Excelsior Geyser Crater, Yellowstone National Park

Excelsior Geyser Crater is what is left of the Excelsior Geyser.  At one time it was known for eruptions that were 100-300 feet high and just as wide.  In 1888 Frank Hayns captured an image of the geyser erupting.  As the years passed the eruptions stopped and the Excelsior Geyser Crater is now more of a hot spring.  It pumps more than 4,000 gallons of water into the Firehole River every minute.

Even though there are no more eruptions, the Excelsior Geyser Crater has a beautiful blue hue thanks to the temperatures of the water that inhibit bacteria growth.



Excelsior Geyser by Luke Parr

Sunset Coyote

Here is a photo that I posted on my Rocky Mountain Arsenal post.  This coyote was with a another running through the parking lots near the Rocky Mountain Arsenal and the nearby Dick's Sporting Goods stadium.  I approached this coyote from the other side of the hill and popped up just enough to get the shot.  As soon as the coyote heard the shutter he took off running directly away from me.  Fortunately the only shot I could get off before he turned, was a decent one.



Urban Coyote by Luke Parr

Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Eating Elk Carcass

I took this photo in Yellowstone National Park.  I've heard this grizzly referred to as "scar face."  There were three grizzlies that were eating on this elk carcass, but when we went by we only saw this one.  The grizzly was along the road pretty close to Mt. Washburn.  Out of all the grizzlies I have seen through out the park during multiple trips, about half have them have been along the road along the slopes near Mt. Washburn.

This particular grizzly has a radio collar so that it can be tracked by park personnel.



Grizzly Snack by Luke Parr

Iceland's Northern Lights

I had the opportunity to go to Iceland in November of 2012.  One of the main reasons we went was to see the northern lights.  Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate for a large portion of the trip, but we were able to see them a couple of the nights.

Surprisingly, when we went out into the countryside to get away from the city lights, we seemed to have the worst clouds.  The best views of the aurora borealis came from the time we spent in the capitol city of Reykjavik.  

Northern Lights Over Reykjavik by Luke Parr

Colorado Parks and Wildlife's YouTube Channel

I was perusing through the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website recently looking for news and interesting articles and found out that Parks and Wildlife actually has their own YouTube channel.

They post a new video approximately each month and the videos focus on fly fishing specific area with specific tips on how to fish effectively.  Most of the videos are fairly short, but I like the fact that they are posting videos that are area specific.  I have searched a lot for videos and articles specific to catching specific species of fish in specific mountain lakes her in Colorado.  It seems hard to find many quality videos on some of the mountain lakes.  Hopefully this channel will continue to grow and they will start adding longer, instructional videos.

Here is a link to their channel:


I'm not much of a fly fisher, most of the time I fly fish alpine lakes while backpacking and hiking.  Below is a picture of a small cutthroat that I caught at Rocky Mountain National Park.

I've been playing around with my GoPro HD Hero 2 recently and made a short video of fly fishing on the Taylor River, above Taylor Reservoir.  I caught a couple small brown trout with dry flies.  It reminded me how much I enjoy fly fishing mountain rivers and made me want to get back out as soon as I could.

What are your favorite informational YouTube channels?  Let me know in the comment section below:

Taylor Park

Here is the last photo in the series of Taylor Park.  This is north of the reservoir again and looking at the continental divide.



Taylor Park Fog by Luke Parr

Take a look at the last photo here:  Taylor Park Morning
And the first photo here:  Taylor Park Fog
You can see more about the area here:  Taylor Park Reservoir

Taylor Park Morning

The next photo of Taylor Park is further to the north and looking towards the east at the continental divide.

Take a look at the last photo here:  Taylor Park Fog
You can see more about the area here:  Taylor Park Reservoir
Morning Fog by Luke Parr 

Taylor Park Fog

The photos for the next three days are some shots of fog in the Taylor Park area.  I've camped near Taylor Reservoir many times over the years and it seems like more often than not we wake up to fog surrounding the valley and sometimes completely filling the valley.  You can read more about the area from this post: Taylor Park Reservoir.



Taylor Park by Luke Parr

This photos was taken from the River's End campground looking north.

Reykjavik From The Perlan

The Perlan is built from old hot water tanks on a hill overlooking Iceland's capitol city of Reykjavik.  The Perlan houses a viking museum, restaurant and a gift shop.  While enjoying the view from the upper level on top of the old water tanks, I took this series of photos of the city.  

View of Reykjavik from the Perlan

Click on the photo for a larger version.

Iceland's Harpa Concert Hall

Here is another shot from Reykjavik. It is the Harpa concert hall, built with with geometric glass panels of different colors.

The Sun Voyager In Reykjavik Iceland

Called the Sun Voyager, this viking boat sculpture sits on the edge of Reykjavik.  Designed by Jon Gunnar Arnason it was designed to represent hope, undiscovered territory, freedom and progress.  We just happened to drive by it as we circled the city.


Sun Voyager by Luke Parr

This is another of my early attempts at HDR imaging.  I think it is more of a subtle effect compared to some of my other photos.  What do you think?  Let me know in the comment section below.

Strokkur Geyser Revisited

Here is another shot of Strokkur Geyser.  This geyser erupts every few minutes in Iceland.  I posted another photo of it a couple days ago here.  I had set up to get the sun behind the geyser and there was no one else in front of me, just like in the previous photo.  Not too surprisingly, a couple other tourists came and stood right in between the geyser and my tripod.  At first I was a little annoyed, but after I noticed I could get them silhouetted in front of Strokkur I decided it made a good picture after all.

