The Photography of Dr. Jeff Harper

I was sitting inside watching golf on the television when it dawned on me, "Why am I sitting inside watching golf on the television?" I have been noticing a wasp's hole near where I park every day and have been saying to myself, "Self, you should mount that excellent Sigma 70mm macro lens on your camera and see if you can't capture that dangerous rascal one of these days."  I have been saying that for weeks . . . so . . . no time like the present.

 

Taking a photo of wasps is not a very smart thing to do, really.  You are so scared of getting stung that most of your shots are blurred because of the shaking camera.  In addition, wasps are shy creatures:  I waited way too long in scorching heat and melting humidity and all I got was this this little guy peeping out of his wasp hole at me for 15 minutes.  Oh well . . . . there's plenty more in the garden to look at this beautiful morning.

 

There had been a heavy rain last night (like EVERY night for the past two weeks), and there was still a lot of moisture on everything . . .

 

It's fun walking around in the garden with a macro lens!  My Sigma DG 70mm f2.8 Macro lens is about as good as it gets for this kind of close-up work.

 

A very tiny world magnified inside this single drop!

 

The light was clear and very low . . . and passed through these red fronds.  The dew drops were on the back side of these!  Amazing!

 

Deep in the undergrowth . . . little gems.

 

There was so much to see this morning!  I lost my breath when I saw this.

 

Deep down at the bottom of the garden little magnifying lenses point out additional detail.  Wonderful.

 

A single dew drop crowns this magnificent red bud-with-a-flowing-bud.

 

It didn't take long for the sun to dry off the dew from these red flowers.  It was 90+ degrees and humidity 90%+ as well.

 

The rains blew a lot of leaves off the trees . . . at first I thought it looked messy . . . but then I looked closer!

 

I love the sparkle of this pink leaf.

 

A sensuous palm frond, vaguely human.

 

With all the rain we have been having over the past several months, everything is growing like crazy.

 

Not only is everything growing like crazy, it is growing everywhere!  The variety of plant life growing on this garden path stone is incredible.

 

An old dead tree stump had new lichens growing on it.  WOW! What planet did this come from?

 

Another strange lichen.  I wish I had some extension tubes for my macro set-up . . . guess I'll go to the camera shop this afternoon!

 

This is about the maximum magnification I can get without an extension tube on my macro lens.  This is at 100%, no crop.

 

Our star fruit (Carambola) tree is starting to drop fruit.  Pretty tasty, but a strange texture . . . .

 

Snail Love . . . . mating at the bottom of the garden!

 

Oh!  So that's where the Chinese stone garden lantern went!

 

I noticed this flowing  thorn bush before I went into the house . . . and noticed that I hadn't noticed how beautiful the stalks were!

Back at my favorite blues club, Saxophone, at Victory Monument Circle, Bangkok. I had a good time with my old students (from 15 years ago!), Mark and Eddie.

JULY 20, 2012 - EASTERN WASHINGTON STATE

We arrived in Spokane, Washington very late in the afternoon, checked into our just OK hotel, and walked about the downtown area.  I didn't bring my camera . . . I was tired.  We awoke the next morning early for the long drive across Eastern Washington and a rendezvous with Levenworth, Washington, and a good night's sleep.

 

We avoided the Interstate highway and took State Highway 2 west out of Spokane through the magnificent rolling farm land.

 

The scenery and colors were fantastic.  An early dew left the wheat feilds a bright yellow!

 

Washington Highway 2 was straight as an arrow, but up and down over the rolling landscape.

 

We stopped often to take in the spaciousness.

 

I love this photo . . . and so did a lot of other people on the 500px photo sharing site.  I won a "Popular" award there!

 

The further East we drove on Highway 2, the dryer the countryside became.

 

We arrived in the rain shadow of the great Cascade Mountains which split Washington into two distinct climactic regions: wet in the West and dry in the East.

 

We turned off of Highway 2 and onto Highway 17 toward Grand Coulee Dam.  After a few miles we started to get glimpses of Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake.

 

Looking down into a small inlet on FDR Lake.  I wonder how that fisherman is doing?

 

When we finally got a view of the Grand Coulee Dam we had no idea what was in store for us.

 

These giant skimmers kept errant fishermen from going over the spillways of Grand Coulee Dam. We stopped in the little town of Grand Coulee to have an excellent Mexican lunch before rounding the bend to see the actual dam itself.

