Exit78 Photo of the Day #105

 Muley (mule deer), Morefield Campground, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, September 15, 2009 (Pentax K10D)

From the first time we camped in Mesa Verde back in 1986 or so, we’ve seen numerous deer in Morefield Campground, all of them mule deer, of course.

Mule Deer (Wikipedia)

The mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. The several subspecies include the black-tailed deer.

Unlike the related white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), mule deer are generally more associated with the land west of the Missouri River, and more specifically with the Rocky Mountain region of North America. Mule deer have also been introduced to Argentina and Kauai, Hawaii.

The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails, and the configuration of their antlers. In many cases, body size is also a key difference. The mule deer’s tail is black-tipped, whereas the whitetail’s is not. Mule deer antlers are bifurcated; they “fork” as they grow, rather than branching from a single main beam, as is the case with white-tails.

Each spring, a buck’s antlers start to regrow almost immediately after the old antlers are shed. Shedding typically takes place in mid-February, with variations occurring by locale.

Although capable of running, mule deer are often seen stotting (also called pronking), with all four feet coming down together.

The mule deer is the larger of the two Odocoileus species on average, with a height of 80–106 cm (31–42 in) at the shoulders and a nose-to-tail length ranging from 1.2 to 2.1 m (3.9 to 6.9 ft). Of this, the tail may comprise 11.6 to 23 cm (4.6 to 9.1 in). Adult bucks normally weigh 55–150 kg (121–331 lb), averaging around 92 kg (203 lb), although trophy specimens may weigh up to 210 kg (460 lb). Does (female deer) are rather smaller and typically weigh from 43 to 90 kg (95 to 198 lb), with an average of around 68 kg (150 lb).

Unlike the whitetail, the mule deer does not generally show marked size variation across its range, although environmental conditions can cause considerable weight fluctuations in any given population. An exception to this is the subspecies the Sitka deer (O. h. sitkensis). This race is markedly smaller than other mule deer, with an average weight of 54.5 kg (120 lb) and 36 kg (79 lb) in males and females, respectively

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 #104

Chickaree, aka American red squirrel, Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, September 3, 2009 (Pentax K10D)

We’ve taken the 1 mile or so trail around Rocky Mountain National Park’s Bear Lake a number of times over the years.  On this trip, we had heard a chickaree or two chattering and scolding in the woods, but were surprised to come around the bend and find this fellow smack dab in the middle of the trail.

Chickaree (Wikipedia)

The American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) is one of three species of tree squirrel currently classified in the genus Tamiasciurus, known as the pine squirrels (the others are the Douglas squirrel, T. douglasii, and Mearns’s squirrel, T. mearnsi). American red squirrels are also referred to as pine squirrels, North American red squirrels, and chickarees. They are medium-sized (200–250 g) diurnal mammals that defend a year-round exclusive territory. The diet of these tree squirrels is specialized on the seeds of conifer cones. As such, they are widely distributed across North America wherever conifers are common, except on the Pacific Coast of the United States, where they are replaced by Douglas squirrels.

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 #103

Herd of horses near Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, September 15, 2009 (Pentax K10D)

Over the years, we’ve gone down many roads that travel through grazing lands after passing over a cattle guard.  Most of the time we don’t see any livestock.  If we do, it’s usually cattle.  A very few times, it was sheep.  This time, east of Mesa Verde National Park, is the only time I can recall horses blocking a road we were traveling on.

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 #102

Karen’s working area has undergone a complete makeover over the last year or so.  Part of a fairly old house, the room is an odd shape, only 9 feet wide and the last third slopes from the normal 8 feet down to just over 6. Knotty pine planking on the wall, laminate and a rug on the floor, and cedar planking on the ceiling, combined with new track lighting and a large storage area (not shown), leaves the room with a totally new and different feeling.

Quilting space, with quilting frame for hand quilting, sewing machine for machine quilting, and a design wall. May 3, 2018, (Apple iPhone 6s)

This post is part of a previous post on Haw Creek, Quilting & Town.

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 #23 |

Old Spanish Trail and road to Paria (aka Pahreah), Utah, ghost town, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, October 9, 2015 (Pentax K-3 II) 37°11’10″N 111°59’44″W

While tempting, we didn’t take this road as we were just passing through and had only pulled into pulled into a view area for a stretch and photo break. US 89, which we were traveling on, is part of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail.

Old Spanish Trail²

Across this point, Antonio Armijo and 60 men ventured from New Mexico to California hoping to find a new trade route in 1829.  Following establish Native American trails, the explorers traveled through dry, rugged country for 86 days until they reached San Gabriel Mission near Los Angeles, on January 30, 1830.

The trip turned out to be a lucrative endeavor. Armijo and his men traded woolen goods for horses and mules.  Upon their return to New Mexico, the men sold their stock at premium prices, encouraging other traders to seek their fortune the same way.

