Archive for category Winter/Snow
July 30, 2010 – Lake Wenatchee
Posted by Dave in Picture of the Day, Washington State, Winter/Snow on July 30, 2010
Lake Wenatchee
Friday, July 30, 2010
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Hey everyone! Here’s one more picture this week to send you off on your weekend. Or, here’s Friday’s picture to welcome you to your Monday morning. Whichever, it’s all the same to me. You’re looking at Lake Wenatchee, which is on the eastern side of the Cascades, a little bit north of Highway 2, a little bit west of Leavenworth, and a little bit east of Stevens Pass. It’s actually quite a large lake, but here you’re looking at the part where it squeezes down and turns into the drainage river. If you follow it forward, it opens up to the right around the little point that you see there right in the center.
Blah, blah blah, whatever. Look! Pretty! To get here, you have to park in the parking lot at Lake Wenatchee State Park, and buy a sno-park pass. It’s the more expensive pass too, because they also have groomed Nordic skiing here. They don’t actually care if you’re skiing or not, the fact that the groomed trails are there (which you’re not allowed to snowshoe on, for what it’s worth) means you need to buy the more expensive pass. Lame. Sigh. Anyway, go enjoy your weekend!
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. 1/250s, f/9.0, ISO 100. Focal length: 17mm.
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July 26, 2010 – Lake Keechelus
Posted by Dave in Picture of the Day, Washington State, Winter/Snow on July 26, 2010
Lake Keechelus
Monday, July 26, 2010
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Okay, I’m back from San Francisco! And despite the fact that I was there in the middle of July, the weather down there felt like this. I don’t think it hit 65 degrees while I was there. Since when does California have crappy weather?? I had no idea, but apparently this isn’t that unusual? (Anybody want to comment on that??) But, I promise I will never again fantasize about moving down to the Bay Area when Seattle is trudging through another crappy spring. It was just under 80 degrees up here the whole time I was down there. Had somebody said early last week that there would be a time that I’d be leaving nicer weather in Seattle than I’d be getting in San Francisco, I wouldn’t have believed them. But, well, now I know.
So, this picture… This is Lake Keechelus. It’s right along I-90, just east of Snoqualmie Pass. I was literally parked in the shoulder when I took this picture, in fact. (Well, not a shoulder in the normal sense – there’s a large extra-wide shoulder right after Hyak that is presumably used as a truck stopover and chain removal zone. So it’s not quite as stupid as it sounds.) I can’t remember the details, but I think I was up there to snag a couple turns at Summit Central, but either it really sucked or it was closed, so I ended up just driving around for awhile, that’s why I ended up east of the pass. Not really sure. But, here’s the picture anyway.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tamron 17-55mm f/2.8 lens. 1/400s, f/10.0, ISO 100. Focal length: 50mm.
Popularity: 6%
July 19, 2010 – Flathead Valley and Whitefish, MT
Posted by Dave in Picture of the Day, Winter/Snow on July 19, 2010
Flathead Valley and Whitefish, MT
Monday, July 19, 2010
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It’s the middle of July. It’s perfectly sunny, hovering right around 70 degrees. Summer has finally arrived here in Seattle. And all I can think about is how badly I’m pining for winter. 6 months from now, I’ll be kicking myself.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tamron 17-55mm lens. 1/200s, f/9.0, ISO 100. Focal length: 47mm.
Popularity: 5%
June 24, 2010 – Snoqualmie Pass
Posted by Dave in Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State, Winter/Snow on June 24, 2010
View from Summit Central, Summit at Snoqualmie Ski Resort
Thursday, June 24, 2010
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Apparently this week’s pattern is to post pictures from cameras of lower and lower quality each day. Monday, it was a photo from my most modern SLR body and the “new hotness” lens. Yesterday, it was my old SLR and my crappy lens. Today, it’s from a no-longer-current pocket point and shoot. Tomorrow? It’ll be a pencil sketch on notebook paper.