 

Grand Coulee Dam!  The largest electricity producing facility in the United States.  Built in 1933, it is still one of the largest concrete structures in the world.  What a sight.

 

The power of the water pouring over the dam was immense!  Imagine the power going through the turbines!

 

A third power station was added to the dam in 1974.  These huge power transmission lines were just humming with energy.

 

Standing in the roar of the Grand Coulee Dam, you become transfixed by the powerful movement of the water over the immense structure. There are great photo opportunities here.  I must have taken a hundred photos . . . of the same thing!

 

The power of water.

 

I hated to leave the Grand Coulee Dam.  I enjoyed the tranfixation!

 

We came across what must have been the remains of some old "creative weather vane" contest on the outskirts of the town of Grand Coulee.

 

There were about 50 different weather vanes . . . they just put a tall fence around the collection . . . . I guess just to see what time and weather would do to them . . . or this is a Federally Funded Durability Test?

 

Eastern Washington geology is very rich and diverse.

 

Beautiful layers from successive volcanic eruptions are everywhere.

 

Banks Lake is an interesting curiosity:  it is a manmade lake created from the ancient, and abandoned, river bed of the Columbia River.

 

The ancient Columbia River cut this deep canyon, then shifted itself in another direction.  The construction of the Grand Coulee Dam meant this old section of the river could be dammed as well, and then filled.

 

Lovely geological layers chronicling the passing of the eons.

 

Here and there in the Eastern Washington scabland we found wetlands full of migrating birds . .  but no time to linger  . . . .  This is beautiful country.

 

The roadside flora was varied, colorful, and generally dry at this time of year.

 

Damp, aromatic sage.

 

The dry ancient Columbia River valley.

 

We made our way back to Highway 2 and headed west toward the foothills of the Cascades.  The topography was changing again: a little less dry, and the appearance of wheat fields.

 

An old abandoned school house on the Washington prairie. 

 

There were very few towns along Highway two.  Douglas, Washington was the exception.  Too bad it's General Store was closed.

 

Douglass had everything a small town could want, although this roadside scene seemed to have been arranged for the benefit of passing photographers like me.

 

This old homestead had long since been abandoned . . . . it stopped me in my tracks.  I spent about 20 minutes exploring it's surfaces and shadows.  Remarkable.

 

The flat light was a blessing for shooting such fantastically textured surfaces.

 

Archetypal dilapidation . . . my favorite subject.

 

The detail was captivating on these old catawampus farm structures.

 

They were a wonderful ensemble of shapes against a wide flat horizon.  Wow.

 

The old farmer did not waste anything before he gave up: this hinge replacement attests to that!

 

I may print and frame some of these . . . .

 

Back out on the road in Douglas County, Washington heading toward Winatchee and the promise of fresh fruit.

 

We discovered this old garage in Waterville, a wide spot on Highway 2, that served as the County Seat of Douglas County.  The patina of age had not been lost to this place.

 

We dropped back down into the Columbia River Valley just east of the Cascades and the fruit producing region of Wenatchee, Washington (the largest sweet cherry exporting region in the world!).  This was such a sweet sign.

 

We stopped for the port-a-potty and discovered cherries and apricots.

 

Why must there always an outhouse poet?

 

Early green apples and late apricots.

 

Winatchee nectarines.

Winatchee apricots.

World famous Winatchee sweet cherries.  We bought a few pounds of these.

 

Lots of photogenic fruit to be had.

 

The fruit crates were all neatly stacked ready to be filled with freshly picked fruit.

 

These fruit crates were extremely sought after when I was younger: they were perfect for holding your vinyl LP record collection.

 

A highlight of any road trip are them many stops at the various fruit stands.  Good car food, for sure.

 

Our stopped for the night in the faux German tourist town of Leavensworth, Washington.  "A little bit of old Bavaria in the Washington Cascades."  Very little.

 

There are a number of these false European towns in the USA: Solvang and Idyllwild in California come to mind.  In fact, Leavensworth is based on Solvang as a "town saving project" after the lumber mills closed.

 

As we all know, every German village has a Danish bakery.

 

I do have to admit that the local mini-golf made good use of green gardening practices in it's course maintenance.

 

We checked into our German-themed motel and asked the iPhone 4S Siri where a good restaurant might be found hereabouts..  She prioritized the local eateries and we went to the number one recommendation . . . which turned out to be a Bavarian-themed sausage stand with a wide array of mustard options.

 

I enjoyed another fine example of the American National Dish, the hot dog, with gusto.

