First Camp of the Year!

I was invited to go camping with a few folks from work last weekend. We went up to the Mogollon Rim (pronounced Mug-E-On) this time. We drove a little off the beaten path and set up a primitive campsite right on the rim itself. I love camping there, since the views are unbelievable. Did a little hiking, took some photos and just relaxed. Hopefully we can get back at least one more time before the summer ends. It gets pretty cold up there early.

Here's Camp! (HDR)

Look! There are Trees in Arizona! (HDR)

Rusty and Heather

Jason and Rusty

Cassie Loves Camp Food!

Self Portrait

I Found This Cool Bumpy Tree (HDR)

Did I Mention the View was Awesome? (HDR)

I Sat on the Edge of That Ledge to Take Panorama Photos. Talk About a Real Pucker Inducer! =:0 (HDR)

Panorama of the Whole View in HDR! (Click Image for Large Panorama)

Did I Mention the Wind Gusts On This Ledge? =:0 (HDR)

1hr & 40min Exposure of the Stars Traveling

NRA Annual Meeting

The NRA Annual Meeting was in Phoenix this year! The best part about the NRA Meeting is the show they put on. It's kinda like E3, but for guns. Awesome! In the past, I've traveled to attend the meeting, but this year it was right here at home.

I tried riding the new Phoenix light rail to the show so that I could give a bit of a review to the new system, which I have to say fails in a pretty epic fashion. First, in an entire day of riding around town on the train, I was the only person I actually saw buy a ticket. In fact, the ticket vending terminal actually had to boot up once I touched the screen since nobody had used it in so long. There are no turnstiles, access control, or as far as I can tell, persons enforcing ticket purchases. I'm pretty certain I was the only person that actually bought a ticket to ride that day. Next, the average wait between trains is about 10 minutes, and the stations are in the middle of the road with almost no shade. When its 120 degrees out, little canvas stretch shade thingies do not do the job. Finally, riding the light rail was inconvenient. Park n' Ride spots are few and far, and it's slow. I would rank it as slightly faster than riding the bus, but much, much slower than taking your car. Overall, I probably won't be using the light rail again for a long while. The only reason I could see trying it again might be to avoid the traffic problems when going to a ball game. I'll post another review when I try that one...

That being said, the NRA Show itself was sooooooo much fun! :D

Welcome to the NRA Annual Meeting

I Parked and Took the Light Rail

The Stations Offer Little Shade... :(

Our Brand New Convention Center!

Heh, It's Illegal to Take Your Gun Into an Establishment With a Liquor License in AZ

There were LOTS of People There

Good Thing There Were Lots of Guns!

All the Big Manufacturers Had Booths

Win a Truck of Ammo!

Lots of Guest Speakers

Gun Porn

Bang!

I Never Had Cool Books Like This as a Kid...

Paul Impersonates His Shirt

And We End With a Gold Tommygun!

Phoenix Tea Party

I went to the State Capitol today to take part in our local Tea Party protest against high taxes and out-of-control debt spending. There were substantially more people there than I had expected, and I ended up parking about four blocks east of the Capitol.

I've never been to a protest before, and I'm no expert at counting people, but the crowd went all the way from the park to the Capitol building itself, and almost from end to end. I'd guesstimate that there were upward of 5,000 people there. The crowd was also pretty thick, so I couldn't actually get anywhere near the center stage area to see what was going on. There wasn't much along the lines of an organized amplification system either, so I didn't really hear what the speakers had to say.

Nevertheless, it was a pretty cool gathering. I walked around and saw lots of interesting revolutionary era flags being carried by people. There were also a lot of humorous signs being toted around. I didn't see any fights or particularly angry people, and the police presence was very minimal. I think I personally saw about four police officers in total. I was also expecting some sort of counter-protest to be going on, but I was never able to find any. I suppose freedom from taxes is a bipartisan issue.

The Crowd Went All The Way To That Domed Capitol Building

They Had a Fire Truck Decked Out in Flags

News Crews were On the Ground and In the Air

There Were Lots of Gadsden Flags

But This Was My Favorite :)

Lots of Signs!

Debt Star Sighting!

Longest Line? For the Bathroom

Someone Tell Joe Biden the Unpatriotic People Are Here

Here's a Panorama of the Whole Crowd!
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

McDowell Mountains

I took advantage of a free afternoon to take a little landscape photography. I live just a few minutes from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation, which offers wide open spaces and decent views of the McDowell Mountains.

