Wild Flowers of Sluice Trailhead in the Beartooth National Forest

                                                                                                                  

                         

Ok Folks, me and the little Mrs. went for a short hike and found this field of wildflowers. My hope is that Lidice (my wife) will find the proper flower names in the book I have and I can label these soon.

In the meanwhile, if you know what they are please feel free to write and tell me on the comment sections here.

Animals

My first bear shot at the end of a summer day.

 These little gophers are everywhere and I hope the bear eats some of them.

This robins nest is right above the US Marshall's office at the old jail house
at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone. There was four eggs but only three hatched.

This pretty little bird was spotted on my way up Mount Bunson near dusk. I do not know what type of bird it is as my bird book is missing. Maybe one of my readers can write in and tell me what it is?

Farewell to the Sacramento Valley

Hi folks,
I finally got the internet up and running in my apartment and will be blogging as much as possible in the future. First before I start to go on about my new home in Montana and all the beautiful sights around here and in Yellowstone, I wanted to say goodbye to California and the Sacramento Valley.
   This area has been a real motivator for my photography for the past decade and would like to have a little picture recall....
The Yolo Basin has been both a source of motivation and monetary gain for myself and here a few from that area.

This shot looks west towards the Putah Creek and Lake Berryessa Gap and has been a good place for me to retreat in the hot summer times for a swim. I think all of us from Vacaville remember the good times up at the Lake and I hold nice thoughts of this forever in my memory.

How many times have we seen the water fowl flying over at the beginning of winter?

And how's about those springtime walks in the blooming flower beds in the Vernal Pools outside of Davis or any Valley town for that matter that has not been put to death under track houses?

My favorite plate of Mexican food....will miss that so so much!

I will sorely miss floating around and swimming in the cool waters up at Berryessa in the horrible hot days of summer.
I will not miss the constant and horrible whining sounds of the leaf blowers at 8 am Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday's. I will not miss the gridlock on Interstate 80 or the stupid greedy city slicker drivers coming to Davis in Fall to drive like horses asses through our sleepy little town. I will not miss the insane rules that saturate our Valley towns much to the detriment of the citizen's wallets and freedoms, with the overzealous cops constant pursuit to make us save from ourselves and the eminent 'Terrorist Threat!' 'Ooo, I'm scared!'

However, I will miss my friends, family and the wild outdoors of Northern California's Central Sacramento Valley for sure.

Saw something last night I never saw before.

Last evening at sundown, I was up in a high flat plateau taking pictures when I saw numerous flashes over the mountains. It was a raging lighting storm coming in towards me. I thought about taking long exposure pictures but the thing like a monster from a Japanese monster movie was coming fast, so I went down into the canyon to ride it out. It was like being in a cash wash with lighting hitting all over in my truck. The wind was blasting up dust and debris and I thought this might be the time I die. This went on for two hours, as this cold wet air pushed out the hot left over stale air of the day. The rolling thunder was just like Odin and Thor would sound like playing with the other gods as I finally fell to sleep. Woke up to more thunder and lighting and this would come throughout the entire day.
Awesome!

Some people are to rich! From now on, I will boycott Mentos candy!

   Spent most of my Sunday morning trying to find a way up to the top of this nearby mountain on the outskirts of Livingston. Seems that on the North side of the mountain, certain rich folks have sealed off the access to the National Forest and on the North side of the mountain a super rich Mentos candy owner has supposedly bought up the entire mountain???
   I seriously doubt this claim from the overweight woman on the quad that told me this. I had entered the end of the road at the top of the hill overlooking the peasants below and found this enclave of McMansions complete with a lacky on a quad guarding their precious property from city slickers such as myself complete with California license plates. My question is: Why do some people that have millions of dollars, seven or eight giant overblown eyesore houses need to keep honest photographers and nature lovers, (not to mention a disabled veteran) from what is rightfully ours, mine and yours? These are the same greedy people that want no one to interfer with "theirs", yet when they have a wild fire raging through their fenced off property, they expect the 'people's' tax paid for forest service and fire departments to come to their rescue. They demand that the same peasants now risk life and limb to save their property when any other time they look down litterly upon the same folks that will save their property.
 I am like the natives in the respect that you may buy the property but you really do not 'own it'. It (the property) will be here a lot longer than your mortgage or family. If you own something please do not be such a pig as to deny people or animals for that matter, from reaching other areas that are not yours. I will look to see if there is a law like at the beaches that rule against rich people from denying access to the ocean that works in this specific case.
At any rate from now on, I will boycott Mentos candy!

Absorka-Beartooth Wilderness Area

I bring you dark forests, raging rivers, wild flowers, blue skies with billowing clouds and mountain streams cutting through forests all in the Absorka-Beartooth Wilderness Area.

The weather means everything here.

This shot is of the rain storm that came in while I had my back turned taking this first shot above of the storm heading for the Crazy Mountains. The weather dictates everything here in the spring with storms popping up all the time and sending people inside with thunder and lighting, heavy rain and harsh winds. One minute it is 75 degrees then half an hour later it could be 45 with rain. Love it!