Kevin Palmer

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  • Big Timber Falls flows through a narrow gorge in the Crazy Mountains not far from Half Moon Campground. The roar of the water can be heard from far away.
    Big Timber Falls
  • On my way down Red Grade Road in the Bighorn Mountains, I encountered 2 bull moose about 100 feet off the road, above Little Goose Canyon. I was told that there was a young calf nearby as well, but I never saw it.
    Big Moose Little Goose
  • The last Sunday of April brought the first thunderstorm of the year. After getting hailed on while hiking, I found a place to shoot the storm near Big Horn. These 3 horses seemed unfazed by the threatening sky and mammatus clouds above them.
    Horses and Mammatus
  • The Big Horn fireworks display is seen with Blacktooth Mountain in the background.
    Fireworks Under Blacktooth
  • Before the stars could fully appear they were blotted out. There is no night darker than a moonless, cloudy one in the mountains. Then somewhere beyond a ridge to the south, brief flashes of light began to multiply and intensify. Catching a lightning storm from this viewpoint on Red Grade Road has long been a goal. But driving up this dangerous road in a hurry at night during a storm seemed like a bad idea. So I arrived early, with enough time to have a campfire before the weather approached. Storms do not often take this path from the south, along the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains. But this was the perfect night, as bolt after bolt landed on the plains thousands of feet below. Close enough to clearly see, but far enough to be safe. The lights of Sheridan and Big Horn faded into the rain, which barely touched the mountains where I stood. This is a stack of images captured over about 20 minutes.
    Moncreiffe Ridge Lightning
  • The cottonwood trees at the entrance to Big Timber Canyon were starting to turn yellow. It was the perfect day to head into the Crazy Mountains.
    Fall in the Crazies
  • Before the stars could fully appear they were blotted out. There is no night darker than a moonless, cloudy one in the mountains. Then somewhere beyond a ridge to the south, brief flashes of light began to multiply and intensify. Catching a lightning storm from this viewpoint on Red Grade Road has long been a goal. But driving up this dangerous road in a hurry at night during a storm seemed like a bad idea. So I arrived early, with enough time to have a campfire before the weather approached. Storms do not often take this path from the south, along the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains. But this was the perfect night, as bolt after bolt landed on the plains thousands of feet below. Close enough to clearly see, but far enough to be safe. The lights of Sheridan and Big Horn faded into the rain, which barely touched the mountains where I stood. This is a stack of images captured over about 18 minutes.
    Sheridan Lightning
  • At the end of March Venus was at it’s greatest elongation. That is when the 2nd planet from the Sun is at it’s highest and brightest in Earth’s sky. Outshining every star and planet, it’s even bright enough to see during the day under the right conditions. Because Venus is an inferior planet orbiting inside Earth’s orbit, it never strays more than 47° from the Sun. When Venus is east of the Sun it is the Evening Star. But when it is west of the Sun it becomes the Morning Star. Counterintuitively Venus appears brightest during it’s crescent phase because that’s when it’s closer to Earth. The Moon was also a crescent on this evening. It’s always challenging to capture the Moon with the stars as they appear to the eye since it's so much brighter. But the passing clouds acted as a filter and helped to balance the exposure. Above the glowing cloud is the Pleiades, the most recognizable star cluster in the sky. A week later Venus would pass through the Pleiades, an occurrence that happens every 8 years.
    Filtered Moonlight
  • I found these wildflowers near the top of a mountain above Red Grade Road. The sunset wasn't very colorful, but it was still interesting watching the fog below. This is looking north towards Sheridan.
    Wildflowers Above the Clouds
  • I've seen fogbows before, but they are so transient they're difficult to capture. The fog must be just the right thickness with the sun at just the right angle. The fog was moving around so much it changed by the second. This was on Red Grade Road in the Bighorn Mountains.
    Red Grade Fogbow
  • Young saplings grow among the older pine trees near Red Grade Road in the Bighorn Mountains.
    Young Saplings
  • This is one of the most beautiful times of year in Wyoming. The valleys are green and the mountains are filled with colorful wildflowers. This was taken near Red Grade Road. The trees were burnt in a wildfire 10 years ago.
    Burnt Tree Bloom
  • It was late May but there was still plenty of snow along Red Grade Road in the Bighorn Mountains.
