Summer Storm over Swamp Lake

Check out these awesome clouds that I photographed over Swamp Lake today.

Petrified Forest National Park

After leaving the Grand Canyon, I drove east on Interstate 10 to visit the Petrified Forest National Park. In order to appreciate this place, you must exit the Interstate, get out of your vehicle, and take the short walks that are available. From Interstate 10 on the north side of the park there is a road that will take you a short ways into the Painted Desert, then it turns south to take you through the Petrified Forest. It comes out on U.S. 180 east of Holbrook, where you can easily pick up the Interstate again. It may take you a couple of hours to drive through the park, but it is well worth the slight detour.

The colors in some of the pieces are incredible. It looks like someone came along with a chain saw, a very large one in some cases, and cut up the “trees” into small pieces.... then they went and tossed those pieces and scattered them around the desert floor. Of course, the Rangers deny any such thing.

Actually, the Petrified Forest, as we see it now, is but a shadow of its former self. Before it became protected as a National Park, people came and took away quite a bit of the petrified wood. Even now, with a warning of a fine of several hundred dollars, people still walk off with bits and pieces. I can understand the attraction. It is beautiful stuff and the colors are startling, but I resisted the temptation and went away empty handed, except for the photographs I took.

Up and Away :: Evening Version

Depending upon the weather, mass ascensions of the balloons are held in the morning and in the early evening. About five o'clock I made my way back to Rotary Park. I could see a bunch of balloons already in the sky and it was an impressive sight!





Even more impressive was seeing the balloons floating just a few feet above the surface of Lake Havasu. Wouldn't it have been fun to be a passenger in either one of the boats or one of the balloons?





There were reportedly six unusually shaped balloons at the festival. This cute little fish is the only one that came close enough so that I could get a nice shot.





Looking to the west, more balloons were ascending. I counted about 40 all in the air at the same time, though not close enough together that you could get them all in one picture.





Another pilot showing off!



For a few brief moments, the sun came out from behind the clouds and the southeastern sky lightened up considerably. I made my way south, toward that spit of land jutting into the lake.





Several balloons landed there but many others continued on further, landing on the southeastern shore of Lake Havasu.





Meanwhile, there were still quite a few balloons drifting off into the western sky.



Carnival rides and other festival activities carried on into the evening, but I did not! I stayed around a few minutes longer, watching the “glow” of some of the balloons still moored on the island.





I also spent a few minutes simply enjoying the awesome sunset that Mother Nature provided for the ending of another beautiful day!



A note about the two photos of the balloons with the golden sky: Those two shots were taken with the camera at the maximum 35x zoom setting and about 20-30 minutes prior to the sunset photo. I made no changes or color corrections to those shots (or any others, for that matter though several had adjustments to contrast and lightness).

Exquisite Beauty

Friday, September 24th - - Words cannot describe, nor photographs convey completely, the simplicity and incredible beauty of this place... Crater Lake National Park.

Twisted!

Twisted trillium (Trillium stamineum). The little propeller trillium! I love this one.


Trilliums are among my favorite wildflowers. At a Special Studies class on wildflowers, they told us that there are 18 types of trilliums in Alabama. They didn't name them, but I think that they are:

Trillium catesbaei (Catesby's or Bashful)
T. cuneatum (Little Sweet Betsy, toadshade, wakerobin, etc.)
T. decipiens (Chattahoochee River)
T. decumbens (Trailing)
T. erectum (Red)
T. flexipes (Bent or nodding)
T. lancifolium (Lanceleaf)
T. ludovicianum (Louisiana)
T. luteum (Yellow)
T. maculatum (Spotted)
T. pusillum (Dwarf)
T. recurvatum (Bloody butcher, Recurved sepal)
T. reliquum (Relict)
T. rugelii (Nodding or ill-scented)
T. sessile (Sessile)
T. stamineum (Twisted)
T. underwoodii (Underwood's or longbract)
T. vaseyi (Vasey's)

Many of these are found in very small numbers in Alabama, and are most easily viewed at botanical gardens.

Some older books show cernuum in AL, but this was split into cernuum and rugelii, with rugelii being the southern species.

Two of these are sometimes called "nodding", an example of confusing trillium common names. (I like dealing in latin names with trilliums.)

In most of Alabama, Trillium cuneatum is the common "if you just have one, this is it" trillium.

For lots more info, visit Susan Farmer's excellent collection of Trillium links and photos.

The Trillium book by the Cases is considered the "Trillium Bible" and is full of beautiful photos.



-----

Edited 17 June ..:

I got a sneak peek at a draft copy of an Alabama vascular flora checklist, and it's slightly different than my list (that I derived mainly from my two Trillium books). T. erectum is not on it, but T. grandiflorum and T. sulcatum are. One of my new local wildflower friends knows a place where the grandiflorum grow (a few counties over) so I know that one is correct.

