Trees – Page 7 – Ken's Photography and Travel Blog

Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, South Dakota – Day 4 Campsite

I continued traveling along SD240 checking out views at numerous pullouts and/or viewpoints along the drive through the park. Checking the park area map, I noted other sections of the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands on the south side of the park. So I exited the park on the south side, drove SD 377 through the tiny community of Interior, SD, then along SD 44 West along the southern side of Badlands NP.

I topped off my fuel tank at an old convenience store/fuel station in Interior. The diesel pump was separate from the gasoline pumps and an old fashion type that is not commonly seen at more modern stations. The lady running the store/station was friendly. I purchased a copy of a paper back book, “Cactus Needles” that I spotted on display that was only $8. It is a book of hand drawn cartoons, cowboy poems and ranch stories by John F. Solon of Weta, SD, which is a little east of Interior.

About 6 miles west of Interior, I found an entrance into an area of Buffalo Gap National Grasslands that is set aside primarily for off-road vehicle use. The information sign near the entrance noted that rock hounding is permitted. Indeed, the area was strewn with rocks of many kinds and I saw one person walking around picking up rocks.

Camping is permitted here and I decided to make this my home base for at least one night, since it is conveniently located near an area that I planned to shoot at sunset.

Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo

I drove along a dirt route parallel to a fence line along the east boundary of this area and parked at a secluded location, which I planned to make my campsite tonight.

All Alone, Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo

I had this area completely to myself today. I had plenty of time prior to going back to the park for a sunset shoot, so I killed some time by reading the book that I had purchased in Interior and walking along a cow trail parallel to the fence line and shooting a few iPhone photos.

One Sided, Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo

I’m hoping that those big fluffy clouds hang around for my sunset shoot.

Cow Trail, Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo

Apparently, cows like to walk the same path repeatedly, since they have created such distinct and deep trails here.

Two Lanes, Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo

Looking back along the fence line towards my campsite. My Sportsmobile is hidden behind the trees. Although, if one enlarges this image, the Sportsmobile is partially visible.

Next up, sunset shoot in the park,

Ken

Wichita Mountains, Oklahoma – Mount Scott Scouting Photography, Part 2

With my DSLR in hand, I began a more extensive exploration around the summit of Mount Scott.

Since I was passing this interesting tree again, I had to shoot it with my DSLR, trying to get variations on my initial iPhone scouting photos.

I know these three photos are similar, but this unique tree shading the granite rock, inspired a number of thoughts and offered numerous compositional variations. I couldn’t decide which image I liked best, so here are several of my favorites.

Please do not deface nature’s beauty to express your primitive desires. There are many other ways to express your admiration of someone that will be much more meaningful, appreciated and will not be an assault upon others’ enjoyment of our natural environment.

I am enthralled by the forms taken by old trees.

That’s it for now,

Ken

Wichita Mountains, Oklahoma – Mount Scott Scouting Photography, Part 1

The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge campground hosts recommended Mount Scott as a place for sunset photography and so did the rangers in the visitor center, so I drove up the scenic drive to check out the views.

The steep drive up Mount Scott passed by large boulder fields and scenic views across the Oklahoma landscape. I stopped at a number of pull outs to check out the local views.

View From the slope of Mount Scott, iPhone Scouting Photo

Lichen on Mount Scott Granite, iPhone Scouting Photo

Many of the granite boulders here are covered with yellow and grey lichen, forming interesting patterns on the rock faces.

Mount Scott Granite, iPhone Scouting Photo

There are massive granite rock faces along the route to the top of Mount Scott.

Yellow Wildflowers and Yellow Lichen, Mount Scott Granite, iPhone Scouting Photo

Shoe Rock, Mount Scott Granite, iPhone Scouting Photo

I’ve labeled this photo “Shoe Rock”, since I can see a shoe shape in the rock on the bottom left.

Blocky Rocks and Sky, Mount Scott Granite, iPhone Scouting Photo

When I reached the parking lot on the top of Mount Scott, I initially walked around the perimeter of the lot, looking out over the views. I was discouraged to see much litter in the area around the parking lot. I picked up a few plastic bags and put them into my trash. I did not see any trash receptacles in the area. When I am shooting photographs in such public areas, I often have to remove trash from the scene, prior to shooting.

The Duck, Mt. Scott Tree Remnant, iPhone Scouting Photo

View from Mt. Scott, iPhone Scouting Photo

From the parking lot, I worked my way down and into the area just below the parking area.

