old farm equipment, abandoned houses and vistas are marked, but its still tricky finding some of the stuff…

Most people drive up atop Steptoe Butte for images, like the one above.

But there are wonderful vistas all over, and exploring is a blast.

The wheat is about a foot tall now, (late May) and will stay green as it grows a while, then late summer it all turns golden brown…

Then I will need to go back for another visit.

Here are a few more pics from 2 days of rambling…

 

An evenings walk near Conway

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There is a boat ramp and you can walk atop the dike, along Dike Road, near Conway.

The South Fork of the Skagit River is nearby.

Several of the farms nearby have wonderful old barns…

Here are a few images.

Skagit River Images

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The Skagit River plays a very big role in life here in the valley. Transportation; electricity; salmon; irrigation; and more are centered around the river.

The early days of white settlers along the Skagit River are chronicled here quite well, in the Skagit River Journal.

Traveling along and across the river affords some good opportunities to capture images, from time to time. These are some recent images, some over the last few years of journeys.

Earth Day 2020

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Earth Day 2020

Earth Day evokes images of wild places: broad vistas of desert, ocean and mountains.

The Wilderness Act of 1964 defines wilderness as “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammelled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”[29]

Earth Day is about protecting these places and keeping them wild.

The raw nature of wilderness and its inherent aesthetic beauty often leave me short of breath, amazed at what I see and grateful for the chance to be a part of it.

Baker Lake, North Cascades
Prussik Peak, Enchantments
Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park

In the wilderness is freedom. There is no one to tell you what to do. Knowing these untrammled places are there, and that you can go visit them is integral to sanity, to survival.  They say that wilderness can heal a person and I believe it’s true.

Pictures speak words, they say…

Skagit River
Bryce Canyon National Park
Point of the Arches
Artist Point
Double Rainbow, Fir Island
Spider Gap and Upper Lyman Lake
North Fork, Skykomish River
Isolation Lake – Upper Enchantments

Baker Lake and Baker Lake Road

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These images were captured on or near Baker Lake Road. Early mornings the light can be so variable, you never know what you’ll get!

Baker Hot Springs
Baker Lake
Baker Lake Road
Baker Lake
Baker Lake
Creek
MT shuksan and Baker Lake
Creek
Baker Lake
Baker Hot Springs

 

Park Butte Lookout

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Park Butte Lookout is located on the south side of Mount Baker. Access is via Baker Lake Road. Here is the link with details. The hike in is about 3.5 miles. It usually opens in July, depends upon snow melt. You can spend the night in the Lookout, its a first come first serve sort of thing…if you plan to stay the night, be certain to bring a tent because it most likely be full!

I’ve spent 14 nights in or near the lookout, with other people and several times alone. It always magical, even in a storm.

Here are a few images from recent trips.

Over the years I have managed a few decent shots of the night sky from the lookout.

Park Butte Lookout and Mt Baker

Views of Mount Baker and the Sisters are beyond spectacular for both sunrise and sunset.

Mt Baker at sunrise
Mt Baker at sunset
Looking down the Middle Fork of the Nooksack River
Sisters
Mount Baker south side, from Park Butte Trail

Point of the Arches and Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park

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Olympic National Park includes long stretches of coastline. Its wonderfully refreshing to backpack and camp along the forests edge, on the beach.

Depending upon how far you hike from the car you can find some real solitude out there.

The spot I’ve visited most often is Point of the Arches. It lies along the northern-most section of ONP, just south of Neah Bay. Its now a very popular spot and sees many visitors. These images are from a trip 2 years ago, in January. A window of warm sunny weather was forecast, and I spent two glorious days there with sumptuous light.  On this particular sunset the colors were so bright and vivid and the orange glow from the rocks and sand so intense, it was more tricky than one would think to edit these and do the place justice.

North End of Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park

Its almost a 2-mile hike through the forest and mud until you get to the stairs and descend to the beach. Point of the Arches is another 2 miles walk, along the ocean.

Once the sun started to set the shadows and lines were amazing.

As the colors got richer it was impossible to capture enough images.

Every shot looked magnificent, better then the last, and the landscape is so utterly magical…

There you have it! Prints are available here. Info on Photography Tours here!