If you're sick and tired of winter and longing for greener places and times, you'll enjoy this photographic excursion from my usual North Shore subject matter. These 15 images were shot during my various travels in the Western U.S. during the past two years.

Glacier National Park

The following seven photographs were captured in Glacier National Park in Montana in 2009. My first view of the Rocky Mountains was in this park, where snow-covered slopes majestically rise above pristine alpine lakes and streams. During my mid-June visit, a spring storm rolled through the park, dropping rain and, in the higher elevations, snow. It is surprising to many that the main park road - Going-to-the-Sun Road - is often partly closed well into June because of snow removal operations still taking place.



When driving in a national park, if a number of vehicles are suddenly pulled to the side of the road, it is often an indication of a wildlife sighting. I came across this situation and, not knowing what to expect, I also stopped. I soon laid eyes on the first moose I had ever seen in the wild. This moose had entered the marsh to take a drink. After satisfying its thirst, it slowly climbed the hill behind the marsh and disappeared into the woods.




On the western side of the park lies its other large lake, Lake McDonald. It too is surrounded by several prominent peaks.



Seattle

Situated between Puget Sound and the Cascade Range, the Seattle Metropolitan Area is the urban center of one of the most beautiful regions in the U.S.



Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is the first, and probably best known, national park in the U.S. The Old Faithful geyser is the park's star attraction, but the park's variety of geographic features truly makes it a gem. Geysers, hot springs, boiling mud pots, a large alpine lake, mountains, a grand canyon, high waterfalls, and diverse wildlife are just some of the park's treasures.




Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, the Badlands of South Dakota is filled with sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires. A mixed-grass prairie fills the spaces around and between the eroded formations. A surprising aspect of the badlands formations is that they are not rock, but dry soil essentially. One can literally kick the edges of the formations and expedite the erosion process by knocking loose small amounts of the soil. The Badlands is an amazing place to experience.



Grand Canyon National Park

It's hard to describe the Grand Canyon with words; it's not much easier with pictures. Its most interesting dimension is depth, but its length and width are also of grand proportions. Over millions of years, the Colorado River has carved through the Colorado Plateau to form the canyon as it is seen today. The erosion process continues and will do so indefinitely.

The image below is from the South Rim at the eastern end of the canyon at Desert View.


I rarely create black-and-white photographs, but I like this image sans color. The Junipers seem to be growing directly out of the rock.


After a visit to Yosemite National Park in California, nothing else quite measures up. It is truly the crown jewel of the National Park System with huge granite monoliths surrounding a beautifully lush valley. The park contains North America's highest waterfall, Yosemite Falls (pictured below), with a total height of nearly a half-mile. The height of the longest drop (Upper Yosemite Falls) is 1430 feet.

Here, I used the light of the full moon to illuminate Upper Yosemite falls during this nighttime exposure.

The night of the January full moon is very special for a handful of photographers who ritually gather on the shore below Split Rock Lighthouse awaiting the rise of the winter full moon. This is one of the few nights of the year that the moon can be seen rising from behind the 130-foot cliff that is the foundation of the iconic lighthouse. Unlike the moons of the other winter months, the January full moon has also been the most reliable to see here - it has not failed to appear during the last four years.

I arrived as several other photographers were already setting up, awaiting Earth's only natural satellite to break the horizon. It is sort of a photographer's reunion as many of us have come to know each other over the years through this mutual interest.

Soon, light began to filter through the clouds and the promise of seeing a stellar full moon was imminent. The thin clouds that remained in front of the moon added a nice texture to this later moonrise in which capturing the detail of the moon along with the darker landscape would have been nearly impossible. After snapping several shots, it quickly grew too dark to fully capture the essence of the evening.

With each passing year, new memories are made, and it is the simple ones like these that are most cherished. Despite winter's cold bite, the magic of a moonrise at Split Rock will always be a pleasant experience.

With a winter rife with overcast skies, obscuring the last few full moons, I was not very optimistic about the odds of catching a glimpse of the January full moon. As I made my way toward Split Rock Lighthouse from overcast Duluth, I started to see light on the horizon and, soon, clear sky.

Once at Split Rock, I quickly parked the car, grabbed my camera gear, and trudged through the snow toward the lake where, to my awe, I saw the moon rising above the cliff. Quite a few clouds remained in the sky, giving the scene an interesting texture. With lots of ice near the shore, I carefully found stable ground and snapped a few shots as the orb continued on its trajectory above the lighthouse.

These photographs were taken on the night before the full moon in which the moon rises at a time in which there remains a fair amount of ambient daylight in the landscape. I returned the following night to a later, but equally stunning, moonrise. I will post an image from that night within the next day or so. Stay tuned . . .

Gooseberry Falls State Park is best known for its namesake falls on the Gooseberry River, but its rich Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) history is what distinguishes this park from others. The CCC was a public work relief program for unemployed young men during the Great Depression. Its mission provided for the conservation and development government-owned natural resources while putting unemployed young men to work for a modest wage. Gooseberry Falls had its very own CCC camp from 1933-1942.

The efforts of the CCC "boys" essentially helped bring Gooseberry Falls State Park into official existence in 1937. According to the Minnesota DNR, over 80 buildings, structures, or objects constructed during the CCC era are found within the park. Lakeview shelter, pictured above, is one of these CCC-era buildings. Its stonework, as also seen on many other structures, is a hallmark of CCC work.

Winter Sunrise

As you can see, with the reflection of the sunrise over Lake Superior, the shelter certainly lives up to its name! I can only imagine the innumerable spectacular Lake Superior sunrises that have been cast upon these windows. I will never tire of seeing another Lake Superior sunrise (although waking up early for them can sometimes be tiring!).

While I was photographing the shelter, I found this lone large pine next to it rather interesting with the placement of picnic tables around it. Of course, I aptly named this image, "Picnic Pine."