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

Toward Castle Rock on the South Fork of the Shoshone River - Cody, WY

Here's another shot of the Shoshone River that I took today, this one looking west toward Castle Rock. This was one of the few areas I found where I was able to get close to the river without crossing private land - most of the South Fork is land-locked by private property. Consequently, I spent a good part of my time hunting for the perfect river shot. This one came close, but it wasn't quite what I was looking for. That said, I liked that the shot captured the incoming weather coming down the valley. Shot with my 14-45mm at 45mm, f14 for 1/50 sec.

Filed under  //   Cody   Fall   Photography   Shoshone River   Wyoming  
Posted October 5, 2008
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Towards Carter Mountain Overlooking the South Fork of the Shoshone - Cody, Wyoming

I spent the weekend in Cody, Wyoming while my wife and sister-in-law visited family. Rather than hanging out with the fam today, I decided to sneak out for a drive to shoot the fall colors on the South Fork of the Shoshone River. I forgot my tripod in Bozeman, so I had to take most of these shots hand-held. If you've ever spent time in Cody, you know that this can be a challenge considering the gale force winds that often blow on the South Fork. Today was no exception, and I wound up discarding several blurry shots tonight during post-processing.

This weekend also marked the opening of hunting season - there were several guys wearing hunter orange driving here and there in their pickups. Needless to say, I stayed pretty close to the vehicle (I was wearing black and didn't want to be mistaken for the local fauna).

This shot is taken from above the inlet to the Buffalo Bill Reservoir looking south toward Carter Mountain. Shot with my 40-150mm at 62mm, f14 for 1/40 sec.

Filed under  //   Cody   Fall   Mountains   Photography   Shoshone River   Wyoming  
Posted October 5, 2008
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Who's Getting Hooked Here? A Review of My Current Fly Fishing Expenditures

Recently I blogged about the fly fishing class I'm taking through Bozeman Adult Ed. I've been through two classes now, and I'm still an enthusiastic student. In fact, I've started 'investing' the cash it takes to get going with this hobby. The tally so far:
  • Rod and reel - I'm good here, as I have an 8.5' rod from Cabela's that I bought about seven years ago (it's cheap, but it will do the job for a beginner). The rod has seen precious little use - I bought it right before a trip to Alaska, thinking I needed to take a rod with me like every other guy who heads to the great white north. In fact, we went deep-sea fishing - twice - and I think I wet the fly line once for 15 minutes (with no success). Of course I had no idea what I was doing, so that's to be expected. I used the rod again late this summer in Montana's Beartooth mountains (Companion Lake) and caught a couple of small Rainbows; that was enough to remind me of the fun I had fishing during my childhood and suggest how cool it might be if I actually had a clue. Hence, the fly fishing class.
  • Waders - Were this August instead of October, I'd probably skip the waders for now and just learn by wet wading. But with winter fast approaching, I'm not overly thrilled at the thought of standing in water that's getting colder by the day. So yesterday, my wife and I (notice how I wisely invited the decision maker along) had lunch together and then slipped over to the big 3 day sale at the Greater Yellowstone Flyfishers shop in Four Corners. There, I picked up a set of Cloudveil 8x chest waders for an obscenely low price that I hesitate to mention. Let's just say I picked up a top-of-the-line set of waders at a price I should have paid for a good starter pair.
  • Wading boots - Waders are no good without wading boots. So after I got the great deal on the Cloudveils, I had to pick up a pair of boots. For that, I trekked over to Bob Ward's in Bozeman where I got a pair of William Joseph W20 wading boots for $60 - again, a great deal (retail is $98). I keep reminding my wife that it's not what you spend - it's what you save!
  • Bear mace - If you're going to spend time outdoors in Montana, you have to be bear-aware. Part of that awareness is carrying bear mace. It's basically strong pepper spray that will - hopefully - deter a bear in full charge if you manage to spray her in the face before she takes you down. Of course, the fact that the spray reaches only 30 feet means you've got to display some pretty big cajones to stand your ground until the bear is in range. Perhaps it's fortunate that a griz in full charge can cover that distance in just over a second - you won't have much time to worry about it! The stuff's not foolproof, but it's sure better than nothing. I paid $35 for a can at Sierra Trading Post.
That's it so far, although I guess I've also dropped a few bucks to pick up a handful of flys and nymphs. Now I just need to get out on the river - something that will hopefully happen next weekend.

