Kandace: The Nomad Photographer!

There are Strange Things Done in the Land of the Midnight Sun!

 

"There are strange things done in the land of the midnight sun by the men who fish for trout;

 The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run out; 

The Northern Lights have seen strange sights, but the strangest they ever did see

was the night on the marge of the Bearclaw Lodge, I shot some imagery."

            My apologizes to Robert Service

 

Thus begins my adventures of "wild" Alaska . . .  

And, for me, that statement holds true. I have surpassed anything that I thought I was capable of accomplishing. I flew to Alaska Trophy Adventures on a very small plane, landed above the lodge on a homemade landing strip. I rode Cat 3 rapids up and down a raging river, hiked in several miles through current laden streams to photograph the Coastal Brown Bears. And, I flew out on a floatplane from one of the more remote areas of Southwestern Alaska, in Katmai National Park.

I spent three days photographing along the Alagnak Wild River, a river rich in cultural history, physical beauty, and natural resources, spawning a diverse population of fish and wildlife, about 79 miles long spilling into Bristol Bay, in southwestern Alaska. This river is managed by the National Park Service according to the provisions of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. 

Its spawning time for the Sockeyes and the Silvers so where the salmon are so are the coastal brown bears and so are the fly fishermen, and one in particular, Jim Heimer.

We landed in King Salmon amist a fog that had rolled in from Bristol Bay. Charlie, owner of Alaskan Trophy Adventures, arrived to pick us up and fly us across the terra nova tundra of Katmai National Park in his very small plane. When I saw the plane (not a float plane), I immediately asked him how we were going to land. With a twinkle in his eye and a big grin, he replied that he had a small "airport" behind his lodge. Oh, okay . . . but how many pounds can this plane hold . . . 900 lbs.  Let's just say that between Jim, Charlie and I plus the luggage, we would be cutting it close. For all my anxiety, it was a pleasant jot to Alaskan Trophy Adventures. An eco-friendly sustainable lodge that is located on scenic Alagnak River in Katmai National Park.

We were assigned to the VIP cabin with an ATV as transportation to and from the main lodge area. It’s the poster child for remote wildness. They told us to shout, “Go Away Bear” when we left the cabin just in case a bear was lurking nearby or on the deck! However, the two very large English (special breed) yellow Labs, named Winston and Kodiak, were the official canine alarm system. They would bark when bears or wolves were in the vicinity.

There was an international crowd at the lodge, most for bear viewing. The guy from Pakistan and Jim were the only ones fly fishing. I met two other photogs, which, like myself, where there to photograph the bears. Claudia, Arla and I had interesting conversations every night around cocktails and dinner mostly centered on photography. I enjoyed their company both in the field as well as at breakfast and dinner. We are already planning future photography trips.
The sunrises and sunsets were spectacular to say the least . . . each morning I was greeted with a fog hanging low across the wild river as this fiery ball made its way into the sky above. In the evening, the sun set behind the VIP cabin but produced brilliant hues of oranges, reds, and yellows across the twilight sky.

Day One

I went out with John Hyde, a professional photographer from Juneau, and our guide in a small jet-powered boat. We explored the Alagnak downstream just letting the current carry us through a meandering maze of rocks, rapids, calm waters, and shallows in search of the Coastal Brown Bear, Ursus arctos horribilis. Brown bears found inland and in mountainous habitats are called “grizzlies” while brown bears living in coastal areas are called coastal brown bears. Often you hear brown bears called “Kodiak” bears, which are a subspecies of the brown bear and isolated to Kodiak Island in Alaska. Because of the abundance of food available in the coastal areas, the coastal brown bears are much larger in size than a grizzly.

Our only bear viewing that day was a large male making his way across the tundra. We spotted the bear crossing as we made the bend in the river coming upstream. Of course the bear scambled up the 15 foot embankment with ease as soon as he made landfall. John and the guide, slipping and sliding up the embankment (it had rained the night before), managed to follow the bear. They asked if I wanted to come and I declined after seeing the struggle that John went through. However, as I sat in the boat, tied to a tree trunk, I thought of a safety issue that might present itself . . . how would I drive the boat if it broke its anchor? But a more dire consequences went running through my mind when I thought of the movie, "Grizzly," where the bear doubled back. No that wouldn't happen! Attacked by a bear or stuck in a runaway boat down a raging river with big boulders in the pathway.

Bald Eagles

We did encounter several bald eagles, Haliaeetus leucocephalus. This bird, as it soared in the sky above, made me realize just what defines this majestic symbol of the United States. The bald eagle represents freedom, and in wild Alaska, the last frontier, you can truly experience that freedom.

In the early morning hours at one of the first battles of the Revolution, the noise of war awoke the bald eagles. They flew from their nests, circling high above and crying out over the heads of the men that were fighting. “The eagles are shrieking for freedom,” shouted the patriots. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day Two 

We hit the “mother lode.”

We traveled an hour up river through a large canyon, where it narrows, to Lake Kukaklek.

These narrows produce Cat 3 rapids. And, according to our experienced guide, Patrick, it can be quite dangerous without a jet-powered boat to navigate through the large boulders just below the surface. But, more important, you need an experienced river runner, like Patrick, who knows the most dangerous spots in the river and how to maneuver around through rapids. One concern and always on Patrick's mind was the glare caused by the water and the position of the sun as we made our way back to the lodge.

 

 

 

 

 

We anchored the boat and made our way upstream, fighting the current on foot, carrying tripods and camera equipment through the braided headwaters of a small river, appropriate named, “Bear River.”

 

As I rounded the bend in a meandering elbow, my excitement abated into fear when my eyes first laid glaze on several large brown bears fishing for sockeye salmon not more than 20 feet away. They watched as we quietly setup on a small island.

We shot on the island for a few hours while the bears made their way fishing up and downstream, occasionally stopping to watch us and sniffing the air. Light became too harsh so we decided to move upstream to get a better angle. Of course moving upstream meant sharing the water with a 900 lb brown bear. The idea is to move slowly and quietly, well as quietly as you can, albeit in fishing waders and “Frankenstein” boots against a strong current (does make for a good workout though) with a river bottom littered in an assortment of various sized rocks. We found a great spot, and with better angle of light, we set tripods in water, mounted with the 500mm lens, and commence to fire away. Of course, it was a little daunting to have our "tushes" leaning against the riverbank with our backs to the bear trails just behind us.

 

On our way back, we had a moment of fright, when a “teenage” brown bear stopped fishing, stared straight at us, stood on his hind legs, sniffing the air and throwing his jowls around. The guide quietly had us stop, bunch together, and look straight at the bear. Of course, this was a great opportunity to get the “standing on hind legs” photo. Alas, that was not to be because the guide told me not to click that shutter. So for several frightful moments we had the infamous standoff at the “OK Corral.” But out of the corner of his eye, Mr. Bear saw a nice salmon and went back to fishing. He figured it was much more tasty than a bunch of odd shaped things in Frankenstein boots. 

Day Three

Day Three was the highlight of the trip . . . we encountered a sow and her two clubs. It was amazing to watch her fish while her clubs played and slept nearby. She watched us with caution but still continued to fish right in front of us. We were so close . . . at the most about 10 yards away. In most cases, we were only 20 feet away.

 

She watches the river from an advantage point on the bank. When she spotted her prey, she pounced in with a large leap in a thunderous splash of water and foam, for the death grip with the salmon firmly in her teeth.

Our guides, who were armed, told us that this was the first time she allowed her clubs out when humans were around.

Because of the abundance of food, the bears do not seem to mind the present of humans. However, they are the largest land based predator of North America so it goes without saying that there are rules to follow . . . strict rules for photographing bears on the border of Katmai National Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bearclaw Lodge on the Aleknagik

I apologize for reversing my timeline but I did come to Alaska to shoot bears . . .

In the first lag of our journey, we stayed at Bearclaw Lodge, located on the shores of Aleknagik Lake, near Dillingham, Alaska. While Jim fished the headwaters of Aleknagik Lake, I photographed wildlife, fish, and eagles.

Formed by glaciers, Aleknagik Lake and several other lakes in the Bristol Bay watershed, is the spawning ground of the world's largest population of sockeyes. We were surrounded by forested landscapes, cone-shaped mountains, and windswept tundra across miles of rivers and tributaries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our last day, Jim fished a place called “sunshine valley” in the northernmost part of this glacier fed lake. We encountered a harbor seal so far off course . . . 75 miles off course. Our guide told us it was unusual to sight a seal this far inland. I spent about an hour shooting the seal, and we had to be cagey, with stealth moves to get as close as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All and all, some 4000 pictures later, I was blessed with the ability to photographed one of the most beautiful places in the world with its dramatic landscapes, unbelievable abundance of wildlife, brown bears, bald eagles, and a wayward harbor seal.

 Fishin' by Jim Heimer

If you are not inclined to take the risk of being eaten by grizzly bears, carried away by a bald eagle, or pummeled by raging rapids, then consider fishin’. . .

 

Alaska has some of the most prolific rivers in North America with a wider variety of sport fish than I have found anywhere else.  Although I have caught four species of trout in a single day in Colorado, I never encountered anything like Alaska.

In a single day I caught not only rainbow trout (OK, been there done that), but arctic char, Dolly Varden (very similar to the Char), lake trout, grayling, sockeye salmon and silver (also called Coho) salmon.  And all of this fishing activity took place among beautiful settings of evergreen trees, hardwoods, and tundra, with eagles, geese, ducks, and bears appearing from time to time.  I fly-fished with a guide from a jet boat and waded on the sand bars and rocky bottoms of the rivers.  Of course, you can always have a camera along, while you ride.  In fact, my guide has his DSLR and a couple of lenses in a pelican case in the boat, and he pulled the camera out a couple of times to take advantage of passing wild life.

But the big attraction was the fishin’ and especially the catchin’ that went along with it.  There are few things I enjoy more than landing a challenging fish on light fly-fishing tackle amidst drop dead gorgeous landscapes.

 

 

 

Rocks of Fire: Arches National Park

Once upon a time, a far, far away time (300 million years), God created the land now boosting of the world's densities of natural arches. An ancient sea had flowed through here and eventually evaporated leaving behind the Navajo sandstones of which erosion painted these beautiful arches seen today. 

When in the company of many landscape professional and amateur photogs alike, the conversation always turns to the Western United States, and the famous arches of Arches National Park and Canyonlands.