    Spring at Red Grade
  • Fueled by hot, dry weather and gusty winds, it only took a day and a half for the Apple Fire to explode to 32 square miles. As the forest went up in flames, the plume of smoke ballooned to 25,000 feet. That's more than twice the height of San Gorgonio Mountain, Southern California's highest peak seen in the middle of this photo. The behavior of this fire is extreme enough to make it's own weather. Pyrocumulus is a type of cloud formed when intense heat creates an updraft similar to a thunderstorm. Pyrocumulus lofts embers high into the air, creates strong unpredictable outflow winds at the surface, and in rare cases even generates lightning. The same phenomena is seen in volcanic eruptions. All of this hampers firefighting efforts and causes the flames to expand even more. But even in the devastation, there was beauty. From my vantage point northwest of the blaze, the smoke plume took on a deep red glow at sunset before the 97% full moon rose above it.
    Pyrocumulus Moon
  • Evening sunlight shines on an unnamed peak near Bear Gulch in the Bighorn Mountains.
    Bear Gulch Sunset
  • On the last day of November I snowshoed a few miles up Red Grade Road as a storm cleared out, leaving behind a foot of fresh snow. This steep road is only accessible by foot or by snowmobile this time of year. In 2007 nearly 5,000 acres of Little Goose Canyon burned in a wildfire. 12 years later it's still easy to see exactly where the fire stopped. One of the best things about being out right after a fresh snowfall is the silence. A layer of light, fluffy snow on the ground acts as a sound absorber and dampens sound waves. But after snow melts and refreezes the opposite is true. Sound waves travel farther and are clearer when they bounce off of old and hard snow.
    Last Sunset of November
  • As I was driving down Red Grade Road, I noticed this smoke plume in the distance. The fire seemed very active, forming pyrocumulus clouds above. But I never found out any info on the fire. It was somewhere in Montana on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.
    Pyrocumulus
  • This is one of the most beautiful times of year in Wyoming. The valleys are green and the mountains are filled with colorful wildflowers. This was taken near Red Grade Road.
    Moving Shadows
  • I was hiking in the Bighorn Mountains when it started to rain and the sun threatened to peak out at the same time. It was late enough in the day to make it perfect rainbow weather, I just had to reach the top of the ridge before it happened. A 2nd shower rolled out of the mountains after I reached this view, and a partial rainbow appeared. The trail conditions were very changeable, ranging from soft thigh-deep snow, to packed ice, to mud, to dry ground. Even though the Red Grade Trail system isn't very long, I definitely had to earn the view on this day.
    First Rainbow of Spring
  • Early June is wildflower season in the Bighorns and entire mountainsides were blooming with color. I took advantage of the clear weather by shooting the milky way from Red Grade Road outside of Sheridan. It was dark for a couple hours before the galaxy started to fade and the sky became bluer. At 1AM the 65% moon peeked over the distant ridge and cast a warm glow across the arrowleaf balsamroot flowers shaking in the breeze. I’ve always found a late night moonrise to be one of the toughest scenes to capture accurately. While my eyes could easily see details of the moon, the camera only shows it as a burst of light because the moon is significantly brighter than it’s surroundings.
    By The Light of the Moon
  • The milky way shines above the Bighorn Mountains as seen from Red Grade Road. The light pollution helped to light up the wildflowers in the foreground. Jupiter is the bright object on the upper right.
    Midnight Bouquet
  • A colorful sunset fills the sky as seen from an unnamed peak in the Bighorn Mountains. To get here required snowshoeing up Red Grade Road.
    Top of the Burn
  • On the last day of November I snowshoed a few miles up Red Grade Road as a storm cleared out, leaving behind a foot of fresh snow. This steep road is only accessible by foot or by snowmobile this time of year. In 2007 nearly 5,000 acres of Little Goose Canyon burned in a wildfire. 12 years later it's still easy to see exactly where the fire stopped. One of the best things about being out right after a fresh snowfall is the silence. A layer of light, fluffy snow on the ground acts as a sound absorber and dampens sound waves. But after snow melts and refreezes the opposite is true. Sound waves travel farther and are clearer when they bounce off of old and hard snow.
