Lassen Volcano National Park

I apologize ...

I have to humbly apologize for being sloppy. I've ignored this blog for some time now and it's mostly my fault. I've been in places where internet access is just not that good or that cheap. California and now Oregon are becoming free internet deserts. When I started this in Utah and Arizona I was always able to find a free internet connection somewhere. Usually in a campsite or in a national park ... somewhere. But California has broken my back. I've not found a single state park that has internet access and campgrounds .... HA HA HA. You've got to be kidding ... right? For $33 I get a bare campsite and maybe an expensive shower but none of them think free internet is somehow a draw. And forget the usual commercial establishments. McD has plastered all over the place signs warning you that loitering is prohibited. You have 30 minutes to eat your food and get the hell out. And, many don't have electrical outlets so I can plug my now battery free laptop in. So I've been taking my pictures and hoping I'd eventually be able to find the place with electricity and a tolerant staff to let me do this. In desperation, I came into an McD this morning and found lots of plugs. I just sat down and started typing like crazy, hoping no one would come over and tell me to get out. So far, they haven't so I've been able to get lots of work done. This is my last post for now and hopefully you've got some nice pictures to admire. And I'll try to be more aggressive and, during the next 2 weeks, get some more posts out.

Going home for a while

The time has come for me to exit America for a while and go back to my family. I've got thousands of images that need processing and I can't do that sitting on the tailgate of my pickup. I have a nice little office in our flat and lots of time to work so I've almost concluded my trip. I'll be back in December for another round. But you need not despair ... I'll blog as I process my images and provide pithy comments about the world's gradual slide into chaos and other interesting issues. You should come back because buried in that hugh stash of images are some really beautiful stories and things to see. And I'll hopefully be more forthcoming about my techniques. I'll be exploring Photoshop and Lightroom a lot more during this rest period and I'll let you know what I find. I'll on I5 right now just north of Sacrament, slowly making my way south. I'll be hitting Yosemite and King's Canyon and maybe Death Valley before turning east and spending a few days on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. I've got 2 weeks to fill before hitting Albuquerque on June 25th. I leave for Russia on the 28th.

Lassen Volcano and Manzanita Lake

Lassen Volcanic National Park is a place more people should visit. It's got so much to learn and see. It's the only place in the world where you can see all 4 types of volcanoes. It has sulfur vents and mud pots and steam and ... well, it has everything. 100 years ago last March it blew, making it only 1 of 2 volcanos to do that (Mt. Saint Helens is the other). You really should go visit.

I took this image on the 2nd day of my visit. Lake Manzanita is right at the north portal and gives one a beautiful view of the volcano. I was forced to get this shot early as the clouds were disappearing, blown to the west by a strong wind. By the time sunset came the sky was clear. So the image isn't perfect but it's still very nice. No pano here, just a straight HDR shot. Photomatix and Lightroom were all I used. Hope you enjoy and visit this special place.

Lassen Volcano with Manzanita Lake - 24mm(1.6 crop),f/11,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Crater Lake ... day 4

Crater Lake ... day 4

It's with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to Crater Lake. It's such a beautiful, peaceful place. It's hard to imagine that beneath that tranquility lies a still active but dormant volcano. Most people assume it's dead because there's no steam rising from the cone. But the rangers will tell you that there are thermal springs at the bottom of the very deep lake and that the USGS believes the volcano will, someday, awaken again. Not for a long time but someday.

Anyway, I sadly packed my truck for the last time and headed for the rim for one last picture. It was absolutely the wrong time ... just after noon ... when I arrived. Any pro will tell you to stay away from the sky at that time of day because everything gets washed out by the intensity. But the sky was so damn beautiful with all the white clouds and the blue ... oh man. And the lake was unbelievable blue due to it's clarity and depth. Yes, the water is actually that deep marine blue. Everyone who sees it is blown away by the color. This is one of the cleanest bodies of fresh water in the world. No inflowing rivers to dump junk. All the water comes from rain and melting snow. And it is cold .... so, I set up the camera and took my pictures expecting they'd come out crappy. How surprised was I when this emerged from Photoshop. So, don't be afraid to take a chance when the sun is shining bright ... you might just get something spectacular.

Crater Lake Daytime - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Crater Lake Sunrise

Crater Lake Sunrise ... finally

You may have realized I'm not a morning person. Sleep is too precious to me. So, when I wake early, which I do most days, I look not for a reason to get up but for a reason to return to sleep. And, unfortunately, most morning I find an excuse. It's usually the lack of stars which tells me there's thick cloud cover and a sunrise trip isn't worth the effort. Fortunately, this morning there were lots of stars at 4 when I looked out my truck's window and a nice scattering of clouds. So I crawled out of my warm sleeping bag and made the 7 mile trip to the crater. The sun was still well below the horizon but that wasn't going to last much longer. I literally ran up the hill to the spot I'd already chosen for my sunrise shot and I got the camera ready. It was worth the effort ... don't you think?

Crater Lake Sunrise - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Crater Lake - day 2

I'm cursed I think ... or very lucky

Bad weather seems to follow me. On this trip I've seen more snow, wind, rain and cold than I'd every anticipated. And it continues here in Crater Lake. It started raining last night and rained and rained ... and the fog which I had so desperately tried to get away came back in massive quantities. All day the crater was shrouded in fog and I sat in my truck and chewed my finger nails and cursed the weather god once again. When will I get some luck? Well ... it's said that a photographer's best friend is bad weather. That's when you get the most dramatic skies and the most awesome sunsets. So, keep on coming bad weather.

Crater Lake Sunset ... day 2

After a day of rain I noticed, as I huddled in my little truck, that the sky was clearing. With high hopes, I drove the 7 miles to the crater edge and this is what awaited me. I hurriedly set up my camera and started snapping. Lots of frames later I had my image. Used the same processing as I always do with HDR panos and now I present you with Crater Lake at it's best.

Crater Lake Sunset - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Crater Lake Sunset

The San Fran Bust

I have to report that San Francisco was a huge bust. I was so concerned about my truck and breakins that I was distracted from doing what I wanted to do. There has been an epidemic of car robberies lately and I couldn't find anywhere to park my truck and feel safe. Even at the Cliff House, a very famous restaurant on the beach, it was made very clear to me that I shouldn't leave anything of value in my truck or it would most certainly be stolen. Well, I have computers, generators and camera gear in there and I wasn't really comfortable leaving any of that stuff for very long. So, after 2 very frustrating days, I just drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and kept heading north. Maybe next cycle I'll be able to figure out a way of leaving the truck in a safe place and simply using the very good public transportation. But, this time, I have nothing worth showing. Sorry.

Crater Lake Sunset

I drifted along the California coastline, trying to get some good stuff. It was very frustrating to spend hours sitting in a spot with beautiful rock formations and crashing waves only to be frustrated as, around 3 in the afternoon, the fog would start drifting in and, by sunset, I couldn't see the rocks, the surf or the sunset. It's not too interesting photographing fog. So, after several days of this I turned the truck away from the coast and headed north toward Crater Lake. I didn't really escape the bad weather all together as it rained for 2 days while I was there but I was able to get some really nice images. I'll not bore you with the details ... just let you drink in the absolute beauty of this special place.

Crater Lake Sunset - 16mm(1.6 crop),f.18,HDR,ISO 100, license CC BY-NC 4.0