This is gonna be cool...

Filed under  //   Adult Ed   Bozeman   Fly Fishing   Montana  
Posted October 4, 2008
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Nikon D90 - High Definition Video in an SLR?

By now, you may have seen the Ashton Kutcher commercial for Nikon's new D90. In fact, Nikon has set up a dedicated web site just for the Kutcher campaign.

I'm an Olympus guy myself, but this camera looks sweet. There was a time when SLR snobs turned their nose up at the mere suggestion that an SLR might include video. Yet that's exactly what Nikon has done. The D90 includes 24 frames-per-second HD video, along with a 12.3 megapixel sensor. Couple that with the 4.5 fps still shot, and you've got a camera that should be as at-home on the soccer field as in the studio.

Read DP Review's take on the Nikon D90, and then buy the camera at Amazon. If I were not already invested in Zuiko lenses for my Oly (or if I were independently wealthy), I'd take a serious look at this camera myself.

Update: I've just learned that Canon's 5D MARK II DSLR also shoots HD video (it offers 1080 resolution as compared to the D90's 720). The Canon is clearly targeted at a different consumer, however; its 21 megapixels (as compared to the D90's 12) and $2700 price tag put the camera out of reach of most amateurs.

Filed under  //   5D MARK II   Cameras   Canon 5DII   D90X   DSLR   Nikon  
Posted October 3, 2008
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Beaverslide in Montana's Grasshopper Valley

I took this shot on a recent visit to the Grasshopper Valley near Dillon, MT. Beaverslides were used in the early 1900s to stack hay and are still in use today in certain areas of Montana. Read more about Beaverslides.

It was unfortunate that I had to take this shot under cloudy skies - a beautiful Montana Big Sky blue would have been fabulous. I'd like to return to the Grasshopper Valley in autumn to get a shot of the countryside in full fall color.

Filed under  //   Beaver Slide   Grasshopper Valley   Montana   Photography  
Posted October 2, 2008
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Fall Color at Oxbow Bend

Here's another angle on the Snake River from Oxbow Bend. I liked this one because it highlights the beautiful fall colors in the area. Shot with my 70-300mm at 96mm, 1/40 sec at f11.

Filed under  //   Fall   Mountains   Oxbow Bend   Photography   Snake River   Tetons  
Posted October 1, 2008
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Mt. Moran from Jenny Lake

In keeping with the Mt. Moran theme, here's a shot of Mt. Moran taken from Jenny Lake with my 14-45mm wide-angle lens at 16mm. Again, the polarizer and a proper (90 degree) angle to the sun gives that deep blue sky that I love so much in landscape images.

Filed under  //   Jenny Lake   Lakes   Mountains   Mt. Moran   Photography   Tetons   Wyoming  
Posted October 1, 2008
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Mt. Moran from Oxbow Bend

Here's Mt. Moran from a different focal length at Oxbow Bend - this time shot with my 70-300mm Zuiko lens at 70mm. Probably not the best focal length to shoot with that lens - my 40-150mm lens would have been a better choice. That said, I think the image is adequate...

Filed under  //   Fall   Mountains   Mt. Moran   Photography   Snake River   Tetons  
Posted October 1, 2008
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Oxbow Bend in Autumn

Taking a shot of Mt. Moran and the Tetons from the Snake River's Oxbow Bend is one of those cliche shots that demands to be taken. In fact, with the fall colors at their height, photogs were lined up to shoot from the best vantage points. I went down to the riverside to take this one, which I think came out fine. There was a good bit of haze in the air by the time we got to this point in the trip, so the Tetons are not as clear as I would like. My quest for the perfect shot from Oxbow Bend continues...

Filed under  //   Fall   Mountains   Photography   Snake River   Tetons   Wyoming  
Posted September 30, 2008
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Grand Teton and Pole Fence

Here's another shot I took on my way home from Jackson Hole yesterday. Given the beautiful fall colors, we decided to take the Jenny Lake loop to get near the base of the Tetons. This idyllic shot was too good to pass up.

Filed under  //   Fall   Grand Teton   Photography   Tetons   Wyoming  
Posted September 30, 2008
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