There are many articles on "how to photograph the arches" and searching Flickr there are thousands of photos on the arches. So, to set yourself apart from the maddening crowd, you are always thinking of new and unusual ways to be creative. And, that goes for anything, including arches. Me, I am just trying to play "catch up."

After freezing our asses off in Montana, we made a quick stopover in Moab, Utah, on our way to High Lonesome Ranch, near Grand Junction, Colorado. The weather had turned pleasantly warm but the nights and early morning hours were still quite chilly.

I came with three objectives . . . photograph Delicate Arch (the most popular arch, naturally - no creativity here) at sunset, framing the La Sal Mountain Range, star trails and night photography at Balancing Rock and a fiery sunrise at Windows arch.

Delicate Arch

The plan  . . . hike up to Delicate Arch, setup, and, as the sun was setting in the West, shoot away, in hopes of capturing the glowing reds, oranges and pinks all combined from rocks to sky. However, reality set in when I started up the trail, and I mean UP the trail. Hiking to Delicate Arch was a daunting task, climbing up as you climb in elevation.

A week later my daughter was on field assignment in Grand Junction, CO. Of course, on her weekend off, she hiked Arches and just mosed right up to Delicate Arch and back . . . no problem.

But I digressed, the park brochure lists Delicate Arch as one of the more strenuous trails.  There is a rock ledge trail just before reaching the arch, and if you have kept up with my travels, you are well aware of my serious height issues (See Porsche trip in Colorado, Aug, 2010).

 
 
I knew that but I wasn't going to let a little fear of heights stop me in my desire to photograph this iconic scene. Even with Jim's help carrying most of the load, I just couldn't make it. My little heart was beating so hard. When I reached the top of one hill, Jim said, "See those tiny people just below the ridge, that's where we have to go." All I could see was a helicopter whisking me away. I probably could have made it, my daughter always calls me a "drama queen," but I just got scared. Okay I said it, I was SCARED SH___less. So back down we went.

Needless to say, with only 30 minutes to spare, (OMG, I am sounding like Peter Lik), we traversed to Delicate Arch Viewpoint, and made the climb there. And, believe me, it wasn't much better . . . shorter maybe, but . . . walking on an 60 degree angle, okay maybe 30 degree. Do you think I could get a break, here?? Side note: For those of you unfamiliar with Peter Lik, he is an Australian photographer who is a bigger "drama queen" than me. If you don't believe me, watch his program on the Weather Channel. He does have some beautiful landscape images, though.

I was so proud of myself . . . I got to the top. It wasn't really where I wanted to be but the sunset was dynamic albeit from a different point of view, and the arch was far, prompting me to use the 70-200 telephoto lens instead of my wide angle and fisheye lens. One thing I did regret was not getting the mountains in the background. But with the help of my personal trainer and a good workout routine, I will make that climb to Delicate Arch next year!

As the sun begin its descent to the other side of the world, the rays bathed the arch with a fiery red color, and the sky turned into a maze of yellow and orange. And, after the sun had completely disappeared below the horizon. I slapped on my Singh-Ray Blue-n-Gold filter just to see what kind of effects would be produced.

At first, my idea was to do star trails perched on this granite ridge where just the slightest off balance could send your repelling down the side without a rope. It was getting dark, and I for one did not one to repel down the granite rock.

Star Trails at Balancing Rock

It was a perfect night sky, with little cloud coverage, and a beautiful foreground of the monolith called Balancing Rock towering over us. Oh yeah baby, it was going to be a STAR TRAIL NIGHT. Well except for two things . . . Balancing Rock wasn't facing North and there was this moon thing going on. Oh well, what the heck! It was dark, and we didn't have time to scout out another location.

I setup the camera and tripod, got my focus in order, check and rechecking while Jim, my engineer, got the cable release to fire off a photo every 3 minutes, 30 seconds, hoping to get at least two hours of shooting. Star trails are always better in a cool, crisp night sky because the camera battery last much longer. As my eyes adjusted to the night, I could see how beautiful the desert landscape glowed in the light of the moon. But with that knowledge, my imagination began to run rabid. What creature comes out at night? Too many horror movies over the years . . . vampires and werewolves of course. Had there been any sightings in this area? What about snakes? spiders? serial killers? Jim and I waited in the SUV, in the comfy seats, heater on, that's all, nothing more. WHAT WAS THAT THAT JUST FLEW BY? A BAT?

Sunrise at Windows/Turret Arch

Sunrise comes early when you stay out half the night doing star trails. So with a cup of Starbucks coffee, we proceeded to Windows Arch to capture the fiery hue of the red rocks as the morning glow peeks through the canyons far below.

The morning light is richer and the long shadows cast by a lower sun reflect details in the landscape not evident at midday.

Most of the famous photos taken of Turret Arch are "the frame within a frame" look shooting from North Window Arch. To get that photo, I needed to be on a small ledge with a shear drop off just on the other side of North Window Arch with my camera pointed towards Turret Arch. Even at 5 am, I didn't get there in time . . . three photogs had beaten me to the punch, and complaining that I needed to stay out of their photo!  

With a 16mm fisheye lens, I shot through North Window Arch as the sun was inching its way towards the heavens. 

In post processing, I decided to convert this same photo into black & white . . . not bad! What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saying Farewell

Jim had a date with a rainbow trout, so reluctantly, I packed up my gear. Arches is truly one of the many wonders of the world. It was an experience I will never forget. As once said by a famous general . . . I will return.

Home on the Bison Range

Winter months have come and gone, the weather has begun to warm our faces, and my husband was ready to go fly fishing. Of course, not close by, but in frickin Montana (1930 miles one way)! The SUV packed to the hilt with fly fishing gear on one side and photographic equipment on the other and clothes stuffed everywhere and anywhere.

Weather reports out of Montana, Wyoming and Colorado were not so good, downright freezing. And, as we were soon to find out, it doesn't get warm until June up North. Our target was Blue Damsel Lodge near Missoula, MT fly fishing the three rivers.

Leaving Amarillo, TX, we encountered gale force winds, and that wind followed us through Wyoming to Montana, with temperatures hovering at 40 degrees or so.

Here Fell Custer

We stopped at the Little Bighorn Battlefield Monument which was one of the last armed efforts of the Northern Plains Indians to preserve their ancestral way of life. Even though they won the battle, they lost the war. The war to live in peace and harmony in their beloved Blackhills. Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, commander of the 7th Cavalry, and a Civil War hero, was part of a major effort by the US Government to rein in the Indians under the leadership of Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and other war chiefs from the Lakota-Cheyenne tribes. On that fateful day, June 25, 1876, a major battle was fought here between 7,000 tribes of Indians and the 7th Cavalry, numbering 600 men. This is what I would call a lose-lose situation . . . Custer and 260 soldiers died that day, and it was the beginning of the end to the nomadic way of life of the Northern Plains Indians.

The white markers show where the soldiers fell on Last Stand Hill.

The remains of some officers were transferred to Eastern cemeteries. Custer's remains are re-interred at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY. (Go NAVY, BEAT Army). The rest of the command are buried in a mass grave around the base of the memorial, which bears their names.

The white marker in the center with a black emblem is where Custer fell.

Jim and I drove the Battlefield Road following the route that Custer took his men. Questions were flowing through my mind . . . why did Custer manage to put 210 men on an indefensible hill in harm's way? Especially since he was considered to be one of the reasons that the South was defeated at Gettysburg in that famous "War of Northern Aggression." (1861-1865).

And, no one knows, why Custer chose to split up his men already outnumbered. I was saddened to learn that they had shot their horses to provide them with cover as the charging indians advanced up the hill.

 

Gallatin River Lodge

We stopped for a few days at the Gallatin River Lodge, near Bozeman, Montana for relaxing, and you guess it, "FISHING." I must say, if you wanted to be pampered for a few days, this is the place. It's hyped as a romantic getaway, but, in the winter, its a stopover to winter activities in the nearby mountains of the Big Sky Country. But, we came for its world class fly fishing.

The early morning hours were the best since the wind seemed to be nonexistent. We hiked down to the river. I was constantly on the lookout for wildlife, birds, mountain lions, etc., but none were to be found. And, I heard from a great fly fisherman that the fish weren't biting either. Since my husband decided to ventured out into the river with his back to me, I aimed my camera at the other fisherman fishing upstream.

 

 Target Achieved

Along a narrow, rocky road, sort of paved / unpaved, through a deep canyon, we finally make it to the Blue Damsel Lodge. The mercury was falling fast. Unfortunately, being the first to arrive for opening season, came with it a score of issues most serious being NO HEAT in the Lodge for the first night. Fully clothed with tons of blankets, I definitely felt like "mom in her kerchup and me in my hat had just settled down for a long winter's nap." Jim loved it but I was freezing my a__ off. 

Jim spent three days fly fishing on Montana's famous rivers . . .  Blackfoot, Bitteroot and the Clark. And, I hired a professional photographer to guide me around all his secret spots. I contacted Andrew Kandel. I am no critic but his photography is probably one of the best I have ever seen next to our famous Texas photographer, Larry Ditto. He has an eye for the creative side showing the viewer "where the wild things are." If you are in Missoula, MT, and in need of a great photographic guide, please contact Andrew. Tell him "hi from a fellow Texan." You see, Andrew originates from Dallas, Texas.

Andrew and I spent the day photographing on the National Bison Range, with a backdrop of the Mission Mountains. I found it amazing at the proximity of wildlife.

The bison, or as a native Oklahoman, I call them, buffalo, were sparse.

However, a herd of pronghorns were happy to oblige our photographic needs. On the Bison range, you are not allowed off the road. We had no complaints to follow the rules . . . the pronghorns just remained eating along side us. Their protected on the range.

In Texas, you just can not get that close to pronghorns.

 

 

I was lucky because Andrew knew where the Short-eared Owls roamed on the Nine Pipe Wildlife Refuge. Just before sunset, these owls were hunting. They have an unusual wing pattern. The wings come straight up over the head and then straight down again similar to a bat. Oh but you have to be quiet when approaching these wise masters of the hunt.

I did see a herd of elk. We setup along the roadside anticipating that they would come up the hill and cross the road in front of us, which they did on their way to higher ground. But this herd had had a rough winter. Not really worth posting any photos. 

The Famous Shot 

Andrew took me to another scenic spot to shoot wide angle, HDR, and/or panorama. We traversed through the grasslands looking for the "perfect" photographic moment. Did we find one? "You betcha."

I loved Andrew's shot of an abandoned farmhouse on the open prairie lands. I hoped to get a similar shot, maybe, not as good but still acceptable! I played with HDR photography to produce this shot.

