Tag Archives: Oregon

The View From Above

The last month and a half, our skies have been filled with smoke from too many forest fires.  The smoke on some days was so thick you couldn’t see down the road.  While it made for some unique sunrises and sunsets, and a few good pictures, it was sad.

The last couple weeks we’ve been feeling “fall” in the air.  This past week it was really starting to feel like fall with the change of the weather, our first freeze warnings, and a little bit of rain.

The blessing in the change of the seasons was in the higher country in the form of snow.  In my home state of Montana, they have lost over 1 million acres of beautiful forest land to forest fires.  I will not get into my opinion of why, because this is a happy blog.  They said the only thing that could help Montana put out the fires was snow.  Glorious snow.  We also got the snow in Oregon and rain in Washington state to help with the fires.

At work this past week, the clouds were just beautiful.  And we all know how I love clouds!  I thought it was a good thing I didn’t have my camera at work because I would want to be outside capturing the beauty.  So I waited.

Friday morning (my day off) the Hubby and I went into town for breakfast and it was awesome to see white puffy clouds and clear blue skies. No smoke on the horizon.  We did some shopping and while we were in the stores, we came out and our puffy white clouds were gone and our skies were filled with white and gray clouds.   I think they were calling to me.  So we drove home to grab the cameras and go above it all.

To the top of a mountain called “Hamaker”

“1958-1979 A Cold War Air Force Radar Station was first established in Keno, Klamath County Oregon.  Named Keno Air Station”

To me, the above sentence is merely a “golf ball” on the top of Hamaker that we can see from our house.  But, there is history up on that mountain top.

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Keno Air Force Station.  Established in 1958 and became operational in September 1958, manned by the 827th AC&W Squadron.  The station initially had both a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and early warning mission.  The early warning mission involved tracking and identifying all aircraft entering their airspace while the GCI mission involved guiding Air Force Interceptors to any identified enemy aircraft.  Controllers at the station vectored fighter aircraft at the correct course and speed to intercept enemy aircraft using vice commands via ground-to-air radio.

I could go on about the logistics and big words I didn’t understand in the article, but it is pretty interesting.  You can find more information here:

http://www.fortwiki.com/Keno_Air_force_Station

My story is this… It was a beautiful day in the Basin and the clouds were abundant and we were going to the top of that mounting to get some fresh air and beautiful views, and hopefully some pictures too.

It’s about and 8.5 mile drive to the top which is about 6500 feet. Don’t quote me on that, I was looking at the GPS on my phone.

We had been up here before when we first moved to the area.  I know it gets a lot of snow.  Hubby decided one day in March, to go on an adventure and travel to the top.  I am extremely glad I wasn’t with him. The last mile or so isn’t maintained.  It’s bad enough without the snow.

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He made it back slowly to tell about it!

Once on top of Hamaker, you can look to the northwest and see Mt. McLoughlin, which you can also see from Medford on the other side of the Cascades.

Hamaker 06                                      Mt McLoughlin with a fresh blanket of snow!

You look out to the north, you see the Klamath Basin, farmland, Klamath Lake, Klamath River, and points beyond.  I truly love it up here.  Except it was 43 degrees and a light breeze.  Once the breeze quit, it was quite nice!

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There is one thing for sure, that you can’t deny.  It is beautiful here every season.  (except fire season)

My advice is this;

If it’s the beginning of fall where you are, put on that hoodie or flannel shirt, pack the camera, maybe a picnic lunch, and go find your view from the top!  You won’t be sorry.  If it’s not feeling like fall, wait a couple weeks!  It might skip fall and go right into winter.  I say this because it almost always gets really cold or snows before Halloween!

Enjoy fall.  Enjoy the Pumpkin Spice everything.  Enjoy life.

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Happy Shooting

Tracy Lynn

 

Trees

Trees are wonderful.

Trees along the waters edge can be beautiful.

Trees in winter are amazing.

Trees in spring are amazing.

Trees are just simply wonderful.

In case you haven’t noticed, I love trees.

My favorite trees (right now) are the trees along state-line road (Highway 161) along the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge

Lost Highway 161

For some reason these trees call to me, just like the culvert along this same road that begs to be photographed.

Who knows how long the trees have been along the waters edge.  What have they seen?  Drought?  Wet winter and spring?  Think of the birds and other wildlife that enjoy them as well.  How many critters have been raised in a tree, and how many eggs have been laid in a nest hanging high in a tree.  Life, Spring, Hope.  Trees are all that.  And More.

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As a child, I was not one of those kids that climbed trees.  I think it was a fear of heights thing.  I was guilty of carving a name or two in an aspen tree.  Those trees, I am sure are long gone.  But the cluster of Aspen trees was beautiful.  White bark against spring green or the yellows of fall.

Where we live, we have Ponderosa Pine trees and Juniper Trees, amongst other various trees, but mostly tall Ponderosa trees.  I grew up with them in Montana, and I love to listen to the wind blowing through the tops the trees.  My sister lives in a heavily wooded area as well, and has many different trees, she has some  trees that will hit other trees when the wind blows, it’s makes for an eerie sound, but all in all, it’s very relaxing.  As long as they don’t topple

The Lower Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge has beautiful meaningful trees. The Eagles and other raptor types nest in these trees, year after year.  The Willows.

Where eagles nest blog

These trees are closed off to the public from the first of March, to the middle of  July, so the young fledglings have time to grow.  Less disturbance is best for the baby birds.

Tree of Three

There are live trees, and there are “Snag” trees along the waters edge of the Refuge, and they all have an importance.

One of the snag trees is off the main road and on a side road.  We saw something in the tree, we knew it was a raptor of some sort, but weren’t really sure what it was.  Much to our surprise it was a large raptor facing the sunshine with the wings out enjoying the first warm spring day.

