dlr110 wrote:My brother and his wife have had a lot of great weather for traveling, hiking and other fun things, but not every day was good. That first picture took he a long time to get just the right light and settings he said.
UPDATE: Well my brother and his wife were suppose to get to the lodge yesterday, but due to a forest fire their plans were suddenly changed. Here is a picture and what he wrote us:
"Massive fire on the Kenai peninsula cuts us off from our final destination. We were waiting for a pilot car near Cooper Landing to take us through the heavy smoke when the fire jumped the highway. The highway was closed for the night. We're back south of Anchorage and will try again tomorrow to reach Soldotna."
From the Anchorage Daily News
After driving from Austin, Texas all the way up to Alaska only to get stopped by a fire just 1 hour from their destination. Oh well they will get there, just a day or so later. God's watching over them.
David Roberts
U.S. Navy and D/FW International Airport Board Retired
Prayer Changes Everything
Simply stunning cudgee!
Every time I go out at night and gaze up at the stars, I am humbled and overjoyed and the same time. One of God's best reminders of his power and creativity.
Keep up the great photos guys!!
Those are amazing cudgee! I have never seen anything like that here in our Texas sky. You're right WillyCamaro to look up into a night sky like that and know that an awesome God created it all so perfectly is very humbling.
David Roberts
U.S. Navy and D/FW International Airport Board Retired
Prayer Changes Everything
UPDATE: My brother and his wife are still stuck north of the fire area. They believe it will be at least 2 more days now before they will be allowed to use the roads to get to the lodge. This picture is where they are staying and he says it is giving him some time to process some pictures, so he should be posting some that we have not seen yet. The car in the picture is the one they have driven all those many miles. More to follow.
David Roberts
U.S. Navy and D/FW International Airport Board Retired
Prayer Changes Everything
dlr110 wrote:Those are amazing cudgee! I have never seen anything like that here in our Texas sky. .
David, you just need to get out more - out of the metro-mess away from all its night time light pollution.
When y'all made that trip to St. Jo recently if you had just stayed until well after dark and looked at the sky you'd have seen spectacular night sky! Better yet plan one of your antiquing excursions to West Texas. No better place in the world, literally, to observe the night sky than the Davis Mountains area around Ft. Davis. That's why the McDonald Observatory is there!
P.S. it's also a great place to escape the summer heat. If you go to the observatory at night, best to take a jacket or sweater. Even in the summer!
Ken
McDonald Observatory, Ft. Davis, TX
Member AKTI, TSRA, NRA.
If your religion requires that you hate someone, you need a new religion.
When the people fear their government, that is tyranny. When government fears the people, that is freedom.
dlr110 wrote:Those are amazing cudgee! I have never seen anything like that here in our Texas sky. .
..........
Better yet plan one of your antiquing excursions to West Texas. No better place in the world, literally, to observe the night sky than the Davis Mountains area around Ft. Davis. That's why the McDonald Observatory is there!
P.S. it's also a great place to escape the summer heat. If you go to the observatory at night, best to take a jacket or sweater. Even in the summer!
Ken
It is everything Ken says,, just a great area and because of that, my ashes will be scattered in that part of the state.
Ray
Paladin
God Bless the USA
Please visit my store SWEETWATER KNIVES
"Buy more ammo" - Johnnie Fain
"I'm glad I ain't scared to be lazy." Augustus McCrae
Great sky photos, Cudgee. Just curious, are those photos time exposures or some kind of astro camera?
Ken - I agree about the Davis mountains being great for a dark sky. I did visit McDonald Observatory, but only during the day. I have spent nights at the Davis Mountain State Park, and it has a very fine night sky. My favorite sky (in Texas) was at Big Bend National Park. I camped there a few nights, out on the desert near the Chisos Mountains. I hated to go to sleep because the sky was so good.
Dinadan wrote:Great sky photos, Cudgee. Just curious, are those photos time exposures or some kind of astro camera?
Ken - I agree about the Davis mountains being great for a dark sky. I did visit McDonald Observatory, but only during the day. I have spent nights at the Davis Mountain State Park, and it has a very fine night sky. My favorite sky (in Texas) was at Big Bend National Park. I camped there a few nights, out on the desert near the Chisos Mountains. I hated to go to sleep because the sky was so good.