    Buried In White
  • On this January night the moon was 3 days past full which means it didn't rise until 3 hours after sunset. When the moon crested the horizon it was dim and orange, for the same reason that the sun is orange when it first rises. Because earth's atmosphere is thicker at the horizon, it absorbs blue wavelengths of light and lets warmer colors shine through. This view is from the mountains west of Sheridan, whose lights can be seen glowing on the left. This entire mountainside along Red Grade Road burned in a wildfire nearly 10 years ago. But even dead trees can look photogenic in the right light.
    Moment of Moonrise
  • The deep blue colors of twilight glow above an unnamed mountain above Red Grade Road. After snowshoeing up here for the sunset, I stayed until the stars came out and the moon rose.
    Twilight Snowshoe
  • The full moon in April is called the Pink Moon. But the name has nothing to do with the color, it's just called that because it coincides with the blooming of a certain type of flower. The color of the moon can vary from red to orange to yellow, depending on the clarity of the atmosphere. While low on the horizon the shorter wavelengths of light get scattered. But as it rises higher the lunar surface shows it's true color. This was also the biggest full moon of the year because it was at it's closest point to Earth, known as perigee. But it only appeared 7% larger than average, hardly worth being called a supermoon. Conditions weren't looking very promising around here since the sky was about 90% cloudy. But I hiked up to this spot overlooking Moncreiffe Ridge anyway. The moon was only visible for a few minutes as it passed through a small gap in the clouds. The plane flying by didn't show up on any flight-tracking apps, so I'm guessing it was some type of military cargo plane.
    Moon Over Moncreiffe Ridge
  • In the early spring I hiked to Little Goose Canyon, a place I've never been before. The road was very muddy.
    Little Goose Canyon Road
  • This ranch is seen from one of the overlooks on Red Grade Road.
    Red Ranch
  • These trees are what Big Cypress National Preserve is named after. It was the dry season so the water level wasn't very high.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    Big Cypress
  • It had been 7 months since I've even heard thunder here in Wyoming. But early May finally brought the first decent thunderstorm of the year. Throughout the evening clouds built up over the Bighorn Mountains before the storm descended and hit Sheridan after 8PM. The high moisture content combined with late evening sunlight behind the storm gave the clouds a greenish-blue tint. The storm wasn't severe, but it brought frequent lightning, small hail, and a drenching rain that made the already flooded Big Goose Creek rise even higher. The photogenic shelf cloud ahead of the rain core showed some impressive structure as it was sculpted by wind shear above.
    Big Goose Storm
  • A rainbow formed over Big Muddy Pond near Casper, Wyoming, during a summer thunderstorm.
    Big Muddy Pond Rainbow
  • The views opened up as I reached the summit of Big Pryor Mountain. East Pryor Mountain can be seen in the distance.
    Big Pryor Summit
  • The Big Carp River flows through a colorful part of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/30/14
    Big Carp Rapids
  • The Escarpment cliffs above the Big Carp River Bridge were hidden in the thick fog.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 10/2/14
    Big Carp Bridge
  • My goal was to get an overview of the Teton Valley with the highest peaks lighting up at sunset. But despite the forecast for clear and sunny skies, I was dismayed when I got to the top and saw that the Tetons were hidden from view and the clouds were not going to lift. So I turned my attention to the west instead, looking towards Stouts Mountain and the Swan Valley. At first the light was flat there too, but then a gap in the clouds slowly began to open up. Sunbeams danced across the ridges and the light became better and better. Finally the sun came out for just a moment, and a pillar appeared above it caused by ice crystals suspended in the air. It wasn't the shot I had planned, but this short-lived sunset view was worth all the effort to snowshoe up this mountain.
    Big Hole Mountain Sunset
  • This was the biggest iceberg I saw while in Greenland, on the north side of Sermitsiaq Island.
    Big Blue Iceberg
  • A lone pine tree on the edge of Sibley Lake points to the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) constellation above. The 2 stars on the end point to Polaris, the North Star on the left. All night long the Big Dipper will rotate counterclockwise while the North Star remains stationary. I added diffraction spikes to these 8 stars to make them stand out more.
