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Elk and Geysers.

Just read in todays paper that bisquit Geyser exploded, I was there shooting beautiful dramatic pictures of the main geyser erupting a few days ago. Time was about 6:30 am . What a site . Glad nobody was hurt , Yellowstone is a wild and unpredictable place , both animals and the ground can erupt at any time. Today was another early moring , 3 miles into the park I found an Elk family taking their morning bath. Mam, Dad and the kids were froliking in the shallow water of the Madison river . Before long a group of us were busy taking pictures and videos of the ritual. Fun way to start the day . No day in yellowstone is the same , smoke rising from large and small holes everywhere, hot springs with colorful bacteria plates and bubbling mudbaths. At any time a wolf , Grizzly , black bear, Bison or chipmunk can cross your path . Next visit here might be winter. Got to buy me some real clothes !!

Yellowstone National Park is home to one of the largest elk populations in the United States. The park’s diverse landscape provides a prime habitat for these majestic animals, allowing them to thrive in the wild. The elk, also known as wapiti, can often be spotted roaming the lush valleys and grazing in the meadows, offering visitors a unique opportunity to observe them in their natural habitat. With their impressive antlers and graceful movements, the elk contribute to the richness of wildlife experiences in Yellowstone.

Detail of Prismatic Hot spring.

Sunrise .

Yellowstone gets about 4 million visitors a year, summer being peak season, visiting after a long night sleep , a hearthy breakfast , black coffee and on the road around 11 am will put you in an hour long traffic jam just to get in the park. This is through the west entrance, the busiest one . The park will be busy , Old faithfull has a disneyesque vibe and parking lot . You’ll get lost , old faithful might have 2000 watchers on the benches in a half circle around the basin. Other great sites have overflowing parking . sometimes 30 minute walk from the entrance . so ….. I like to be by myself in these spots , so I get up at 0 dark 30 !!!

Many times I get up at 3;30 -4 am and on the road ( by myself 😭) by 4-4;15 . First in most parking areas , sunrise through the fog and steam , an amazing experience. Do it once and youll never visit midday. Animals come out early to hunt or go for a coffee, The sun puts up a show not to be missed !

Enjoy the MANY sunrise pictures , I never get enough of it !

A golden glow breaks the night,
Bringing warmth and new delight.
Nature awakens, the world’s at peace,
As the sun’s first rays release.

And now …… Yellowstone.

My butterfly…

At the start of the pandemic, four years ago, after realizing it was here to stay for a while , we decided to take a roadtrip to see our daughter Sasha in Missoula Montana. One week later we left ,visited many grreat places and had no plans . Missoula is close to Yellowstone National Park and it seemed fun to go and see the Old Faithfull Geyser. Not knowing much about the park ,we visited without a lot of expectations. Well….. it blew my mind ! The earth was on fire , smoke everywhere from holes in the ground. Azure blue pools bubbling away, mudpools delisciuos as chocolate fondue slowly bubbling in their Cauldrons. and then …the animals, THE ANIMALS !!!!. Bison everywhere , Elk , wolfs , Moose , Chipmunks too much to name and they are everywhere . I spend every waking moment driving and hiking the park and it left a lasting impression. So. this year it became a major stop on our schedule , 8 days and nights , 8 early mornings , just getting better and better. Now its big , so you do a lot of driving to some famous sites and trailheads , so worth it though. I’ll post multiple days as its too much to showcase in one blog. make sure it goes to the top of your bucket list. Enjoy !

One Meadow in Montana

Mam told me “enjoy the little things in life”. She loved flowers , colors ,feathers, birds, any kind of animal,tree,brush, field with a passion. She instilled this in me from when I was a small child , walking by the fields in Holland , pointing out the herons with child like enthusiasm. It never got old for her. I’m proud to say I have the same love for nature . This half hour laying down in a soft meadow on a lake in Montana made me realize again how right she was in enjoying the little things around you , Thanks Mam

Nature’s Beauty

Amidst the chaos of our busy days,
Nature’s beauty quietly sways.
In flowers, birds, and trees so tall,
There’s magic waiting for all.

