Archive for March, 2011
March 21, 2011 – Olympic National Park
Posted by Dave in Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State on March 21, 2011
Olympic National Park
Monday, March 21, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=554
Not too long ago, I realized that I hadn’t yet posted this picture to the blog. That was simultaneously surprising and exciting, because I love this picture, so I was saving it for a good day. But right as I was about to post it, I realized that the reason I hadn’t posted it yet was because I DID already post the horizontal version of the same view. It was awhile ago, and ordinarily nobody would have ever known the difference. Except that, somewhat recently, I added a “similar posts” widget to the bottom of the page, and it’s almost guaranteed that that post (as well as another one that I took at the same time) will appear. Oh well, it’s still cool, it’s just less unique now. But, I figured I’d go ahead and still post it, because hey, why not?
This month is going to officially go down as the month with the smallest number of posts since I started the blog, which is sad. How can I say that with such confidence, even though there’s still more than a week left in the month? Well, see, it just so happens that I’m going on vacation early tomorrow morning, and where I’m going I certainly won’t be thinking about any of you. But before you get all excited thinking this might be the perfect time to stop by and help yourself to some of my more valuable possessions, keep in mind that the parents will be in town, and I warned them about you. Sorry, perhaps next time?
So, enjoy this picture, because it’s the last you’ll be hearing from me for a little while!
Oh, forgot to mention, this is a view of Mt. Constance (and some other assorted peaks) in Olympic National Park. I wasn’t actually inside the park when I took the picture though, I was in the Buckhorn Wilderness, which is north of the park.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel XT, Quantaray 70-300mm lens. 1/320s, f/8.0, ISO 300. Focal length: 70mm.
Subscribe to the Picture of the Day via: March 17, 2011 – Heather Pass
Posted by Dave in - Best of Dave's POTD -, Fall Color, Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State on March 17, 2011
Heather Pass, North Cascades National Park
Thursday, March 17, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=2058
Today’s post takes us back to last fall, and to North Cascades National Park in Washington state. The North Cascades contain some of the most rugged terrain I personally have ever seen, and consequently it’s pretty ridiculously beautiful. It’s not one of the most visited national parks, and as such access to it is somewhat limited. Meaning, you can’t get to the huge majority of the park without hiking for several days. There are definitely some cool places you can get to via a simple day-hike though (like this spot), so it’s well worth a trip even if you’re just visiting the area for a weekend.
The day this picture was taken worked out really well, it was one of those perfect, crisp, sunny fall days. I mean, I make it sound like I just got really lucky, but that’s not quite right. I mean, it turns out there’s this thing called the internet that has all sorts of information on it, like weather forecasts and movie times and pictures of naked people. The internet told me that it was going to be nice, so that’s why I spent the 3-ish hours driving to the trailhead that day. But the area in which I WAS lucky was that sky. I mean, holy crap, look at that sky. That’s the kind of sky people like me DREAM about. Toss a polarizer on your lens and your jaw will just drop. I love it.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. 1/200s, f/5.6, ISO 200. Focal length: 20mm.
March 15, 2011 – Sunset from Chuckanut Drive
Posted by Dave in Picture of the Day, Washington State on March 15, 2011
Sunset from Chuckanut Drive
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=1663
So, it turns out that Washington has a bunch of water in it. I often kind of overlook that fact, since I’m kind of a mountain guy. I didn’t grow up around the water, and I really don’t have much of an idea what to do with it. But if you’re in to that sort of thing, there’s a lot of options around here. There’s big lakes, tons of rivers, and a huge amount of salt water. I mean, shoot, the entire western edge of the state is made up of fairly nice beaches (although not the kind where you’d want to actually play around in the water – that sh**’s cold!), and we’ve got the whole Puget Sound (and the Hood Canal) on top of that. I heard awhile ago that Seattle has more boats per capita than just about anywhere else. I don’t know if that’s true or not (meaning I’m too lazy to check Wikipedia at the moment), but it’s still impressive.
Today’s picture was taken from a nice little scenic drive that goes from near Mt. Vernon on the southern end up to Bellingham in the north, called Chuckanut Drive. It’s a windy little two-lane highway that hugs the (Puget Sound) coast. If you like those watery views, you’d love this road. Especially around sunset. It’s very Pacific-Northwest-y.
Also, this is the 350th post on this blog. For whatever that’s good for.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. 1/200s, f/8.0, ISO 400. Focal length: 11mm.
March 11, 2011 – Rose
Posted by Dave in Flowers, Macro, Picture of the Day on March 11, 2011
Rose
Friday, March 11, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=1590
Wow, busy week, what can I say? Here’s a shot of a rose, in just under the wire on Friday.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Kiron 105mm Macro lens. 1/250s, aperture unknown, ISO 200.
March 8, 2011 – San Juan Mountains
Posted by Dave in Colorado, Flowers, Mountains, Picture of the Day on March 8, 2011
San Juan Mountains, Colorado
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=184
Hey again everybody, happy Monday Tuesday! Today’s picture is ridiculously old. It was taken with a 3.2 megapixel point and shoot, if that gives you any idea. I took it while I was on a road trip through southwestern Colorado, hanging out in the San Juans. That’s one of those places that I definitely need to spend more time getting to know. It’s *gorgeous* down there. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s gorgeous in a lot of places in Colorado, but especially down there. Unfortunately I only had a couple days, most of which I spent exploring little 4×4 roads in my decidedly non-rugged Subaru Legacy. I went a few places I probably shouldn’t have (and even got stuck once or twice), but it was awesome. (I had the awd, but I did NOT have the ground clearance, unfortunately. My newer Subaru, an Outback, does. Maybe I need to head back down there…) Anyway, this was from there. I don’t remember exactly where, sorry. Someplace with a few flowers and some big peaks nearby. Totally helpful, right?
