Musings from the last best place - Thoughts on living and working in Montana
 

Beartooth Pass Closed for the Season

Just read in the Billings Gazette that Beartooth Pass is closed for the season. Guess the highway department decided the four feet of snow that fell over the weekend was the tipping point. This summer marks the first season in years that I haven't been 'over the top' on my way to Cooke City. Now that we live in Bozeman, we travel in through YNP. I miss the drive - it's one of the great trips in Montana.

Here are a couple sledding pics from last Christmas in the mountains above Cooke City - just to whet the appetite of those who like their snow in depths greater than 10 feet.

   

Click here to download:
Beartooth_Pass_Closed_for_the_.zip (164 KB)

Filed under  //   Beartooths   Montana   Mountains   Photography   Snowmobiling  
Posted October 13, 2008
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Notre Dame Lets One Slip Away to North Carolina

Just read that the alma mater lost to North Carolina this afternoon. ND's definitely having a better season than last year, but you hate to give up games like this one. Makes me glad I didn't spend the afternoon watching the game only to see them fumble it away in the final seconds. Bye week next week, then out to Washington...

Filed under  //   Football   Notre Dame  
Posted October 11, 2008
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IBM's Virtual Forbidden City

Saw this on TechCrunch this morning - IBM has created a virtual version of the Forbidden City. You can find it at http://www.beyondspaceandtime.org/FCBSTWeb/web/index.html#.

Filed under  //   Forbidden City   IBM   Virtual Reality  
Posted October 10, 2008
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International Harvester Pickup - Bannack, MT

Here's another photo I took at Montana's best-preserved ghost town, Bannack. I think the sepia treatment underscores the truck's age and decay.

Shot with my 14-45mm at 21mm, f11 for 1/6 sec.

Filed under  //   Bannack   Ghost Towns   Montana   Photography   Sepia   Trucks  
Posted October 9, 2008
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Heart Mountain from the Banks of the Clark's Fork River in Wyoming

A couple of years ago, I took a shot of Wyoming's Heart Mountain from a bridge over the Clark's Fork. I was amazed at just how lush that area was - if you know Wyoming, 'lush' and 'Wyoming' are not two words used often in the same sentence. And yet here was this green, grassy river bank in the middle of sage-covered hills. I loved the shot, but because I was shooting hand-held at dusk the image was slightly blurry. To save it, I applied an Orton Effect and have lived with it as a soft, watercolor-like shot since.

This past weekend, I decided to stop at the same spot on my way home from Cody to see if I could do a better job the second time around. It's later in the season now than the first time I shot it, so the fall colors are more prominent and the greens are not as vibrant. This most recent image is certainly sharper, but I'm not convinced I like it better. Let me know what you think.

   

Click here to download:
Heart_Mountain_from_the_Banks_.zip (278 KB)

Filed under  //   Clarks Fork   Heart Mountain   Mountains   Orton Effect   Photography   Rivers   Wyoming  
Posted October 8, 2008
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There's Something About Paths...

I love taking shots of paths. Although I've never done a formal study, I can look back at images I've captured over the years and see that my eye has been drawn to them for some time. I guess it's the promise they hold - the air of possibility - that makes them so intriguing. Or perhaps its my recessive wanderlust - because I hesitate to act on such impulses in my life decisions, could I be fascinated by visual constructs that signify the promise of "what if?"

Here are three shots taken at different times in my growth as a photographer. The first is a shot of a private garden that I took on a walkabout in London almost three and a half years ago. The second I took near a lake in up-state Wisconsin three years ago this fall. Finally, the third I took in Cody, Wyoming this past weekend. While my equipment has certainly improved over the years (the first two shots were taken with a small Nikon 2100; the third, with my Olympus e500), I hope my technique and execution have also improved over the years.

     

Click here to download:
Theres_Something_About_Paths...zip (656 KB)

Filed under  //   Chelsea   London   Paths   Photography   Shoshone River   Wisconsin   Wyoming  
Posted October 7, 2008
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A Cool Story About My Son

Some time ago, our family had a chance to visit the San Diego Zoo. If you've been, you know there's a serious amount of walking to be had when touring that place. This posed a bit of a problem for us, as our son had just been diagnosed with JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) not long before. Between strollers and shoulder rides, he got around the zoo just fine. But there was one moment that day that cast a pall on an otherwise great time. As we walked, I noticed a little boy merrily flying up and down the trail like greased lightning. It's not that I resented him for his health and happiness, it's just that his athleticism stood in stark contrast to what I anticipated for our son. I just knew my son would never be able to run with such grace and abandon.

Fast forward five years to today. Seems my son had a play date this afternoon with one of his little classmates. Her mom talked to my wife a couple of weeks ago; apparently, her daughter wanted to spend some time with my boy because he is the fastest kid in class - she wanted to practice racing him so she could beat him.

It's funny how life works out. We're not promised prosperity, happiness, or endless good times. But even when life throws us its challenges, we can be confident that all things work to good for those who love our Creator. God is good - we just need to align ourselves with Him to truly understand that.


Filed under  //   JRA   Positive Thinking   Religion  
Posted October 7, 2008
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Cottonwood on the South Fork of the Shoshone - Cody, Wyoming

One of several great things I learned from a Rocky Mountain School of Photography weekend I attended once: always look behind you. After capturing the autumn river shot I'd set out to bag, I turned and saw this lone cottonwood in its fall glory.

Looks like this tree has seen better days, but it's current shape makes it all the more interesting. I hope life is like that: I'm not getting any younger!

Shot with my 40-150mm at 71mm, f14 for 1/40 sec.

Filed under  //   Cody   Fall   Photography   Shoshone River   Wyoming  
Posted October 7, 2008
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My Favorite River Shot of the Day. South Fork of the Shoshone - Cody, WY

After I'd ventured about 20 miles west of Cody, I finally found a county road that took me back toward the river on public ground. Crossing an old, single-lane iron bridge, I was rewarded with this shot that qualifies as my favorite shot of the day. Sans tripod, I was able to steady my camera on the girders of the bridge to keep things sharp.

Shot with my 40-150mm at 45mm, f14 at 1/60 sec.

Filed under  //   Cody   Photography   Shoshone River   Wyoming  
Posted October 5, 2008
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Castle Rock on the South Fork of the Shoshone River - Cody, Wyoming

Castle Rock is an interesting geographical feature that juts about 700 feet above the valley floor west of Cody, Wyoming. Famous mountain man Jim Bridger noted this landmark when he passed by here in the fall of 1807. Save the expensive homes lining the river, one wonders if it looked similar in his day...

I chose this perspective because I like the way the butte in the background mimics Castle Rock in the foreground. Shot with my 40-150mm at 55mm, f14 for 1/50 sec.

Filed under  //   Castle Rock   Cody   Fall   Mountains   Photography   Shoshone River   Wyoming  
Posted October 5, 2008
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