Posts Tagged Washington state
May 18, 2011 – Bee and Flower
Posted by Dave in - Best of Dave's POTD -, Animals, Flowers, Macro, Picture of the Day on May 18, 2011
Bee and Flower
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
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Let’s go with this one today. It’s (yet another) bee with (yet another) flower. But it’s Wednesday, and this makes me 3 for 3. I think these are lavender flowers or something? Hmm, whatever, not important. They’re nice enough to look at.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro lens. 1/200s, f/5.0, ISO 400. Focal length: 90mm.
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May 17, 2011 – Crystal Mountain Ski Resort
Posted by Dave in Picture of the Day, Washington State, Winter/Snow on May 17, 2011
Crystal Mountain Ski Resort
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
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Wait, didn’t I just post another picture yesterday?? Heck yes I did. That’s right, I’m shooting 2-for-2 this week boys and girls. I don’t actually remember the last time I managed to get 5 posts in during one week, but so far this week’s looking promising. We’ll see how the rest of the week goes.
This is Crystal Mountain. You can still ski there. I mean, it won’t look like this right now, but there will at least be some white stuff on the ground. Perhaps I’ll even get to see it for myself this weekend? Hmm, that might be a bit optimistic, we’ll see. But whatever happens, we’ll always have this picture to look at together. That’s right. Me and you.
Whoa, too personal, I’ve got to take a step back, I’m feeling a bit flushed.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. 1/125s, f/25.0, ISO 100. Focal length: 24mm.
Popularity: 25%
May 2, 2011 – Diablo Lake
Posted by Dave in Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State on May 2, 2011
Diablo Lake, North Cascades National Park
Monday, May 2, 2011
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Quick post today, just to show I haven’t forgotten about you. This is yet another picture taken at the Diablo Lake viewpoint in North Cascades National Park.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. 1/400s, f/11.0, ISO 200. Focal length: 39mm.
Popularity: 16%
April 29, 2011 – Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Posted by Dave in Flowers, Picture of the Day, Washington State on April 29, 2011
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Friday, April 29, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=2465
So, today’s post wraps up the month of April. Another month, come and gone. Man, I should have something poignant to say about that.
This is (I think, although I haven’t verified) the last weekend of this year’s Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. they bloomed late this year, so I’m sure it’ll be fantastic up there. (And, the tulips will probably last past this weekend, but I don’t know what the deal is after the festival officially ends.) I was up there earlier this month, right after they started blooming. As you can see, a lot of them hadn’t opened up all the way yet (and there were a lot of steps that were still totally green.) So, I think I’d recommend heading up there later in the bloom cycle (like, say, *now*) as opposed to hitting it at the beginning. But, take what you can get I guess. The weather’s looking good this weekend though, so if you haven’t made it out there yet, just freakin’ go!
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Canon 55-250mm IS lens. 1/500s, f/7.1, ISO 200. Focal length: 250mm.
Popularity: 16%
April 18, 2011 – Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Posted by Dave in Flowers, Picture of the Day, Washington State on April 18, 2011
2011 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Monday, April 18, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=2459
Hey everyone! It’s tulip time here in the northwest, so in a rare break from my usual behavior, I’m actually going to post a picture here to the blog that was actually taken in the last 24 hours. Crazy, right? Totally.
So, as you’ve probably guessed by the title of the post, this was taken at the 2011 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. I can’t tell you exactly where I was at the time, because I was just walking around some random field of tulips that was off the side of the road. But it’s tough to go wrong once you get up there – just find some flowers and go look at them.
Sadly, this was about the only good picture I got this year. I’m not sure why, but I have a few theories. First, I just wasn’t really in that much of a picture-taking mood this year. So, I snapped a few, but my heart just wasn’t in it. Then of course there was the problem of this freaking annoying cloud that was just hovering right there between me and the sun for most of the time I was there. It wasn’t blowing by like most clouds should, it kept billowing around and reforming right where it was the most inconvenient. So about two thirds of the time I was there the light stunk. Probably the biggest problem was that I didn’t really think through ahead of time what kinds of shots I would want to try to get. I did that last year, and correspondingly I got a lot of shots I was happy with. This year, I of course fell back on some of the same ideas I used last year, but since I already got them last year, I didn’t really try at all this year, and thus the ones I did get were junk. So, umm, whoops.
