PFTA: Reflections

In the Fall of 2016, I went to Kolob Reservoir which is just outside of Zion National Park to look at the fall colors.  The lake is surrounded by Quaking Aspen and pine trees.  This was taken from the dam.

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It is my wish that everyone can take a few minutes or more every day during this time of stress and uncertainty, and reflect on the blessings, the positive things and have hope for a quick return of some normalcy in life.

If we really think about it, do we want more of the same rat race we had before the shutdown?  Or do we want to remember the things we’ve learned during this quarantine to become better people, better family and neighbors, and cherish that human contact we are all craving in this time of separation?

Enjoy

 

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Kolob Colors Revisited

I promised more images from my Kolob Terrace trip.  Sorry it took so long getting these out there.  img_8348-copy

I love the juxtaposition of the light yellows and greens against the dark green.

img_8336-copyPerfect spot for relaxing and enjoying the sound of the ripples on the shore.

img_8419-copyBeautiful day for a flight (if you’re a Mallard duck).

Enjoy!

Perseid Meteor Shower (Fail)

On this past Monday night, the peak of the Perseid Meteor Show was supposed to give a fantastic show.  I went camping that same night, which by luck fell on the same night as this event.

The site of this amazing camp was at Kolob Reservoir on the Kolob Terrace section of Zion National Park.  It was a cool 7,500 ft in elevation and nice and cool for the entire trip.  We got there around mid afternoon and picked out the campsite next to the lake.  We went for a short hike up the hill, and then relaxed the rest of the day by the lake.  This is what a sunset looks like there.

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It’s absolutely quiet here, with the occasional boater and fisher to come by.  They don’t disturb the quiet very much, since noise will scare fish away.  This is at least what I was told when I was younger.

While wandering around getting photos of sunset, I ran across some yellow flowers that are amazing.  Take a look:

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Around sunset, I setup my equipment to capture the Perseid Meteor Shower.  Here is one shot of the constellation Cassiopeia.

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I had everything ready for the meteor shower.  I took over 80 photos of the constellations trying to capture some meteoric displays, which I saw quite a few awesome trails across the sky.  I captured this image:

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I looked at this image the next day, seeing a trail in this image.  I processed it like crazy to determine if I actually captured a meteor trail.  However, I discovered a commercial airline had crossed the sky when I took this image.    In all the 80 images, all I got was two airliners.  Hence, what I did see of the Perseid Meteor Shower was awesome and exciting.  However I came to the conclusion it’s easier to photograph lightning.  At least lightning is somewhat easier to predict and anticipate for capturing on film.

The next day, my friend and I went hiking above Kolob Reservoir, and this was the view from the hike:

Kolob Terrace

 

On the left is Zion Canyon, with the Narrows and Kolob Creek, in the middle is Kolob Reservoir and on the right is the Kolob Canyons and Kolob Fingers.