    The Pointer
  • Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park erupts under the light of a full moon. It is the most predictable geographical feature on Earth with eruptions about every 91 minutes. Even though it is one of the most popular sights in the park, there were very few people out to see it at 10pm.  Partially hidden behind the top of the plume, you can see the Big Dipper, or 'Ursa Major' constellation.
    Old Faithful Moonlight
  • I went for a hike at Bud Love Big Game Winter Range on the last warm day of fall. The light and contrasting colors seemed to work better in black and white. I spotted this pillar near the Sayles Creek trailhead and thought it looked like a half-buried raised hand.
    Buried Hand
  • A Geminid meteor burns up just below Polaris in Big Cypress National Preserve. I have never seen the North Star so low before since I have never been this far south.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    Meteor Under Polaris
  • Big Cypress National Preserve was filled with many of these anhinga birds. They are also known as snakebirds. When hunting for fish, this bird will submerge most of its body underwater. Only the long neck and head will stick out. From a distance it can resemble a snake ready to strike. Unlike ducks, this bird does not have an oil gland to waterproof its feathers. This is an advantage that allows it to dive underwater for long periods. But it's also a disadvantage because they must dry themselves in the sun or else they have difficulty flying.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    Snakebird
  • This was the first gator I saw in Big Cypress National Preserve. He was taking a nap in the evening sunlight.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    Alligator Nap
  • I stood on top of a peak in the Big Hole Mountains of Idaho after snowshoeing up. At first I was disappointed by all the clouds hiding the Tetons from view and making the light flat (the forecast called for sunny and clear). But then the clouds began to break up in the west and golden sunbeams (also known as crepuscular rays) danced across the ridges.
    Light Breaking Forth
  • The trees at the top of this peak in the Big Hole Mountains of Idaho were permanently pointed eastward, against the prevailing winds.
    Winter Stillness
  • The trees in the cypress swamp glow in the late evening sunlight. This was on the Kirby Storter trail in Big Cypress National Preserve.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    Golden Swamp
  • These colorful wildflowers were blooming near the top of Big Pryor Mountain.
    Pryor Wildflowers
  • The Pryor Mountains are not a very large or tall range. But they hold lots of wonders including several mysterious ice caves. At this elevation (8,600') any snow would have melted away months ago. But snow and ice stays beneath the ground year round. The Crater Ice Cave is one of the harder caves to reach because it requires an 1,800 foot climb to the highest peak, Big Pryor Mountain. The cave is located just below the summit and has a side entrance as well as a skylight entrance overhead.
    Subterranean Snow
  • Just before the drenching rain started, I took one last shot and captured this bolt of lightning, reflected in Big Goose Creek.
    Electric Green
  • The road to Big Timber Canyon in the Crazy Mountains is filled with endless views.
    Road to the Crazies
  • Vibrant fall colors were above the Bonanza Falls on the Big Iron River.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 10/2/14
    Below Bonanza Falls
  • I liked the pattern the water made as the Big Carp River flowed toward Lake Superior.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/30/14
    Flowing Over
  • This is the kind of view that you can stare at all day. The Big Carp River flows through a colorful forest valley in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/30/14
    Valley of Color
  • For most of the day clouds, fog, and snow showers hid the sun. I was not expecting to see any color at sunset. But this overlook of the Snake River in eastern Idaho was spectacular enough that I had to wait it out just in case. The sky did not disappoint. Even though this view is looking east, the sun’s rays snuck in through a gap in the clouds to paint the entire sky orange and pink. Sometimes the best sunset is the one that almost doesn't happen. <br />
The Snake River begins on the Continental Divide in Yellowstone National Park. It flows more than 1,000 miles before connecting to the Columbia River in Washington. Together they form the longest river in North America that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Here the river flows beside the Big Hole Mountains in the Swan Valley. Farther west it winds its way through the much flatter Snake River Plain. Then on the opposite side of the state it carves a gorge deeper than the Grand Canyon. The pause in the weather was brief. An additional foot of snow would fall in these mountains overnight.
    Sunset Over the Snake
  • Before the stars could fully appear they were blotted out. There is no night darker than a moonless, cloudy one in the mountains. Then somewhere beyond a ridge to the south, brief flashes of light began to multiply and intensify. Catching a lightning storm from this viewpoint on Red Grade Road has long been a goal. But driving up this dangerous road in a hurry at night during a storm seemed like a bad idea. So I arrived early, with enough time to have a campfire before the weather approached. Storms do not often take this path from the south, along the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains. But this was the perfect night, as bolt after bolt landed on the plains thousands of feet below. Close enough to clearly see, but far enough to be safe. The lights of Sheridan and Big Horn faded into the rain, which barely touched the mountains where I stood.
