Did you know quail are quick? These bids scooted everywhere at top speed. Here they are crossing the road (Why?) at the Henderson Water Treatment Plant just outside of Las Vegas - a spectacular location to watch birds. That my favorite reason to go to Las Vegas is a sewage treatment plant says things about me I would rather not think too hard about. These quail, by the way, are Gambrel Quail distinguished from the California Quail by the plain breast and the dark forehead. The birds were eating some sort of pink flower that grew on bushes along the edge of the ponds. Just in case you are wondering, the HWTP is set up for birders and is now renamed as the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. There is a small fee, to enter and you will find multiple ponds, boardwalks, blinds, and towers - and a lot of birds. http://birdandhike.com/Bird/Urban_LV/Henderson/_Henderson.htm
Bird Week VI: The Desert /
Driving along Artist's Drive in the Death Valley National Park, I saw the bird fly across the road in front of the car and then back. I stopped and got one or two shots in flight but did not know what I had seen until I shot this one under the brush. It did not stay still long and was gone before I got a second shot. This was a life-list bird for me, first time I had seen one. The Sage Sparrow is distinct so it was a clear ID. Not a very common bird even in the SW desert habitat that it likes.
Bird Week VI: The Desert /
The Eurasian Collared-Dove is resting on a picnic table near the visitor's center in Death Valley National Park. The bird is larger than the more common Mourning Dove seen in the Mid-Atlantic. At first it appeared white but on closer inspection it is subtile shades of purple with dark primaries and grey on the back tail feathers. The bird is spreading across the Southeast and Southwest US.
Bird Week VI The Desert /
I really like this image it reminds me of a Japanese print. (Example) This Snowy Egret is a bird I have seen and largely ignored many times but at the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge 90 miles north of Las Vegas I was surprised to see one. And that it was hanging out in a Cottonwood tree on the edge of Upper Lake was a treat. There are birds in the desert but when you find some water the birds multiply by a significant factor. This area just teemed with birds of all sorts.
Bird Week VI The Desert /
American Kestrel spotted west of Las Vegas in the Red Rock Canyon. Once known as the Sparrow Hawk it is really a small falcon. You can find them in all the lower 48 states and often sitting slightly askew on a pole wire. Very colorful birds.
A Moment Before the Storm /
Looking from the first overlook at the Beacon Hill hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway across miles of rolling mountains the rain was fast approaching with the cloud mists enveloping us as part of the prelude.
"Your unfailing love, O Lord , is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds."
Psalm 36:5 NLT
Ancient Tree /
Likely not too old but it feels old on this very misty afternoon on the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile 305.2, the Beacon Hill hike.
Aerie (4 photos) /
Aerie is a high nest for a bird on a cliff or an elevated dwelling. It fits my work space. There is a loft in our townhouse that is essentially a third floor, a small third floor, and it is here that I have my office and process photos as well. It has great natural light and a nice open feel. I have my books, a reading lamp and chair, some storage, desk and computer etc all stashed up here. In the summer afternoons it is hot, don't like to work much past three or so - move to the laptop downstairs. In the winter it is a perfect and cozy space.
What I first shot was the photo of the table in front of the desk. I use it for the keyboard but I bought it for the Wacom Tablet. The tablet was a gift from Dennis Mook of The Wandering Lensman (https://www.thewanderinglensman.com). He replaced this one and passed it on to me. It is really nice and I am working through the learning curve but what a help. That is typical of Dennis, always sharing his vast knowledge of photography and anxious to help a fellow photographer improve. The times we have shot together have been so instructive. So, again, thanks Dennis.
Up /
A most excellent hike, the trail leads up the face of the cliff 1089 feet. The Precipice Trail at Acadia National Park is closed much of the early spring and summer for the Peregrine falcons that nest here but by the time we arrive in late September the trail is open and beckoning. Breathtaking views. That is my friend Laura nearing the top from a couple of years ago. Happy Birthday!
Solar Lighting /
19th century lighting in the old cotton mill in Lowell, MA. A neat example of an urban National Park Service site in the midst of a modern city.