 

As the sun set over the Traditional German Village Totem Pole (TGVTP), we headed back to our room . . . we had a long drive the next day.

 

Driving over the Washington Cascades did not disappoint: it was rainy and dreary . . .  just as I remembered it!

 

Eventually we encountered a huge thunder storm on this road, just at the twistiest part . . . .

 

This is the one thing I miss about America: the Pacific Northwest mountains.  Bangkok is just too flat!

 

WHIDBEY ISLAND: July 21-22, 2012

After stopping off to spend the afternoon at a suburban Seattle outlet mall, we made it to the Race Track Road ferry terminal for Whidbey Island.  There  was a very long line, so I had  time to walk around and take some nice nautical photographs around the ferry docks.

 

The old lighthouse, with the approaching ferry, was very picturesque.

 

Although the day was ending, there was some very interesting light available from a fascinating sunset.

 

We eventually boarded the ferry, where I had another good vantage point to photograph the docks area.  The sunsets and dusk hours last a very long time this far north.

 

The old lighthouse as seen from the Whidbey Island Ferry.

 

Looking East from the ferry, the sky became darker and darker as we set off from the pier.

 

Once departed, I roamed the car deck for some shots.

 

I hadn't realized it, but there were two ferries that make the trip to and from Whidbey Island.  The two ferries crossed in the middle of the sound.  Fantastic to see my sister ferry across the water . . . .

 

The Pacific Northwest is famous for it's gloomy weather, but, my-oh-my, what a beautiful mood this late evening had!

 

Approaching the Whidbey Island shore.

 

We arrived at our friend's house just in time to see a colorful sunset develop.

 

The last of an amazing sunset over Puget Sound.

 

We awoke the next morning to the same view in daylight . . . equally beautiful.

 

Our friends from Bangkok have retired in this beautiful place.

 

There is a distinct Pacific Northwest style that I miss very much.

 

Their cedar shake siding made me VERY homesick.  I am an Oregonian, and love the wet weather and the ferns of this part of the planet.

 

Our friends were very welcoming, hospitable, and generous.

 

It was a beautiful morning to go out and take photographs of the garden.

 

These red poppies provided an interesting subject for a study in composition . . .

 

. . . moving in and out on the flower and buds . . . .

 

. . . . made for different, but equally interesting shots.

 

A spider between the poppy pods.

 

In the late morning we took a "Sunday Drive" on Whidbey Island.  We stopped off at their Saturday Market.  I was able to indulge my global obsession with peddlar's street carts.

 

Saturday "Farmer" Markets are popular in the Pacific Northwest.  This one was like a little country fair with lots of music, food, and flowers.  The kids loved it.

 

Playiing beautiful Rennaisance sonatas, theis young band was very good. The next Allison Krauss?

 

The flower vendors had some wonderful surprises . . . like these purple puffs . . .

 

. . . and orange Poppies . . .

 

. . . lots of orange poppies!

 

There were many vendors at the Saturday Market.  This guy made and sold very unique travel trailers . . . all cedar inside too.  Cute.

 

After the Saturday market we went to one of the small villages on the island for lunch and to walk around and soak up the atmosphere.  Very pleasant.

 

It was a [rare] sunny day on Puget Sound and lots of people were out on the water.

 

Pacific Northwsterners are very outdoorsey.

 

The village was very sweet, with many blooming flowers everywhere.

 

I have no idea what kind of flower this is, but it was growing in deep shade.

 

Now THIS is the way to see Whidbey Island!!!

 

Maretime views are always changing.

 

View from the cliffs.

 

In the late afternoon we took the steep steps down to the shore.

 

The Pacific Northwest is covered by dense forests.  When big storms come in the winter, the old logs, snags, are washed out to sea and then deposited on the beaches.

 

Silver driftwood under a Northwest summer sun.

 

Is this the lost log from the TV series, Twin Peaks, washed ashore?

 

I made several Driftwood Portraits (#1) while on the beach.  I really appreciate these weathered shapes.  The silvery surfaces tinged with the orange light of sunset . . . too beautiful.

 

Driftwood Portrait #2.

 

Driftwood Portrait #3.  The burl on this piece of driftwood was magical in form and texture.

 

On the walk back up the stairs to the top of the bluff, I spotted this lovely new leaf.

 

We settled in around the B-B-Q and watched the many cruise ships departing Seattle for the inside passage along the British Columbia coast to Alaska . . . and waited for the sunset over the Olympic Mountains.