This was taken from near the bottom of the Summit Central ski area, which is one of four that make up the Summit At Snoqualmie. Summit Central was known as Ski Acres only a couple years before I moved out here, but that’s not relevant.
In other news, I suppose this is a fine opportunity to once again give a tepid encouragement for all of you to vote for me in the Blogger’s Choice Awards. For those of you who aren’t familiar with those awards, it’s a website where you can nominate yourself, and then tell all of your readers to go vote for you. Thus, it’s totally just a dirty trick to get folks like me to do their marketing for them. You have to register an account (with a valid email) to vote, so it seems pretty skeezeball. However, I *can* say that, since I gave them my email a year or so ago, they’ve never send me any kind of spam or anything. That’s not to say they won’t ever, but it’s definitely not QUITE as skeezeball as I expected it to be. The award itself is meaningless, but what ISN’T meaningless is the traffic they send to my page, simply by me being in the running. So, if you feel like helping a guy out, go ahead and vote for me. Here’s how:
1) Go to bloggerschoiceawards.com. I’m not going to link to it, because I don’t want to give them my linkjuice. But type that into your browser’s address bar, and create an account.
2) Go to the Best Photography Blog category. (Also, Best Travel Blog, Best Hobby Blog, and Best Blog About Stuff. I know, I know, shut up.)
3) Vote for me. At the time I’m writing this, I’m in second place, behind some dude who posts pictures that he takes driving around in his car.
Woo, thanks!
Notes: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS (Point and shoot). 1/250s, f/14.0, ISO 80.
Popularity: 14%
June 26, 2010 – Fresh Snow
Posted by Dave in Picture of the Day, Winter/Snow on June 16, 2010
Fresh snow
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
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Ahhhhh crap, it’s almost been two whole days since I’ve put up a post. It was so tempting to miss today too. But, I got a post in just under the wire. Just some nice, fresh snow. I think that little bit of the tree next door on the left edge is a bit distracting, which is unfortunate. Oh well, too late to do anything about it now.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. 1/200s, f/7.1, ISO 100. Focal length: 45mm.
Popularity: 13%
June 2, 2010 – Chikamin Peak and Gold Creek
Posted by Dave in Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State, Winter/Snow on June 2, 2010
Chikamin Peak and Gold Creek
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
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Hey folks. Hope you all enjoyed the long weekend, if you live in a place where this last weekend was a long one. This is a picture of Chikamin Peak and Gold Creek. It’s right near Snoqualmie Pass in Washington State. Right on the other side of that row of trees is Gold Creek Pond. There’s a nice little path around the pond, and a cute little picnic area. The story behind it is that, when they were building the interstate (which was not too far behind me), what is now Gold Creek Pond was a huge gravel pit. When construction was complete, they turned it into the cute little picnic area that it is now. How nice of them.
That all being said, I would like this picture a lot more if that little bushy thing at the bottom of the frame wasn’t there. Sigh.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel XT, Tamron 28-300mm VC lens. 1/160s, f/8.0, ISO 100. Focal length: 28mm.
Popularity: 29%
May 26, 2010 – Whitefish Mountain Resort
Posted by Dave in Picture of the Day, Winter/Snow on May 26, 2010
Whitefish Mountain Resort
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
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No, that’s not my kid.
I was fartin’ around on the mountain trying to get pictures of people skiing with the town in the background, when I saw her skiing by. I thought it was a really cute moment, so I went ahead and snapped it. This was taken at Whitefish Mountain Resort (formerly Big Mountain) if it wasn’t already obvious from, you know, the title of the post. And that means that the town in the background is Whitefish. I think the picture’s tilted. Damnit.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Quantaray 70-300mm lens. 1/1000s, f/6.3, ISO 200. Focal length: 70mm.