I took a few HDR photos which came out pretty decent, then had a brief run-in with the Indian police, who informed me "they" don't want people "out here." I asked for clarification, and the police officer informed me that "they" were "the Indians" and "out here" was "on the Rez." Strange position for a tribe to take that is currently spending millions of dollars on a new Casino and Hotel to attract more people "out here."

State Route 101 Runs Through the Reservation (HDR)

This SRPMIC Marker is all Along The Edges of the Reservation (HDR)

The McDowell Mountains Border Scottsdale and the Rez (HDR)

Señor Saguaro (HDR)

Closeup of the Mountains (HDR)

Time to Leave The Rez! (HDR)

Ignite 3

I attended Ignite 3 last week. Paul invited me, and it seems to be mostly a networking event for Phoenix's creative and technology communities. Basically, people take turns giving 5 minute presentations on whatever interests them, then answer questions afterward. It was interesting, but would probably need a few changes to attract more working professionals in other industries. The primary issue I had was the venue and timing. It was in Tempe on a Wednesday night, which is tough when you have to get up early for work downtown the next morning. I'd be much more inclined to attend if it were on a weekend. Nonetheless, there were a few pretty interesting presentations, and Paul's speech was well done and well received by the audience.

Ignite 3 Was at the Tempe Center for the Arts

Paul Gave a Presentation on Solar Power

Flashbulbs = Evil Lord Solar

Arthur and His Girlfriend Came

The TCA is Really Nice

There are Lots of Water Features (HDR)

And It's Right on Tempe Town Lake (HDR)

An Inflatable Dam Ends the Artificial Lake

And Separates it From the Desert

I Love Living In Arizona

Where else can you spend your winters comfortably outdoors shooting your M4?

Enjoying the Great Outdoors!

State Fair Time!

I went to the State Fair last week with some of my family. The fair is an interesting beast. I always want to go to the fair, but once I get there and stay a little while, I realize it kind of sucks and I'm ready to leave. The fair has good food. Really good food, but that's about it. It's expensive and the crowd is a little... rough around the edges.

Oh well, regardless of the downsides of the fair, I had a good time and I'm sure by the time it rolls around next year, I'll be wanting to go again.

It was Really Busy at the Fair

Mary and Mom Went with Me

And so Did Dad

Did I Mention the Crowd is Rough?

But This is Why We're Here. FOOD!!!

Fried Hot Dogs!

Fried Bread!

Fried Sandwiches!

Fried Oreos!

Fired Moon Pies!

Fried Twinkies!

With a Sno-Cone Chaser

Why? Will He Clean the Table?

Judging from My Previous Caption... No.

Parent Of The Year Award

Now That I'm Full... Rides!!!

And More Rides

Play Some Games?

Pop a Balloon...

...and Win A Prize

Hasta Lluego State Fair

Electric Palms

Every now and again, I like to just take photos of things around my house. It's a good exercise in subject spotting.

These Uplit Trees are in a Strip-Mall Near My Home

Last Camp of the Season

Just returned from taking advantage of the last good camping weather of the season. Paul, Sheenae, Jason and myself spent the night out in the backwoods right on the edge of the Mogollon Rim (pronounced 'mug-E-on'). Despite a foreboding weather report, the weather on the rim was actually pretty nice!

We Found a Nice Secluded Spot with Good Tree Cover

Yes, there are Trees in Arizona

Weatherman Lies! No Storms Here

Paul!

And Sheenae!

She Secured our Campsite by Murdering the Previous Campers

Fail Catch

I tried my hand at star photography for the first time this trip. It didn't turn out all that great, but I learned a few things. 1. Ambient light will really show up in the exposures. The trees are all red from our small campfire that was about 20 yards behind the camera. 2. The exposures need to be long. This exposure was an hour and fifteen minutes, but wasn't nearly long enough. And 3. Watch the moon. It actually crept in the left side of my picture at the end creating a bright streak. Hopefully I can get some better results on my second attempt.

1hr 15min Sky Exposure

Fire GOOD

Who is Raul and What is He Doing With My Flashlight?

Until Next Time, Keep Your Feet Warm!

Monsoon Season

Arizona may be hot as hell, but every year we get a nice break from the heat when the monsoons sweep in. Heavy rain, heavy wind, and heavy lightning always make for a nice end to the sweltering summer.

The storms are just starting to ramp up for this year, so I took a photo of this one coming in over the McDowell Mountains near my house.

It's That Time of the Year Again!
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Built With Bad Intentions

I recently traveled waaay out into the middle of nowhere for a tour of the Titan II Missile Base. The Titan II Missile Base, more formally known as Titan II ICBM Site 571-7, is located in the Arizona desert about 20km south of Tucson, and is what would be commonly referred to as a "Nuclear missile base."