From feathered friends to fields of green,
A world of wonder can be seen.
So take a moment, breathe it in,
Let nature’s dance become your kin.

Starry night at Arches National

the phone rang at 3;30 , dutch call ,wrong calculation for 8 hours time difference , My luck. I had the alarm at 4:30 to go to Death Horse Point and see the sunrise . This unexpected call gave me the early idea to shoot some stars in Arches . Fron the Campground to the Park is 5 minutes , to a great rock formation another 5 .

Tripod ready , setting Ok and let the wait begin. each photo is between 20 and 240 seconds sometimes longer. Results are fun and special.

Enjoy!!

Infinite Nights

In the hush of night, the stars alight,
Like diamonds strewn across the sky so bright.
Infinite realms, a celestial ballet,
Where dreams take flight and worries sway.

There, infinity unfolds its grand design,
As the universe weaves tales divine.
A timeless spectacle, a sight to behold,
Infinite starry nights, a story untold.

With each glimmering spark, a secret untold,
Infinite depths, mysteries unfold.
The universe whispers its ancient lore,
Infinite starry nights, forever more.

Milky way

Dead Horse Point

No words for this view , from before sunrise to Chipmunk Cuteness.

before sunrise.

Dead Horse Point is a distinctive geographic landmark that derived its name from a rather somber history. As the legend goes, in the late 19th century, the point served as a natural corral for cowboys rounding up wild mustangs. Tragically, a group of horses was left stranded on the narrow neck of land, resulting in them perishing from thirst within view of the Colorado River, far below. This poignant event led to the etching of the name “Dead Horse Point” into the annals of history, serving as a reminder of the region’s significant past.

THE …. Arch !

So this is THE Arch you see in all magazines , advertising ,etc. It is the Arch to end All Arches . Its called ….. The Greatest Arch.? The Monster Arch ?, The magnificent Arch ? , The Optimus Prime of Arches ? , The Empire Arch? wouldn’t you think !!!

Nope , it’s called : 🌻The Landscape Arch🌼, if I was that Arch , the biggest natural stone span in the world, the image seen by Billions of People, The pride of UTAH,…..I’d be ashamed and hide to never be seen again.

I AM ARCH.

seriuos , its a short walk from the carpark through amazing terrain, first it seems kind of weird , all pictures I’ve seen have blue sky behind it . Our first look at the “Arch of Doom “had more similar colored rockface behind it. Nice but eh. Walking a little more and the sky opened up behind the “Arch of superbness” . The end of the path gave us the picture book image of the greatest Arch in the world. Yowser and a feeding Fawn and mama to boot . There you go , the image I thought about, but kind of knew I could never get . Not just the awesomness Arch but a Deer in the foreground . Never seen Before ( prove me wrong !!!). Unfortunately , the deer scooted off and my million dollar image dream disappeared. Stayed around for a 15 or so minutes . Soaked up the dreamscape and tried sharing with Mam in Holland . Our Everest of Arches failed to deliver decent internet. Ah well , gotta send some pictures , she loves Deer and Nature. Walking back on the path my friend “Bambi mama” was snacking on a sagebrush , not only pretty but delisciuos ( The brush that is) Hmmmm, Could I get to the other side of her and get my shot ?????

Blending gracefully , Not the best shot but it’ll do for a first time visit .

Left home at 5:40am back at 9am whole day still ahead and beautiful cool memories in the bag. Tomorrow Dead Horses ?????!!!!!!!

Next up ….Artsy Fartsy stuff , sue me!!

Quick STORM ,quick post!

So lucky we were home in the camper, around 4pm after a cloudy but beautiful day , our phones, iPads and anything electronic started screaming at us . Warning flash flood , go inside don’t die !! Honestly, those words had an impact ! Next message : thunderstorms with destructive hail , go inside save yourself!!! Ok now we’re serious , all awnings in , quickly . Slide in the storm facing slides and wait !