    Sheridan Lightning
  • At 7,600' in the Pryor Mountains of Montana, is found a fascinating place. "Big Ice Cave" is a large underground room where the floor remains frozen year round. There is also a lower room that is gated off. On my drive up here it was 100°F, but after a half an hour in this cave, I was chilled to the bone. Water drips from the ceiling, and creates ice stalagmites in a few places.
    Ice Stalagmites
  • The fall colors contrasted strongly with the dull gray sky. The views from the Big Carp River Trail were incredible.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/30/14
    Western Escarpment
  • These horses were grazing by my campsite near a 4WD road in the Big Horn Mountains. I wanted to find somewhere to camp with a view of the snowcapped 13,005 feet high Black Tooth Mountain in the distance. Out of the herd of 7 horses, these two were obviously a couple. I waited for them to walk into the late evening sunlight before I shot their portrait.
    Inseperable
  • After seeing only about 1 hour of clear skies over 5 nights, I was determined to catch a good aurora display on my last night in Iceland. The southern coast was showing the best weather forecast. So that is where I went, camping in the shadow of the glacier-capped Eyjafjallajökull volcano which was lit up by the moonlight. This is the same volcano that erupted 7 years ago with the giant ash cloud causing the biggest disruption to air travel since WWII. As soon as it got dark the northern lights came out and stayed the entire night. Compared to lower latitudes, the aurora up here is brighter and moves and changes so much faster. It will often appear anywhere in the sky, not just limited to the north.
    Aurora Gap
  • Half-awake at 3AM I wandered the banks of the Tongue River in southern Montana. Fog drifted across the water like it was alive, slowing down, speeding up, and stopping. Every tree and bush shifted to an unfamiliar shape. Each breath I took added to the moisture in the air. All evening long the 75% moon hid the secrets of the night sky. Faint colors and dim stars were all drowned out by the bright, inescapable light source. But when the moon set and the fog appeared, it was a different world. The aurora glowed gently to the north while stars I haven’t seen in half a year rose to the east.
    River of Fog
  • After seeing only about 1 hour of clear skies over 5 nights, I was determined to catch a good aurora display on my last night in Iceland. The southern coast was showing the best weather forecast. So that is where I went, camping in the shadow of the glacier-capped Eyjafjallajökull volcano which was lit up by the moonlight. This is the same volcano that erupted 7 years ago with the giant ash cloud causing the biggest disruption to air travel since WWII. As soon as it got dark the northern lights came out and stayed the entire night. Compared to lower latitudes, the aurora up here is brighter and moves and changes so much faster. It will often appear anywhere in the sky, not just limited to the north. The aurora transformed into all kinds of interesting shapes, to me this shot looked like a surfing brontosaurus.
    Surfing Brontosaurus
  • Reports were coming in from across Europe on Sunday. The northern lights were sighted far to the south in places like Italy and Turkey for the first time in 20 years. Unfortunately the timing of the geomagnetic storm was all wrong for North America. Even with Daylight Saving Time ending, darkness could not come soon enough. By nightfall in Wyoming the magnetic field of the solar wind had flipped northward, which cancels out the aurora. But conditions can change quickly so I went out somewhere dark anyway. Lingering energy in Earth’s magnetic field caused a rare SAR (stable auroral red) arc to glow overhead. This was caught on camera even in the southern US, though it was largely invisible to the eye. At 9pm the solar wind briefly became favorable again. Watermelon-colored aurora pillars quickly rose up into the northern sky.
    Sudden Red
  • Just below my campsite in Little Horn Canyon I found this small tarn or pond. It was shallow with no inlets or outlets, and the water color was a beautiful emerald green. I went back after sunrise to catch the reflection of the sunlit peaks in the still water.