And, we did shoot the most coveted shot in the Missoula area, maybe in all of Montana. I was able to get a nice pano of it.

A lady stopped to chat for awhile. In the course of our conversation, she gave us a little history on the old barn with the Mission Mountains as a backdrop. It has graced the covers of many magazines.

Jim caught tons of fish, which I was surprised given the freezing temperatures of the rivers, and yours truly, got some nice photos thanks to Andrew.

Montana is known as "Big Sky" country, but its more than just sky, its a state of mind, a sense of ruggedness, a wildness untamed. I love the big, open spaces of both Wyoming and Montana. I hope to return some day, albeit, when the weather is much warmer.

Next stop . . . Arches National Park!

 

It's a Long Way, Baby, to Bosque del Apache!

With a Starbuck's cafe latte (tall, nonfat, no flavoring for yours truly) and a Sonic Route 44 "unsweet" ice tea (Wendy's iconic breakfast drink), and my SUV packed to the hilt, Wendy, a good friend and fellow nature photog, and I made our way to Socorro, New Mexico, in search of the migrating Sandhill Cranes, Grus canadensis, and the Lesser Snow Geese, Chen caerulescens, who winter in Southern New Mexico, at Bosque del Apache NWR (National Wildlife Reserve). It's a long way baby . . . 934 miles, 14 hrs. 39 mins. from Houston, TX.

These migratory birds have been wintering in Bosque for centuries. The wildlife refuge is made up of 57,331 acres located along the Rio Grande with areas where water is diverted to create extensive wetlands, farmlands, etc., and most of the desert lands are preserved as wilderness areas. Corn is grown for the wintering birds.

The name Bosque resonates with "birders" and nature and wildlife photographers.

During the fall and winter, it is not uncommon to see hundreds of photographers with very expensive camera equipment in tow to gather along the various ponds at sunrise to photograph the "blastoff" and/or sunset to shoot the "fly in." And, you can include Wendy and I in that mix . . . up at 4:30 a.m. to get set up before sunrise, with temperatures dropping into the low 20's.

Sandhill Cranes 

You heard it, "Follow the Money," well here it's "Follow the Cranes." And where the cranes are so are the geese. Their location can change daily, but usually the cranes are scattered about the refuge in various roosting ponds. The idea is to get the optimal spot for sunrises so that you can photograph the birds as they "blast off" into the golden light in the early morning hours.

Parts of the park were closed due to mountain lion sightings so there was no hiking in the more remote areas. Mostly, we followed the Marsh Loop and the Farm Loop.

While the geese leave at the same time, the cranes leave in groups, some leave three at a time, others ten at a time. And the numbers vary. 

Sandhills are omnivorous, and their diet will shift depending on the season, and if they are migrating or nesting. At Bosque, since they are not nesting, eat the corn in the cultivated fields. They feed in shallow water, sometimes probing with their long slender bills, or walking through short growth and fields scouring for insects, seeds, berries tubers, fruit, nuts, small mammals, lizards, snakes, frogs, rodents.

 

 

 

 

Lesser Snow Geese

New Mexico's morning sky, is filled with clouds of white and black birds, flying in unison . . . the "blast off" is definitely a sight to behold. The honking of the geese is deafening, like a roaring train coming on full throttle. Photographers, witnessing their first "blast off" at Bosque, actually forget to push the shutter release! I know because I was one of those photogs. But watch out for the bird poop! Note to self: WEAR A HAT!

Wildlife in the Loop

You have to think to yourself . . . just how many crane and geese shots do you really want or need. The routine is to finish up around 9 am, make a "potty" stop at the center, check out the gift shop, which is managed by some very nice volunteers with "Friends of Bosque," and just take a nice break. Wendy and I elected to traverse the Marsh Loop and the Farm Loop in search of other wildlife. 

New Mexico weather, in early December, can be frightful with finger numbing cold. However, by mid morning, I was shedding my layers as we made our way to the SUV. I would have to say, that New Mexico skies are "hands down" one of the most beautiful skies in the country with shades of royal blue, and sunrises and sunsets that explode in colors of orange, red, yellows.

We found this Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, with feathers all a fluff, watching us very, very carefully.

This is one of the many predatory birds that make Bosque its home.

Wendy was excited about the different species of ducks . . . but we really didn't have much luck finding anything else.

As we rounded the bend on the Farm Loop, we saw a Northern Harrier, Circus cyaneus, munching out his lunch, a just captured snow geese. And he was close. We tried to get out our equipment and setup, in dead silence, when naturally, he took off. There were white feathers everywhere.  

A few Bald Eagles winter in Bosque. At the pond area, called the "Landing Deck," there is a fairly large tree, which seems to house the Bald Eagles. The unfortunate part is it's a far way for even a 500mm lens.

Earlier in the week, we were photographing a lone heron when a Bald Eagle flew over. I was at the SUV getting a filter, and Wendy was firing away as the Bald Eagle passed directly overhead. To her dismay, she forgot to put a media card in. Bummer . . . I got a few shots off with my 70-200mm lens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Our next stop . . . White Sands Monument Park.

Sunset on the Sands

White Sands is an historical site known as the world's great natural wonders, consisting of 275 square miles of desert creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield, but also because it is surrounded by the White Sands missile range and the Holloman Air Force Base. Here's an interesting fact that I learned about the mineral, gypsum, that is the makeup of White Sands:

"Gypsum is rarely found in the form of sand because it is water-soluble. Normally, rain would dissolve the gypsum and carry it to the sea. Since the Tularosa Basin has no outlet to the sea, rain that dissolves gypsum from the surrounding San Andres and Sacramento Mountains is trapped within the basin, and the rain either sinks into the ground or forms shallow pools which subsequently dry out and leave gypsum in a crystalline form, called selenite, on the surface."

When entering the park, you are advised that if you venture from the marked trails, you will need some sort of tracking device, such as a Garmin, which I had, for navigating the dunes. 

 As the sun drops in the west, the New Mexico sky turns a varied shades of purple and the dunes take on a muted violet color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After photographing a row of trees in the early morning hours at a park near Alamogorda, NM, Wendy and I headed to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, our last photographic stop to this incredibly journey we undertook just seven days ago.

 

The Cavern

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, located in the Guadalupe Mountains in southeastern New Mexico, is a large cave system made up of dramatic and scenic chambers of stalactites, stalagmites, and an incredible variety of other formations. You can hike down via a natural entrance, or take the elevator, 750 feet directly below, to a large area serving lunch, a gift shop, and restroom facilities.

Since we were short on time (didn't figure it would take so long to get to Carlsbad), we took the elevator. OMG, it was a breath-taking sight to behold. We followed a lighted pathway around the Big Room to marvel in God's creation.

 

 

 

 

To think that ever so small droplets of water dripping slowly from the ceiling, over time, "soda straws" and larger stalactites appeared. Water falling on the floor created stalagmites, and when they joined, it formed a column. The Hall of Giants was probably the most impressive. These photos represent the Giant and Twin Domes.

  

I am soooo behind on my blog updates . . . check back, I'll be writing about our 16 day trip to Montana and Colorado for fly fishing and photography.

 

 

The Road to Bali: An Unspoiled Land Invigorating the Soul

  Tulamben

And, 40 hours later, via Moscow, Russia, we landed on the island of Bali, Indonesia, where the heat and humidity is atrocious, and we thought us Texans could withstand any assault on our bodies due to heat. NOT! For the next 21 days, Indonesia would be our home. 

 

 

Indonesia, geographically, is located in Southeast Asia, predominately in the Tropic of Capricorn, with the equator cutting through the middle. The Indonesian archipelago consists of 17,508 islands, of which 6,000 are inhabited.

 

 

 

We traveled to the mecca of diving, Tulamben, which is located on the northeast side of Bali. We were part of a "group" of Houston Underwater Photographic Society (Hups) members, who ventured to the other side of the world to dive the world class reefs and photograph the biodiversity of fish life in the crystal clear waters surrounding this island.

Jim and I had a beautiful room, overlooking the ocean and the beautiful swimming pool below, at the Villas of Tulamben Wreck Divers . I guess our only inconvenience was the ride to and from the dive shop and to dinner on the back of a scooter. Driving in Indonesia is dangerous, and on a scooter, its just plain crazy. Once the rest of our group finally arrived, we had a van to take us around. However, coordinating transportation for nine people was not an easy task.

Tulamben Wreck Divers also have a small resort located in the back of the dive shop, with a nice "Al fresco" type dining, which gives a cozy atmoshpere. The swimming pool, surrounded by tropical plants and trees, makes you seem you are on your own private island. if we go back, we will definitely stay at the resort just for the convenience of its location. However, which ever place you stay, you will not regret it.

  

 

  

Diving the Reefs of Tulamben, Bali

Diving is made easy by the hard working Balinese people. We had our own private dive guide who insured my entry/exit in the water along a rocky shoreline was done safely. Every day the dive guide geared up our equipment and tanks. One of the many young Balinese girls carried the gear on her HEAD from the dive shop to the shore. It was amazing to watch the extreme balance and stability required by these "scuba girls."

The shore diving can be treacherous due to the rocks and boulders in the water. And, with my back issues, it was reassuring to have, Eri, my dive guide, help me and my camera into the water, not to mention, the BEST dive guide at finding the smallest of critters.

For years, Jim and I have been diving mostly the Caribbean and Hawaii. This was our first time diving Indonesia.

When the Bali Sea opened its arms of liquid gold to me, I found myself floating in a world of amazement. The bio-diversity of fish species was too numerous to count, and the soft corals danced in the sunlight displaying their brilliant colors much like the iridescence of a peacock. My head spun . . . there was so much to shoot, I didn't know where to begin first. So I stayed focused on specific targets I wanted to accomplish in photographing this spectacular underwater world.

I knew immediately that I would be back, and soon.

False Clown Anemonefish

This beautiful fish were made popular in the movie, Finding Nemo. The clownfish, false clownfish, or the false clown anemonefish, Amphiprion ocellaris, is found in an anemone, and has a symbiotic relationship with its host. The sea anemone has stinging tentacles which paralyze the predators who come close enough to touch. The scientific belief long held is that these clownfish have a special biochemical makeup in their mucus layer that provides protection from the stinging cells. The anemonefish grooms its anemone host to keep it free of parasites and debris. There are conflicting reports about the protective relationship between anemonefish and their sticky hosts.

