Milky Way over the Kaibab Paiute Campground

 

Back in May I had the pleasure of staying at a very well-appointed campground on the Kaibab Paiute Indian Reservation in northwest Arizona. The best feature of the park?  It is an amazing place to view the Milky Way, right from your campsite!  The Kaibab Paiute Reservation is also the first Tribal Nation to have been designated a Dark Sky Nation! The Kaibab Paiute people have worked hard to preserve their night skies, and it shows. I highly recommend a stay at the RV Park and while you're there, be sure to check out Pipe Spring National Monument, located just a short walk from the campground.  Pipe Spring has also been designated an International Dark Sky Park. This area is such an amazing place to experience the wonders of the night sky!

Early Summer Sunset in The Land of 10,000 Lakes

A lovely June sunset while fishing on a lake in northern Minnesota. These are the best evenings to be out on the water. Not a lick of wind, the lake as smooth as glass, nothing but the sounds of trumpeter swans, loons, and songbirds to entertain us as we wait for the fish to strike our lines. 

A Pair of Moose

 

Nice surprise to see these two moose hanging out together recently on a local pond! I've gotten so used to not seeing moose the past few years that seeing them again is a real treat. 

Spring Rainbow over Beaver Pond

 

This photograph is the culmination of one awesome afternoon of sky watching. My dad and I watched several small storm fronts pass overhead, some of them dropping only light amounts of rain. The sky was a beautiful blue in between each passing front. We had been getting ready to pack up and head home when we looked to the east and there was this beautiful rainbow. We stopped what we were doing and watched until it faded from view. It was the perfect way to end our day in the forest. 

Sky on Fire

 

The sunset this past Thursday evening was incredible! I was sitting in my living room watching a tv show when all of a sudden the room got a lot brighter and warmer in color. I looked outside and my jaw basically dropped to the floor when I saw what was going on in the sky. I grabbed one of my cameras and took a quick walk outside to capture a few photos. I sure am lucky to have these scenes available to me right outside my door. Always thankful. 

Red Carpet on the Forest Floor

 

A little macro carpet of red on the forest floor of northeast Minnesota. 

A most memorable night

 

Here's a favorite image from a most memorable night spent in Cathedral Valley of Capitol Reef National Park back in late April of 2019.  I had spent most of the night waiting for storms to clear so I could photograph the Milky Way.  I was beginning to lose hope when, at about 4:15 AM, the clouds started to part. Eventually the Milky Way did come out and it was soooo beautiful... but before that I made several images where the stars were peeking out from these breaks in the clouds. It was definitely lots of fun to photograph with the constantly changing conditions in the sky.