Subsequent expeditions to California took more northerly routes for better water resources.  The various routes, including Armijo’s original, together were designated as the Old Spanish National Historic Trail in 2002.

1. 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.
2. Old Spanish Trail – National Park Service interpretive sign, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (37°11’10″N 111°59’44″W)

Exit78 Photo of the Day #101

Yellowstone River Upstream of Fishing Bridge, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, August 6, 2010 (Pentax K10D)

Yellowstone River (Wikipedia)

The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 692 miles (1,114 km) long, in the western United States. Considered the principal tributary of the upper Missouri, the river and its tributaries drain a wide area stretching from the Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of the Yellowstone National Park across the mountains and high plains of southern Montana and northern Wyoming.

Map of the Yellowstone River watershed in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota in the north-central USA, that drains to the Missouri River

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 #100

Grand Prismatic Spring, Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, August 6, 2010 (Pentax K10D)

Grand Prismatic Spring (Wikipedia)

The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin.

Grand Prismatic Spring was noted by geologists working in the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871, and named by them for its striking coloration. Its colors match the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.

The vivid colors in the spring are the result of microbial mats around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The mats produce colors ranging from green to red; the amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature gradient in the runoff. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green. The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.

The deep blue color of the water in the center of the pool results from the intrinsic blue color of water. The effect is strongest in the center of the spring, because of its sterility and depth.

The spring is approximately 370 feet (110 m) in diameter and is 160 feet (50 m) deep. The spring discharges an estimated 560 US gallons (2,100 L) of 160 °F (70 °C) water per minute.

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.

Art on Sunday #34

The most expensive painting ever sold!

Salvator Mundi (Latin for “Savior of the World”) by Leonardo da Vinci, c.1500, oil on walnut.

Long thought to be a copy of a lost original, Salvator Mundi, a painting attributed by leading scholars to Leonardo da Vinci, was sold at auction by Christie’s in New York fir $450.3 million, a new record sale price for a painting.  The painting is to be on display at the Louver Abu Dhabi.

Veiled with overpainting, it was restored, rediscovered, and included in a major Leonardo exhibition at the National Gallery, London, in 2011–12. The paintings attribution to da Vinci is disputed by several specialists.

Salvator Mundi is Latin for “Savior of the World.”

Exit78 Photo of the Day #99

No trees, no buildings, no hills – nothing to block the wind in the high plains of southeast Colorado.

High plains of South-eastern Colorado, 28 miles WSW of Pritchet, Baca County, Colorado, August 30, 2009 (Pentax K10D)

Baca County, Colorado is in the southeast corner or Colorado, bordered on the east by Kansas and on the south by the Oklahoma panhandle and a small 4.65 mile sliver of New Mexico.  We had entered Colorado on US 385 traveling north from Boise City, Oklahoma. Once in Colorado, we took secondary roads angling across the windy high plains of southeast Colorado to La Junta.

And it sure was windy.

Situated at around 5,000 feet in elevation, wind is common – and, sometimes, constant – in the semi-arid high plains of Colorado. The persistent  wind and prolonged contributed to the disastrous “dirty 30s” of the early 20th century.

Depression and the Dust Bowl (ColoradoPreservation.org)

Throughout the 1930s, eastern Colorado along with the majority of the Southern Plains states, experienced extreme droughts. Baca County was among the areas hardest hit, near the center of what was named the Dust Bowl.  Southeastern Colorado received only 126 total inches of moisture for all the years between 1930 and 1939.  This was 205 inches less than the previous decade, and well below the 18 inches annually needed to grow wheat. No rain meant no crops, and no crops meant no protection for the soil when the spring winds arrived.

Dust was not uncommon in the semi-arid areas of Colorado when the high plains winds blew, so no one was really surprised to see a few “dusters” in eastern Colorado in 1931.  They came back the next year with more vigor, and by 1933 the dust storms were so intense that everyday life became almost impossible for both people and livestock.  One storm, beginning on May 9, 1934 and lasting for several days, was estimated to have removed 300 million tons of fertile top soil off of the Great Plains.  The storms actually increased overall in numbers and intensity as the “dirty thirties” continued, with 1937 being the worst on record.  Colorado’s black blizzards of the 1930s were different in many ways from those of previous years.  These were more intense, lasted for days, and returned nearly every year during the “dirty thirties.”  The storms destroyed millions of farmland acres and caused mental and physical anguish to residents.  Towns had to turn on their street lights during the day; dust sifted into buildings, causing people to put wet sheets over doors and window to try to stop the infiltration.  They ate meals under a tablecloth and had to wear goggles or masks of wet towels while outdoors.  Dust covered roads, fences, and cars, piling as high as snow drifts; rail traffic was stopped.  Cases of dust pneumonia reached epidemic proportions in southeastern Colorado in animals as well as humans.  Red Cross workers and nurses were sent to Baca County with masks and goggles.

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.