The rain let up briefly when I grabbed this shot of a rough-looking windmill. The valley in the background is still slightly obscured by the rain, and just after I snapped this shot it picked up again. Thankfully I have lens hoods to keep the front element dry when I poke it out the window of the truck! Yes, I did get out and hoof it in the rain a bit as well.
Walking along the shore I found several places where huge chunks of the cliff had let go and are now piled at the bottom along the river shore. I hiked over them on the way to the north end, and even near the pole I could see where the cliff had recently tumbled down. Now it seems that post’s days are numbered, and I would not want to be hanging out up there with my cameras when it lets go.
I’ve had a great relationship with that spot; I’ve captured sunrises, sunsets, storms, International Space Station flyovers, and more while standing next to it. Sadly, I won’t be going back. That type of soil is too unpredictable, and it looks like the erosion is now threatening to swallow up one of my all time favorite photo spots.
Please be careful when you’re out at Double Ditch! There’s more to those picturesque cliffs than meets the eye.
We roamed around down by the rocks beneath the Northern Pacific bridge, watched a train cross overhead, threw a couple of rocks in the water, watched some boats go by, and then headed home for their bedtime. They love the sunset just like their Daddy…I only wish we’d remembered the frisbee!
The Sunset Song of the Day for this photo is “Down by the Sea” by Men at Work. It’s a nice, calm, meandering tune that captured the feeling of slowly padding along the shore…enjoying the golden reflection of the setting sun across the water and the brilliant blue of the overhead sky as the sunset colors waned. You can investigate the song on iTunes by clicking here.
My boys and I really enjoy those “three dudes” times, and being Daddy is an honorable pursuit. I’m glad that my little guys are becoming old enough to share a lot of the things I like to do, and we can give Mommy a break by going out and roaming (my favorite pastime). Their little cameras are in the truck and ready to be deployed, so between the three of us we’re always ready to get the shot.
Today’s song is “Narwhal Aerobics” by The Nightgowns. You can check it out on iTunes by clicking here. I think it picks up the mood of this sunset, which was photographed next to a little lake along Highway 25 west of Mandan.
Once I was all set the lightning began. I was absolutely delighted to find such an amazing setting: the band of rain beneath the storm clouds, several bolts of brilliant lightning arcing from the ground, clouds aloft lit by cloud-to-cloud lightning, starry sky above the storm, and a celestial alignment of Venus, Jupiter, and the Pleiades ahead of its advance. That’s a packed photo!
What a blessing to have such a great vantage point for this storm. Despite going an hour early to the movie, we still had to sit in the absolute front row (albeit in the center). That wasn’t really bad seating, but certainly not optimal. Our view of this storm, however, couldn’t be finer.
It’s a good thing I took Friday off from work, because this storm was worth watching (and photographing) until after four in the morning. Some shots turned out better than others, but this one is pretty close to perfect. I’m so thankful we went out that night, and we had no idea we’d be treated to such an amazing spectacle.