This sprawling tree offered a number of photographic opportunities.

Artistic Sprawl, Mt. Scott Tree, iPhone Scouting Photo

Pom Pom Tree, Mt. Scott Tree, iPhone Scouting Photo

After this brief scouting of the area, I decided that I did not like all of the human infrastructure that would be visible in wide angle images across this area. I decided not to return here, during this short visit; but I still wanted to explore more, in case I changed my mind or came back another time. I retrieved my DSLR with 24-70mm lens from my vehicle and began a more extensive exploration.

Until next time,

Ken

Rural Decay and Miscellaneous Photos – March 2022 Travel

Small, rural towns across the U.S have experienced dramatic economic downturns as the agrarian industry evolved from one that required much manpower to one that relied more upon mechanization (machine labor).

I see much evidence of this in my road trips, occasionally taking time to photograph the abandoned businesses and homes, either in small rural towns or those scattered across rural farm and ranch lands.

The title for this photo is taken from the street number that is hanging upside down on the post to the left of the door.

In spite of the obvious economic hardship indicated by numerous abandoned homes and businesses in one small community, this old school seem to be well cared for.

Old farm machinery rusting away in this farm field, may have been some of the initial machines that started the economic downturn in this small community.

This lone tree in a vast, post harvest farm field, beneath the wide open sky caused me to pull over for a photo.

Until the next adventure and/or desperate need to photograph something overcomes me,

Ken

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, March 2022, Part 25 – Bentonite Hills

Continued from Part 24:

After sundown, I continued to shoot in the dimmer light, going back to some of the earlier locations to capture the scenes in muted light.

Staring at this old tree I see what appears to be a fierce guardian of the hills, rising up from the desert sand, spreading its tentacles and roaring from its upper, dark center. (Viewing on a large screen can help viewers see what I see, or else maybe I’m off my tree).

This concludes the Capitol reef portion of this trip. I’ve just got a few other miscellaneous items and experiences from this trip to share.

Ken

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, March 2022, Part 24 – Bentonite Hills

Bentonite Hills 1, Desert, Bentonite Hills and Old Tree

On the final day of our time in Capitol Reef National Park, we photographed around some of the many bentonite hills in the northern portion of the park and/or along the roadway into Cathedral Valley. The area where we photographed may actually be outside the park boundary on BLM or private land. We had driven past these hills numerous times during out trips into and out of Cathedral Valley.

Bentonite Hills 2, Desert, Bentonite Hills and Old Tree

There were a number of old, gnarly trees in this area, so I used those and other desert vegetation as foreground for photographs of the colorful hills.

Bentonite Hills 3, Desert, Bentonite Hills and Old Tree

Bentonite Hills 4, Desert and Bentonite Hills

Scrubby Desert Vegetation, Rocks and Bentonite Hills

Hard Rock Desert and Bentonite Hills, Early Golden Hour

Bentonite Hills 5, Bentonite Hills Golden Hour

Bentonite Hills 6, Bentonite Hills Golden Hour

Bentonite Hills 7, Bentonite Hills Golden Hour

Bentonite Hills 8, Bentonite Hills Golden Hour

To be continued,

Ken

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, March 2022, Part 17 – Upper Muley Twist Canyon

Upper Muley Twist Canyon in Capitol Reef National Park is accessed via a three mile four wheel drive road from the Burr Trail Road west of the the point where that road climbs out of Strike Valley. A high clearance vehicle is recommended for this roadway, as it is rugged with some sizable rocks that one must navigate over. However, we saw one or two Subaru Outbacks, that are capable vehicles, at the trailhead. So experienced drivers might be able to safely navigate this road with such vehicles; but definitely, ordinary, low clearance vehicles should not attempt this roadway. The road is narrow in portions with room for only one vehicle.

We were on this roadway several times during this visit to Capitol Reef National Park. The trailheads for both the Strike Valley Overlook and Upper Muley Twist Canyon begin at the parking area, which is large enough to accommodate at least 4 vehicles.

The full loop hike of the canyon is a nine mile round trip. The canyon hike was secondary to our purpose for being here, so we never tried to do the full hike. According to the map of the canyon, there are 4 arches in the canyon. The first arch is about 1 mile from the trailhead. We hiked to the first arch, prior to going to the Strike Valley Overlook for late day photography. We did not have time to go any further on that visit here and still get to the Strike Valley Overlook.

