Exit78 Photo of the Day #15
A unique structure in Grand Canyon National Park is based on ancient watchtowers of the American Southwest.
Desert View Watchtower, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, October 8, 2011 (Pentax K-r)
Desert View Watchtower1
Desert View Watchtower, also known as the Indian Watchtower at Desert View, is a 70-foot (21 m)-high stone building located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon within Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, United States. The tower is located at Desert View, more than 20 miles (32 km) to the east of the main developed area at Grand Canyon Village, toward the east entrance to the park. The four-story structure, completed in 1932, was designed by American architect Mary Colter, an employee of the Fred Harvey Company who also created and designed many other buildings in the Grand Canyon vicinity including Hermit’s Rest and the Lookout Studio. The interior contains murals by Fred Kabotie.
The tower was designed to resemble an Ancient Pueblo Peoples watchtower, but its size dwarfs any known Pueblan-built tower. The closest prototypes for such a structure may be found at Hovenweep National Monument. The structure is composed of a circular coursed masonry tower rising from a rubble base. The base was intentionally designed to convey a partly ruinous appearance, perhaps of an older structure on which the watchtower was later built. The base is arranged within a large circle with the tower to the north. Tiny windows are irregularly disposed, some of which are themselves irregular in shape. The main space is the Kiva Room in the base structure, apparently roofed with logs that were salvaged from the old Grandview Hotel. The ceiling is a false structure concealing the roof structure that supports an observation deck. The Kiva Room features a fireplace with a large picture window directly above where the chimney would ordinarily go. Smoke is drawn away through an offset, concealed flue. The room still contains its original furnishings, which are part of the historic designation. A separate, apparently ruinous structure was actually built in that form to provide a storage place for firewood.
The tower rises as an open shaft lined by circular balconies overlooking the central space. Access from balcony to balcony is provided by small stairways. At the top the space is decked over, creating an enclosed observation level with large glazed windows. An open observation area on the roof of this space is now closed to visitors and is used for radio equipment. The steel and concrete structure of the observation level is concealed behind plaster, stone and wood. The tower is decorated by bold murals by Fred Kabotie, with other, petroglyph-style decorations by Fred Greer. Small windows in the tower’s shaft let beams of light into the lower space. The tower also features a number of “reflectoscopes” — black mirrors to reflect the view of the canyon in a more abstract style, providing visitors an alternative view of the Canyon.
- Desert View Watchtower – Wikipedia
Exit78 Photo of the Day #14
One of the things I like to do with photos of commercial (and other) buildings during post processing is to remove the width and height perspective. When a photo is taken of a building directly in front of them from ground level, the top of the building is narrower than the bottom and there may be a slight difference in height from one side of the building to the other. I use the perspective tool in PaintShop Pro to make the width equal at the top and bottom and the left and right sides of the building equal to each other, giving the resulting image a “squared-up” look.
Johnson’s Flower Shop and Ashland Historical Museum, old Pabst Building, Ashland, Wisconsin, September 13, 2013 (Pentax K-r)
The “P” and the “T” have long been missing from the three story brownstone Pabst Building in Ashland, Wisconsin, leaving those who might be interested, to wonder what the ABS represented.
Started in 1844 as the Jacob Best & Sons Brewery, by 1893 Pabst Brewing Company, as it was known from 1899 onwards, operated twelve offices in Wisconsin covering every part of the state and over forty offices and branches across the country. Frederick Pabst, son-in-law of Phillip Best, had joined the company in 1864 and helped turn it into the nation’s leading beer producer.1
- Frederick Pabst – Immigrant Entrepreneurship, German-American Business Biographies
Exit78 Photo of the Day #13
Along the Snake River, upstream of Idaho Falls, Idaho. July 22, 2010 (Panorama from 3 Pentax K10D photos using Autostitch) Forest Road 206, 43°36’23.7″N 111°33’42.5″W
This panorama photo is from a drive down a road we had first explored when we lived in Idaho Falls in 1973, back when I was 21 years old, Karen was just shy of 21 and our daughter was just a few months old. It’s just upstream and the opposite side of the river from an overlook and rest area on US 26.
Post-processing1 #10
Navajo Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon National Park, October 7, 2015
- 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.
Exit78 Photo of the Day #12
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
We were just on our way through, so didn’t take this inviting road into the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument from the pull-out where we had stopped for a stretch and photo break.
Paria, Utah[1]
Paria /pəˈriːə/, (rhymes with “Maria”) or Pahreah, is a ghost town on the Paria River in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in central Kane County, Utah, United States. It was inhabited from 1870 to 1929, and later used as a filming location. (more)
- Paria, Utah – Wikipedia
Exit78 Photo of the Day #11
Lightning in storm approaching Rushmore Shadows campground, south of Rapid City, South Dakota, August 19, 2007 (Pentax K10D)
This photo – one of 3 – is from the first time I ever successfully photographed a storm and its lightning. At our home, in Arkansas, the horizons are blocked by trees, which pretty much precludes getting storm photos unless we go somewhere when there are storms in the area – I’m not very interested in chasing storms.
It wasn’t raining yet when I took the photos handheld, no tripod. This one is an 8.9 second exposure, which is why the campground lights and campers are blurred, even though I braced by leaning my right shoulder against the camper. The lightning is of much, much shorter duration, making the lightning, the rain and the silhouette of the trees much sharper.
