On The Road

Albatrossity starts off the week by telling us all about the birds and the bees, and then we are treated to four beautiful days in nature with Uncle Eb and lashonharangue.

(Click on the image below for a bigger, non-blurry version.)

Albatrossity

Picking up where we left off a couple of weeks ago, here are some more shots of late-summer and early fall birds and other critters here in Flyover Country. Hope you enjoy them!

And 2024 calendars are now available. Christmas is coming!

On The Road – Albatrossity – Late Summer and Fall in Flyover CountryPost + Comments (18)

Mark Painter

Most of the route of the Panama Canal passes through a large artificial lake called Lake Gatún, the surface of which is about 90 feet above sea level. The locks take a ship from the ocean and raise it until it reaches the level of the lake, then it crosses the lake, then another set of locks lowers it to sea level.

The lake was created when the canal was built, in the rugged interior of the country. A number of hills in the region became islands. The largest of these islands is Isla Barro Colorado (“Red Clay Island”) or IBC for short. It is named for the village that used to be there. (Don’t overlook the fact that the canal project displaced many Panamanians.)

From the beginning, IBC was reserved for the use of the Smithsonian Institution and became the home of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). Even after the canal was returned to Panama, the Panamanian government allowed STRI to continue its work.

I spent a day touring IBC with a small group of other people. No one in the group was more than half my age; every one of them was either a grad student working on tropical research or the spouse of one. I was the only North American in the group. The grad students said they came because STRI generates so much tropical research that they come across it all the time in their work and they wanted to see it.

On The Road – Mark Painter – Panama – Isla Barro ColoradoPost + Comments (15)

Mark Painter

Last December, I traveled to Panama to meet my friend Laurie, who lives there. We got to know each other over Instagram, but this would be the first time we met face to face. I also visited the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). More about that later.

On The Road – Mark Painter – Panama City – Getting AcquaintedPost + Comments (15)

🐾BillinGlendaleCA

I made two pilgrimages up to the Sierra for Fall Color this year; the first was up to Bishop Creek and it was just a bit before peak color, the second was this trip in mid/late October to Big Pine Creek.  This is my fourth trip up the North Fork of Big Pine Creek, the first was just a hike to the top of the First Falls in 2021 for a view of Middle Palisade Glacier,  I made two trips up there in 2022, the first was pre-Fall Color in late September where I was just going to hike to Lon Chaney’s cabin(about the halfway point between the trailhead and First Lake) and ended up at Second Lake and the second was late October when I did just hike to Lon Chaney’s cabin and was post peak after the First Falls.  The intent this year was a repeat of my second trip last year, hike to Lon Chaney’s cabin since I had to work the next afternoon; I ended up at Third Lake this time.

Fall Color was a few days pre-peak at Glacier Lodge and the trailhead and just after peak above the First Falls.  Many trees above the falls still had a good number of golden leaves but you could see that many had fallen.  This was a strange year for the Sierra, due to the massive amount of snow that fell and the slow melt-off, I was seeing Spring flowers and Fall Color at the same time.

All of these photos were taken with my Sony A7iv and a Tamron 17-28mm lens.  I also took my Sony A7r with me as well for some infrared shots.  If want to see more of my shots, consider being one of my patrons(here).

On The Road – BillinGlendaleCA – Fall on the North Fork of Big Pine CreekPost + Comments (24)

ema

Central Park fall colors, last week of October ’23, walking from the Reservoir to the Ramble.

On The Road – ema – NYC Fall FoliagePost + Comments (9)