One theory is that they chase off small creatures that prey on the anemone; the other is that false clowns lure fish for the anemone to kill and eat. What is certain is that the rather clumsy anemonefish cannot live without their anemones. And without their clowns, some anemones are quickly destroyed by predators such as butterfly fish and turtles, which are immune to the anemone's stings.

Blue Ribbon Eel

Also, known as Ribbon Eel, Rhinomuraena quaesita, grows up to 36 inches. The male is blue with a yellow dorsal fin. The juveniles are jet black with a yellow dorsal fin. These elegant creatures are native to the Indian and Pacific oceans.

The ribbon eel is a carnivore, making a diet of shrimp, crabs, small fish. It has a lifespan of 20 years in the wild. However, most ribbon eels do not live longer than a month in captivity, i.e., an saltwater aquarium. Most feel that this species should never be purchased. Ribbon eels have been observed in nearly every case to stop eating after being captured.

I cannot stress enough the importance to boycott saltwater aquariums, establishments that have a saltwater aquariums, and places that sell saltwater fish and/or creatures for the saltwater aquarium trade unless they are farmed raised and not captured in the wild. The internet is prolific with resellers of Indo-Pacific and Caribbean fish at very cheap prices. I know for a fact that Hawaii's beautiful fish population is being decimated by commercial fish traders raiding the shallow reefs. Indonesia is a third world country and among one of the poorest, who could and would thrive on the stealing of Indo-Pacific fish.

Harlequin Shrimp

The Harlequin Shrimp, Hymenocera elegans, is a small shrimp that only diets on sea stars. To see and photography this beautiful creatures of white with bold reddish brown and purplish circular markings ringed in blue (and its not just blue but a regal blue), I was going to have to go deep because they live on the sea bottom at 70-75 feet.

You see, I have had this fear of diving deep since I was involved in a dive accident many years ago. If I wanted to photograph the Harlequin Shrimp, then I would have to "bite the bullet," and make my descent into the "belly of the beast." It actually turned out to be no problem since Bali's bottom topography was sloping. I just followed the nature slope always maintaining eye contact with the bottom to reach the Harlequin shrimp.

What's unnerving is cruising along a shallow bottom, then find yourself over a drop off of 6,000 feet, like Bloody Bay Wall, in the Cayman Islands, staring into the abyss. Hopefully, I can overcome this phobia -- I better because I'm heading for Cayman Brac this year where the walls are 6,000 feet deep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Capital of Nudibranchs

In all my years of diving, I only had a few "nudibranch" shots, and these are usually classified as flatworms or sea slugs from Hawaii and the latter, Bonaire. On many websites, one being DivePhotoGuide and at the Hups photo contests, I would see these beautiful photos of colorful nudibranchs, and swore that someday I would have these images too.  I had heard from the Hups experts that, in Bali, there were an abundance of "nudis," as they are so affectionately called by us scuba divers. The next time you want to impress a diver, just drop the ole, "nudi" word on him/her. You will get the nod of acceptance. But I digress . . .

At the dive site, Scuba Seraya, there is a part called "Nudi City," where there are so many different varieties of nudibranchs. It reminded me of an ant colony at a Sunday picnic. On almost every rock, in the sand, on coral heads, there was a nudi, or several nudis.

Nudibranchs are of the family of taxonomic clad, according to Wikipedia, and of that, there are more than 3,000 species. They are carnivorous, feeding on sponges, hydroids, tunicates, barnacles, anemones, or other sea slugs, and some, eat their own. Most are quite small, some are camouflage to avoid predators but most have intensely bright colors and contrasting patterns, signaling that they are poisonous or distasteful. These miniature sirens of the sea have always fascinated me. I know of one underwater professional photographer, Jeff de Guzman, who has some exquisite photos of nudibranch eyes. They are small enough, and very difficult to see, let alone getting photos of their eyes! I actually got some nice images so I was thrilled over the prospect of having this Bumpy Mexichromis laying eggs. They usually deposit their eggs in a gelatinous spiral. 

Ornate Ghost Pipefish 

Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Solenostomus paradoxus, must rank among the most exotic creatures inhabiting the shallow seas of Earth, growing to an approximate 4.5 inches. I found these two, well, actually there were three, hidden in the fronds of crinoids (feather stars). Apparently, they can vary in color from black to red and yellow, and another interesting fact is they are sexually dimorphic. Carnivorous in nature, they feed on shrimps, which are sucked whole into their mouths. I couldn't believe my luck, with a little help from my dive guide, Eri, to find, not one, but three ornate ghost pipefish. Because of their ability to camouflage themselves to the crinoids, they were extremely difficult to see.

Diving the Liberty Ship

Bali’s most famous dive site, the Liberty Ship, a 393-foot long shipwreck, rests in 90 feet of water just off the beach, across from the Tulamben Wreck Divers' shop.  

The story goes that the ship was hit by a Javanese torpedo during World War II, as she laid at anchor off the coast of Lombok. Apparently the ship was damaged badly. The Navy's plan was to tow the ship to Singaraja harbor (northern Bali) but because it began taking on water, it was intentionally stranded on the rocky beach of Tulamben. 

For 21 years she stayed there gathering rust. But the fatal eruption of the volcano Gunung Agung, in 1963, and the ensuing violent lava flow, she was pushed to her present location under the sea. During this process the hull broke into two pieces. Now she is laying only 30 meters from the Tulamben beach on a sandy slope 90° on her side parallel to the shore, in 19 to 95 feet of water. An amazing growth of encrusting animals cover the wreck, marine biologists estimate that about 400 different species of reef fish live on the Liberty. It is not usual for this site to be visited by big pelagic species, like reef sharks and schooling Bumphead Parrotfish.

There are a couple of impressive swim throughs, but one must be cautious because the structure of the wreck is unstable, every year parts collapse. 

Because of its popularity, the best time to dive the Liberty is early in the morning before the herd of divers muck the place up. And, at that time, you stand a better chance of photographing the resident schooling Bump Parrotfish. Of course, did I get the Bump Parrotfish, yeah I did, was it blurry? Hell Yes! Often we underwater photographers do stupid and silly things, like leaving a lens cap on the lens in the underwater housing, forgetting to put media cards in the camera, and the list can go on and on. My stupid and silly thing for the day was to forget to change the focus button on the housing to "S," which means auto focus on a Nikon/Subal UW system. So here I come with the 16mm fisheye lens, perfect for use when diving shipwrecks, shooting away as I swam around the wreck. And, what to my surprise, as I made it through a large hole in the wreck but these huge Bump Parrotfish swimming right by me. Of course I fired away, checking my LCD screen and histogram, knowing I had aced the shot and marveling in the oddity of this fish's shape. I hadn't seen anything that big since Jim and I dove Cod Hole on the Great Barrier Reef in the latter part of the 20th century (sounds old doesn't it), where we saw Giant Potato Cods. About half way through the dive, I realized my blunder, and switched to "S" on my housing. Of course, I had to go back to photograph everything I could but the Bump Parrot was gone. It's blurry but at least I can say I have a photograph of a Bump Parrotfish.

Journey to Ubud

Ubud is what I would call, the "metropolitan" area / town, located in the central foothills in the Gianyar regency of Bali amongst rice paddies and steep ravines. One of Bali’s major arts and culture centres, it has developed a large tourism industry.

Ubud has a population of about 8,000 people, but it is becoming difficult to distinguish the town itself from the villages that once surrounded it.

We stayed approximately three days at the Honeymoon Guesthouse, while in transit from Tulamben to Lembeh Straits, on the Northern part of the island of Sulawesi, which is the second part of my journey. Its a small "open air" hotel of the traditional Balinese style. We were served breakfast every morning on our outside patio, amidst the lush tropical gardens. Having no clue as to exactly where we were in Ubud, it's a great place to be based out of -- we were within a five minute walk for most everything, except the Barang Culture Centre, Bali Bird Park, Monkey Forest, and many of the local artist shops. We had our own driver, which makes for a SAFE journey from Point A to Point B. Trust me, you do NOT want to drive in Bali.

Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

Located South of Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, is the Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana or to us tourist, the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. The Monkey Forest is deserted and neglected for the most part, which in Bali is especially creepy. Within the Monkey forest is a cemetery, a cremation area, and a temple. The temple is referred to as "The Temple of the Dead" by the Lonely Planet guide. 

Outside the entrance to the Monkey Forest, there are signs prohibited feeding the monkeys. But enterprising "Ubudnites" sell bananas to  . . . you guessed it, FEED THE MONKEYS. Don't let anyone tell you a monkey is stupid because these guys had a strategy and the ability to implement a plan. If you have a bunch of bananas, thinking that you'll feed one banana at a time, forget it! They will have none of that, jumping on you, taking all the bananas, and screaming about it, too. These monkeys are wild, even though they live amongst humans, and they are aggressive. Just try to get close if you don't have any food. They bare their teeth at you, hissing like a snake. And, they bite!

 

 

We visited this mystical place during the ceremony of the New Moon. The Balinese women bring offerings on their heads to the temple. One enterprising monkey took this opportunity to get some well selected fruits and nuts by charging the poor unfortunate woman, jumping on her head, knocking the offering off and onto the ground scattering food everywhere. Monkeys came from the jungle as an invading force, converging on the refuse, screaming, fighting, baring teeth, etc. Jim opined that more monkeys should adopt this technique.

Bali Bird Park

Before we left, several members of Hups recommended a visit to the Bali Bird Park while in Ubud. It should NOT BE MISSED. And, they were right. All of Bali could not surpass the beauty and diversity of the Bali Bird Park. Within five acres of botanical landscape, the park provides sanctuary to approximately 1000 birds of 250 different species. There is a plethora of sights to see . . . the largest and finest collection of Indonesian birds in the world, plus exotic birds from Africa and South America.

My main goal -- to photograph the world's rarest bird, the Bali Starling.

 

The Bali Starling, known in Indonesia as jalak Bali Starling, is a beautiful white song bird, endemic to Bali, and are critically endangered. Its song and color is much desired, bringing high prices on the Asian black market. These birds were stolen and sold, and just like shark fin soup, or tiger claws and balms, their numbers were decimated. In 2006, there were approximately 10 birds in the wild. However, with efforts by the Balinese people, a breeding program is underway, and new birds are being released into the wild on Nusa Penida. The new count for 2009 was 100+.

 

I was vicariously transported to the tropical rainforest of Papua New Guinea as I wandered through the oversized aviaries in the park. Filled with tropical plants and trees, waterfalls, and dozens of different species of birds, each categorized for that region of the world, made for an amazing journey. 