We returned here to hike further into the canyon one day prior to a sunset shoot at a nearby location and again we did not have time for the full hike, so we settled for shooting at the first and second arches along the hiking route.

The canyon wall has interesting features, such as the holes eroded into the solid rock walls. There were many of these similar to the one in the photo above.

The canyon walls are steep and sheer rock along portions of the route with stains from water runoff. This green tree against the colorful canyon wall made an interesting photographic subject.

We hiked past the first arch to the second one that is know as Saddle Arch. This arch is easily visible from the canyon floor, as one rounds a bend in the canyon. It is high up on the canyon wall, requiring a steep climb up a sandy slope to get nearest to it.

I made a number of images from various vantage points. The time of day was not the best for great lighting, but it was the only time we would be here. The colorful sandstone layers add interest to the photos and geologists will enjoy viewing and studying such exposed features.

I’ve included some of the neighboring canyon wall to give a contextual feeling for the setting.

I suppose a well prepared hiker/rock climber could get to the area directly beneath and behind the arch; but that would be a dangerous undertaking for a most hikers.

On the hike out we stopped by the first arch to try to get closer photos. More on that in the next post.

Ken

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, March 2022, Part 7 – Cathedral Valley

Continued,

The loop road through Cathedral Valley climbs up out of the valley into higher elevations, giving overlooks of the valley and surrounding area.

Ok, so I find these old trees intriguing.

Cathedral Valley Eroding Geologic Feature

More later,

Ken

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, March 2022, Part 3 – Capitol Gorge

South of the Capitol Reef National Park Visitor Center at the end of the paved road is the Capitol Gorge Trailhead. We hiked a short distance down the canyon, then up a short, steep trail to check out natural water tanks formed in low places along a water drainage.

I captured a few images in the canyon in route.

Standing Tall – Black and White with Selective Colorization

Defiance – Trees atop Canyon Walls – Black and White with Selective Colorization

The snow like blobs in these photos are foamy floaters in the water.

Green Gold – Tree adjacent to the tanks – Black and White with Selective Colorization

Water flow has cut through rock forming a small arch along the occasional stream bed.

Old Visitor Register – Enhanced to bring out faded writing

Early visitors in this canyon left their names and dates high up on the canyon wall. These marking are much higher than anyone other than a giant can reach. Maybe some stood on horses or wagons to leave their mark here or maybe the canyon was not as deep many years ago?

Parched, Hopeful – Capitol Reef Desert Scene

I cannot recall where in the park this final photo was taken, but I think it was shot along the unimproved dirt road that continues past the end of the paved roadway from the Capitol Gorge Trailhead parking area.

More later,

Ken

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, March 2022, Part 1

In late March of 2022, I drove to my oldest son’s home north of Denver, Colorado and we drove together to Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. We lodged in the small town of Torrey, just west of the park.

Since we arrived late in the day, we only got out for a brief visit to the park visitor center and a stop at a nearby overlook trail, where we shot a few handheld images.

The sky was overcast, the light well suited for muted monochrome images.

This old tree stump looked different, depending upon the angle of view.

The color image of this old tree stump with this angle of view reminded me of a dancer’s torso, but when I showed this one to my grandson, he saw two dogs back to back. I have to admit that I had a similar initial interpretation, but only seeing one blunt snout dog with long ears trailing behind it. I still prefer the dancer interpretation.

I have not had time to go through all of my photos from this trip and just barely got time to write this initial post, more will follow; but I may not be able to keep up with my preferred schedule of two posts per week. (Every trip leads to much to do to catch up at home).

Be safe and well,

Ken

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Tag: Trees

Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, South Dakota – Day 4 Campsite

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Wichita Mountains, Oklahoma – Mount Scott Scouting Photography, Part 2

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Wichita Mountains, Oklahoma – Mount Scott Scouting Photography, Part 1

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Rural Decay and Miscellaneous Photos – March 2022 Travel

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Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, March 2022, Part 25 – Bentonite Hills

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Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, March 2022, Part 24 – Bentonite Hills

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Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, March 2022, Part 17 – Upper Muley Twist Canyon

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Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, March 2022, Part 7 – Cathedral Valley

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Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, March 2022, Part 3 – Capitol Gorge

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Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, March 2022, Part 1

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