The Kingfisher, I am getting closer to taking a good photo of this beautiful bird. I take my chair and camera and just sit still where it likes to fish. One has to have lots of patience and sit very still for these birds to not take off. This is the fun part of wildlife photography for me.
The Kingfisher
Photos Taken with Bridge Camera through the RV window. This photo surprised me as it turned out pretty well for taking it inside of a moving vehicle. I looked out my window and this beautiful lake was right there. Sometimes this little camera surprises me on how well it can work.
Here is the link for last weeks post about camping at Plymouth Montana, the bike trail and tunnel. Plymouth Washington Bike Trail and Tunnel
I have two cameras that I use for my photography. One of them is this Lumix FZ 1000 bridge camera. The phrase “bridge camera” has been in use at least since the 1980s, and continues to be used with digital cameras. The term was originally used to refer to film cameras which “bridged the gap” between point-and-shoot cameras and SLRs.
It is basically a camera that has a zoom lens built right in. This is the camera I use the most when out for a hike or when traveling. The bad thing about these cameras, they have a small sensor inside. Which means that each pixel is smaller and can capture less light, resulting in poor high-ISO/low-light performance.
But for something quick and easy it works just fine and for the most part the photos are pretty clear when there is enough sun light. This camera is already outdated and there are new bridge cameras on the market that I may be trading in for some day.
For example, this photo was taken on a cloudy day with this camera. Settings are 1/2500 sec shutter speed, ISO 500, f8, 146mm lens. It is not a sharp photo at all, but not bad for a cloudy day with this Panasonic camera.
This photo below is better, there is a little more sunshine. Camera settings are; f4.5, 1/4000 ss, ISO 125. More of the details are visible in this photo of the birds feathers. Post processing will help to sharpen the photo just a bit. This bridge camera has 20 megapixels, with 1 ” sensor.
The difference is clear when changing to a full frame camera that has a bigger sensor on it. My Nikon is a FX-format full-frame CMOS image sensor with 45.7 megapixels. Technology is quite something when it comes to cameras these days.
Sony actually has a camera that has 61 megapixels, but it does coast a mere $4000 dollars. 🙂
Photos Taken with Bridge Camera
Beautiful Scenic Drive in WA, continuing across White Pass the views are amazing. Traces of snow here and there along the way.
A wall made out of rocks to help stop rocks from rolling across the highway as they slide down the mountain sides. We did drive by a huge pile of glass on the side of the road. One can only imagine a rock might have hit a car window. I was watching for that after I saw the glass.
You can see Mount Rainier from this drive as well.
Beautiful Scenic Drive in WA
White Pass Scenic Byway travels along US-12 from I-5 (between Chehalis and Castle Rock) to Naches exploring the majestic Cascade Mountains and central Washington. The road travels to an elevation of 4,500 feet, revealing expansive mountain views, some tree-covered, some jagged rock and some snow-capped. Add in lush forest, sparkling lakes and streams and you have a picture perfect drive.
But, we were going to cross at the end of May last year and during this time of year White Pass can have rain/snow and or ice storms everyday anytime of day. So I was checking the weather every day as we got closer not wanting to drive the pass if the temperatures were going to be at freezing with rain.
We had 2 choices to get over to Olympia from Yakima, Hwy 12 white pass or the other hwy going out of Yakima which is hwy 410. Well I always zoom in on the map when making our routes and the photo on the right is Hwy 410, See how the road zig zag’s at Naches Peak, we really did not want to do that in an RV. 🙂
I can’t imagine planning this trip with a paper map, even though I drove a Semi for a couple of years, many years ago and had to use a paper map back then. That says how old I am. Don’t tell anyone. 🙂
Needless to say, the weather was perfect for crossing over this mountain. It is a scenic road worth taking and it has plenty of places to pull off and take photos. Along with plenty of campgrounds along the route. We did not stop on this trip, so all the photos here are taken through the RV window.
Trucks tend to hug the center line going through this tunnel.
The lake views are amazing.
White Pass Scenic Byway
Plymouth Washington, another fun place we found to camp at right along the Columbia river bordering Washington and Oregon. We stopped for gas just before the park back in May as you can see the sign says $4.65 for regular. Our cat and smaller dog always jump up into the window when we stop so they can look around and sit in the sun when it is cold outside.
We looked on the map and saw that there is a lock and dam on this river called the McNary Lock and Dam. This dam is built on the Columbia river which is full of Pacific Salmon.
So we noticed there is a bike path going all the way to the dam, so we headed that way. We came across this giant tunnel that you have to ride through to get to the dam. It looked pretty spooky at first because it is quite long and pitch black in their when you first enter it.
I will have a video of it next week, I am always ahead on photos and the videos come out later. Come to find out this tunnel used to have train tracks in it as the trains would have to pass through here.