 

There was a fantastic orange sunset, actually, a double sunset . . . . but not over the Olympic Mountains . . . for that I had to look south.  Enjoy the progression of this amazing scene across Puget Sound!

 

Last light on Puget Sound.  What a sunset!

 

We woke early and drove down to the ferry landing . . . there were only a few cars waiting on this cool and cloudy July morning.

 

A few gulls were squawking here and there under the pier . . . .

 

. . . and up on the power lines.

 

The ferry arrived and we drove on.  Time for a swanky hotel in downtown Seattle to prepare for our long journey back to Thailand.

 

We had a very nice stay on Whidbey island and were sorry to see it fade into the distance.

 

SEATTLE 09/22/2012

We stayed right downtown in Seattle.  It's a very nice city to walk around in.

 

Just around the corner from our hotel was a flower shop with this Thai Buddha in the window . . . it made me soooooo homesick for Thailand!  I was ready to go home.

 

Seattle is a very multicultural city . . . that is one of the reasons it is such a special city . . . and a great place to live.

 

I do not know what unemployment is like in Seattle, but ther were a lot of people working on restoring old buildings downtown.  Seattle never looked better.

 

Seattle is a port city, so all east-west streets lead down to Puget Sound.

 

There was some kind of celebration going on down by the waterfront.

 

I walked the few blocks from the hotel to famous Pike Place Market.

 

The very famous Pike Place Market sign.

 

The area around the Pike Place Market is very pleasant; lots of nice eateries, shops, and the original Starbucks #1.

 

It was a beautiful summer day in Seattle (a somewhat rare occurance here) and people were sitting outside on the cafe balconies.

 

But it is the Pike Place Market interior that is so fascinating to visitors.

 

It was a Sunday the the isles were very crowded . .. but people are nice in Seattle.

 

I love the old fashioned neon signage.  Very picturesque.

 

There are several floors of shops and market stalls . . .

 

. . . these open air fruit markets are ubiquitous in Asia where I live, but they are a novelty in America.  There should be more of these in The States.

 

I took a shortcut through the famous Post Alley, where the famous Seattle hipsters purchase their uber cool clothing, to rendezvous with my wife for lunch at out favorite restaurant.

 

Seattle is a famous restaurant town . . . for good reason.

 

I rounded a corner and looked down the hill to the Sound and saw this fire boar in full water plumage!  I asked some bystanders what was up and they said it was to honor President Obama who was just then at the Pike Place Market!  I missed him by ten minutes. 

 

We had our "Good Bye America" lunch at our favorite Seattle restaurent (Greek):  Lola, on the corner of 4th and Virginia.

 

All good things must come to an end:  we boarded our very long EVA flight back home to Bangkok, Thailand via . . .

 

The very nice Taipei, Taiwan airport.  Our 14 hour flight from Seattle is always the first flight to arrive in Taipei . . . 5:00am . . . even before the duty free shops are open.  It is very strange to walk around in an empty, and quiet, airport.

MONTANA HIGHWAYS (07/18/12)

Yellowstone National Park is in Wyoming, but it abuts Montana, specifically, the town of West Yellowstone.  The Yellowstone t-shirts and Yellowstone bumper stickers are about 60% less expensive here.

 

INTERNET!  Oh No!  It's closed!  We had a nice organic sandwich at a nice hippie establishment before we headed out of town and up the road . . . gotta make Butte by nightfall.

 

The countryside outside the National Park is every bit as beautiful.

 

Such beautiful scenery is unforgettable.

 

I want a cabin right here!

 

The drive from Yellowstone to Butte, Montana is a couple of hundred miles, but it is never boring.  The topography is constantly changing.

 

Stunning views of open range land and big, wide open spaces . . . and that sky!

 

. . . that huge, dramatic sky!

 

I couldn't help myself . . . these ARE Ansel Adams skies.

 

We saw the "Strawberry Pie" sign in the window of the Ennis Cafe and immediately pulled over.  That thunder storm finally caught us.

 

Although seemingly not a perfect day for photography . . . there was a certain mood about the landscape . . . still and dark . . . with a gigantic thunderhead looming . . .

 

Double thunder storms (binary system?).  Those clouds above were roiling.

 

Clouds are gigantic structures in our world that we do not pay enough attention to . . .  these heavily water saturated clouds seemed suited to a black & white study.

 

Montana sky and prairie.

 

Old farm houses were sparsely distributed around the landscape.  I love these old weathered surfaces . . . anywhere in the world I find them.