Didn’t have to wait too long , within a minute the wind started howling , trees were shredding leaves rain beat down in our now kind of fragile house . 39 seconds later blinding and ear shattering hail …….

4 minutes later all over , slight rain still falling and we had our first experience with flash flood causing storms . Pretty impressive . Listen to the noise in the attached video . Turn up the volume and think louder . Today is beautiful and planing a visit to Canyon lands National park .

Hail and 89 degrees!

Better story tomorrow !!

Hello MOAB !

Heard a lot about ye….. Touristy… check, busy …. not so much, ….centrally located for all things rugged, dusty , muddy ,red clayish …Check. So close to some of the most breathtaking scenery ever. No seriuos ….Ever! We’re parked 2 miles from Arches National Park, which has a different personality every hour, with the sun illuminating dusty red massive rock faces, bathing them in soft light , stormy clouds hiding the sun and changing the landscape to a threatening dark moonscape. Vultures cruise above, chipmunks eat berries and scurry in their holes. At night the stars rule , scorpions look for a tasty meal and rattlers dance the tarantula. What a place . Being so lucky to enter the park early morning and late at night I get to see it in all its shapes and forms . Sure I take too many pictures , but who cares . Tonight sunset at the Arches ….. enjoy !

Global warming has begun to impact Arches National Park, posing a threat to its unique ecosystem. Rising temperatures and changing weather patterns have the potential to disturb the delicate balance of the park’s flora and fauna. Increased heat and drought could lead to the decline of certain plant species, while disrupting the habitat and behavior of wildlife. Additionally, the accelerated rate of erosion caused by extreme weather events can further accelerate the natural processes that shape the iconic sandstone arches and rock formations. It is crucial to prioritize sustainable practices and climate action to mitigate these detrimental effects and preserve the natural splendor of Arches National Park for future generations.

Someone is excited to go to Arches.

Wide awake at 4:30 AM, in the car 10 minutes later , even Beau didn’t wake for a pee or a bone! 4:45 enter Arches National Park, not the first one ???? 5 other early risers shone their headlights on a steep uphill road. No ranger was up this early and it was clear roads ahead into the park. What to expect, I like to be surprised and not study the areas we go to, in depth. Yes I might miss some things , but for me to be surprised is half the fun. Of course I’ve seen the classic pictures of the wide Arch spanning it seems , many hundreds of feet ,with an eternal sunrise or sunset shining through it . What a shot that would be. Better to go into it fresh without ideas of shots already taken. Hard enough to get a few originals, most shots have been taken thousands of times in one way or another . I can’t wait what Arches will show me .

Very disappointed that this park again was made up of a bunch of Hollywood backdrops. This just can’t be real , moonlight illuminating the towering red rocks , don’t think so. Vista’s right out of Rawhide , great painting !! Is that John Wayne on his horse infront of a stove pipe rock , looking mellow but dangerous

I DON’T THINK SO ……?

All joking aside , it was so much better then I had ever imagined , wouldn’t it be nice to share this with Mother , Brother and friends. Well ….. modern tecnology to the rescue . Quick facetime call with Holland and mama and brother joined the rising sun at Arches . What a treat !!

Arches National Park is located in eastern Utah, USA. It is known for its stunning natural arches, spires, fins, and balanced rocks. The park covers an area of over 76,000 acres and includes over 2,000 natural sandstone arches.

The park owes its unique landscape to geological processes that started around 300 million years ago. The region was once covered by an ancient sea, and over time, layers of salt deposited in the area. As the sea evaporated, the salt deposits were buried under layers of sediment.

Around 65 million years ago, the uplift of the Rocky Mountains and the tectonic activity in the region caused the overlying rock layers to buckle and shift. This movement, combined with erosion from water and wind, carved out the landscape that we see today, creating the spectacular arches and rock formations.

Arches National Park was designated a national monument in 1929 and then established as a national park in 1971. The park’s unique geological features and natural beauty attract visitors from around the world, making it a popular destination for hiking, photography, and nature appreciation.