The complex is a massive 8 level facility located 140ft underground, hardened against potential nuclear attack, and protected at ground level by Doppler ground intrusion radar installations. The Titan II missile inside the launch silo is 103ft tall, uses hypergolic propellant for immediate launch, and was equipped with a W53 warhead yielding 9 Megatons. I say "was" equipped, as the warhead has been deactivated pursuant to the 1981 SALT Treaty.

Not a Good Place to Trespass. Use of Deadly Force Authorized

Doesn't Look Like Much from the Surface

Spare Re-Entry Vehicle For the Top of the Missile

Looking Down at the Missile From the Top of the Silo

Let's Head Down Into the Complex

For Security Reasons, Everybody is Armed and Nobody can be Alone at Any Time. You Watch Me, I Watch You...

This is the Launch Control Center

The Red Safe is Where the Launch Order Confirmation Codes are Kept

Two Keys on Opposite Sides of the Room Must be Turned at the Same Time to Initiate Launch. There is No Stopping the Launch After That...

Missiles Away. You'll Need Something to Read While You Wait for Incoming

It Must Have Served Its Purpose... The Flag is Still Flying

The Titan II Missile Base was definitely built with bad intentions. Everything gives off that vibe, from the massive blast doors and reinforced concrete walls to the rooms that are entirely suspended on massive spring coils to absorb shock waves. However, we lived in a different world back then and were facing some very real threats to our security and way of life. I hope the Titan II Missile Base is kept up and continues to offer tours to the public so today's and tomorrow's kids can get a glimpse of what the Cold War was like for us.

Fresh Mountain Air!

We finally broke in our camping gear this weekend on our first camping trip of the year. Loaded up the truck and headed north into the woods north-east of Payson. Mary, Jason, Paul, Shay, Seth and myself found a nice backwoods site right on the edge of the Mogollon Rim (pronounced 'mug-E-on'). Awesome views, windy nights.

Yep, It's a Campsite!

The Awesome View Over the Rim from our Campsite

Mary Attack!!!

Whachya' Doin'? Whittlin'.

It Takes a Real Man to Chop Down a Tree... and Gloat Over Its Remains

Paul and Shay Enjoy their Luxury Accommodations

King... of the Mountain!

Taaaall Dead Tree

F150. The ONLY way to Travel

Fire GOOD

Mary is Enjoying Her First Camping Trip

Jason Checks to make sure the Rim is Still There. Yep, It's Still There.

Group Photo on the Edge

Springtime at Squaw Peak

Spring is in the air! And along with it is some awesome outdoor weather. I drove down to Squaw Peak today (also known as Piestewa Peak) and did a little hiking.

Unfortunately I wasn't the only one who had this idea, as the Summit Trail was packed. I went half-way up the mountain before coming back because the crowds were just too much. It was still a good workout though, and I took a few photos as well!

Only a 1.2 Mile Hike... Up a 1,200ft Elevation Change!

I Like the Wristwatch Affixed to the Map Board

Summit Trail is the Only Pet-Unfriendly Trail. Too Rocky and Steep

Too... Many... People!

Downtown Phoenix on the Left, Uptown on the Right

Closeup of Downtown from Faaaar Away

Grand Canyon!

Took some time and made the drive up to visit our local natural wonder, the Grand Canyon. You know, I've lived in Arizona most of my life and never really get around to visiting the Canyon. I think I recall going once as a kid, but that's it.

Canon was having one of their Photography in the Parks workshops on the South Rim, so I figured I would go check it out and maybe get a few photography tips at the same time. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had another plan and the Canon people bugged out when the lightning starting coming after them.

That's okay though. I still got to take a lot of photos, do some light hiking, and enjoy several hours out of the normal scorching temperature of the desert. I can learn about the histogram function on my camera another day...

Looking out into the Canyon from the South Rim

That Squirrel is Flaunting the Park Rules!

Yes, He's Real. And not Afraid of Anyone!

Uh-oh, Storm is Moving in over El Tovar

Spooky Tree Clawing at the Storm

Wait, why is Paul taking Telephoto Photos facing away from the Canyon? Must be the Local Wildlife...

Is that what I look like when I take People's Photos?

And we begin our Descent into the Canyon...

...but not too Far!

Who's Toes can those be?

Heather's of Course!

A panoramic shot of the Canyon from the South Rim. Sorry, didn't use my Exposure Lock, so you have to deal with color-changing sky.
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Red Rock Country

Mary and I made a day trip up to Sedona, Arizona. Lots of pretty red rock country up there, and Mary got to do some outlet shopping on the way. We went for a brief hike up near Cathedral Rock, but Mary balked when I tried to cross the river. Oh well, maybe we'll get further next time.