 

As the old saying goes, "It's not in the middle of nowhere, but you can see it from there" certainly fit this magical spot on our home planet.

 

Saw these big rolls of hay and had to stop. 

 

Nice textures, shapes, and shadows.

 

Montana is a big, beautiful place.

 

Moving on down the ever-changing Montana highways.

 

BUTTE, MONTANA: A GHOST TOWN IN THE MAKING

Butte, Montana, once the "Richest City In The World" in the 1880s, but not any more.  It was the largest city west of the Mississippi river, but not any more.

 

The wealth of the mine, shich sits right next to the city (and underneath it!) financed wonderful archecture and city planning.

 

The Golden Era of Butte was between the 1880s and 1917, when copper production began to decline.  There is an excellent documentary, Butte, America, worth seeing.

 

I wish I had made more time for Butte on this vacation.  I could have spent days in this amazingly photogenic old city.

 

The Silver Dollar Saloon, Butte, Montana, USA.  I do not know what the slogan on the sign refers to . . . .

 

. . . but the saloon had a wonerderful old sign.

 

There remains many references to the large Chinese population the American West once held.  The Chinese were brought to America to build the railroads and dig the mines.  The saga of the Chinese workers in Butte, Montana is a very sad story of exploitation, exclusion, and discrimination.

 

Butte noodle parlors . . . over 100 years old.

 

There must have been a very large Chinese population here at one time.  These old noodle merchant buildings now house a fine museum dedicated to the history of Asians in the Western USA.

 

I had to accept the light before me . . . if I were to spend some time here I would know where to be with my camera at the "right" time of day . . . still . . .

 

. . . even with the harsh light, there was much to appreciate.  "Old Space" is my favorite subject matter: something made, a space defined (positive or negative space) and never touched, or repaired, or maintained for long periods of time.

 

Somewhere, in Butte, Montana, an artist moves in the shadows.

 

Sometimes, Time itself is a maker of Art.  High altitude, deep blue sky, clear air that does not refract light, and a polarizing filter can create some interesting effects, like this black sky.

 

I do not know if I will ever return to Butte . . . . but I will remember it's strangely beautiful ambiance.

 

As we drove out of Butte, I stopped to take this photo of an old mine "Head Rig," a symbol of it's past glory, and it's present predicament.

 

We stopped for gas and lottery tickets an hour west of Butte.

 

A summer Montana alfalfa field.  One can only wonder how deep the snow is here in the winter!

 

I knew I should have employed the porcelain convenience at that Conoco station!  Oh well, an unscheduled stop brought the discovery of an old road bridge.

 

These one-way bridges bring back more childhood memories from my many moves across the country. Sometimes there would be a flagman, sometimes lights, and sometimes you had to just play chicken!

 

The water looked refreshing, but we had to move further on up the road.

 

Looking west, as millions have done before me.

 

Stopped for B-B-Q and noticed this sweet home.

 

The air was so clean and the light so perfect . . .

 

. . . I had to take these photos.  It's a shame these are not full frame, full-resolution photos.  I can literally count every single pine needle!

 

The world's largest dandelion puff . . . it was as large as my hand!

 

The National Fish Hatchery Museum is located at the site of America's first fish hatchery, established in 1889.  It was so clear and bright when I pulled the car over, but the ONLY cloud in the sky decided to make me wait 20 minutes before I could take this shot.  It was the last stop in Montana.

 

IDAHO: CUTTING ACROSS THE PANHANDLE (07/19/12)

Idaho.  We cut across the narrowest part of the state.

 

We dropped out of the Montana high country towards the big valley that starts with Coeur d'Alene and ends with the Washington Cascades.

 

We stopped only once in Idaho, in the old silver mining town of Wallace.

 

In 1890 Wallace was the most populated town in Idaho (population 2000), in 1910 it burned to the ground.

 

Today Wallace is a beautifully restored tourist town with a population of 784 (2010 census).

 

There was a lot of civic pride evident in Wallace . . .

 

. . . we arrived in the middle of the Wallace Chamber of Commerce's Annual Flintstone Days.  You do not see this kind of thing every day!

 

You needed a substantial bank building to hold all of that silver.

 

There is a total of about four square blocks in Wallace now, but we enjoyed walking around and sticking our heads in the quaint shops and fountains.

 

An old hardware store was converted into an antiques shop, but they kept the origional 100 year old hardware store fittings and furnishings as they were.  Nice.

 

The Wallace hardware/antique shop has a sumptuously welcoming interior.