    Calm Green Water
  • Ever since I saw the strange name (Leaky Mountain) on a map, I was intrigued by it. Located in the northern Bighorn Mountains, I could find little information about this waterfall online and no pictures. But I soon realized the reason: there's no easy way here. On the last weekend of April I took advantage of the warm weather and set out to find it. From the trailhead on the MT/WY border it's a 19 mile roundtrip hike, and I camped downstream. The next morning I climbed to the base, but there was no trail to follow, with steep terrain and thick vegetation lying between me and the falls. Numerous thorns, snowbanks, loose talus, water crossings and mud all had to be navigated around as I followed my ears to the source of the stream. Snowmelt and groundwater seeps into the limestone cliffs from above. Cold, pure spring water gushes out of the side of the mountain in multiple cascades. Behind me stretched out a panoramic view of Little Horn Canyon and the higher snowcapped peaks. With all the difficulty in reaching this place, once I finally got here I didn't want to leave.
    Leaky Mountain Falls
  • I found this small and shallow tarn near my campsite in Little Horn Canyon. It doesn't even have a name.
    Green Tarn
  • Just after sunrise I drove along Turner River Road looking for gators. They can be very hard to spot, with most of their bodies underwater. This was the closest shot I was able to get. The alligators can also disappear in an instant, leaving only a cloud of mud underwater.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    A Watchful Eye
  • A great blue heron wades in the swamp below hanging spanish moss. This was on the Kirby Storter trail.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    Heron Under Spanish Moss
  • This was the view from my campsite in the Crazy Mountains. Blue hour is the time of day when the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon and the sky takes on a predominantly blue color. This was amplified by the light of the moon, which was about to emerge over Crazy Peak on the right. At the end of the valley a lenticular cloud formed and stayed in the same place for hours. A long exposure helped to smooth out the ripples in the water giving it a glassy look. This lake, at an elevation of 8,200 feet, is fittingly called Blue Lake.
    Blue Lake
  • This image shows the stars apparent motion caused by the rotation of the earth. I setup my camera point at my tent while I camped in Anza Borrego.
    Anza Borrego Night
  • I was surprised that these flowers were still blooming at 9,000 feet in the Crazy Mountains in late September.
    Crazy Peaks and Flowers
  • This basin at 9,000 feet in the Crazy Mountains had lots of colorful foliage when I visited in September.
    September Alpine
  • This covered bridge is located just outside of Princeton, Illinois. The bridge was built in 1863 and has a weight limit of 5 tons.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: January 27, 2015
    Red Covered Bridge
  • This is the classic view of Lake of the Clouds that most people see. I got here just in time to shoot a few pictures before it got dark.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/30/14
    Lake of the Clouds
  • A moonlit Devils Tower is reflected in the Belle Fourche River near the campground.
    Belle Fourche Reflection
  • Before the stars could fully appear they were blotted out. There is no night darker than a moonless, cloudy one in the mountains. Then somewhere beyond a ridge to the south, brief flashes of light began to multiply and intensify. Catching a lightning storm from this viewpoint on Red Grade Road has long been a goal. But driving up this dangerous road in a hurry at night during a storm seemed like a bad idea. So I arrived early, with enough time to have a campfire before the weather approached. Storms do not often take this path from the south, along the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains. But this was the perfect night, as bolt after bolt landed on the plains thousands of feet below. Close enough to clearly see, but far enough to be safe.
    Mountain Lightning
  • I caught this lucky meteor falling through the aurora at 1:30AM. The northern lights were so dim that I could barely notice them with my eyes, but the camera picked up more of the colors.
    Pillars and Meteor
  • The views from Highland Park in the Cloud Peak Wilderness were even more beautiful at sunrise than they were at sunset. Dozens of elk were grazing in the meadow below while alpenglow touched the highest peaks. This might just be my favorite campsite I've ever found while backpacking.
    Highland Park Campsite
  • This might be my favorite campsite I've ever found while backpacking. The melodic sounds of elk would occasionally disturb the silence as dozens of them grazed in the meadow below. I awoke at 1AM just before the moon set so I could shoot the milky way.
