Red Mountain Trail 2300a

Red Mountain Trail 2300a, originally uploaded by dustinjblodgett.

A stone formation on Red Mountain Trail northwest of Flagstaff, Arizona.

Shining Through

I took this on Bell Trail, about 2 miles from the trailhead. I caught the sun coming through a juniper tree just as it started to set over the valley carved by Wet Beaver Creek. The dusty path to the right is Bell Trail.

Equipped

All my backpacking equipment laid out before I left for my backpacking trip to Bell Trail. I brought everything except the cat, of course!

A Place to Sit

This is a bench in Heritage Square in downtown Flagstaff. Don't ask me what animal that is supposed to be because I have no idea.

Lesson in DoF

When I first got my new Canon Digital Rebel XTi, I was playing around with the depth of field and took these two photos. DoF is related to the aperture size (or f-number) of the camera, the smaller the aperture size the wider the DoF and the larger the aperture the shallower the DoF. Recently, some friends and family were asking me about depth of field, so I thought I would post these two photos as an example.

This is an example of wide depth of field, where all objects are in focus from near to far.



This is an example of shallow depth of field, where all but one area of the photo is blurred.

A special thanks goes to our cat, Imara, for letting me use her toy in this example. :-)

Flowering Hedgehog

Another photo taken during a backpacking trip on Bell Trail. This is the flower of the hedgehog cactus. Thanks to the website of George and Audrey DeLange for help in identifying this wildflower.

Cathedral by the Stream

This photo was taken at Crescent Moon Picnic Area in Sedona, Arizona. The creek in the foreground is Oak Creek and the red rock formation in the background is called Cathedral Rock and is one of the most famous of the Sedona Red Rock formations.

Caught in the Act

I caught this bee "fiddling around" in this pink desert wildflower during a camping trip on Bell Trail, near Camp Verde, Arizona. If anyone can help me identify this flower, it would be much appreciated.

Stackable

My wife and I went to Crescent Moon Picnic Area in Sedona the other day, and came across this area of covered in little piles of stacked river rocks. We have seen this before in that same area and it's said that people will often create these stacks near a Vortex. Click here to learn more about Sedona's Vortices.

Red, White and Blue

The daytime moon and a red sandstone cliff on Bell Trail near Camp Verde, Arizona.

Spring

Spring is in the air, as evidenced by this dandylion flower I captured in Sedona, AZ.

Lack There Of

I apologize for the lack of postings the last few days. I have been working lots of hours at the hospital this week and have not had time to post anything. Unfortunately, this will continue for the next couples days as well, but please tune back in on the weekend when my time is my own again. Have a great week everyone.

Dustin

Stay Off

This sign is posted near the top of Agassiz Peak where the SkyRide lets people off. Although it warns that no hiking is allowed, I believe there is a trail that passes over the back side of the mountain on its way to the top of Humphreys Peak.

Color of Fall

Fall brings color to Flagstaff. In the Fall, the aspen trees around Flagstaff turn red, orange and yellow. It's the perfect time to visit this city.

Kachina

Kachina Trail in black & white. Probably one of my favorite trails in Flagstaff, Kachina Trail starts at about 9000 ft above sea level at the Arizona Snowbowl and passes through stands of aspen and ponderosa pine trees as well as extensive fern fields.

From the Bottom

A macro shot the trunk of a birch tree in the Fall in Flagstaff, Arizona.

From the Top

The view from (almost) the top of Agassiz Peak. In the summer, you can take the SkyRide at the Arizona Snowbowl, which is basically a ski-lift that takes you to the top of Agassiz Peak. It's a very relaxing ride, if you're not afraid of heights. I definitely recommend going on it if you visit Flagstaff in the summer. The volcanic cinder cone seen in the distance is called Kendrick Peak, I believe.

Setting Sun

I took this photo several months ago during an evening trip to the Grand Canyon. Because the Canyon is so close my wife and I got up there periodically just to enjoy the sunset.

Repetition

The repeating pattern on our guest bed frame caught my eye.

Warmth

A necessity for Flagstaff's cold winters. Finally, it's Spring!

Silt + Water = Grand Falls

The silt-choked Little Colorado River flows over Grand Falls. Although dry for most of the year, during Spring and the Monsoon season the river turns into a torrent of rushing water, creating Arizona's largest waterfall.

Made of Stone

One of my hobbies is flintknapping and these are some of my better productions.

Koko

A Kokopelli coaster....a necessity when living in the Southwest. :-)

Wide Open

The wide open sky and land of the Navajo Reservation. The snow-capped San Francisco Peaks can be seen the distance.

Grand Falls

Another view of Grand Falls on the Navajo Reservation, east of Flagstaff. From what I've heard they are still flowing strong so now is a great time to make the trip out there to enjoy Arizona's largest waterfall.