Little Annapurna

The group decided to go on another ambitious day trip. We chose Little Annapurna, in the Stuart Range. The climb was not very difficult, it just had a long approach. It was hard to keep our eyes on the trail with Ingalls Creek providing such awesome views!





After 7 miles, we left the trail and headed cross country up towards the peak.


This part of the trip consisted of going over, under and around large granite boulders.









The dry gully leading to the South face.



We were really pleased to find some water up high, since we, uh, sort of waited too long to refill our water bottles.







The South Face of Little Annapurna.





Mark at a belay station. Jim and Dave had gone up a different route. Dave is looking over the edge






Jim, Mark, Doug and Dave on top. The rock formations are incredible everywhere you look!







Jim boot-skiing down.









There are numerous beautiful lakes, like this one, all over the Stuart Range.








Prussik Peak is on our short list of Mountains to climb. The long approach seemed twice as long on the way out even though it is downhill. As we hiked out in the dark, using our headlamps, we couldn't stop thinking about the cougar tracks we had seen earlier. It was another great day with friends in an awesome part of creation!

Albert Eugene Dunfee

Here we have another example of the results of using the "foil technique" for easier reading of tombstones, as mentioned in a previous post.



Albert Eugene Dunfee was the fifth known child born to William H. Dunfee and Catherine Jones. They are all buried in the Masonic Section of Greenhill Cemetery in Columbia City, Indiana. Albert died on April 2nd 1865, just a little over a year old. Previous transcriptions of this section of the cemetery give the last numeral in his year of death as a 5. The numeral in the number of days has variously been identified as a 5, and a 3. His obituary gives the number of days as 16. But if the year is a 5, then I think the number of days is 15, though I could be wrong. Who is to say, at this late date, which is correct?

Somewhere I have a copy of his obituary from the microfilmed newspaper that I identified as the Columbia City Post published on Wednesday, April 5, 1865. That is also the date listed by Nellie Raber in her "Digest of Obituaries" mentioned in the post on Albert's sister Laura.

=+==+==+=

Died, the 2nd inst, Albert Eugene, infant son of William and Catharine Dunfee, of Lung fever, aged one year, one month and sixteen days.

Though but an infant, destined to but a short stay with his parents, yet he had reached that age so interesting in childhood, when the music of his innocent prattle gave him prominence in the family circle. But a few days since little Albert made glad the heart of fond parents, loving sisters and brother, but midst their hopes and joys, death quietly enters and lays claim to their little treasure, and
"From tender friends he was quickly torn,
Their loss they now in sadness mourn,
From all he is gone."

Little Albert's parents no doubt had often, when enjoying his infantile glee, built up for themselves in their glad anticipation many happy days with him here, patiently watching the opening bud,
"When came disease and open'd the door,
And from their arms their treasure tore,
But near, there watched an angel band
Who took their Bertie by the hand;
They showed his little feet the way
To realms of joy in endless day;
Now, with new songs high heaven rings,
For there their darling Bertie sings;
He lives in Heaven."

The Mini's

Dustin has 3 Miniture Horses. 1st is Lucky, a black and white pinto, next is Lucky's brother Cloudy who is solid black and then there is his newest mini Tank.



















Dustin's newest mini, a little stallion named Mini Tank because he is so small and built more like a draft horse. I am with him in first photo of him and Dustin in the last one.

Picnic

Jan fixing our picnic lunch and Cyndi helping.

After Christmas climbing

I ended up climbing the day after Christmas. I was supposed to work, but in the A.M. I started receiving calls from everyone that they were going climbing. I couldn't resist... I packed my gear and set off to go climbing. We had a great day. It was 14 degrees very windy and snowing. I'll give a quick recap of the days events and throw in a few photos. Mike Royer had an exciting day with an inverted lead fall on the pillar right of G-Gully. No injuries and in good fashion, he got collected, went up and finished the climb. Joel Toretti got on an impressive line to the left of Called on Account of Security. Here's some photos of Joel in action.

Joel starting up his new line, Check out the early season formations

Joel mid route (climbing, loving life, sheltered from the wind)

photog. freezing my ass off, not climbing, so I could take pics of Joel!

Hollow ice underneath?

I wasn't there 5 min until Joel started trash talking, so I had to finishThe Awakening WI5 for him. The route is currently in good condition with some delicate hooks near the top on marginal screws. The rest of our crew enjoyed some top rope action on various other lines. Chip Kamin's son Jason was in town for the holidays and got to enjoy some great on ice action with his dad.

What a great way to spend Christmas in SWPA.

Jason top roping Final Obligation WI5

On a final note, After posting a pic of Joel climbing on NEice, I received a call from Ian out in Montana saying that the gems he's been seeking are in some serious avalanche danger zones and that we've got it good back here in the east. I have to agree Ian and for your enjoyment heres the good stuff in its current condition. Hope to see you and Josh this winter!

Mmmmmmm quality mixed!