Popularity: 17%
May 14, 2010 – Snow Ghosts
Posted by Dave in Picture of the Day, Winter/Snow on May 14, 2010
Snow Ghosts, Whitefish Mountain Resort
Friday, May 14, 2010
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Hey guys. Today’s post takes us back to Whitefish Mountain Resort (formerly Big Mountain) which is just outside Whitefish, Montana. I realize I’ve posted a few pictures like this already, but I just can’t help it, those snow ghosts are just irresistibly photogenic. When you toss them in front of a blue sky, magic just sort of happens. They seem to be pretty common in the high country at most inland ski resorts in the northwestern US and western Canada. (I’ve seen them in Montana, Idaho and BC mostly, but I’ve hardly been everywhere, so what do I know.)
I realize that it’s basically summer now, so winter and snow is the LAST thing on most of your minds (do I have any southern hemisphere readers?? Anyone??), but I’m not quite ready to let go yet. In fact, my original plan was to head up to Whistler this weekend for one last gasp, get in just a few more turns before the long hot summer. But sadly it didn’t work out, so alas I’ll be hanging out in and around Seattle this weekend. Sigh, oh well. Hope it’s nice wherever you’re at!
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. 1/320s, f/10.0, ISO 200. Focal length: 47mm.
Popularity: 14%
May 5, 2010 – 7th Heaven
Posted by Dave in British Columbia, Mountains, Picture of the Day, Winter/Snow on May 5, 2010
7th Heaven, Blackcomb Mountain, Whistler-Blackcomb Ski Resort
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
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Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! I realized as I was tying that last sentence that today would have been a perfect day to post a picture from Mexico. I don’t have one handy though, and I’m not even entirely sure I have one at all. I’ve been there a couple times, but I’m not sure I got anything picture-of-the-day worthy while I was there. Sad. Instead, here’s a shot from our other North American pals, Canada.
This was shot in the 7th Heaven area of Blackcomb Mountain, at Whistler-Blackcomb Ski Resort. Those peaks in the distance are all part of Garibaldi Provincial Park, and that’s all I can think of to say about this picture.
In other news, one of my friends asked me yesterday for some camera advice, which isn’t that uncommon of an occurrence these days. After spending a decent amount of time writing up a fairly detailed response, which contained a lot of advice I’ve rehashed several times in the past, I realized that I might as well save that work for a larger audience. Thus, I posted it here on my blog. You can also find it by clicking “Camera advice?” up above. Note that this is in addition to the My Equipment page, which contains exactly what it sounds like it would. Note that this particular camera advice was somewhat tailored for somebody in my friend’s situation, which is that she was confident that she wanted to go the digital SLR route, but was wondering what to do about which one to pick, and what lenses to start off with. If you’re just in the market for a decent point and shoot, or a full-featured camera that’s not quite as much of a commitment as an SLR, obviously that advice won’t be really applicable. But, feel free to take a read, and set me straight if required.
Notes: Canon PowerShot S500 (Point and shoot). 1/800s, f/11.0.
Popularity: 18%
April 30, 2010 – Larches at Ingalls Pass
Posted by Dave in Fall Color, Picture of the Day, Washington State, Winter/Snow on April 30, 2010
Larches at Ingalls Pass
Friday, April 30, 2010
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According to the old saying, it should be raining today. And tomorrow? Flowers. Sweet, looking forward to that, for sure. Although glancing at the forecast leads to the question of what exactly the May showers bring. And I’ll tell you: the one year anniversary of me starting this blog, that’s what. Whooooo yeah.
Today’s picture was taken on the Ingalls Pass trail, which is accessible via a 20 or 30 mile long dead-end road outside of Cle Elum, Washington. Those trees are larches. They’re actually coniferous (pine) trees, but they’re fairly unique in that they actually change colors and drop their needles in the fall. They’re really pretty, but (at least in western Washington) pretty hard to get to. I guess there are fairly large swaths of them in some of the eastern Washington forests, and western Montana, and the Idaho panhandle, although my understanding is that those are a somewhat different species than these here that you’re looking at. (But that doesn’t change the fact that they, also, change colors and drop their needles.) Out here, they are only found at higher elevations at particular locations, which means you’ve gotta hike to find them. We got pretty lucky the year I took this: we had gotten a little bit of snow a couple days before, then a beautiful sunny day that fell right on a weekend right when the larches were peaking. Perfect timing really. I told Julie at the time that we needed to make a larch hike an annual tradition, but that didn’t end up happening yet. (Well, to be fair, the next year she was on the verge of giving birth to our kid, and the year after that we … didn’t really have a good excuse.) Maybe this year, check back in the fall, I’ll let you know.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel XT, Tamron 28-300mm lens. 1/200s, f/9.0, ISO 100. Focal length: 39mm.