Strokkur Geyser by Luke Parr

Peek A Boo Bear Cub

Here is another shot of a black bear cub that I saw in Yellowstone National Park.  I posted the first picture here.  As he was foraging along the woods he approached a tree and peeked out around it.



Peek A Boo Cub by Luke Parr

Green Mountain, Lakewood, Colorado

I don't use iPhone photos very often, but on a recent hike I decided to try out the built in panorama function. This is a shot from Green Mountain looking to the north and east.

This photos was taken with the panoramic function of the iPhone 4S.

Is It A Buffalo Or Bison?

Whether you call it a buffalo or a bison, these amazing creatures a pretty cool to watch.  This one below was relaxing in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone as we drove by.  He didn't seem to mind the traffic too much...

Resting Buffalo by Luke Parr

Clouds Above Horsehoe Park

This shot is from Rocky Mountain National Park.  It is from the area of Horseshoe Park, an area famous for herds of elk and bighorn sheep.  This image was another attempt at HDR, which really brought out a lot of the color to extreme to catch on a single exposure.


 



  Horseshoe Park
  by
  Luke Parr

Morning Waterfall

This little waterfall sits at the base of the Mt. of the Holy Cross.  It was also one of my first attempts at HDR processing.  The biggest thing that struck me about this little lake was the apparent complete lack of fish.  Spending several nights in a backpacking tent near the lake I never saw any fish in the shallows or rising to the surface.


 



  Mt of the Holy Cross Waterfall
  by
  Luke Parr

Tabeguache Peak

I took this photo after climbing down from the summit of Mt. Antero.  It is a view looking to the south at Mt. Tabeguache.   Both mountains are Colorado 14ers, mountains with an elevation of at least 14,000 feet.



Tabeguache Peak by Luke Parr

Scanning The Valley

This is one of my older photos, but a favorite.  I took this picture of my cousin as the sun set.  He was scanning the valley below us for elk.  The light of the sunset and the silhouette worked together perfectly.



Sunset Scanning by Luke Parr

Iceland's Strokkur Geyser

While visiting Iceland in November of 2012 we took a tour of the golden circle.  Included in the tour was a stop by the famous "Geysir," which is Icelandic's Old Norse for "to gush."  We get the english word geyser from this feature.

Unfortunately Geysir has a very infrequent eruption that is rare to catch.  Fortunately we only had to wait a few minutes before each eruption of Strokkur Geyser.  Below is a shot with Strokkur against the low winter sun.

Strokkur by Luke Parr

Beaver Pond Reflections

While camping near Cottonwood Creek a couple years ago I found this beaver pond with perfectly still water.  I didn't see any recent activity from beavers, but the pond was still holding plenty of water.

Beaver Pond by Luke Parr

Here is a short time lapse video from this year of the same area;

Yellowstone Bald Eagle Taking Off

I'm not much of a bird photographer, it usually takes powerful telephoto lenses to get close enough to get a good shot.  When we were in Yellowstone National Park we got to see a Bald Eagle just across the Madison River.  We watched it in a tree for awhile until it swooped down into the river to catch a fish.  I would have liked a better telephoto, but thanks to how close the bird was, I was able to get decent photos.  Check out the one below after he finished the fish and took off again:

Flying Bald Eagle, Yellowstone National Park

Crater Lakes Sunrise

One of my favorite areas to hike and backpack is by Moffat Tunnel, near Rollinsville.  The trails in the area are not as long, or remote as other parts of Colorado, but it is easy to access from the Denver metro area and makes a great destination when you are short on time.  I have spent many nights listening to the trains that approach Moffat Tunnel.

Above Moffat Tunnel are four small lakes that make up Crater Lakes.  When I only have time for a short backpacking trip, Crater Lakes is on my short list.  I typically bring my fly rod and catch small Brook Trout from the lakes.  The crystal clear water makes it easy to see the fish approach and take your fly.

This photo was taken one morning from the bank of the larger of the two middle lakes.  You might even recognize it as the photo from the top of this blog.  It always reminds me of the solitude and calm of waking up in the wilderness.


Crater Lakes Sunrise by Luke Parr

Colorado Columbine

Colorado's state flower is the Columbine, or Aquilegia saximontana.  It is typically found at higher elevations and can vary in color from white to various shades of purple.  I tend to associate the Columbine with camping, hiking and backpacking.  I used to think of it as a rare flower, but the more time I have spent in the backcountry, the more I find them.  

The photo below was taken in the Mt. Holy Cross wilderness. The high altitude and moist environment leads to large concentrations of Columbines in the valleys around Mt. Holy Cross.  

Columbine, Canon 60D, 15-85mm

Colorado Columbine by Luke Parr

Curious Black Bear

As I mentioned the other day, I want to try and post an image a day for the month of August.  I thought I would start off with this Black Bear cub from Yellowstone National Park.  We watched him for awhile as he explored the forest.  I watched for mom or siblings, but was not able to see any.

Click on the image or link below to see a larger version of the image.

Black Bear cub, Yellowstone National Park

Curious Black Bear Cub by Luke Parr

This photo was taken with a Canon 60D and 100-400mm L lens.