Exit78 Photo of the Day #120
This was such a beautiful day to visit Mammoth Hot Springs. The next time we were there, 4 years later, we dodged rainstorms when we were down in the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District.
Then: Mammoth Hot Springs, boardwalk to the top of the terraces, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, August 10, 2010 (Pentax K10D)
Mammoth Hot Springs (Wikipedia)
Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park adjacent to Fort Yellowstone and the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District. It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (over two tons flow into Mammoth each day in a solution). Because of the huge amount of geothermal vents, travertine flourishes. Although these springs lie outside the caldera boundary, their energy has been attributed to the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas.
The hot water that feeds Mammoth comes from Norris Geyser Basin after traveling underground via a fault line[5] that runs through limestone and roughly parallel to the Norris-to-Mammoth road. The limestone from rock formations along the fault is the source of the calcium carbonate. Shallow circulation along this corridor allows Norris’ superheated water to slightly cool before surfacing at Mammoth, generally at about 170 °F (80 °C). Algae living in the warm pools have tinted the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green.
Thermal activity here is extensive both over time and distance. The thermal flows show much variability with some variations taking place over periods ranging from decades to days.[6] Terrace Mountain at Mammoth Hot Springs is the largest known carbonate-depositing spring in the world. The most famous feature at the springs is the Minerva Terrace, a series of travertine terraces. The terraces have been deposited by the spring over many years but, due to recent minor earthquake activity, the spring vent has shifted, rendering the terraces dry.
The Mammoth Terraces extend all the way from the hillside, across the Parade Ground, and down to Boiling River. The Mammoth Hotel, as well as all of Fort Yellowstone, is built upon an old terrace formation known as Hotel Terrace. There was some concern when construction began in 1891 on the fort site that the hollow ground would not support the weight of the buildings. Several large sink holes (fenced off) can be seen out on the Parade Ground. This area has been thermally active for several thousand years.
(Note: I am also posting photos in a series called Photography Now & Then at Haw-Creek.com)
Series notes:
- The photos in this series are (usually) randomly selected from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Exit78 Photo of the Day.
- Each photo in this series is an “original work” – a copyright term – of Michael Goad.
Exit78 Photo of the Day #119
Picnic shelter, Donley County Eastbound safety rest area and park, about an hour east of Amarillo, Texas, on Interstate 40, September 17, 2009 (Pentax K10D)
Our trips heading west usually include Interstate 40 in the early part of the trip, but depart from it for other routes before crossing into the Texas panhandle from Oklahoma. Several times on the return home, though, we have used I40 through Texas and stopped at the art-deco styled Donley County Eastbound safety rest area, which opened in 2003.
Route 66 themed, the rest area is a tribute to the road that pioneered cross-country automobile highway travel. Getting our stretching walks in after a couple of hours on the road is a pleasure on the highway themed sidewalks through beautifully landscaped grounds. The numerous picnic shelters, each with a Texas-shaped barbeque grill, are well suited for hot summer days. Tiled restrooms are ample and unique. A playground is provided for those traveling with kids. In tornado country, the Texas safety rest areas include storm shelters.
I’m sure we’ll be stopping here again.
Series notes:
- The photos in this series are (usually) randomly selected from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Exit78 Photo of the Day.
- Each photo in this series is an “original work” – a copyright term – of Michael Goad.
Exit78 Photo of the Day #118
Sod house, Ash Hollow State Historical Park, Nebraska, July 8, 2010 (Pentax K10D)
On our 2010 trip west, we visited this sod house in Nebraska. My great-great-grandparents, James Wesley Goad and Olive Orabelle Wineland Goad, built a similar structure in western Kansas in 1890 and lived in it for at least nine years.
Sod house (Wikipedia)
The sod house or “soddy” was a successor to the log cabin during frontier settlement of Canada and the United States. The prairie lacked standard building materials such as wood or stone; however, sod from thickly-rooted prairie grass was abundant.[2] Prairie grass had a much thicker, tougher root structure than modern landscaping grass.
Construction of a sod house involved cutting patches of sod in rectangles, often 2’×1’×6″ (60×30×15 cm) and piling them into walls. Builders employed a variety of roofing methods. Sod houses accommodate normal doors and windows. The resulting structure was a well-insulated but damp dwelling that was very inexpensive. Sod houses required frequent maintenance and were vulnerable to rain damage. Stucco or wood panels often protected the outer walls. Canvas or plaster often lined the interior walls.
Series notes:
- The photos in this series are (usually) randomly selected from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Exit78 Photo of the Day.
- Each photo in this series is an “original work” – a copyright term – of Michael Goad.
Exit78 Photo of the Day #117
Wall of hand-painted ceramic tiles on a rainy day, Paducah, Kentucky, April 24, 2010 (Pentax K10D)
The painted ceramic tile wall facade by Sarah Rouse is on Marine Way, a narrow one-way street in Paducah, Kentucky, across from The William Clark, Market House Museum.Each tile on the wall was individually hand painted before firing.
Series notes:
- The photos in this series are (usually) randomly selected from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Exit78 Photo of the Day.
- Each photo in this series is an “original work” – a copyright term – of Michael Goad.
Exit78 Photo of the Day #116
Mill race at Cable Mill in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, May 5, 2009 (Pentax K10D)
In May, 2009, we headed east for a change for our camping adventures. The first major park we visited was Great Smokey Mountain National Park, which straddles the Appalachians of both Tennessee and North Carolina. Cades Cove is a very popular parts of the park.
John P. Cable Mill (Smokies Adventure)
It was not uncommon for entire villages and towns to be built around grist mills in the 1800s. Because of their ability to grind grains into flour or meal at a faster rate than famers could do it themselves, grist mills were vital to local economies. As a result, the town mill often became a social gathering place as well, fostering friendships, business relationships, and sometimes even young courtships.