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Exit78 Photo of the Day #10
Nymph and Dream Lakes hike, Rocky Mountain National Park, Sept. 15, 2011, panorama from three photos using Autostitch (Pentax K-r)
Dream Lake Hike[1]
The trail is from Bear Lake to Emerald Lake, but we didn’t go all of the way to Emerald on this hike. Roundtrip, the Dream lake hike is a little over 2.2 miles starting from the trailhead at Bear Lake, plus a little bit, how much depending on where you parked in the very large Bear Lake parking lot. The elevation gain is 450 feet, with Dream Lake elevation at 9910 feet.
This is one of our favorite hikes, but, at nearly 10,000 feet in elevation, it’s not one to take if you’re not acclimatized to higher altitudes or have medical issues that affects your breathing. On this hike, we turned back after getting to Dream Lake as it was getting late and we were already seeing a bit of rain and, perhaps, snow higher up.
The trail continues past Dream Lake to Emerald Lake, adding 1.3 miles round trip. Emerald Lake is at 10,110 feet above sea level.
- Dream Lake – Rocky Mountain Hiking Trails.com
Exit78 Photo of the Day #9
Late afternoon on Sandy Cove beach , Canton Lake, Oklahoma, September 5, 2011 (Pentax K-r)
We’ve stopped twice at Sandy Cove Campground on trips heading west. A US Army Corps of Engineers facility, seniors with the Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass get half off the camping fee.
Sandy Cove, OK[1]
Sandy Cove Campground is located on the north end of Canton Dam in northwest Oklahoma on the North Canadian River, just 2.5 miles from the town of Canton.
Canton Lake hosts a large number of campers, picnickers, boaters, fishermen and hunters every year, as one of few places in western Oklahoma to offer all of these activities.
Natural Features:
The campground is nestled in a woodland of blackjack oak and post oak trees, providing an excellent camping environment.
Recreation:
Canton Lake is known for its fishing opportunities, especially walleye fishing. The Walleye Rodeo fishing derby is held annually in May and draws thousands of visitors to the area.
The lake’s gently sloping sandy beaches are inviting for swimmers and sunbathers. Water skiing is popular on the broad expanse of water paralleling the dam, where winds are subdued.
Facilities:
Though none of the campsites are adjacent to the lake, Sandy Cove is a very popular destination. It offers 35 family sites and one day-use group picnic shelter, all with electrical hookups. Amenities include flush and pit toilets, showers, drinking water and a large swim beach.
- Sandy Cove, OK – Recreation.gov
Exit78 Photo of the Day #8
West Central Arkansas – After the Ice & Snow Storm, December 7, 2013 (Pentax K-r)
Event Summary[1] (Updated 6pm 12/6/2013)
A major winter storm impacted eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas, beginning early Thursday, December 5th, and continuing through late Friday, December 6th. Significant ice accumulations and sleet and snow accumulations occurred. An arctic cold front pushed through the region during the daylight hours Wednesday, December 4th, dropping temperatures from the 60s in some locations to below freezing in a matter of hours. Precipitation did not develop along the surface front, but instead, waited for a series of upper-level disturbances to move northeastward across eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas on Thursday and Friday.
Freezing rain, mixed with sleet at times, developed through Thursday morning, primarily to the southeast of the Interstate 44 corridor. Temperatures were warm enough initially in far southeast Oklahoma and a small part of west central Arkansas that the precipitation began as rain before quickly transitioning to freezing rain by mid morning. Cold air gradually deepened from north to south during the afternoon and evening, allowing some of the freezing rain to transition to sleet and finally snow. Additional precipitation blossomed overnight Thursday and into Friday morning, bringing some of the first measurable snow or sleet to areas north of the Interstate 44 corridor, as well as locations in southeast Oklahoma and west central Arkansas that previously saw significant ice accumulation.
Far southeast Oklahoma and west central Arkansas were hardest hit with ice accumulation and related impacts. Areas from Hugo to Antlers, Poteau, and toward Greenwood and Ozark saw between a half inch and an inch of ice accumulation. Widespread power outages occurred. Snow and sleet accumulated to 3 to 6 inches across a large part of northeast Oklahoma, east central Oklahoma, and northwest Arkansas. The largest snow and sleet accumulations, a foot or more, were recorded in far northwest Arkansas across Benton and Carroll counties.
Officially, Tulsa, OK received 4.9″, Fort Smith, AR 5.0″, and Fayetteville, AR 7.0″ of sleet and snow during this event.
Major winter storm moves through Arkansas[1]
Icy blast leaves thousands without power; conditions expected to deteriorate
This article was originally published December 6, 2013 at 4:36 a.m. Updated December 6, 2013 at 3:06 p.m.
Police say they responded to numerous wrecks Friday as winter weather moved across Arkansas, including one that injured an Arkansas State Police trooper.
State police advised against travel through the rest of the day and especially overnight.
“Highway conditions across Arkansas are expected to worsen overnight as the result of colder weather expected to sweep across the state,” spokesman Bill Sadler wrote in the statement. “Unless it is absolutely necessary or an emergency, highway travel across much of the state is not recommended.”
- December 5-6, 2013 Winter Weather Event – National Weather Service
- Major winter storm moves through Arkansas – ArkansasOnline
Exit78 Photo of the Day #7
Autumn color at home, west-central Arkansas, November 8, 2007 (Pentax K10D)
Autumn leaf color1
Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the normally green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs by which they take on, during a few weeks in the autumn season, various shades of red, yellow, purple, black, orange, pink, magenta, blue and brown. The phenomenon is commonly called autumn colours or autumn foliage in British English and fall colors, fall foliage or simply foliage in American English.
In some areas of Canada and the United States, “leaf peeping” tourism is a major contribution to economic activity. This tourist activity occurs between the beginning of color changes and the onset of leaf fall, usually around September and October in the Northern Hemisphere and April to May in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Autumn leaf color – Wikipedia