    5,000 Star Hotel
  • The northern lights are reflected in the waters of Lake Superior as clouds move in. During a very cloudy week in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, there was only one night that was partially clear. After hiking 10 miles to a campsite on the lake, I waited for it to get dark. The aurora was initially visible as twilight ended, but then it faded away. After midnight it became brighter, and the colorful pillars rose up and drifted from left to right.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 10/1/14
    Lake Superior Aurora
  • Shining Cloud Falls is not an easy waterfall to get to. You can see it in the distance in the canyon below. But you have to make your way down a very steep hillside to get down to it. It's especially difficult while wearing a 40 pound backpack. But once you get down to it, there is a rock ledge that lets you move around easily enough to capture it at different angles. This is a panorama since it was shot at close range and I wanted to include the entire waterfall.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/30/14
    Shining Cloud Falls
  • This morning in Joshua Tree National Park was unlike any other. Distant thunderstorms passed by throughout the night. Then around 5 am, it started raining. When the sun rose an hour later, it shined through a gap in the clouds which created a dramatic sight with vivid red and orange everywhere. To top it all off, this giant rainbow appeared. I know my photos did not do the scene justice. It was amazing how fast the light changed. One minute the sky was nearly colorless, then it exploded in color, and a few minutes later the display ended when the sun went behind a cloud. I felt blessed to see rain, considering I was only there for about 18 hours. Joshua Tree receives barely over 4 inches of rain in a normal year. When you consider that California is currently experiencing its worst drought ever recorded, this is a rare sight indeed.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Magical Morning
  • At 1AM the aurora spread out and filled almost the entire sky above southern Iceland, while the moon illuminated the landscape.
    Green Skies at Night
  • As this thunderstorm descended from the mountains, it  intensified and formed a non-rotating wall cloud. It was a unique view watching it from above.
    Above the Wall Cloud
  • The milky way shines brightly above Black Tooth Mountain while airglow gives a green tint to the sky.
    Blacktooth Milky Way
  • It was July 4th weekend, and most of the campgrounds in the Bighorn Mountains were full. But I didn't mind because I found a dispersed campsite instead with an amazing view of the milky way.
    Good Night
  • The mountainside next to Red Grade Road is currently filled with colorful wildflowers. I stopped on my way back from a hike to capture them in the evening light.
    Wildflowers and Blacktooth
  • A small herd of horses graze in a mountain pasture, backlit by a fiery sky. It was an early July evening and the colors of sunset lingered long after 9PM. When I saw these horses lining up at the top of a hill I knew I had to get a picture before the colors faded. They wouldn't stay still for me, but I kind of like the effect of the motion blur on their legs and tails. The horses were my alarm clock the next morning when they wandered by my tent and started snorting loudly.
    Pasture Bedtime
  • Blacktooth Mountain only made a brief appearance on this wet summer afternoon.
    Rain on Blacktooth
  • The stars of the milky way galaxy glow above Blacktooth Mountain at 1AM on a July night. From most places, clouds are easily visible at night because they are lit up by light pollution underneath. But under a sky this dark, you can't see the clouds. You only notice the absence of stars as a cloud passes by. These thin clouds gave halos to the brighter stars and planets. The bright red object on the right is Mars. To the left in the constellation Scorpius is the red supergiant star Antares. The name in Greek means "like-Mars" since it's a similar color, and often the same brightness as the red planet. Just above that is Saturn, the 2nd brightest object in the picture.
    Jewels of the Night
  • Colorful clouds hang above the 13,005 feet high Black Tooth Mountain on a July evening.
    Black Tooth Sunset
  • Just as soon as I caught my breath in the thin air, this view took it away again. In a glacial cirque devoid of trees, even mosquitoes don't dare to fly this high. Towering granite spires soar to 13,000 feet. 10 lakes fill this deep canyon, with the sound of countless waterfalls echoing between each one. This is the heart of the most rugged part of the Bighorn Mountains. Here summers are short and snow may fall any month of the year. From left to right is Sawtooth Ridge, Cloud Peak, The Innominate, Hallelujah Peak, and Black Tooth Mountain. Beneath the headwall is the remnant of a former glacier. The difficult off trail access means few people have laid eyes on this exact view, and possibly no one at night.  It was a risk lugging a heavy pack 28 miles roundtrip when I didn't even know if I'd find a suitable campsite. Fully exposed to the weather, thunder, wind, and hail nearly chased me off this ridge before I could even set up my tent. But when the stars came out it was all worth it. It doesn't matter how many times I've seen the milky way under a dark sky, it never gets old.