Yep, It's Sedona!

This Church is Built into the Rocks. It's Pretty Cool

Cathedral Rock. Large

That's as Far as Mary is Going...

Cathedral Rock over the River

Papago Mountains

One of the advantages of braving the heat in Phoenix is that you are consistently rewared with the most beautiful sunsets on the face of the planet.

Earlier this week I took an evening out to hike the buttes at Papago Park, a Sonoran Desert preserve. As expected, the views were breathtaking and I even saw some fellow hikers conquering a taller bluff which I'll have to try on my next visit.

A Sherriff's helicopter does a pass-by to check if all the hikers are okay

Self portrait

A strange "inverse cloud" casts light instead of shadow due to the angle of the sun

The hot sun begins to set over uptown Phoenix

Downtown Phoenix is visable via telephoto lens

The sun hides behind some fleeting desert storm clouds

The sun finally sets behind the Papago Buttes

A purple desert night sky sets in

And a drastic nightime chill sets over the desert

All in all, I had a good hike. Despite the amazing heat and scorching sun, it was quite refreshing to get out of the office/legal world for a brief few hours and enjoy some good, down to earth nature.

The Old Flour Mill

Took the opportunity to do a little covert photography at the old Hayden Mill. The Mill, long since closed down, is the primary reason the city of Tempe even exists today. Nestled right in downtown Tempe, at the head of Mill Avenue (of course), the Mill is on prime real estate and its days are most likely numbered.


The mill was recently the victim of a pretty bad fire, with a large portion of the structure having to be torn down. I figured I should at least get a few shots before it vanishes, like so many pieces of our local history, into dust.

There it is. The Old Mill

I've always wondered what's in those silos today, if anything

Original advertising

Recent fire damage is visible




(Danger?) in this area

I wonder where this door leads

Closed for business


The Old Hayden Mill has served our community for many years. It's sad to see it in such bad shape. It will be even more sad to see it go for good some day.

The Phoenix Zoo

Spent a (hot) day out at the Phoenix Zoo checking out the animals. The Phoenix Zoo isn't half bad, with a pretty good selection of animals. Lots of walking though, and not nearly enough shade.

Here are a few of the friends I made today...




Cool-Mowhawk-Bird chillin' by the lake

Yes, I am hiding behind my telephoto lens...

Is this image titled flaming01 because its short for flamingo, or because its pink?

You have to wonder how they don't get bored standing on one leg all day

The artistic side of flamingo curves

He's checking out my camera

Yum! Yum! Yum!




Hide-n-Seek is difficult for giraffes

We have these things in my neighborhood. Love Halloween pumpkins...

Laughing Monkey greets you!




Nice paint job!

I'm threatening the hive

The only one smart enough to stay out of the sun

A study in ineffective camouflage


Time to get out of here! Summer in Arizona is NOT the time to be standing in the sun waiting for animals to pose.

First Pitch!

My Uncle Bill was invited to throw out the first pitch today at the Arizona Diamondbacks game. He brought along the whole family and we had a great evening of baseball.

Uncle Bill with his sister Jean and his mother Alverta

It was pretty neat being down on the field before the game

Bill poses with Baxter

Baxter macking on Kara

And Nicholas plays catch with Baxter

Getting ready for the pitch...

Play Ball!

Thanks for the great time! Can't wait to come back for another game!

South and Camelback Mountains

With the large number of storms we've had lately, the skies above Phoenix have been unusually clear, offering fantastic views of the valley. I simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to lug my equipment to high ground and get some haze-free shots of the valley and surrounding mountains.

First, I took some photos from the top of South Mountain, located on the south side of Phoenix. (Hence the name.) The great thing about South Mountian is that you can drive all the way to the top, allowing for great photos with minimal strain on the body. Camelback mountain on the other hand, is a far different story. If you've ever seen Mission Impossible 2 where he's climbing the vertical rock wall, you've pretty much seen what Camelback Mountain is like. It is a serious hike/climb with several near-vertical sections. It took me an hour and a half of grueling work to get to the top. (Read: don't expect more Camelback shots for a while.)

Luckilly Paul was around again to help carry the tripod and equipment up the mountain. I most definately would have plummeted to my death off of some rock wall or something without him.

The sun nestles into the western landscape, ending another beautiful day

Blowing dust creates a brilliant sunset over the desert

Nothing is left but an orange glow after the sun has gone

And a purple sky marks the transition to night

Scaling one of the cliff-faces. Notice the tiny people and buildings in the background

Paul fights the high winds to brace and set up a tripod

Time for a brief glamour shot with the McDowell Mountains in the background

Looking north towards Squaw Peak and the homes nestled at its base

Paul precariously perches on a small peak

Just happy to have survived the climb!