 

I am very happy to report that no matter where in the world I go, no matter how large or small the town, there is always an artist. Wallace, Idaho painted cabinet.

 

I thought, as I always do, what it would be like to live in this sweet little town . . . .  but decided against it . . . . what would I DO?

 

Wallace had a fountain/old games parlor.  These old juke boxes were amazing, as were the old pin-ball machines.  The owner said they were were all in A-1  working order.  There was no way I was going to ship one of these gems to Bangkok!

 

The soda fountain in the front of the shop was a marvel, untouched from the 1920s.

 

I had a world class piece of home made apple pie and an excellent cafe latte. I have a feeling that they didn't serve cafe latte in the 1920s in Wallace, Idaho!

 

A business opportunity can be had in this recently refurbished historical building.  I LOVE the period art deco erectile signage!

 

Interstate 90 was calling, so we said good-bye to Idaho and a few hours later pulled into  .  .  . Spokane, Washington State.

THE YELLOWSTONE LOOP ROAD

Yellowstone National Park beckons: we weren't the only ones beckoned.  But . . . I am not complaining . . . the facilities and organization of the park was so good that it could have easily swallowed up twice as many tourists.  We were told that the number of tourists this summer was "very low" in comparison to previous years.  The recession and high gasoline prices kept many away.  It's a pity, really, because Yellowstone is such a fantastically beautiful place.

 

Park policy is to leave Yellowstone as natural as possible.  As a result, they let wild fires burn out, rather than intervene.  Here we have evidence of a fire from several years ago and the regrowth that has occurred since.

 

We checked into our comfortable lodge room at mid day and set out on one of the park "loop" roads for Old Faithful Geyser.  The park roads have many "turn-outs" that give access to beautiful scenes, like this Alpine lily pond, and . . .

 

. . . . broad vistas of the park forests and lakes.

 

The road into Yellowstone follows the beautiful  Yellowstone River.

 

We stopped many times to marvel at the natural beauty of the Yellowstone River.

 

We stopped many, many times to marvel at the beauty of the Yellowstone River scenery.

 

We reached the vast parking lots of the Old Faithful Lodge about ten minutes too late to see the geyser erupt.  Fortunately, they don't call it Old Faithful for nothing:  the next eruption would be in 73 minutes!

 

The area around Old Faithful Geyser is very beautiful.  There were also shops nearby selling everything in the universe with "Old Faithful" either embossed, embroidered, or printed on it. I bought a t-shirt while we waited.  I also had a hot dog that didn't have Old Faithful printed on it.

 

As the moment of eruption neared, a small crowd appeared.  The seating around the geyser was only half full.

 

Old Faithful erupting right on time.  Too bad the light wasn't any better for photography.

 

The eruption is really spectacular . . . a video clip can be found here.

 

We went back to the lodge for the night after Old Faithful, but not before exploring a bit around Yellowstone Lake.

 

Ah, Wilderness!

 

Here and there around Yellowstone Lake are areas of active geology, such as colorful mineral hot springs, geysers, and bubbling mud and slimy ooze, my favorite things.

 

Effervescent green mineral springs and slimy pink gunky hot springs side-by-side.

 

This little geyser was spitting an occasional thick, hot white paste globule.  Very creepy, really.

 

Other than volcanoes and earthquakes, we do not normally think of the earth itself as active . . .

 

There were lots of elderly couples riding very large motorcycles (sometimes puling a trailer full of camping gear) on the road and in the lodges.  By elderly, I mean 85 years old, like this "young couple" from Alabama.  Good on them!  I love seeing old folks out in the  world enjoying life.

 

There was a touring service employing antique busses available for tourists.  Very cool.

 

We followed the Loop Road counterclockwise along the shore of Yellowstone Lake.

 

We pulled off the Loop Road often for short walks in the beautiful nature.

 

Yellowstone River.

 

Yellowstone River rocks covered with moss and lichens.

 

We saw some trees showing signs of Elk rubbing the velvet off their young antlers.

 

The giant Elk was grazing not ten feet from the roadside . . . with 30 cars and campers and 50 people all clicking away with their cameras!  The Elk remained nonchalant.

 

The weather remained threatening all day.  The geological activity of Yellowstone is a reminder that we were sitting on top of an ancient Super Volcano.

 

The views of the bubbling mud were endless.

 

A bubbling mud caldera.  Do not swim in these.

 

A hot, bubbling mineral lake.  Beautiful.