    Midnight at Sawtooth Lakes
  • Shortly before sunset I summited the 12,460' Penrose Peak. It had a spectacular view of the Sawtooth Lakes Cirque. From left to right is The Innominate, Mount Woolsey, Blacktooth Mountain, and Hallelujah Peak.
    Penrose Summit Sunset
  • Grasslands National Park is located in Southern Saskatchewan right next to the Montana border. They are known as Land of the Living Skies, and Big Sky Country respectively, and it's easy to see why. This was the view from the top of 70 Mile Butte outside of Val Marie.
    Big Living Sky Country
  • Steamboat Point is a well-known mountain on the east side of the Bighorns, next to Highway 14. I've watched the sunset from the top more times than I can count. But this time I wanted to capture the boulders which sit below the cliff face. These boulders are massive. They're bigger than houses, more like the size of office buildings. I can only imagine what it would have looked and sounded like when they fall. The rock is a razor-sharp dolomite and the area is popular with rock climbers.
    Big Boulders
  • June is a great time of year to see baby bighorn sheep (lambs) at Badlands National Park. They are very agile and it's fun to watch them dash around the steep terrain.
    Big World Little Sheep
  • It was cloudy most of the day as I drove to the remote Diamond Butte in southeast Montana. But just before sunset, the sun emerged. The entire sky turned some shade of gold, orange, or pink. It was the best sunset I've seen for quite awhile.
    Big Sky Country Sunset
  • The last climbers repelled down the south face of Devils Tower soon after twilight faded. First Perseus rose to the northeast, followed by Arcturus, the 4th brightest star in the sky. Satellites slowly came and went while meteors vaporized at a much faster speed. The aurora painted its colors on an invisible canvas,  undetectable to my eye for the most part. One glow soon replaced another when the crescent moon rose at midnight. In many previous visits I’ve scouted all over the national monument looking for the best vantage points. This patch of prairie that I marked on my map is barely within the park boundary. Dodging deadfall, making my way across a steep slope and up and over a cliff is hard enough during the day, doubly so at night. I kept waiting for a big aurora display to give me a reason to come back here. That never happened, despite the forecast. But even an ordinary night is worth experiencing at an extraordinary place like this. Those who only visit Devils Tower during the day miss out on half the scenery.
    More Than a Meteor
  • A severe thunderstorm rolls across the hills of northeast Wyoming. This storm formed from orographic lifting over the Big Horn Mountains, before moving southeast. The curl at the base of the rain shaft is an indication that a wet microburst is occurring. Caused by evaporational cooling weakening a thunderstorm's updraft, it results in a sudden release of torrential rain and strong damaging winds in a localized area. But no damage was reported with this storm because it was in such a remote area. There are no paved roads (other than I-90), towns, or services for at least 25 miles in any direction.
    Losing the Storm
  • From high up on Big Bluff, I could hear splashing in the water. There were 3 or 4 deer playing in the Buffalo River below me. I wish I had a telephoto lens with me. But there's only so much gear you can bring on a backpacking trip.
    Fog and Deer Crossing
  • Underneath a volcanic field in the Mojave Desert there is a lava tube that is fascinating to explore. The cave is not very big, about the size of a house. The ceiling has 5 skylights which lets in sunlight, illuminating the walls of the cave. Throwing dust into the air made the sunbeam even more visible, and created this shape that resembles an angel.<br />
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Date Taken: 1/31/14
    Angelic Beam
  • The air felt heavy and still. As it rotated closer, this supercell seemed to grow wings. Within a couple of minutes Sundance Mountain was swallowed up by the precipation core. The 'calm before the storm' does not happen with every storm, but when it does it's very noticeable. Then a giant bolt of lightning struck out of frame, with a deafening thunder shattering the silence. An errant hailstone, big enough to leave a bruise, bounced off of the ground with a thud. It was time to move. This cell turned out to be an ice machine, piling up baseball-sized hail on the road, and making the temperature plummet which created hail fog. Chasing storms in and around the Black Hills has it's challenges. Winding roads through hilly terrain makes viewpoints limited and cell signal sporadic. But when everything comes together just right, the structure and color of the storms around here are incredible.
    Swallowing Mountains Whole
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