But they changed that and rerouted the train to go over the hill instead of through it.
The interesting thing about this dam is that they built a salmon run so the salmon can still go up stream during spawning. It runs up hill and around the dam back into the lake on the other side.
They also built a viewing area inside of a building so you can go in there and watch the salmon swim by. It is like a little tunnel in there for them with lights on you can see them.
If you look close you can see the outline of a huge salmon swimming by the window.
I found this so interesting, because I have never seen a salmon before until now.
Have a great weekend.
Plymouth Washington
The Land of Irrigation, Idaho and Oregon by far has the most beautiful pasture land I have ever seen. We cam across a lot of pastures that were being watered by high pressure irrigation systems, not only for their crops but also on the pastures even with animals like horses and cows in the pastures with the sprinklers going.
Here is the link to my video for yesterdays post on my You Tube Channel, I do like making videos of where we have been along with taking photos. Link; Idaho’s Grand Canyon Here
I grew up raising horses and my pastures never looked liked these. They are so lush and green and not one manure brown spot anywhere to be seen and no weeds anywhere as well. I was quite impressed.
The Land of Irrigation
What Crop is This in Idaho, About 95% of this product grown in the United States comes from Washington, Idaho and Oregon.
The 2020 USDA report shows 9,268 acres in Idaho, more than 17.1 million pounds of it harvested, and a crop value of nearly $100 million.
Do you know what this is? I had no idea when we first saw all these sticks in the field, so I had to look it up my self.
Hoppin’ Hops: Idaho at the Center of Beer Culture. These are hop fields.
Hops are the green cone-shaped flowers, or “inflorescence,” of the Humulus lupulus plant. They’re a climbing perennial with a distinct jackpot for craft brewers. Hidden inside each cone are tiny yellow pods or glands called lupulin—the source of bitterness, aroma, and flavor in beer.
In addition to beer, hops are used in herbal teas and in soft drinks. These soft drinks include Julmust (a carbonated beverage similar to soda that is popular in Sweden during December), Malta (a Latin American soft drink) and kvass. Hops can be eaten; the young shoots of the bine are edible and can be cooked like asparagus.
What Crop is This in Idaho
Exploring Idaho ,back to the end of last winters trip. I get carried away with putting photos on that I am taking now, but I still have 3 states to go from the previous trip. So Idaho is next, a state that we have never been to.
As we first entered into the state at the SW corner, you can see that the view goes on for ever. This first photo shows some water in the background which is the snake river. We camped there for about a week. This was back in May of 2022, so the temperatures were not all that warm yet.
We were making a slow trek towards Washington and Montana, knowing we were going to go over White Pass. White Pass (elev. 4,500 feet (1,372 m)) is a mountain pass in the northwest United States, in the Cascade Range of Washington, southeast of Mount Rainier and north of Goat Rocks. We did not want to get there to soon because they can have snow and ice storms everyday at any time of day. We were waiting for it to warm up a little at the pass.
As we were camping here for a week, we found on the map a place called Bruneau Canyon, a short drive from where we were staying. Well this road makes it look like a very long drive. 🙂
This area below in the photo had a sign at the start of the road that said, WARNING; This road crosses US Air Force bombing range for the next 12 miles, Objects may fall from air craft.
Well, nothing fell on us. But we did see a runway off in the distance surrounded by fence.
Anyway, back to the story. We made it to the canyon. This canyon is referred to as Idaho’s Mini Grand Canyon. It is quite something to see. Almost as if the earth split open for miles and a river flowing down at the bottom.
Exploring Idaho
Unusual Nesting Material, we were driving down the backroads in Idaho when I notice this blob of stuff on top of a electric poll. So we pulled over and I had to zoom in with my camera and that is when I saw the Osprey Birds head amongst the sticks and realized it is a nest.
Birds have adapted to the loss of habitat for their nest and are now fortifying their construction with man made material. It is not a pretty nest but I imaging it is a bit stronger with all that twine holding the twigs together.
We stopped at this lake and camped for a week here on the snake river in the lower corner of Idaho last winter.
Unusual Nesting Material
Bird Art Tells a Story, As I look at all the photos I take, I am looking for a certain pose when it comes to bird photography. On average one or two photos out of 20 will be good when photographing wildlife, especially if you are using burst on your camera.
When it comes to bird photography, I like to save the shots where the bird is looking away or looking down. Almost as if it is thinking about something or daydreaming.
With Blue Herons, it is easy to get a shot like this because they are normally looking down at the water for food. I love the light in this photo, just enough shadow and light to create a nice piece of art work for me.
If you are a beginner in photography and want to practice photographing birds. Pick birds like the Blue Heron or Egrets and even Pelicans. They are a little slower which gives you plenty of time to practice focusing your camera, even in flight, they are fun birds to photograph.