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Much to my surprise it was a beautiful juvenile Golden eagle.  Such a gorgeous bird.  I was able to walk around a bit and capture this glorious bird before it flew off to who knows where.

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The next morning we headed back out to the refuge.  And again, in this snag tree was another large bird.

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A juvenile Bald Eagle.  No matter how often I see these birds they still take my breath away.

I love the trees along the water.  I drive the road the same direction most times. When we decide to reverse the direction, it’s a whole new tree!  Still serene and peaceful.

With leaves and with out.  They’re beautiful either way.

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Waters Edge

Winter can be harsh, but the frost has a beauty as well.

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Add some photoshop magic to the same tree and it’s even more beautiful by the waters edge. Or in this case, the icy edge.

Misty Morning copy

Trees are beautiful no matter where they sit.  Along the water, along a ditch, in a field, in a park, or in your yard  They are homes.  They are shelter. They are strong.  They bring us shade on a hot summer day, and they bring us beautiful fall leaves for scrap books and memories. Trees can be dramatic.  Including the snag trees.  Not to mention, the commercial products that we use everyday from trees.  We kind of need those!

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Whether you live in the city, the country, or the forest.  Trees are everywhere.

Go outside, find some trees.  See what you can find.  Hang a bird feeder, hang a bird house!  Don’t forget to photograph the beautiful tree!

Springtime in Farm Country

Happy Shooting!

T Lynn

Find Your Shot for the Seasons

Happy New Year!

Wishing you an amazing 2017!

Every Saturday the hubby and I go to breakfast to a small town called Malin. It’s about a 45 minute drive. Sometimes longer if I find something to shoot along the way.

I take my camera every time we go because you just never know what you might see along the way.

The route is along the California/Oregon border and it goes along side the Lower Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge.  Hawks, Owls, Falcons, Ducks, Geese, Pheasants and Eagles are abundant, depending on the time of year.

Along this route are awesome trees along the waters edge.  With water, comes canals, bridges, and culverts.

I have my favorite trees and favorite culvert.  Don’t ask why.  It just calls to me!

Years ago I read an article about getting out of a “funk” if you are having no inspiration while shooting with your camera. One of the things that stayed with me in this article, is find a place that you can shoot for all four seasons. Mark that same spot and shoot it 4 times a year. It’s different for all seasons.

Obviously on public land you can’t really mark your spot with spray paint, but you can do so on your own land, or find a landmark that you can only shoot from one such spot.

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This is the culvert that calls to me.  This was taken in March.  Spring wasn’t quite here yet, but patches of green gave hope that spring wasn’t to far behind and winter was long gone!

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This is the culvert at a different angle taken in May. The water was low, but the skies were blue and the grasses were green and the clouds were perfect for HDR!

I missed Fall.  I missed the canal when it was drained. But I will of course get the shot this fall.  The culvert isn’t going anywhere!

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Hello Winter.  A beauty in it’s own little cold way.  It makes the rocks and weeds stand out.  It’s not quite 100% winter.  But a light dusting lets you know it’s on its way.

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Let’s not forget the back side of this soon to be famous culvert.  I feel it needed to be represented as well.  I will admit, I have not shot this view very many times.  Usually the sun is in the right spot on the way to Malin to shoot from the other side.

This is my Shot for the Seasons.

In posts to come, I will share with you the trees along the banks of the refuge waters.  They’re great in the fall and winter once the leaves have fallen off.  The hawks are much easier to spot in the trees!  But all seasons, the trees are a beauty of their own.

Find a place you want to shoot for your seasons!  I know that even a city has some beauty of its own. I just prefer small town rural America for mine!

Grab your camera, your best shooting buddy (mine is my husband) and go have some fun!

Happy Shooting!

Be Good Humans

T Lynn

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My First White Christmas in over 30 Years

Hello World!  It’s me.  Not doing a great job at keeping up with a photography blog, but I am ready to Rock N Roll with the upcoming New Year.  So….. As the title says.   This is my first white Christmas since 1983. I was in Eastern Montana.  Honestly, it has been snowing off and on since before Thanksgiving.  I am ready to be able to drive to work on clear dry roads.

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This is our back yard.  It is pretty! And I haven’t shot snow pictures in years.  I mean, “Real” snow pictures. Of course we had our snow in the desert about 2008, where they closed the base we worked at (Edwards Air Force Base) because we had about 3 inches of snow. And we all know how California people drive bad enough when it rains.. Add snow.. It was ugly.

Today is Christmas. Merry Christmas.

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This is just down the road from our house. Taken today.  I love it. I just wish it wasn’t so cold on the fingers to shoot outside.

There are good things about snow, the dogs don’t seem to mind it. This is their first real winter. My Charlie boy is starting to look like a bear!  But he doesn’t complain!  The little dog, she is freezing off her girl parts. And the old dog, she tolerates it.

_MG_9084 copy  He just knows there’s something good underneath all this snow.  It was a pine cone!

There are bad things about winter.  I forgot about the shoveling, the getting stuck ( I haven’t yet) and the crappy roads. We live on a pretty steep incline, so my trusty 4 wheel drive aka “Mama Bear” has gotten me up the hill, down the hill, across the bridges, and to work daily!   However, we don’t even own a real snow shovel. Dear Husband attempted to buy one, most of the stores laughed!  This area hasn’t had snow like this in about 5 years (lucky us) So old school way of shoveling snow.. use a flat shovel.

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New school way of shoveling….  Use the Deere!!

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He looks extremely cold.  Nice green stocking cap too! (I made that!)

Thanks for following my first winter adventure!  See you soon.. I promise!!!

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Peace and Love

TLynn