There are hidden pathways to explore where I encountered the Greater Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea apoda) at a feeding station.

I walked the swing suspension bridge bringing me into the homes of many birds as they rested on the tree branches.

I ventured through the Far East Indonesia area, home to the extraordinary Komodo Dragon, a giant carnivorous lizard, which is a direct descendant to the dinosaur.

Komodos are a dangerous predator, often known to eat humans. Once bitten by a Komodo, its victim will be poisoned, and will slowly die over 1-3 days. The Komodo Dragon follows its prey, until it can no longer run, or until it dies, and then he eats it (dead or alive).

There is no known cure for the poison of a Komodo bite, and the only creature which is immune to this poison, is the Komodo itself.  The only thing separating me from the "man-eating" komodo was a four- foot concrete wall. These guys are fast, really fast . . . could they make a running stab at catching momentum in hopes of scurrying over the wall? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barong Dance

Another must see event was the Barong Play. I did want to experience the cultural aspects of Bali, imbued in Hindu heritage. The Barong Play is an allegory about the ongoing battle between good and evil.

The Barong, a mythological animal, represents a good spirit and the Rangda, the mythological monster, represents evil. The face of the Barong is seen in all aspects of Balinese life, from their religion to their architecture. 

I did enjoy watching the colorful costumes and gold bling of the Balinese dancers . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Batur: East of Java

Mount Batur, located on the southeastern part of Bali, Indonesia, is an active volcano, with its last eruption in 2000. I was there having Indonesian food at a restaurant located at 10,000 feet elevation overlooking the volcano. Had I known this was an active volcano, I probably would have passed on this adventure, especially since a volcano near Jarkata, Indonesia had erupted, while we were in Bali, causing death and destruction. However, I have to admit that Batur is a spectacular piece of scenery, exhilarating the soul. There are many activities in the area . . . trekking to the summit and cycling the roads to the volcano.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our way down from the volcano (no we did not do the trek) in our own motor vehicle, we stopped to photograph the lush green rice paddies, accented by the mysterious clouds surrounding Mt. Agung in the distance.

As we traveled around the outskirts of Ubud through the rich agricultural land, we passed many rice paddies. For centuries, the local farmers have planted and harvested the rice much like their ancestors before them.  On this particular road, we passed over the rice as it was being dried. Yes you heard me  . . .  the tires drove right over the rice. So the next time you order rice?  And that is why I never eat rice, well maybe sometimes I eat rice. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DIVE VIDEO

Another short video of the Liberty Wreck at Tulamben. Unfortunately, my husband called it the Victory Wreck, please forgive him, he is slightly "senile." 

 

 

 

The best was yet to come . . . diving in the Muck Capital of the World!

 

 

"Batten Down the Hatches:" Prepare for Tropical Storm Nicole

I wanted to get another dive trip in before our trip to Bali / Lembeh to practice shooting super macro. So off we went to catch the Aquacat, harboured in Nassau, The Bahamas for a week of diving the Exuma Cays.  

The waters of Exuma Cays have been managed as a "no-take marine fishery reserve" since 1986, allowing populations of commercially important species such as queen couch, Nassau grouper and spiny lobster to thrive. Sea turtles swim throughout coral reefs teeming with marine life.

Exuma Cays, located about 65 miles southeast of the Bahamian capital Nassau, was the first land and sea park in the world. It is also the oldest national park in the Bahamas, which was established in 1959. The park is mostly water, the land is a vital refuge for a small mammal called the hutia, several rare and endangered iguana species and marine birds which nest in the high bluffs.

We checked in Saturday evening at 6pm, had dinner onboard, and enjoyed a lengthy introduction to the crew, the yacht and the safety procedures. Early Sunday morning, we motored to Exuma on the Aquacat, a luxury long-range cruising yacht, live aboard dive boat of 102 feet. We were on a week long adventure diving the most pristine areas in all the Bahamas. 

Little did we know how south everything was going to turn . . . weatherwise. 

Diving!

Sunday and Monday were great days of diving even though the winds had started to pick up making exit/entry into the boat somewhat challenging. The visibility was not good.

Unfortunately, we saw lionfish on most dives. The Bahamian Government has chosen NOT TO KILL the bast*****. So what can you do? But of course, take pictures! These fishes really are beautiful, especially when they face you off and spread their deadly spines at you. Like I said earlier, I wanted to practice super macro by shooting very small things. I scoured the reef looking for my favorite "small things," i.e., blennies but I could not find any blennies. Why? You guess it. Lionfish are voracious eaters of small marine creatures and sometimes fish larger than themselves.

These predators of the sea can consume 20 small wrasses during a 30-minute period.

Unfortunately, there are no known natural predators, and lionfish pose a major threat to the coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean. At the end of this post, my husband filmed a lionfish setting up for a kill.

I did get some shots of Queenangels and a female southern stingray as she glided over the reef. The interesting thing I notice diving here in the Exuma Cays was the numerous queenangels and schools of gray angels. I assume this is because of the remoteness of the small archipelago.

We had an interesting encounter with a strange, misshapen sucker fish, named a sharksucker or remora to most people. This remora had an affection for my husband, Jim.

He kept swimming around Jim in an attempt to attach himself to Jim's scuba tank or leg. 

 

 

 

These fish are actually harmless. If the remora's grip occurs, you can easily get free by pushing forward. Sharksuckers are usually found attached to sharks, mantas, turtles, etc. They form a commensal relationship where one organism benefits but the other is unaffected. Remoras are primarily tropical open-ocean dwellers, however, we found this remora in shallow, coastal waters. We figure that it lost its host, possibly a shark or turtle since we were seeing numerous sharks on almost every dive. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natives are Restless

Monday afternoon we motored over to a small island famous for the indigenous Northern Bahamian rock iguanas (Cyclura cychlura). The greeting party was there to welcome us with open arms . . . or shall I say to snatch whatever food we brought. They love bright colored toenails so the ladies had to cover their bare feet in the sand or have their toes nibbled on my a small ugly lizard. My photo won "over all" best photo in the weekly photo contest voted on by my fellow cruising passengers. I was very excited since I have never won anything with a prize. . . a nice Aquacat thermo cup and a chance to win a free trip on the Aquacat. Personally, I wished my Lionfish photo had won since it was an underwater shot.

 

Tropical Storm Nicole

In all of my 22 years of diving, and my many adventures on different live-aboard dive boats, I will never forget the week of September 25, 2010 onboard the Aquacat, riding out Tropical Storm Nicole in a protected cove somewhere in the Exuma Cays, Bahamas.

Apparently, the storm formed quickly in the Northwestern Caribbean Sea in the early morning hours of Wednesday, September 29. It quickly moved across Cuba, Jamaica, Caymans, and the Bahamas, with sustained winds of 40 mph. In its wake, it left flash flooding and driving rains, killing eight people in Jamaica. 

We begin to experience rain and wind late Monday afternoon. The Monday night dive became a real adventure for thirteen divers, and for some, it was their first night dive. The word came down the pike that the Aquacat broke its mooring and drifted away. No one on board, including yours truly, knew of the dire straits we were in. The warning went up when the topside spotters could not find the night divers.

After searching for the mooring line for several scary minutes, the divers surfaced and started flashing their dive lights in an desperate attempt to signal the boat. They had two divers in some distress so they made a circle and held hands so as not to let anyone drift away. Finally the spotters saw the lights, jumped in the dinghy to retrieve the divers. As, Robert Louis Stevenson's famous poem states, "Here he lies where he long'd to be; Home is the sailor, home from the sea, And the hunter home from the hill."

Tuesday, winds begin to really pick up, producing 3 foot swells making exit/entry into the boat challenging to say the least. After a stunning dive, called The Church, one diver sustained serious injury attempting to re-entry the boat. They aborted one dive in the afternoon due to rain and wind gusts.

I am sure all of us have had at one time or another a sense that something was wrong. You just couldn't put your finger on it. Some might say the rising of fine hairs on the back of your neck. Call it a foreboding, a warning!

I rose early Wednesday morning before dawn to capture the sunrise. What's the old saying, "Red sky in morning, sailor take warning." And, was it ever a RED SKY! Reds and oranges shot out across the horizon. It's interesting that we were not told of the pending storm until just before lunch.

After breakfast, several of us elected to take the skip over to the Warderick Wells Exumas Park Headquarters to hike the trail to Boo Boo Hill, famous for its collection of boaters' signs and the magnificant 360 degree panorama. There is a small harbour and several buildings, one being a gift shop. I asked the guy who runs the gift shop if a storm was brewing. He confirmed my suspicion. A tropical depression had formed, and if it began a circular path it would be called Tropical Storm Nicole. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I met a very nice lady from South Africa, named Somari. A few times in this old world it happens. You meet someone who just fits right into your heart as a dear friend that it seems you have know forever. Somari is just that person. She was such a delight always touting an upbeat attitude. Her passion is diving and it shows. All in all we had a great group of divers, but I will always remember Somari, and I hope we will be diving again together. She's the lady in the bikini t-shirt. She told me this photo on the t-shirt was modeled after her body earlier in life. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We returned to the boat to find that the Aquacat had attempting a run to one of the dive sites in hopes of getting divers in the water. It was too difficult to maneuver in 50 mph winds and six foot seas so they aborted the dive. Can you believe divers were actually going to dive in those conditions, and that's includes my husband.

Shortly before lunch, Captain Kirk told us that Tropical Storm Nichole was bearing down on us or at least the dirty side so we made our way to a protected cove and rode out the storm. The cove was a "hang out" for pirates in its heyday.

All diving was cancelled for Wednesday so the bar was OPEN! The storm seemed to get worse late Wednesday night with that familiar roaring sound of a train (just like Hurricane Ike). I couldn't decide rather to get dress and stand guard on the top deck just in case this storm was turning into a hurricane or go back to sleep and pray! I decided sleep was the better option. Jim slept through the whole thing.