 

Although it was a cloudy day, the mountain glades were beautiful in their wild flowers.

 

A field of Yellowstone wild flowers.

 

We at last came to the end of Yellowstone Lake.

 

The lake emptied back into the Yellowstone River . . . and then into the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone."

 

THE GRAND CANYON OF YELLOWSTONE

Upper Falls, Yellowstone River.

 

The Yellowstone River goes over a series of falls.

 

Middle Falls, Yellowstone River.

 

Near the Lower Falls.

 

The Lower Falls: WOW!

 

The "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone" begins at the Lower Falls.

 

The Yellowstone River carved a deep canyon through, what else, yellow stone.

 

The light was not good for this kind of photography . . . but I tried to be patient.

 

If you look at the top of the foreground pinnacle you will see an osprey's nest  with chicks.  Of course I only had my 24-105mm lens with me . . . .

 

We eventually had to leave the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone because this big rain (above) moved in . . . and was beautiful.

 

We left the high river and canyon region and arrived at open meadows with bison serenely grazing.

 

We were able to get surprisingly close to the bison.

 

I guess if you are exposed to over a million tourists, you get used to it.  These are magnificent animals.

 

This big fellow was walking beside the road without a care in the  world.  He stopped for this posed photo-op.

 

Wild flowers were in abundance as it was still Spring in July at this altitude of over 8000 feet.

 

On our second day we decided to drive the entire Loop Road . . . to see the bubbling mineral springs and cascades.

 

There is no shortage of grand views in Yellowstone:  Here a recent burn left a sad and desolate landscape.

 

All day long we chased, and were chased by, dark mountain storms.

 

The Loop Road takes you up and outside of the main caldera and into some beautiful rolling high country.

 

YELLOWSTONE HOT MINERAL SPRINGS

The highlight of the second day in Yellowstone, if not the entire vacation, was the discovery of the hot mineral springs.  This is Canary Springs.

 

The mineral hot springs were a flow of scalding hot water, mineral formations, and an abundance of waterborne life in the form of thermophilic microbes.

 

The combination of time, flowing hot mineral water, and simple thermophilic life forms created the most marvelous patterns.

 

OK, name this planet.  If you guessed Earth, you'd be right, although the small round mineral balls are reminiscent of the "blueberries" found on Mars by the rovers.

 

I could not get enough of these wild abstract algae creations in mineral substance.

 

A colorful hot algeal mineralscape.

 

Mineralscape detail.  Amazing beauty and complexity.  These were very difficult to photograph on this cloudy day: most of what you see in this photo was moving around, wafting back and forth in the current of hot mineral spring water.

 

A scene of life that has adapted to a hostile environment.  If this livng stuff can live on Earth, then it can live ANYWHERE!

 

Oh!  The colors!

 

Everything in this photo is a life form . . . swaying in the current of a hot spring!

 

More "Martian" blueberries.

 

Colorful layers of minerals and algae forms.

 

Steaming hot spring.

 

Hot spring patterns.

 

At the mineral springs.

 

In some of the hot pools it would be the minerals that had crystallized into patterns.

 

The variation of color and pattern in the hot mineral springs was endless.

 

A cropped photo of a hot algae pool. Extraterrestrial, no?

 

The hot vulcanism of our planet must be very close to the surface here.

 

As we drove the Loop Road the natural wonders just kept on coming!

 

After seeing these formations I understood more of how the Mars Rovers went about their business: some mineral formations only occur in the presence of water.

 

These mineral formations are not ancient, as the protruding trees attest.  Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA.

 

Again: Name the planet!

 

Another roadside Point of Interest, and another amazing mineral formation.

 

This hot spring was very active: loudly bubbling and steaming.

 

Hot, bright white liquid poured down the hillside.

 

Fabulous Nature!

 

Active geology, no?

 

Beautiful . . . . and there was more to come . . . much more.  I LOVE Yellowstone.

 

A cascade of color, minerals, algae, bacteria, and hot water.

 

Orange Spring Mound near Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone.  Bacteria and algae create the streaks of color.

 

Orange Spring Mound, Yellowstone, late afternoon, July 17, 2012.

 

We headed back out onto the Yellowstone Loop Road back to our cabin, the light was becoming as magical as the landscape.

 

Afternoon light in the Wyoming High Country.

 

A clearing in between the afternoon showers left the earth wet and dark.

 

A Yellowstone afternoon; Elk grazing in the distance.

 

High country afternoon sky, meadow, trees, and hill.