Time exposures. A friend of mine took them, they are well beyond my capabilities.
dlr110 wrote:Those are amazing cudgee! I have never seen anything like that here in our Texas sky. .
David, you just need to get out more - out of the metro-mess away from all its night time light pollution.
When y'all made that trip to St. Jo recently if you had just stayed until well after dark and looked at the sky you'd have seen spectacular night sky! Better yet plan one of your antiquing excursions to West Texas. No better place in the world, literally, to observe the night sky than the Davis Mountains area around Ft. Davis. That's why the McDonald Observatory is there!
P.S. it's also a great place to escape the summer heat. If you go to the observatory at night, best to take a jacket or sweater. Even in the summer!
Ken
mcdonaldobservatory.jpg
Your right Ken I do need to get out more, but let me tell you this, anyone who has been several hundred miles out to sea on a clear night, the stars are as if you could just reach up and grab a handful. I believe it's that way also at the obervatory.
David Roberts
U.S. Navy and D/FW International Airport Board Retired
Prayer Changes Everything
dlr110 wrote:Those are amazing cudgee! I have never seen anything like that here in our Texas sky. .
..........
Better yet plan one of your antiquing excursions to West Texas. No better place in the world, literally, to observe the night sky than the Davis Mountains area around Ft. Davis. That's why the McDonald Observatory is there!
P.S. it's also a great place to escape the summer heat. If you go to the observatory at night, best to take a jacket or sweater. Even in the summer!
Ken
It is everything Ken says,, just an great area and because of that, my ashes will be scattered in that part of the state.
Ray
Well Ray lets don't take about that, Lord we don't want that to happen anytime soon please.
David Roberts
U.S. Navy and D/FW International Airport Board Retired
Prayer Changes Everything
Mumbleypeg wrote:..........
Better yet plan one of your antiquing excursions to West Texas. No better place in the world, literally, to observe the night sky than the Davis Mountains area around Ft. Davis. That's why the McDonald Observatory is there!
P.S. it's also a great place to escape the summer heat. If you go to the observatory at night, best to take a jacket or sweater. Even in the summer!
Ken
It is everything Ken says,, just a great area and because of that, my ashes will be scattered in that part of the state.
Ray
Well Ray lets don't take about that, Lord we don't want that to happen anytime soon please.
Amen, brother! I mention it just to show how I hold that area in high regard.
Ray
Paladin
God Bless the USA
Please visit my store SWEETWATER KNIVES
"Buy more ammo" - Johnnie Fain
"I'm glad I ain't scared to be lazy." Augustus McCrae
UPDATE: THEY MADE IT!!
They finally got to the lodge. Here is my brothers stats on the trip and some more photos. He didn't mention at least 3 mountain hikes they made. Boy I can't wait until Sept. 10th when we fly up there.
The stats on our trip:
9 States
2 Provinces
1 Territory
21 days (Including two days delay waiting for forest fires)
6,308 miles
Not one flat, accident or near accident.
Thanks for your prayers. We are grateful.
David Roberts
U.S. Navy and D/FW International Airport Board Retired
Prayer Changes Everything
doglegg wrote:Nothing like the fabulous Alaska and night sky pics, but I have always found ant lions fascinating.
When I was a boy we had several old sheds on the place. There were lots of ant lions in the sand under the shed roofs. When I was maybe six or eight I used to take a blade of grass and tease the ant lion into biting. I had not thought of that for a long time until I saw your photo.
doglegg wrote:Glad it brought back good memories Mel, I too played with them as a youngster. I guess I still do as an oldster. Thanks.
Dinadan wrote:
doglegg wrote:Nothing like the fabulous Alaska and night sky pics, but I have always found ant lions fascinating.
When I was a boy we had several old sheds on the place. There were lots of ant lions in the sand under the shed roofs. When I was maybe six or eight I used to take a blade of grass and tease the ant lion into biting. I had not thought of that for a long time until I saw your photo.
They were great fun to take twig or such and stir around to get them to take the bait. We called them 'doodle bugs'.
Ray
Paladin
God Bless the USA
Please visit my store SWEETWATER KNIVES
"Buy more ammo" - Johnnie Fain
"I'm glad I ain't scared to be lazy." Augustus McCrae
I have never seen anything like that here in our Texas sky. You're right WillyCamaro to look up into a night sky like that and know that an awesome God created it all so perfectly is very humbling.