Shark Dive

Thursday turned out to be partly sunny except we still had 15-20 mph winds. The shark dive was great, vis not so. Basically the drill was to get in the water as a group, descend to the bottom and form a circle back up to a small wall, and watch the feeding frenzy, staying out of the circle of the DEATH, i.e., food source for the sharks, groupers, jacks, etc. The dive master carried the frozen "Popsicle" of fish guts, attached to a long rope to a 15' height and attached the end to a mooring loop on the top of the reef. The sharks started attacking the Popsicle almost immediately. It was exciting and exhilarating. I shot with my 12-24mm wide angle lens and a dome port. Marty Snyderman wrote a excellent article in last month's Dive Training magazine, about shooting sharks. He said a common mistake was to shoot too wide. A 50mm to 28mm lens on a camera with full frame sensor was usually a better choice. Since I am shooting a Nikon D200, with 1.5x crop factor, the 12-24mm lens worked out fine for me. My idea was to get a dramatic shark photo as the shark was coming straight for me, with mouth agape and rows of razor-sharp teeth exposed. I rose in the water column to get closer to the bait ball. One shark did come straight for me. I waited to get the maximum close up shot and just when I was ready to pull the trigger, the shark made a sharp turn leaving me with a side shot and tail end shot. Bummer! I tried this several times but each time the shark dodged me. Anyone know how to do this, let me know in the comments.

I would say there were approximately 12 reef sharks, and the rest, were the usual moochers . . . groupers, snappers, jacks!

It was amazing to watch the relationship or hierarchy of the feeding frenzy. The larger sharks came in first, then the smaller sharks, leaving the leftovers to the groupers and jacks, and crumbs to snappers. But when it was all said and done, who made off with the last remaining large chuck of Popsicle? The dang grouper!

I wish I had two tanks of air, an hour just wasn't enough for me. Sharks are beautiful creatures of the sea. It is a disgrace to see what is happening on a large scale to the shark population. If you haven't heard, it's shark finning. Commercial fishing hunts down the sharks, cut of the fins, and throw them back into the water to drown a horrible death. Please do NOT eat shark fin soup nor patronize a restaurant that serves shark fin soup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wreck Diving

Our last day of diving turned out to be our best day of diving, excluding the shark dive, of course. As we returned to Nassau, we moored to a buoy just offshore the Atlantis, the mega ocean-themed resort with a huge aquarium filled with mantas, sharks, rays, eels, and all other types of marine life. Jim and I have stayed there a couple of years ago with our entire family. Believe me, it should be on your bucket list! It is definitely a place to explore a world beyond extraordinary.

The first dive was a deep, wreck dive called the Triple Wrecks. The three wrecks sit on the bottom at approximately 110 feet. It was a milestone for me since I have long since stop diving deep. To me, deep diving is 70+ feet. I really enjoy staying shallow to photograph the marine life on the reef. Since I had not been diving as much due to the storm, I decided to "bite the bullet" and GO DEEP. And, for my daring adventure, I was reward with an absolutely beautiful dive. The visibility was crystal clear. As I descended to these leviathans of the deep, I spotted a large green moray eel swimming freely. Unfortunately, the eel spotted me too and made mad dash for under the ship. One of the wrecks harbored an abnormal amount of Nassau groupers. I couldn't decide if this was a nursery.

The second dive was a shallow wreck dive, called the Wreck of the Mahoney. This mighty freighter, registered at 212 feet, sank during a hurricane in 1929. She sailed under four different names but no one knows how she got the name Mahoney. Originally named Candance, sailing as a private yacht (almost named after me). Whe she sunk, she broke into two so she is scattered with the bow and stern separated by about 100 yards. We stayed around the boilers. I have never seen so much life schooling around this wreck. There were grunts, margates, queenangels, lionfish, trumpetfish, dog snappers, gray angelfish, Nassau groupers. A carpet of Sea Fans, each habitated by Flamingo tongues. This would make a great night dive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So as our wonderful adventure on the Aquacat came to an end, we knew we would be back. The Aquacat is definitely the "Lexus" of liveaboard diving. It is harboured in an assessible place, Nassau, Bahamas. In normal conditions, diving off the "Cat" is easy. The crew shows professionalism at every turn . . . the chef, the dive masters, the captain, the engineers, etc.

Just days after returning home, we received a letter from the Aquacat apologizing for the turn of events of our week of diving. So they offered us $600/diver off a return trip! In most cases, weather is never a guarantee especially when you are diving during hurricane season in the Hurricane belt. Now, that's customer service if you ask me.

Dive Video

My husband, Jim, the awarding winning underwater videographer, did a video of diving on the Aquacat. At the end of the video, he filmed a strange behavioral pattern of a grey angelfish. 

 

It's a Love Affair with Bonaire

I was glad to be back in the water, diving again, and what better place than the beautiful sapphire blue waters of Bonaire. My spinal surgeon had advised me not to dive in Little Cayman and Grand Cayman in May, 2010, so that I could dive in Bonaire, in June, and Lembeh Straits in November..  

The Digital Photo and Video Shootout was in Little Cayman this year so we had no other reason to come back to Bonaire except to dive, shop, and relax! We tried a different place this year because of a great deal that was offered last October by Plaza Resort. And, by comparison, it was a sweet deal compared to the awful costly trip last year at Capt. Don's. We dove with Toucan Diving, which ran a professional diving program, with nice size boats, easy exit/entry, knowledgeable divemasters, and paramount safety procedures. For me, with extreme back issues, they we very helpful in getting me in and out of the water with little impact to my back. . . Thank you Carolyn, Sherman, Erika, and Capt. Eddy! The resort is high quality with a swimming pool, hot tub, nice beach for shore diving, snorkeling or swimming completely protected from boat traffic, a "fun" beach bar, and two upscale restaurants, one with a beautiful view of Bonaire's dramatic sunsets, but pricey. Oh, did I mention the food was great, even the bar food at the Coconut Crash Bar. Probably the only negative is the distance to travel to/from the dive shop or main building. The dive shop provides cute wagons to carry your dive gear and cameras to the on site shore diving locations (I took a photo of the wagons but now I can't find it), of which there are two . . . 18 Palms and Coconut Crash Bar. Unlike the dreadful Capt. Don's setup, the locker rooms are spacious, however, not as good as Divi Flamingo. There is a place to hang up your wetsuit for "airing out" with a nice breeze. Lockers are strategically located in proximity to the dive boats giving way to easily getting gear and cameras loaded on the boat. To complement this arrangement, Toucan Diving has several rinse tanks, with a special one dedicated to regulators. What I liked was the location of the camera rinse tanks completely separated from the other gear rinse tanks making it less likely for some fool to put their gear in the camera tanks by accident or pure laziness. There is plenty of covered tables and a clean shower and restrooms.

Because of the horrendous night flight (leave at Midnight, arrive at 5:30a.m the next morning) to Bonaire from Houston, we were wiped out the first day. We did manage to get our diving setup, pick up our rental SUV, eat something, and crash in bed. Sunday, we did one shore (checkout) dive and an afternoon boat dive. The rest of week, we managed three dives a day, mostly up north and on Klein Bonaire. We did Rappel, a dive site know for its healthy soft corals. The boat ties up only a very short distance from the 130 foot wall above with a pounding surge. It does make for some "hairy" exits/entries into the boat. Similarly, was Karpata, 1000 steps and La Dania's Leap, all with a nice drop off, flowing soft, hard and elkhorn corals. My only complaint was the serious smothering of red algae. 

The northern dive sites, as well as most of the areas on Klein Bonaire we dove, were known for wide angle photography. Of course, this afforded me the opportunity to practice some close focus wide angle with my 16mm fisheye lens and domeport. Before coming to Bonaire, I had read an excellent article by Dr. Alex Mustard, an awarded winning and well known underwater photographer, about close focus wide angle photography (CFWA). I was attempting to try my hand at his techniques. I didn't get the dynamite photos he had in his article of South Pacific corals but did get a few nice shots. My model was not exactly well versed in the "ways" of underwater modeling but what kind you expect with "freebies."

My main purpose for diving the calm waters of Bonaire was to practice super macro underwater photography with the macromate in preparation for the muck diving of Lembeh Straits where there is mimic octopus so small it fits in a small clam shell or small critters, maybe a 1/8" high or a Pygmy seahorse the size of a fingernail.

In a recent issue of Alert Divers, I read Ned DeLoach's article on the jawfish in Bonaire. I had hoped to photograph the male yellow headed jawfish releasing 1mm offspring into the night, found at the dive site, Front Porch. Guess what?? I had come during the right season. And, I so wanted a photograph of the "yawning" frogfish, which eluded me last year. But all of this, again, slipped away like sand in an hour glass since the dive boats only went to wide angle locations, and Jim didn't want to do any shore dives because he didn't want to carry all the gear and tanks. Maybe next year!

However, the highlight of my trip was what I called, "Terror on the Reef: Eaten Alive" (Jim wanted to call it "Pasta Night on Klein Bonaire"). In my opinion, I caught one of the best fish behavior sequences when a Dog Snapper (Lutjanus joco) swam pass me with his dinner, a Goldentail Moray (Muraena miliaris), for the day was gripped tightly in his "jaws of death."  I just stared in awe at the frightening sight of the poor eel being eaten alive and screaming for help! Technically, the photos have some issues since I shot with a much slower shutter speed than normal. I was afraid if I went for the faster shutter speed, the photos would be too dark, especially since I was working with only one strobe, 105mm lens and some distance. Personally, I believe it's an award winning shot just for the unusual fish behavior caught on digital.  

Unfortunately, I was alone when I was swimming back to the boat. I saw this huge Dog Snapper with something hanging from his mouth. At first I thought it was a large hook, but as I got closer, I realized that the snapper had his dinner for the day. To keep from scaring him off, I remained still. To my amazement he swam right to me, and, in fact, circled me several times before carrying his prey down the reef. The moray kept snapping at this hugh fish in a vain attempt to break free. The poor moray was looking at me, as to say, "please help me." At that moment in time, I wished that my still camera had video capability since Jim was no where in sight to video this amazing struggling of life and death under the sea. Still photography just cannot capture the desperate attempts by the moray to free himself from the deadly jaws of the dog snapper.

 

While shooting a Giant Anemone (Condylactis gigantea) and Squat Anemone Shrimp (Thor amboinensis), I saw, only through my view finder, the tinniness crab, a Banded Clinging Crab (Mithrax cinctimanus) hiding in the anemone. I would never had seen this incrediblely small creature with the naked eye. Actually, I really don't know what type of crab this is. If anyone knows, please email the answer.

My Lionfish Rant!

The Indo-Pacific Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans), which has plagued the rest of the Caribbean, has been sighted in Bonaire. Lionfish are voracious and effective predators. On one occasion, a lionfish was observed consuming 20 small wrasses during a 30-minute period. Unfortunately, there are no known natural predators, and lionfish pose a major threat to coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean.   