Green Shack /
Shack seems to be the name that follows, lobster, for these place on the piers and docks around Maine. I am sure they are used for other gear and more. This neat green lobster shack is on a pier at low tide in Stonington, Maine on the south end of Deer Island which is at the end of the Blue Hill peninsula. A neat out of the way place. The area houses a large quarry and marble from here dots DC landscape including J. F. Kennedy's Memorial at Arlington.
Variation /
This is a slightly different perspective of Monument Cove in Acadia National Park of a photo I have posted long ago. Much more of the tree on the left and different processing as well. I am hopeful to shoot this spot at Sunrise this fall. Sometimes the cliffs glow bright red for a few seconds and it is amazing.
Bass Harbor, ME /
Moonrise on a still, quiet night.
“Keep my Sabbath days of rest, and show reverence toward my sanctuary. I am the Lord."
Leviticus 19:30 NLT
Panorama /
From Gorham Mountain in Acadia National Park. That is Great Head sticking out on the left with Sand Beach peeking out in the bay area. Thunder Hole is about directly below. It is very popular and crowded often but rarely lives up to the name. Gorham is a nice easy hike to about 550 feet over sea level and great views. Not sure how a panorama photo will look on the site but here we go.
No Mouse Morning /
A nice state park sunrise in central Florida. Quiet, buggy, warm and completely Disney free.
Bubble Pond /
This is also the start to the Pemetic Mountain trail. Pemetic Mountain is 1248 above this pond and is the last of the named peak hikes we have yet to do at Acadia so it is first on the list for this fall. Note we are looking south. The valleys and mountain ranges run north to south on the island so you will not catch a sunset or sunrise on the water here. The sun illuminates the eastern side of the pond as it begins to set in the west. This is not a high traffic area of the park and yet still quite beautiful.
Sailboat View /
I am reviewing some older photos that I just never processed - a few this week from Acadia National Park. As we climbed Acadia Mountain along Somes Sound there was a break in the trees and we could see this boat against Sutton Island and the Atlantic stretching out beyond. Delightful day.
Back Roads /
Traveling as I do across mostly North Carolina and Virginia to various churches allows - sometimes demands, back roads. There are churches in the most interesting places! I drove through a tiny hamlet in north central NC last week and came upon this old grocery / service center. It was called Grand Ole Opry Service Station and it is located in Grassy Creek, NC. Lots of stories over the years on that front porch and around the Coke cooler, I am sure.
Happy TLT Third Anniversary /
Two Lane Touring completed three years of posts. In those three years we have shared about 1400 photos in over 1100 posts. We have added 125 National Park Galleries. Since the start of our quest to photograph all 417 units of the National Park Service we have added more than 80 new parks and are now stand at 193 visited. We added a "camping" section this year and will add to that as we travel. The restaurant "review-ish" section called "Eats!" is posted once per week, usually on Thursday. We have lots of unique restaurants but not very many of them photographed, just did not think about that early into the trips. We added a search feature and are working to make posts more easily searched by kind, location etc.
Visits are up a lot this year so far with more than 800 different people from 39 states and 19 other countries viewing almost 5000 pages. Wow. Thanks.
We have a trip this fall that will add another 12 new parks. Our goal is the halfway point by the new year. Several things also planned on the site for late fall or early winter, so thanks for viewing!
PHoto: Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Blessings
Dave and Cindy
Bucolic? /
This peaceful scene is quite unlike what it looked like in the aftermath of this struggle in 1862 known as Gaines Mill. This is the third engagement of the Seven Days Battle and a clear Confederate victory. Only about 9% of the battlefield is under NPS but this is the center of the Union line and where the south broke through to the left of this photograph. The house is the Springfield Plantation or the Watt House. The fence is a replica of what was here on either side of the road to Richmond. It was taken apart to build a defensive line for the Union. The widow who lived in the house fled in a wagon. She died two years later having never returned to her home.
"We hoped for peace, but no peace came. We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror." Jeremiah 8:15 NLT