Thanks for looking through my photos! Perhaps someday when my hands, feet, and lungs have healed, I'll be willing to climb Camelback again for some more photos. Until then, take care and I'll see you on my next trip!

Desert Botanical Gardens

Spring is in the air! And unfortunately, so are copious amounts of pollen. As I was suffering in the darkness of my living room, it suddenly occured to me that if I was destined to sneeze my brains out because of all these budding blossoms, I might as well go out and enjoy the beauty of mother nature in person. So I packed up my gear and made for the Sonoran Desert.

A short trip later, I found myself at the Desert Botanical Garden, surrounded by the beauty of Mother Nature. The plants and flowers were quite beautiful, and I'm sure smelled beautiful as well, although I'll have to take others' words on that part. It's quite amazing how much vegetation actually grows in the middle of the desert. The flowers that bloom in around these parts really stand out against the earth tone backdrops the desert provides. This was my first real attemt at macro and floral photography, and I'm pleased with the results so far. Hopefully after a little more practice, my prints will improve even more.

A cluster of boganvillas attracted my attention before I even left my apartment complex

The boganvillas nestle among the tall blades of glass

A closer shot of the boganvillas

Camelback Mountain looms behind one end of the Botanical Garden...

...while Papago Park rises on the other side

If you touch it, it will hurt...

Patterns are abundant in the desert

A large cactus patch comprised of several different types of cacti

There are also plenty of spikey-type plant thingies in the desert. I forget the name of these

But here's one with two huge sticks growing out of it. Interesting!

Bright flowers begin to emerge from the harsh desert

The fragile flowers reach up towards the sky...

...and open up to reveal their inner-beauty

More exotic flowers help to turn the empty desert green with life

A yellow bloom tops out this cactus

More vivid colors hiding in the desert

A patch of yellow rests in the shade of a withered tree

The flowers dominate the area

A butterfly lights upon a small flower...

...before moving to a more colorful home

Another butterfly resting upon a flower

I have no idea what this crazy plant is, but it definately looks snazzy!

A cactus skeleton shows about how I felt after a full day in the desert. Time to go home!

Thanks for looking through my photos! I'm pretty happy with how most of my macro/floral shots turned out. I'll have to try another session soon. Until then, keep surfing and snapping photos!

Hayden Butte

As I do regularly, I took the time to hike up Hayden Butte and take some photos from high above the valley. Not only does the Butte offer some spectacular views, but it provides me with that exercise one rarely gets in law school.

Hayden Butte is located next to downtown Tempe and is an easy to moderate hike. It is often called 'A' Mountain due to the large 'A' (for Arizona State University) located on it. My friends Mike and Paul proved excellent hiking buddies and even allowed me to rest briefly on the way up. I really need to exercise more often.




An F-16 streaks across the golden afternoon sky

A passenger jet passing close by to land at Sky Harbor International

Another jet passes over the broadcast antenna on top of the Butte

A panoramic shot of the early evening sky
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

The sun creates a pastel sky on a cloudless evening...

...and stunning hues on a cloud-filled one

The sunset creates a dramatic burning hill effect

And a wider shot shows the deep blue sky lurking above

South Mountain looks ominous as it grows dark

A panoramic of the horizon
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Mike poses for a shot with the cityscape

'M' is for Mike. Always bring a flashlight when night hiking. ;)

Paul with a stormy night behind him

Sparadic storm clouds roam the night horizon
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

One final late night panorama before the hike back down to civilization
(Click Image for Large Panorama)

Thanks for looking through my photos!

New Year's Eve '02

The Fiesta Bowl Block Party in Tempe is one of the larger New Year's Eve celebrations
in the country. While the festival always draws hot bands and entertainment to Mill Avenue, it also draws a crowd that's just a tad too 'trailer' for my taste. I figure why pay $40 to get smashed in the face with a broken bottle when I can get someone on the street to do it for free.


So this year, I decided to set up on the opposite side of the town lake and photograph the fireworks being shot off from the Mill Avenue Bridge. Since the north shore of the lake is still under construction, it would provide me with a good, dark
location to set up my camera and get good photos of the action.


While being alone with the homeless/drunks in the dark with my expensive photography equipment was an experience I'm in no hurry to repeat, I think the results were quite good and worth the adventure.




The firework show begins




Large, colorful airbursts above the bridge




A spectacular flower shaped display.




And of course the bright finale


Until next year, take care!