John P. Cable built his grist mill in Cades Cover in the early 1870s. He was a descendent of Peter Cable, a Pennsylvania Dutch farmer who had arrived in the area in the 1820s and designed an elaborate system to drain the swampy lands located in the western part of the cove.
John Cable was the only person in Cades Cove to use an overshot water wheel, a gravity wheel which harnesses the force of gravity acting vertically on the water as it travels from the top to the bottom of the wheel. Cable Mill’s power was supplied by Mill Creek, although a connecting channel was dug to Forge Creek so the mill could tap both streams when water levels were low.
Cable Mill took double advantage of its waterwheel by using it to power saw mills as well. This revolutionized the way homes were built in the cove, as people switched from using logs to lumber and frame construction. The Gregg Cable house still stands as an example of a frame built house in Cades Cove.
Series notes:
- The photos in this series are (usually) randomly selected from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Exit78 Photo of the Day.
- Each photo in this series is an “original work” – a copyright term – of Michael Goad.
Exit78 Photo of the Day #115
Wisconsin Winterland, View from Holiday Inn Express, Deforest, Wisconsin, December 20, 2007 (Pentax K10D)
In 2007, we spent a few days visiting family just before Christmas in DeForest, Wisconsin.
DeForest, is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin along the Yahara River. The population was 8,936 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The village was named for Isaac De Forest, who in 1856 bought the land on which the village sits today. Its name was long spelled “De Forest,” but has since been changed to “DeForest.”
(Wikipedia)
Series notes:
- The photos in this series are (usually) randomly selected from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Exit78 Photo of the Day.
- Each photo in this series is an “original work” – a copyright term – of Michael Goad.
Post-processing1 #25 |
Fence Post and Barbed Wire, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, US 89, October 9, 2015 (Pentax K-3 II) 37°11’10″N 111°59’44″W
Another of the DoF (depth of field) photos2 from our stretch and photo break on the way to Page, Arizona from Cannonville, Utah.
- Post-processing – Image editing to enhance the photo closer to what the eye “saw.” Images in this series are selected within a day or so of being edited and are either posted at the time or scheduled for posting at a later date.
- Depth of field – Wikipedia
Exit78 Photo of the Day #114
Sky over Sawtooth Mountains, near Stanley, Idaho, July 27, 2010 (Pentax K10D)
From 1977 to 1980, we lived in Arco, Idaho, about 90 miles southeast of the spot where this photo was taken, but about 134 miles by road. In ‘78, we went backpacking about 15 miles south of here.
The Sawtooth Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in central Idaho, reaching a maximum elevation of 10,751 feet (3,277 m) at the summit of Thompson Peak. It encompass an area of 678 square miles (1,756 km2) spanning parts of Custer, Boise, Blaine, and Elmore counties, and is bordered to the east by the Sawtooth Valley. Much of the mountain range is within the Sawtooth Wilderness, part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Sawtooth National Forest. (Wikipedia)
The mountains were named for their jagged peaks.
Series notes:
- The photos in this series are (usually) randomly selected from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Exit78 Photo of the Day.
- Each photo in this series is an “original work” – a copyright term – of Michael Goad.
Exit78 Photo of the Day #113
Storming over Lake Dardanelle, shot from Lake Dardanelle State Park at Russellville, Arkansas, July 20, 2013 (Pentax K-r)
Lake Dardanelle (Wikipedia)
Lake Dardanelle is a major reservoir on the Arkansas River and is an integral part of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS), which allows barge transportation from the Mississippi River to the Tulsa Port of Catoosa in northeastern Oklahoma. MKARNS went into service along its full length in 1971.
The lake covers nearly 40,000 acres (160 km2) with abundant opportunities* for boating, fishing, picnicking, camping and scenic views. The lake extends from Dardanelle Lock and Dam (35°14′55″N 93°10′15″W) near Dardanelle, into Pope, Yell, Logan, Johnson and Franklin Counties. The lake reaches 50 miles (80 km) upstream the Arkansas River and has 315 miles (510 km) of shoreline. Each recreational park on Dardanelle has drinking water, picnic tables and toilet facilities. Most have trailer dump stations, boat launch ramps and electrical sites.
* made an edit to Wikipedia as a result of this post
Series notes:
- The photos in this series are (usually) randomly selected from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Exit78 Photo of the Day.
- Each photo in this series is an “original work” – a copyright term – of Michael Goad.
Exit78 Photo of the Day #112
President Clinton Avenue just before it transitions into Markham Street, Little Rock, Arkansas, December 10, 2008 (Pentax K10D)
Love him or hate him, it was inevitable that William Jefferson Clinton would get a street named after him in the capital city of the state where he was governor before getting elected president. Stretching from the Clinton Presidential Center and Park west to Cumberland, after which the street reverts back to Markham Street, President Clinton Avenue is almost exactly 1/2 mile in length.
President Clinton Avenue: Little Rock, Arkansas (American Planning Association)
The transformation of Little Rock’s East Markham Street to what is now President Clinton Avenue was, in the words of a long-time Little Rock business leader, “an overnight success 20 years in the making.” The avenue is a popular destination and hub of activity with a mixture of restaurants, museums, art galleries, entertainment venues, stores, offices, educational facilities, apartments, and loft condominiums. Some 30 sidewalk benches, almost 150 street trees, decorative lighting, designed walkways, outdoor sculptures, and scenic views make for a memorable experience.
The entire length of President Clinton Avenue is designated an American Planning Association Great Street, between the Clinton Presidential Center and Park to the east and Cumberland Street to the west.
Series notes:
- The photos in this series are (usually) randomly selected from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Exit78 Photo of the Day.
- Each photo in this series is an “original work” – a copyright term – of Michael Goad.