I still totally recommend that you go check it out yourself – especially if you’re a photographer. As I’ve mentioned in the past, there are TONS of great themes you can play around with. But, it’s definitely worth the time to do some planning. I realize that may be tough if you’ve never been there before and don’t know how things are laid out, but it’s still worth doing. Just sort of make a mental checklist of things you want to play around with, different ways of putting all the elements together. Some of the primary themes are of course the expansive fields of color, all made up by mostly-repeating (but all subtly different) patterns and flower-shapes, the orderly rows of flower beds, the contrasts between plots of different types of tulips, and of course the external elements (like barns, mountains, trees, and clouds). But beyond that, there’s lots of things you can do, lots of different lines and colors and elements to work with. It’s can be a great time.
Unless you’re lazy, like I was this year. Then it’s just meh. But, do go check it out. And plan on traffic being a bit annoying. And plan on paying 5 bucks to park each time you stop. Plan on hitting a few different fields, to get different combinations of colors. And, definitely plan on seeing plenty of people, and having to be creative to keep them out of your pictures. If you go into the experience planning for those things, you’ll have a much better time when you’re there. (Oh, and head north to Highway 20 on the way out, otherwise you’ll be hating your life.)
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Canon 55-250mm IS lens. 1/2000s, f/5.6, ISO 200. Focal length: 194mm.
Popularity: 16%
April 13, 2011 – Mt. Baker Ski Area
Posted by Dave in Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State, Winter/Snow on April 13, 2011
Mt. Baker Ski Area
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
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Turns out it’s still ski season here in Washington, which is awesome. Although no, this picture isn’t THAT recent, it’s from earlier this year, end of January I think. Remember how I said that I headed up to Mt. Baker that one particular day to take advantage of the sunshine? It’s still true! And this is from then!
The terrain you’re looking at (which is part of the Mt. Shuksan massif) is all out of bounds, probably inside the National Park boundary (and I’ve mentioned all this before.) Nice little slide right there on that little hummock. It’s not clear if those people you see in the picture caused it or not. I have an earlier picture two of them are standing on the top of the ridge above it, and the third guy is well below it on the next hummock down. By analyzing the ski trails, it looks like there’s a decent chance that he did start it. But, all three of them look pretty relaxed, which is definitely *not* how I’d look if either me or my buddy just narrowly avoided being buried in a slide that I/he/she had triggered way in the backcountry. So, I’m going to just say it’s “unclear” and leave it at that.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Canon 55-250mm IS lens. 1/500s, f/10.0, ISO 100. Focal length: 250mm.
Popularity: 24%
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
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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.
Popularity: 21%
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
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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.
Popularity: 18%
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.
Popularity: 27%
February 23, 2011 – Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Posted by Dave in Flowers, Picture of the Day, Washington State on February 23, 2011
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=1467
Hey everybody! It’s been awhile since I’ve put anything up here (I’ve been busy!), so here’s a quick shot of some flowers to tide you over.
These are from the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival near Mt. Vernon, in Washington State. It’ll be coming up in here in a month or two, so, umm, dot dot dot.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Quantaray 70-300mm lens. 1/400s, f/7.1, ISO 100. Focal length: 300mm.
Popularity: 22%
February 17, 2011 – Lake Elan Basin
Posted by Dave in Picture of the Day, Washington State on February 17, 2011
Lake Elan Basin
Thursday, February 17, 2011
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Hey everyone. This is what the Lake Elan Basin looks like. It’s in the north-central Cascades in Washington State, near the Mountain Loop Highway. (which heads east from Granite Falls, then north to Darrington.) The spot where I was standing is right near Headlee Pass, along the Sunrise Mine Trail. A nice trail, well worth the effort, but keep in mind that it’s covered in snow until fairly late in the season. (This was taken in September, and most of the lake itself was still frozen over.) But, that’s always the problem with the high country, so whatever.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel XT, Tamron 28-300mm VC lens. 1/125s, f/9.0, ISO 200. Focal length: 28mm.
Popularity: 12%
February 3, 2011 – Maple Pass
Posted by Dave in Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State on February 3, 2011
Maple Pass, North Cascades National Park
Thursday, February 3, 2011
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Today’s picture comes from North Cascades National Park, which is (as you would imagine) located along the northern part of the spine that is the Cascade crest, in western-ish Washington state. Somewhere very near to where I was standing when I took this picture is a spot called Maple Pass, which is accessible via a day hike that’s only moderately strenuous. Driving to the trailhead (at Rainy Pass) and back is probably more difficult than hiking to this spot. Really, the only problem with this plan is that the stuff you’re looking at is all covered in a whole bunch of snow until really late in the season, probably into August. So there’s a very narrow window of time when you can head up there without special equipment. But it’s totally worth it.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. 1/250s, f/14.0, ISO 400. Focal length: 44mm.
Popularity: 14%