On a completely unrelated note, I apologize if you previously had a login account on the blog, and now you don’t. Don’t get me wrong, there was never anything you could actually DO with an account, but the ability to make one was there. I figured there was no harm in leaving that enabled, and a few of you actually used it. But, I was getting a spate of spammy user accounts signing up (about 150 in the past couple days), so I ended up disabling accounts, and deleting all of them that had already been created. So if that bit you, uhh, sorry. Fortunately, you still have unfettered access to all of the uninspired content I have tossed up here in the past and will continue to toss up here in the future. Yay!
Notes: Canon PowerShot S230 (Point and shoot). 1/250s, ISO unknown.
March 4, 2011 – Mt. Baker Ski Area
Posted by Dave in - Best of Dave's POTD -, Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State, Winter/Snow on March 4, 2011
Mt. Baker Ski Area
Friday, March 4, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=2396
Hey, guess what!! I posted a picture today! I know, I know, I’m awesome.
This is another view from Mt. Baker Ski Area, in northwestern Washington state. I specifically chose the words “view from Mt. Baker” as opposed to “this is Mt. Baker Ski Area”, becasue the area you’re looking at here is strictly out of bounds. The ridge in the foreground is in a designated wilderness area, and I think the peak in the background (it’s actually just a little pointy part on the ridge that leads up to the actual summit of Mt. Shuksan) is inside the bounds of North Cascades National Park. So while technically possible to ski it, it would take quite a hike to get there, through some really gnarly (and extremely avalanche-prone) terrain. Maybe that’s your cup of tea, but it sure ain’t mine. But, I was totally standing inside the bounds of the ski area when I took it, so it totally counts.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll stand by it (and then I’ll caveat the crap out of it): Mt. Baker has the most jaw-droppingly incredible scenery of any ski resort anywhere, hands-down. Okay, now, hands back up, because here come the caveats. A lot of the time (most of the time?) you can’t even see the scenery, because, duh, the ski area that holds the world record for snowfall tends to have crappy weather. Bluebird days are almost non-existent, and often you can count the total number from an entire season on one hand. Sometimes on one finger. That’s not an exaggeration. It’s a haul from Seattle (3.5 hours), so the only reason we even went up there on the day I took this picture is because we knew it would be sunny with some reasonably fresh snow. Next, I can only really fairly compare the scenery here to other places I’ve actually been. Which limits it pretty severely. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to some places that are decent competitors (Vail, Whistler, Whitefish, heck, even Snoqualmie), but I still think Baker wins out. I have *not* been to anywhere outside North America, at least not in the winter. And, I’ve only actually been to one European ski resort at all (Zermatt), so the odds are good that those may actually be better. And, finally, the last caveat to that statemen…
Wait, who the eff cares which one is truly “best” in the scenery department? That doesn’t even make sense. Views, just like photos, aren’t something that can be compared, judged, and stack-ranked. It just doesn’t make sense. Beauty, and the related quality of views or pictures can’t be quantified, and thus can’t be labelled “winner” and “loser”. It’s like asking “Which is greater? The number 532, or a chair?”
So, sit down, stop asking questions, and look at the pretty picture! And, optionally, go to Mt. Baker Ski Area, because, seriously, the views are incredible.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Canon 55-250mm IS lens. 1/160s, f/16.0, ISO 100. Focal length: 250mm.
March 1, 2011 – Shannon Creek
Posted by Dave in British Columbia, Picture of the Day on March 1, 2011
Shannon Creek, Squamish, BC
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=1271
Another Monday, gone by without a post. It’s becoming a routine. A totally awesome yet solidly disappointing routine. And to make up for it all I’ve got for you is yet another shot of Shannon Creek, outside Squamish, British Columbia? It’s a wonder why any of you keep coming back. But you do! Which is awesome! So, thanks for that!
I’ve been in a photographic rut lately. I haven’t been taking any pictures. I mean, sure, a decent part of that is that it’s winter, and I’ve been busy. So I haven’t been making it outside much, and even if I were able to make it outside, it can be difficult around here to get places where the conditions make for the kinds of pictures I want to take. Mostly, I’m just trying to make excuses for the fact that I’m lazy. But there’s at least a little bit of truth to it. Regardless, my camera’s been sitting in the corner gathering dust for awhile now, and it’s disappointing. And, when the camera’s not being used, it can affect my whole mood around my pictures, which as you can see, leads to a reduced level of excitement for putting pictures up here. While it’s true that most of these pictures that I’m posting are brand new to all of you, I’ve seen most of them hundreds if not thousands of times before, so the novelty and newness of them has long since worn off, so it can be hard to drum up some excitement about them when I post them here. But again, totally my own problem, and just another symptom of me being lazy. I get that, I really do. 
Anyway, now that the self-pity is dispensed with, look at this picture of Shannon Creek! It’s so….. green!
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel XT, Tamron 28-300mm VC lens. 1/40s, f/9.0, ISO 400. Focal length: 46mm.