Bonaire dive operators are on the alert. At the Marine Park Orientation (required by all divers), we were given mini tags attached with a cork and a long streamer to be placed where we encounter any lionfish. We were encouraged to promptly report sightings to the marine park officials.  For more information on the Lionfish Invasion, check out my Little Cayman blog, May 2010. 

Wonders of the Sea

Bonaire Tourist Bureau puts out an interesting and educational monthly magazine listing shopping and activities to do along with some interesting artifacts about Bonaire points of interest. The magazine always publishes photos of local artists, which I enjoy seeing. It inspires me to be creative on what's new and exciting things to shoot. One of the photographs in the magazine is Bonaire's colorful underwater reef creature, called a Lettuce Sea Slug. Like the Sea Anemones, these slugs (often called "nudibranchs") come in different fringing colors. Of course, the favorite is the blue slugs.

While cruising down the reef, checking every nook and cranny, I was amazed at how many tiny, tiny juvenile smooth trunkfish I was able to locate on my own. These small reef fish are about the size of a marble, and look like a dice. They are shy, making it difficult to photograph them since they usually hide in crevasses in the coral / rock the minute you pull the camera up to your eye.  I found that pulling back and waiting will usually bring them back out. But this time, I was just having a devil of a time trying to get the "perfect" shot.

There older brother/sister, what I call, a "teenager" smooth trunkfish, were representative in large numbers swimming in the shallows.

In macro photography, one of my favorite models, is a blenny. I prefer the comical antics of a sailfin blenny but most blennies when you observe from a short distance can be quite funny. 

On this particular day of diving, I settled on a Spinyhead Blenny (Acanthemblemaria spinosa), with his bright yellow green "goggle" eyes. Their movements are robotic . . . darting out to nab food, and return within seconds, at the same time those green eyes roving in all directions.  

Another favorite macro subject of mine is the tiny creatures that live within a sea anemone. And, on this particular trip to Bonaire, we were blessed with an abundance of beautiful sea anemones all teeming with copious amounts of living creatures . . . Pederson Cleaner Shrimp (Periclimenes pedersoni), tiny crabs, and Squat Anemone Shrimp (Thor amboninensis) all sharing a symbiotic relationship within the anemone's tentacles they call home.   

In year's past, on my trips to Bonaire, I have gotten dynamite seahorse photos. This year was not the case as I mentioned before about the frog fish and yellow headed jawfish. 

The dive guide took us to two seahorse sightings. Seahorses are elusive creatures, which turn their back on you when photographing them. 

You do not want to molest them nor the coral they live in to get the optimal shot. You just have to take your chances. I have seen way too many underwater photogs disturbing the environment to get the seahorse to look their way. Shame on them! No photo is worth destroying the environment, coral, or stressing the seahorse for a photo to publish in Scuba Diving Magazine or Alert Divers.  

I love to photograph scorpionfish, mainly because they are not intimidated by the diver, in other words, they poise for you. The Spotted Scorpionfish (Scorpaena plumieri) are usually seen on an outcropping of the coral reef, but can be frequent to bottom habitats where they lie motionless, blending into the background. The spotted scorpionfish lives up to its name! The dorsal fin has venom glands which help against potential predators. So watch out and DON'T TOUCH.

 

It's Time To Bid Farewell to the Jewel in the Caribbean

When leaving Bonaire so early Saturday morning, Friday is a day of relaxing, shopping, sightseeing, and just plain "off-gassing" (diver's term for expelling the residue nitrogen build-up over multi-days of diving) before you fly off to your home. This year I had some specific targets I wanted to shoot - the southernmost lighthouse at sunset, the yellow Poui tree, and my favorite, the pink flamingo, which is the national symbol of Bonaire.

First things first, get the jewelry shopping done. I love the jewelry shops in Bonaire. Christmas, Birthdays, Anniversaries are fulfilled in Bonaire. My favorite two are the Atlantis and Littman's. At the Atlantis, I purchased a beautiful set of eagle ray earrings, handmade by a local artist.

Driving along the Northern coastline of this southernmost island in the Caribbean Sea is exhilarating with the caress of sea breezes across your face that helps to minimize the boiling sun beating down on you, and of course, the car ac does the trick too. Bonaire is an arid island dotted with small mountains, caves, lava walls. Donkeys and flamingos roam freely. 

Bonaire is one of the designated breeding grounds in the world for flamingos, 10,000 make their home on a 135-acre sanctuary created by the Cargill Salt Company (oh wee, that's alot of pooping going on). Even though most of the flamingos "hangout" near the southeastern side of the island, I head for the Salina Goto lake, which is on the way to the Washington-Slagbaai National Park. You can usually see a few flamingos close to shore searching for brine shrimp. 

As you travel east pass Rincon, a small town on the island of Bonaire, the topography becomes much more arid and desert like with paths of old a'a lava flows to the ocean. The pounding surf and crashing waves add drama to this side of the island, all be it, a real challenge to get to the edge by foot. You need to wear a sturdy pair of tennis shoes and watch your step carefully so as not to twist an ankle or scape your foot on the razor sharp edges of the lava.

In this photo, I tried the new HDR Toning in Photoshop CS5 to bring out a dynamic range of colors. 

Having parrots, I have a special kinship to these winged marvels of intelligence and personality. The yellow-shouldered parrot (Amazona barbadensis rothschild) makes Bonaire its home. There are approximately 400 of these endangered birds nesting predominately in the wooded hills and scrub-covered acres in Washington/Slagbaai National Park. However, the eastern side scattered with large Columnar cacti (Stenocereus griseus) is where I found several parrots enjoying the flower and fruit produced by these cacti species.  

It was getting close to sundown so we meandered our way to my second objective, a lighthouse sunset.

Located along the southern coast, is the Cargill Solar Salt facilities, adjacent to the famous Salt Pier dive site. We were told that the Cargill Solar Salt people has stopped all diving around salt pier due to liability issues . . . those damn lawyers again! However, one of the divemasters at Toucan Diving was leading some groups (for a fee naturally) to do a shore dive at the salt pier. As many of you already know, Bonaire has a less than stellar history with salt. 

Like sugar, salt is a one of the world's ranking commodities. Bonaire's topography and steady trade winds lends it to a perfect "salt making" location. The flat shoreline allows the sea to fill shallow pools, known as salinas. As the sun and wind evaporate the water, it leaves behind salt to crystallize.

Upon seizure of Bonaire by the Netherlands in 1634, the Dutch saw the potential for the salinas. Lacking manpower to harvest the salt, they imported slaves from Africa. The slaves spent their days wading their salt mush shifting salt crystals with their hands and simple wooden rakes. At night, they slept in very small stone huts, close to the salt pans. 

Today, the people of Bonaire have restored several of the slave huts as a reminder of Bonaire's shameful role in the slave trade, so that it will never be repeated.  

My objective to photography the Bonaire Lighthouse, referred to as the Lacre Punt Lighthouse, at sunset was finally becoming a reality. I walked around for an hour before sunset to research my optimal spots. Of course, Jim waiting in the car with no desire to help in this endeavor. He got me there so I guess he figured his job was done. 

I was photographing some test shots when a truckload of migrant workers stopped by to enjoy "refreshments." Yikeees! Now I have a large truck parked in front of my lighthouse, and the sun is dropping FAST! Thankfully, they moved on to a more private spot down the road.

As the sun disappeared to the other side of the world, the moon was rising so I captured a different perspective with the moon. Of course, a full moon would have been better. But what the heck, when have I ever been that lucky.

Coming soon is my blog on our trip to photograph wildlife on the High Lonesome Ranch near Grand Junction, Colorado while Jim fly fishes. 

Horror on the Mountain

My husband, Jim, enticed me into a Porsche car trip to Colorado to do a mountain driving tour with the Rocky Mountain Region and the Alpine Region Porsche Car Clubs with the promise of wildlife photography on the High Lonesome Ranch, near Grand Junction, Colorado, and the chance to visit dear friends retired in Cedaredge, CO.
  

People who own Porsche's love their cars and enjoy driving them. However, they do not understand that there are people who DO NOT enjoy riding in a Porsche, especially on a ten-day trip. This is a sports car so there is limited space for "stuff". . . clothes, camera equipment, etc. And, when you have a husband who also fly fishes, then there must be room for rods, reels, fishing gear. Did I also mention that I am highly susceptible to high altitude sickness combined with an acute case of acrophobia (abnormal fear of being in high places)?  Having said all that, we made our way to Colorado to meet up with the two car clubs for the 2010 Tourpalooza in Keystone, CO, with a base elevation of 9280 feet, and surrounding mountains all with heights over 11,000 feet! 

Even though I had done the doctor recommended ritual of ten thousand gallons of water, no alcohol, no protein, no caffeine, for three days prior to arriving in the high country, along with my acclimation of 24 hours at 3800 feet and then another 24 hours at 5800 feet, I still managed to get a bout of high altitude sickness on Friday. Of course, it didn't help matters that the Porsche crowd spent three hours at the top of North Peak (elev. 12,000') for an unique dining experience at Der Fondue Chessel, where you cook your dinner at the table while enjoying the beer hall singing live music of the "Those Austrian Guys."   Gee, I should be so lucky, because the only way to the restaurant was by GONDOLA at dusk. Did I mention about the "height" issue? 

 

Saturday's event was an all day rally through the "Rocky Mountain High." Did I mention a deathly fear of heights???? As we zoomed out of the parking lot at the Keystone Resort, I was reminded that the Porsche is a fine German automobile built by Germans, and made for just this type of touring at say 85 mph around hairpin curves that have signs posted at 20 mph. We were the only "flatlanders" in the bunch. Everyone else were experienced mountain drivers. My only salvation, if that is what you want to call it, was that Jim has done three D.E.'s (Driver Education) sponsored by the Lone Star Region Porsche Club. So he knew his STUFF, that is, never brake in the curve, downshift before you get to the curve, etc. 

If you ask me why all my photos appear to be taken from a moving vehicle then my answer will be because I could NOT stop at 180 frickin mph to take a photo.   

