Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Red Mountain Trail 2300a


Red Mountain Trail 2300a, originally uploaded by dustinjblodgett.

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

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

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.

Monday, April 28, 2008

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!

Sunday, April 27, 2008

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.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

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. :-)

Friday, April 25, 2008

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.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

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.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

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.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

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.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Red, White and Blue

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

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Spring

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

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

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

Sunday, April 13, 2008

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.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

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.

Friday, April 11, 2008

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.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

From the Bottom

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

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

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.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

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.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Warmth

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


Saturday, April 5, 2008

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.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Wide Open

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


Tuesday, April 1, 2008

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.