Have a great weekend.
Bird Art Tells a Story
Fog and Sunshine Photography, this time of year there are a lot of foggy days in the south. Which I love for photography. This blue heron is perched on a pole with some heavy fog behind him that gives a wonderful blurred background to this photo.
But, sunshine is a photographers best friend when it comes to enhancing detail in your subjects. We have taken up fishing here, well I shouldn’t say we, husband has taken up fishing and I go along with my camera. Because birds and fishing go hand in hand. They like to be close to the people fishing just in case they can catch a free meal.
This allows me to have some great photo opportunities of these birds close up and personal.
Fog and Sunshine Photography
Birding Adventures, one of my goals for this year is to get a really nice photo of the King Fisher Bird. In my area there is the Belted King Fisher. I know where this one below hangs out, I just have to get there early enough and sit patiently waiting for it to land in a nice sunny spot.
I was able to capture this photo as the king fisher was hovering over water looking for some food down below. It was quite far away and the sun caught its wing a bit, but the head was still in the shadows. I will keep working on it and let you know when I finally get that shot I am looking for.
I see these red berries everywhere this time of year, I am not sure what they are or if a bird even eats them. But they add a nice contrasting color to the winter browns.
Birding Adventures
A Parallel Realm, A parallel realm where everything operates according to His will.
Night photography is a challenge but fun as well, going out in the dark of the night and looking up into the heavens. My camera picks up more than what my eye can see most of the time.
I went out yesterday morning, as I new there is a full moon out right now, to see what possible photo I might find to take that would be a little different. I was walking back to my jeep and this puddle of water caught my eye as the moon is reflecting in it.
So I set up my camera with an aperture setting of f/22 and a long exposure of 10 sec shutter speed. f22 point sources of light become these bright, multi-pointed stars. The result is below, it was an empty parking lot with some buildings in the background as well. Something a little different.
This photo below I was using my bridge camera and it only has an Aperture of f8, so I was not able to get the star effect of the moon over this parking lot, which is actually a truck stop we spent the night at when we were out west.
A parallel realm where everything operates according to His will.
A Parallel Realm
Lightning Photography, the other morning I woke up to the sound of thunder and rain. I got up and looked outside and off to the east I saw a lot of lightning. So I quick checked the weather station as to where the storm was from my location.
It was way off to the east so I quickly grabbed my camera gear and headed out to find a spot to set up my camera. I was almost to late, I was able to get a short video and about 8 photos as the storm raced across the morning sky.
Short Video below or this Link; Lightning Strikes over Water
I actually only used my Go Pro camera for this series of photos. I attached the go pro to the front bumper on my jeep. There is actually a hitch on the front of the jeep that sticks up high and I attached the go pro to the end of it and went back inside the jeep and watched the lightning show.
My settings for these shots are; 20 second intervals with a 15 sec shutter speed and ISO of 100.
I then took all the good photos I had and stacked them on top each other to get the final results of the photo below. It combined all the lightning strikes together.
Lightning Photography
Red Shouldered Hawk, I finally photographed a hawk. Well, I photographed one flying quite a while ago. Not sure what kind it was. But these two sat so nice for me as I was walking along the road underneath them.
At first I went out without my camera for my morning walk. Which I had told myself many times to not do that. So these two landed in a tree in front of me first when I did not have a camera. I continued my walk and they landed in another tree above me.
So I stopped and said, “Fine, I am going to go get my camera and you two better still be here when I get back. ” As I was saying it to them.
Usually they don’t do what I ask them to do, but this time they were still there. It is early morning so they have a warm glow to them from the sun just coming up and then to get a pair of them is quite a treat for me to add to my bird count.
Have a great weekend.
Red Shouldered Hawk
My Favorite Bird of Birds, The Pelican. When in the south, one must go see the brown pelicans. Not only are they amazing to watch catching fish and landing on water. They can have a comical look to them as well, especially when they look right at you.
I was down by the water and these to characters were following me as I walked along the dock. They are looking for a hand out in the way of free fish. Which I did not have.
So I actually laid down on the dock and put my camera right above the water as they inched closer to see what it was. Which enabled me to get this nice photo of them at their level. I just love photographing these guys.
My Favorite Bird of Birds
Natural Southern Charm on the rot iron fence. Warm humid weather and iron fences can create some artistic floral designs. In the sense of moss and ivy growing all over it. I think it looks artistic my self.
Fun fact, I used the term rot iron and had to look up what it means. Because there is rot iron and cast iron. I am not sure exactly what this gate is made of but it looks cool.