Popularity: 24%
April 15, 2010 – Silver Queen Mountain
Posted by Dave in Picture of the Day, Washington State, Winter/Snow on April 15, 2010
Silver Queen Mountain, Crystal Mountain Ski Resort
Thursday, April 15, 2010
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Hey everyone, happy tax day! Well, it’s happy for those of us that already finished, which at this point should be all of us, right? I actually only finished a couple days ago. I like to wait until the last minute, just in case, you know, something changes. I still hold out hope that one year, on April 10, they’ll just decide “You know what, guys? This tax thing is all a bit ridiculous, let’s just bag it this year, eh?” One day, one day…
Today’s picture comes from Crystal Mountain Ski Resort, just like the majority of my wintertime pictures. This was taken at the top of Silver Queen Mountain, which is at the top of the High Campbell chair. I believe it’s the highest lift-served point in the ski area, although I haven’t verified that against the Northway lift. You can of course hike up to the top of Silver King and still technically be in-bounds, but this is as high as you can get at Crystal on a lift. Today’s picture is also interesting because it’s the second picture in a row that I’ve posted that was taken with a point and shoot. I’m not really sure WHY that’s interesting, but it feels like it is.
Notes: Canon PowerShot SD700 IS. 1/1600s, f/5.6.
So now I’m done talking about today’s picture. Wait, what’s that? You want more? Well, today, I can hook you up. I’m starting to work on a new page detailing out the equipment that I currently use, as well as the equipment I’ve used in the past. I’m even adding links for each item to a list of Picture of the Day posts USING that item. Pretty sweet, huh? Yeah, totally. Here’s a link to the page, or you can click on “My Equipment” on the tabs up above. Currently it’s just got the stuff I’m using now, but I hope to one day have an exhaustive list on there, including all the lenses that I’ve ever used, and a list of all of the little point and shoot cameras that I ever remember owning. That’ll be pretty neat. Pretty neat indeed.
Popularity: 23%
March 17, 2010 – Snow Ghosts
Posted by Dave in Picture of the Day, Winter/Snow on March 17, 2010
Snow Ghosts, Whitefish Mountain Resort
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
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Hello everyone, welcome to my Friday! That’s right, after today I’m gone, which makes this the last post you’ll be seeing this week. Wooooo! I imagine that’s quite a bit more exciting for me than it is for you. But that won’t stop me from celebrating.
These are snow ghosts. Well, okay, they’re trees. But that’s what they call them when they develop that nice thick crust of snow and ice. You see it a lot in Idaho and Montana and inland BC (and probably Alberta, but I haven’t been there to verify that). These actually look more tree-like than a “true” snow ghost, but it at least gives you the idea. (When I was at Big White Ski Resort a number of years ago, a lot of them were so encased in snow and ice that they were just weirdly shaped white lumpy things, kind of like that one in the front row here.) These in particular lived at Whitefish Mountain Resort (formerly Big Mountain) in Whitefish, Montana. Whitefish happens to be one of my three all-time favorite ski mountains (along with Mt. Bachelor in Oregon and Schweitzer in Idaho), so if you’re looking for a place to go this weekend, you should consider it. Personally, I’ll be in Chicago, and I’ve heard rumors that the skiing sucks there. Dang.
Be good this weekend everyone, don’t forget to pay the bills and feed the children. See you on Monday!
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. 1/250s, f/14.0, ISO 200. Focal length: 17mm.
Popularity: 24%