SYLVIA PATTON - 2019 - 2021 - CALENDAR EXTRAS

       So - you don't have a calendar for 2023. What to do? There is a "green" fix, at least for a few of you! If, by any chance you saved your 2017 COPPER CANYON Calendar, you can reuse it! February 1 is on a Wednesday, so it will work in 2023. Imagine that! BTW it will work for the rest of the year, as it wasn't a leap year, nor is 2023. This calendar, from 2012, will work for 28 days only! February 1 is on a Wednesday, but as 2012 was a leap year, it won't work for March forward! (Who has a 2012 Calendar anyway, except me, of course!)                                                                                                   2023 As promised, this month's images are no...

RICK DIRECTING TRAFFIC IN NORWAY                                                                     HAPPY NEW YEAR! I told you quirky was the password for 2023, so no better shot to begin with than the one above! This was taken in Norway in 2015. Rick and I had a wonderful road trip north from Bergen through the mountains and around the fjords. The 2016 Calendar featured some of my favorite shots from that trip.  Below is a selection from Norway, taken in 2015.                                                  Have a healthy January, see you next month, and feel free to comment!                             ...

CROSSING THE CASCADES - EAST TO WEST  After photographing the Palouse and the Scablands, Rick and I headed west to cross the Cascades heading for the west coast.  On the way we passed through apple country. Even with one's eyes closed, there was no doubt it was apple season. We passed through small towns with shipping warehouses. The smell in the air was totally apple scent! I suppose one might get tired of it after awhile, it was so heavy in the air. But, passing through, it was Delicious, or maybe Honey Crisp :-)) Apple orchards Pick up boxes or bags of apples, and leave your money in the drop box! You may, or may not, have figured out that for a brief moment, December was November. And if you are really a dedicated blog follower, you may, or may not, notice both November and December are posted.  Most of you will never notice. For the rest of us, that is our little secret. Take care of yourselves, and have a Happy Thanksgiving! Sylvia

                                                        No road calendar would be complete without a road through the giant redwoods! Giant redwood forests, like Sequoia National Park, are found only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. The Sequoiadendron giganteum found there are the largest trees on Earth.  While giant redwoods, or giant sequoias, are the most massive trees on earth, the tallest trees are  the Coast redwoods, or California redwoods - Sequoia sempervirens .  They do not have the girth of the giant redwood, but they grow taller. All sequoias are close to my heart. They are not only the largest trees, but they are also some of the oldest living things on Earth. (Sadly, they are also on the endangered species list.)  Their m...

PALOUSE - INFRARED We are still in the Palouse this month. Last month was in color, but this month in infrared.  Last month I added some infrared images for comparison.This month I have added another infrared image, as well as another color image.  On our trip to the Palouse we also visited The Scablands. This area is  between the Washington State Cascade mountain range, to the west, and the wheat fields of the Palouse to the east.  It is very different from either! The Scablands is a vast, scarred,  desert area formed by mega-floods coming from Montana during the Ice Age.  Large lakes formed at the base of glaciers as they began to melt. As the glaciers melted, these lakes were formed and held back by ice dams. As the weather warmed, the water broke free and sent devastating mega-floods all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This repeated flooding caused the formation of the Scablands and the Columbia gorge.  A quick google search for Scablands will find l...

THE PALOUSE - IN COLOR  If you were with me in 2015, then you have seen a whole calendar devoted to the Palouse of Eastern Washington state. Still the monochrome palette above pleased my eye. The wheat fields of the largest wheat producing area in the US are wonderful to look at in spring, summer, and as here, in fall. And in IR as well as in color!                               Just to remind you, I'll put a few of my favorites from 2015 below. Enjoy, comment, and see you in OCTOBER, which is just around the corner! Sylvia

  LOOKING ACROSS THE MOORE PLACE AT BULL HILL The "high country" - evergreens, aspens, meadows, afternoon rains and lightning.       This track is a shortcut from the Gold Camp road to the road leading down to Beaver Creek, and our summer dwelling - the cabin. Saves driving an extra couple of miles. Victor is just the other side of Bull Hill. Cripple Creek a few miles to the right. THE WIDOW WOMAN'S PLACE      When we first started summering the cattle in the "high country" in the early 1950's, this is where we stayed! (The disparaging name came with it.) While it was in a bit better shape then, it was pretty much the same as you see it. It's located in a pasture called "The Moore Place".      Off to the right, behind the pole fence, is a spring-fed water tank where we got our water; the outhouse was about where the white boards are. We only used two rooms: the one with the window on the left side was the main room, and next to it a...

  PHANTOM CANYON TUNNEL I told you last month that I would tell you some stories this month - and so I will! The Phantom Canyon road was originally the Florence & Cripple Creek railroad and connected Victor, CO with Florence, CO.  Cripple Creek  is a town about 6 miles from  Victor , and in the 1890's gold was discovered there.  Soon gold was being mined all over the area, and the population of Cripple Creek was some 30,000; Victor somewhat less. (Compare that to the  1950's when the populations were around 600 and 300, respectively!) Thousands of prospectors arrived between 1890-1910 and the area became the "World's Greatest Gold Camp". Over 22,400,000 oz of gold was extracted from over 500 mines in the Cripple Creek and Victor region. The Florence & Cripple Creek rail road was built in 1894 to haul the gold ore from Cripple Creek  down to the main east/west railroad at Florence. There are two tunnels such as the one a...

GOBLIN VALLEY STATE PARK, UTAH This State Park is reached by traveling east from Monument Valley, down the road you see in MAY's photo. JUNE's photo is taken as you enter the Park. I followed this gravel road leading through the park, which provides a nice view of the hoodoos, or goblins as they are also called, on all sides. This park, and Zion National Park contain some of the best examples of hoodoos. I love hoodoos almost as much as ice! On a more personal note: On this date, June 3rd, in 1885, some 137 years ago, my grandfather, Walt Brunton, was born. It is amazing to me to think about actually knowing him for 25 some odd years,and he was born 137 years ago! I will tell you more about him in next month's blog as that photograph is from Colorado, and has a special connection to him. Just know that had you met him, you would believe that I belonged in his family. I loved him dearly. * I have reposted this as there were problems with the initial post. People were unable ...

  EASTERN ENTRANCE TO MONUMENT VALLEY Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is one of my favorite places. There is a loop drive through the park, but much of it can only be seen by using a Navajoguide.   Many John Wayne type Westerns were filmed there, so it's main features are familiar to many.  Because it's so iconic, I thought using infrared might provide a different vision of  familiar scenes. Below are some images that appeared in my 2012 Calendar.  THE MITTENS (Cover) Twice a year the shadow of the West Mitten Butte is superimposed on the East Mitten Butte. That's a shot I'd love to get!  Check it out here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7w6sS1cps0 Speaking of roads ;-)) THE THREE SISTERS MYSTERY VALLEY STORIES FROM THE PAST ONE OF 2012 CALENDAR'S FAVORITE IMAGES          Hope you  have a chance to visit this magical place, or have been privileged to have been there. Here's to having a chance to visit it again soon! ...

      In case you hadn't noticed, roads in Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks catch my eye!       I also love tunnels, even little ones like the ones above and below   (which maybe have another name?)                        Here is a shot of a little tunnel on the road to Cerocahui, a small town a short distance from the Copper Canyon (Sierra Tarahumara) railroad in Northern Mexico. Some of you may remember images of this area in the 2017 COPPER CANYON calendar.        Please feel free to comment; and thanks so much to those who have!      Yet another REAL tunnel is up ahead in July. And, there's a story there! Stay tuned!