Wrought Iron is iron that has been heated and then worked with tools. Cast Iron is iron that has been melted, poured into a mold, and allowed to solidify. The fundamental distinction between cast iron and wrought iron is in how they are produced
Natural Southern Charm
Merrehope is a stately, 20-room Neoclassical Revival mansion, restored and furnished by the town of Meridian Restorations Foundation, Inc. It features unusual woodwork and a handsome stairway, columns. and mantels.
I love exploring places like this during our travels. The architecture alone is quite beautiful I think. We did not go into this home at the time of our visit. But we did get a chance to visit with one of the tour guides as he was just pulling up to the house when we were looking around.
He mentioned Christmas time is their most popular time as it is decorated from head to toe inside. But the sad news is, the state of Mississippi won’t give any money to keep this estate up, as far as grants and such.
He was telling us that it does cost a lot to keep it maintained, like painting it and finding folks to just mow the lawn in the summer months. It is all volunteers that keep it going now. It is the last home of its kind standing in the area.
He also mentioned that they rarely see young folk come by anymore to learn the history of the home. He said they are just not interested in stuff like this. I do thank the kind gentleman for taking time to talk to us here. A beautiful place for sure.
Merrehope Mansion Mississippi
Close the Door on 2022 and let the new year begin. Happy New Year
Video below of my rendition of celebrating a new year. Immersed in nature at sunset. Or click here; New Year Celebration with Nature
May your new year be filled with love, family, friends and new adventures. Where ever they may take you, get out and explore. Live as if tomorrow may never come and as if today will last forever. Live in the moment and take in every bit of the great outdoors when you can.
Close the Door on 2022
Wormsloe Mile Long Entrance avenue lined with live oaks is a classic image from the moonlight and magnolias Old South. Found here in Savannah GA.
In the 1890s, Wymberley Jones De Renne laid out the live oak avenue, to celebrate the birth of his son.
A breathtaking avenue sheltered by live oaks and Spanish moss leads to the tabby ruins of Wormsloe, the colonial estate of Noble Jones (1702–1775). Jones was a humble carpenter who arrived in Georgia in 1733 with James Oglethorpe and the first group of settlers from England.
If you enjoy seeing Live Oak trees, make sure to visit this beautiful place. Wormsloe occupies the southern portion of the Isle of Hope, a peninsula four miles long and as much as a mile wide near Savannah Ga.
Have a Wonderful Weekend and Happy New Year
Wormsloe Mile Long Entrance
The name live oak came from the fact that they remain green and “alive” throughout the winter when other oak trees are dormant and leafless.
While many species of oak trees are found throughout the world’s temperate zones, live oaks are native only from Virginia south to Florida and west to central Texas, especially thriving in the heat and humidity.
The Name Live Oaks
Mixture of Unexpected Colors from nature to man made. We are camping at a spot in Georgia that has a mixture of color during this month of December. This little bug landed on a board that was covered with raindrops. I do not know what kind of bug it is, but I found the colors to be interesting with its orange stripes and red legs.
This rv campground is also a mixture of trailer houses and spots for your rv. But they made it very colorful by painting all the trailer homes bright colors. Definitely a southern feel to it. We are in the midst of the cold weather down here in Georgia as well as all over the country.
But no snow, so I can’t complain.
Mixture of Unexpected Colors
Rhythmic Sounds of Steam Engine, video below. The steam locomotives have a rhythmic sound as they sit idling at a station as this one does below, the #81 in Ely Nevada. I marvel at the engineering of such things as this.
You can see the video by visiting my home page. The videos don’t show up in reader just to let you know.
Rhythmic Sounds of Steam Engine
I heard this song the other day by Alan Jackson, I found the lyrics to be very fitting.
The older I get
The more I think
You only get a minute, better live while you’re in it
‘Cause it’s gone in a blink
And the older I get
The truer it is
It’s the people you love, not the money and stuff
That makes you rich (video below)The Older I Get Video Here
The older I get
The longer I pray
I don’t know why, I guess that I’ve
Got more to say
And the older I get
The more thankful I feel
For the life I’ve had and all the life I’m living still
The Older I Get
The Back Roads in Nevada
The Back Roads in Nevada, we did a lot of exploring when we were camping in Nevada last winter. Every corner we turned was a surprising new landscape to see, something most unexpected at times.
We headed out one morning from the little town of Pioche and saw mountains off in the distance. As the drive started it was flat barren land and not much to look at.
We drove to the base of Horse thief Mountain and as we turned around the last bend these beautiful rock cliffs were surrounding us on all sides.
This part of Nevada has lots of natural springs where water is coming out of the ground on its own and flowing down some of the dirt roads. As you can see here we were driving the back country as fresh water just flowed down the road.
We also came across some old gold mines off on some of these roads, I looked it up and Nevada still has nearly 180,000 active mines. We will be visiting this area again one day.
The Back Roads in Nevada