 

While driving around in that beautiful afternoon magic golden hour light I spotted a roadside forest lake and pulled over.

 

The timing couldn't have been better:  fantastic light and shadow . . . and  . . .

 

. . . reflection!

 

Incredible reflection.  What a special afternoon it was.

 

Further on down the road: deer grazing.

 

A tranquil and serene sight.

 

Who in the Hell drives a SmartCar from Florida to Yellowstone?  The Buffalo was larger than the car . . .

 

The Bison is a magnifiscent animal.

 

In mid-July, the sun sets very late at these northern latitudes, unlike Bangkok, my home town.

 

There was a colorful sunset brewing . . .

 

. . . and even though the sun was setting, we continued to explore the various geothermal sights.  You can see steam rising everywhere.

 

The National Park Service does a very good job of making it easy for visitors to make the most of their Yellowstone holiday.  This is the Subaru we rented.  A very good car for this kind of trip, although I would have liked to have had about 500 more horsepower.  Oh well.

 

There weree still beautiful photographs to take in the last of the light:  this stream meandering through the green marsh grass and purple sage, for example.

 

A geyser erupting at night is spectacular, not so much for the visuals, but the auditory experience: the ground rumbles, then the hot seam gurgles and hisses loudly as it is ejected from the hot depths of the Earth.

 

We called it a day to remember and headed back to the lodge for a meal of farm-raised trout.  Yummy.

LEAVING YELLOWSTONE: MORE ROADSIDE GEOLOGICAL ATTRACTIONS

We woke early on our last day and drove out of Yellowstone . . . but not without stopping a number of times to take in more amazing geological phenomena.

 

The Yellowstone Park Serice provided very informative and educational signage at every stop.

 

Black Sands Basin was especially beautiful  with the turquoise geyser pools.

 

Although not as high as Old Faithful, this geyser at Black Sands Basin was more dramatic because it was continuously erupting.

 

I do not want to leave the impression through my photographs that we were alone in the park.  There were other tourists wherever we went, but never in large numbers . . . and they were always well behaved, lulled, as it were, into as stupor of total wonder!

 

The weather was perfect in the clear, cold morning: no pesky thunder clouds.

 

Just look at how this algae and bacteria have organized themselves into organic shapes of many kinds (pods!!!).  Looking at these I can understand evolution fully:  give a life form a few billion years and it will morph, evolve into some pretty interesting shapes . . . like you and me.

 

An astonishing color to find in nature! . . . and those cloud reflections!

 

The Yellowstone Park Service provided safe elevated boardwalks to access these amazing hot mineral pools to minimize the impact of so many tourists.  Thanks.

 

I am running out of superlatives that I haven't used a hundred times already.  How about 'wonderous'!!

 

These mineral flows are very recent . . . the colors were otherworldly.

 

Unspoiled natural beauty wherever you looked.  I will always remember this day at Yellowstone.  The sky was so dark blue, and the pools were so vividly turquoise.  Unfathomable beauty.

 

But . . . "we ain't seen nuttin' yet" as the old saying goes . . .

 

As we ascended the steps and boardwalks of Giant Pool, we suspected we were in for a treat.

 

We were not disappointed: an array of color the likes of which I had never seen in nature.  Simply fantastic.  And that sky . . . . .

 

The valley was a continuous plane of geological wonder all the way up to the mountains . . . .

 

. . . and looking in both directions.  On the boardwalk we were surrounded by 360 degrees of flowing hot water covered mineral formations in a wide array of hues and colors.

 

The walk up to the main pool was out of this world: orange algae streaks and water so blue it's steam was also blue.  Simply incredible!

 

Orange, yellow, blue, green . . . and bubbling!

 

I have never seen anything quite so beautiful in my entire life, and I am not likely to see something this beautiful again.

 

The bluest blue I have ever seen.

 

With the bright blue pool behind me the view was also fantastic.

 

The orange algae flow continued under the boardwalk.

 

I did not want to leave Yellowstone . . . and this spot in particular.

 

I would love to come back here in the winter and see this place on a brightcold day with snow all around . . . .

 

This hot deep pool was nearby . . . .

 

. . . it was bubbling viciously from the center.

 

It was a windy day and as a result there were many hats blown into the turquoise realm.  These are tropical beach colors that come as a surprise in the mountains.

 

We had to say good-bye to Yellowstone and hit the road to Butte, Montana for the night.  We were on a road trip, after all, and had to make some miles.