The Rocky Mountains are absolute breathtaking from the bottom looking up but it is an harrowing experience to ride shotgun around hairpin curves, looking straight down from 11,000 feet with NO GUARD RAILS and NO SHOULDER. At the summit, there are no trees so it just exaggerates the height phobia. I refused to look out the window so I closed my eyes, gripped the door handle, and prayed for forgiveness. Unfortunately for me, this is the height of tourist season in Colorado so every family with 2.5 children, dogs, grandparents, bikers, bicycle riders were on the mountain that day making it excruciatingly slow to get off. As we twisted our way to the top, Jim keep telling me that it was so beautiful, and did I want to stop at the Alpine Visitor Center (elev. 11,796') at the summit? Hell NO! Like I wanted to browse around the ubiquitous gift shop or muster enough oxygen to hang over the "built for insane people" edge to get a "better view" or a photo op! Duh.  I was a nervous wreck with serious stomach issues. At one point, I actually considered walking down the mountain. Luckily, we had fallen behind since I stopped for an hour to  photograph a mother moose and her calf so the crazy Porsche drivers had long gone by the time we got to the top of the mountain.  

I enjoyed a good night's sleep on Saturday night since I didn't sleep much on Friday night due to a mind blowing headache that aspirin will NOT CURE, a symptom of high altitude sickness. Well, at least I didn't spend 24 hours in the ER with an IV stuck in my arm, and my mouth covered by an oxygen mask. 

Sunday, was more of the terrifying same with fast speeds, winding two lane roads through beautiful mountain canyons, and hairpin curves. I must make a disclaimer here. When I say fast, I really mean somewhere in the range of 55 mph upwards in the mountains and 85 mph in the valley straight aways.  

 

 

We started in Buena Vista and ended Tourpalooza 2010 with an interesting tour of the famous Tabor Opera House in Leadville, CO (elev. 10,152'). 

Tabor Opera House is steep in Western culture and the history of Colorado. Built in 1879, the Tabor Opera House was acclaimed "the largest and best, West of the Mississippi." Today, it proudly stands as one of Colorado's premiere historical locations. 

As history states, Mr. Tabor made his riches in gold and silver, and with the help of his financially astute wife, Augusta, built the Opera House for the primary purpose of entertaining the rowdy miners who came to Leadville in hopes of "striking it rich." Surprisingly, the Opera House drew top entertainment in those days with visits from Houdini, Oscar Wilde, boxing champs, and a live production of "Ben Hur." Today, the "show" still goes on. The Judy Collins concert has been sold out for six months.  

Stay tune with my adventures on the High Lonesome Ranch, and of course, the prissy Porsche with flat tires on the rocky county road to the ranch and NO SPARE! Can you believe that these cars have no spare?

Give me a good, solid made, SUV with four wheel drive anyday.

It's Autumn in the Hill Country

Lost Maples State Park

Lost Maples State Park, home to the Bigtooth Maples, Acer grandidentatum, covers 2174.2 scenic acres north of Vanderpool, Texas, on the Sabinal River. As weather cools in central Texas, people come from all over to hike, watch and capture the fall foliage.   

It often takes 2-3 hours to get into the park on the weekends. And, the Houston InnerLoop Photography Club (HIPC) was there to do just that . . . capture images of fall foliage. Oh except one member's husband who was there to fly fish.

At 5 a.m., we were on the road heading down Texas Highway 39 to Lost Maples State Park in an effort to "beat the crowds." It was quite a scary drive in pitch darkness with a fog bank rising from the terra firma. It had all the makings of a great horror flick. Then there was the dodging of dead deer and dead raccoons. November marks the opening of deer season here in Texas.

Because of my pending foot surgery, I stuck to the easy trail, and actually just stayed close to the riverbed crossing. 

I spent the morning trying out different filters, and I even tried Tony Sweet’s abstract technique of moving the camera just so slightly upward and downward within the orientation of the subject for a realistic look. 

It is always touch and go on what time the maple leaves and other foliage will turn to brilliant and vibrant colors. It all depends on the quantity of rain and the cold temperatures the Texas Hill Country receives in the year. Because of that, Lost Maples provides an up-to-date report.   

Some of our group ventured into the high country to capture the beautiful autumn colors from a high altitude advantage. 

 

 

What had started out as a dreary morning, turned into a crisp, fall day with comfortable temperatures to just be outside enjoying God’s creations. I spent a good two hours photographing, using different angles and different lenses, lost in time and space.

My husband, Jim, had come to fly fish, and our gracious hostess, Mickey, invited him to fish on the Guadalupe River behind her home. So he spent the day casting his line and catching perch.

I made it back to Ingram just in time for the party to begin. A drink was handed to me, and I found a nice easy chair on the patio looking out at the Bald Cypress trees and the Guadalupe River below. It was so relaxing . . . it was like a Mark Twain novel with "Old Man River" meandering by while the delicious aroma of homemade Mexican food floated out of the kitchen. The warmth of my Diet Cuba Libre permeating through my body helped to reduce the slight chill of a November night in Texas. So there I sat enjoying a lively conversation (I am sure brought about by the spirits of the night), munching on homemade hors d’oeuvres, such as nachos, salsa and chips, quesadillas, discussing the days rewarding events. I have to admit, we hit the "MOTHER LODE." The fall foliage couldn't get any better, at least for Texas that is. 

Sunday, Jim and I stopped along a part of the Guadalupe River where there was a small waterfall. I had to climb down to the riverbank below the bridge to setup my tripod. What a sight to see . . . me trying to carry a huge black camera bag, tripod, camera and huge lens dangling from my neck trying to maneuver my way to an optimal spot along this very narrow riverbank. I was thinking “poison ivy or poison oak?" since it encroached on every part of the riverbank. Unfortunately it was an overcast day with thunderclouds roaring in the distance. Although, I have been told that the fall colors pop with overcast days. You be the judge.

Mr. Heimer spotted a pack of perch fighting the current trying to stay put near a group of boulders, and you guess it  . . . out came the fly fishing gear.  
 

 

The thundering rain clouds soon were right upon us. We both ran for the car with gear in tow. It appeared there would be no break in the weather so we packed up and headed for Houston with the knowledge that the weekend was rewarding and relaxing.

We have a great group of photographers who make up the success of our photo club, HIPC. For Jim and I, which was our first time to go on a HIPC group event, it was a real pleasure. And, look forward to many more adventures in the future.

Block Creek Natural Area

After the great fall foliage photos I captured in Lost Maples earlier in November, I did not think I could get better. Well, I wasn’t wrong but I had a great time at Turkey Hollow Ranch, and I was able to get photos of a long desired bird . . . wild owls.

In the latter days of November, I ventured to a part of central Texas, called Block Creek Natural Area, near Comfort, Texas, just off Interstate 10 West, approximately an hour out of San Antonio, Texas.

Block Creek Natural Area consists of 400 acres of prime grazing lands, watering holes, pristine creeks and waterfalls, a diverse variety of wildflowers, and native grasses. As part of the “Lens & Land project,” this area was developed for nature photography, which is quickly becoming a newly emerging segment of the nature tourism industry. 

I joined Larry Ditto, Texas Professional Photographer’s workshop on fall foliage with another photographer. We all stayed at the Turkey Hollow Ranch. I had a lovely bed and breakfast cottage located near the main ranch. The bedroom windows give you a panoramic view of the surrounding wooded area. Imagine waking up each morning to the harmonic sounds of colorful songbirds. The living room window looks out onto a small, fresh water fed, lake where several species of waterfowl make their home. I actually saw a green kingfisher.

 

The Old Barn 

With temperatures hovering in the low 40s, we setup to capture the golden light on an old barn in the early hours just before sunrise and few hours after. The different range of exposures with the light on the barn afforded me the opportunity to try some HDR photography. Gosh it was cold!

 

Wild Owls and Hawks

Early Tuesday morning, when the temperature dropped to below 20 degrees, I was excited to finally get photographs of wild owls. The ability to view the golden intense eyes of a Great Horned Owl through my lens or feel the wind as a hawk passes over my head was making me light-headed. You see I have long desired the opportunity to capture these great predators in the wild. 

Although, it wasn't quite, "in the wild," it was still photographing wild owls and hawks. John Karger, director of “Last Chance Forever,” had come with some of his wild rescue birds. Last Chance Forever is a conservancy project to rehabilitate and release back into the wild, injured, sick or orphaned birds of prey . . . hawks, falcons, eagles, owls and vultures. Birds who are not suffering but cannot be released, are placed in educational projects. These raptors play an important part in our ecosystem. 

Did you know that one Barn Owl would eat over 2500 rats and mice in one year! They are much more effective than pesticides and have a much lower impact on the environment.

John runs this organization without a single dollar from state or federal agencies. If you can join to support this great cause, not only will you play an important role in preserving our planet and the birds, you will get a tax deduction. 

The Eastern Screech-Owl, Otus asio, is nocturnal so he did not like being brought out into the daylight.  

John told us that he had to put all the other birds of prey away before he could bring out the Great Horned Owl because he is their enemy and will attack. We spent most of the morning photographing these winged wonders.

Skyline Ridge

We took the old gravel road, dodging large boulders to Skyline Ridge.  It was a bone-jarring ride, however, it was worth it because the view overlooking the valley below was filled with the colors of fall in Texas. The oranges, yellows, reds, and the golden hues covered the entire landscape. This part of Texas, what we Texans call the hill country, is such a beauty to behold. It is fast, maybe too fast, becoming a place to retire with so many small towns growing exponentially,

 

Larry Jay, owner of Turkey Hollow Ranch, took us to a nice low water crossing to photograph fall foliage along the Guadalupe River. The predominate color of orange reflected over the Bald Cypress trees as light was just beginning to wane in the horizon. It’s that beautiful “golden” time as the trees and foliage magically turn up the orange, red and yellow hues, and the sky was an interesting shade of blue. My favorite time of year is fall, and this quiet river crossing only cemented my views.

   

 

On our way back to the ranch, we caught sight of a working windmill just as the sun crested the horizon. I thought a wide angle lens would capture the light, windmill and the creepy branches best. I don't know if its the crisp evening air that produces this muted purple color but when I downloaded the photos, I just kept saying, YES YES YES!

 

 

We finished up a great three days of photographing fall foliage, hawks and owls, and spectacular landscapes. Now, I am hold up in my house processing photos, learning new photography techniques, and just letting my repaired ankle heal from major surgery three weeks ago. I should be fine to, once again, get on the road to South Texas for a hummingbird workshop with Larry Ditto, and then a trip to the Badlands of South Dakota for fly-fishing and photography. I have never visited the Dakotas so I am looking forward to exploring a land made up of the world’s richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds, 244,000 acres of vistas of eroded buttes and pinnacles. I'm bringing my 500mm lens in hopes of photographing bighorn sheep and the endangered black-footed ferrets and swift fox.