Return to Tipsoo Lake (DIAL-UP WARNING)

[regnaD kciN]

In this thread from a month ago, I captured sunrise on Mount Rainier from the road above still-snow-covered Tipsoo Lake.

I went back Thursday morning. By now, all the snow was gone (except for a few patches in northern shade on Natches Peak), and I was able to get down to the lake itself for a signature sunrise view.


(Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D - 18-70mm lens at 30mm - 1/4 second - f32 - ISO Auto)

And, with the snow gone, there were lots of wildflowers about.


(Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D - 75-300mm lens at 250mm - 1/100 second - f7.1 - ISO Auto)



(Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D - 75-300mm lens at 250mm - 1.6 seconds - f36 - ISO Auto)



(Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D - 75-300mm lens at 300mm - 1/6 second - f36 - ISO Auto)



(Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D - 75-300mm lens at 160mm - 1/100 second - f5.6 - ISO Auto)



(Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D - 75-300mm lens at 300mm - 0.6 second - f40 - ISO Auto)

And another view of the mountain -- same vantage point, a bit later in the morning.


(Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D - 18-70mm lens at 35mm - 1/15 second - f32 - ISO Auto)

[Blue_In_AK]

1. Really beautiful, RegnaD

I love those lupines. They're very common up here, as well - HullBoss and I had them around our wedding cake.

[Maestro]

2. Great pics!

I love the first and second...the reflection in the first and the color of the second!

[F.Gordon]

3. Knock it off!!!

:hi:

I'm starting to slip into a Landscape Deficient Coma.

Beautiful photos.

f/36??
:wtf:

Your lens goes to f/36? Do you have a pinhole attachment or sumtin'
:crazy:

BTW.... want to know how to convert your DSLR to a pinhole camera? Buy an extra body cap. Find (or try to find) dead center on the cap and put a very tiny hole in it. You may have to buy a few extra body caps to try this.... Set your camera to shutter priority.. use slowest exposure speed ... shoot down light. Mine have all come out underexposed so I have to try it again with a slightly larger hole.

[regnaD kciN]

4. f/36 or smaller...

Your lens goes to f/36?

Only the kit lens. The "big beercan" 75-300mm zoom goes to f/40. ;-)

The only problem with such a small aperture is that any dust on the sensor will be very apparent. Both of those Rainier shots needed clean-up work to remove a spot on the right side just above the treeline.

And how can you be suffering from Landscape Deficiency Syndrome in Colorado?

[F.Gordon]

5. "They" tell me that to take great snaps of the Mountains

..... you have to go in the Mountains.:D Who'd a' thunk it?
:shrug:

And how can you be suffering from Landscape Deficiency Syndrome in Colorado?

For the places I'd really like to go one would need a 4-wheel drive vehicle, which I don't have. There's also the matter of having lived here for so long I wouldn't know what might be interesting to someone. What you may find nice I might look at and go....
:boring:

There's also the congestion. Lazy mountain drives we'd take 10-15 years ago are now congested 4 friggin' lane highways. Anything within commuting distance of Denver has now become .... essentially a suburb of Denver. The I-70 corridor that crosses the mountains has became as bad (if now worst) than the main I-25 that runs right through Denver.

Only less congested part of State is Southern Central, which Ms. F' and myself are heading out to in the morn to cool off and relax for awhile. Between that and some snaps I took over a week ago ... went on a nice hike with another DUer along a beautiful wooded mountain stream ... I "may" have some decent Landscape Snaps. (I shot mostly film then) We'll see.

I still think that I just really suck at Landscape Snaps.

[Blue_In_AK]

6. We used to camp in Southcentral Colorado

when I was a kid, down by the Spanish Peaks or Twin Peaks, whatever they're called. It's been a long time ago, but I seem to remember those names. It was beautiful there. I especially remember the wildflowers. It's a shame Colorado has become so crowded. Maybe you need to come up here for a vacation, F. You can always find a place to get away in Alaska.

[regnaD kciN]

7. I can believe it...

For the places I'd really like to go one would need a 4-wheel drive vehicle, which I don't have.

I have a book, The Nature Photographer's Travel Guide, that is super-enthusiastic about photo opportunities in the San Juan Mountains, but then adds:

Those old mountain roads in no way make it possible to explore in the comfort of an RV or family car but rather confined to 4x4 vehicles. The dirt, rocky and pot-holed roads make for a roller-coaster ride and add to the excitement of exploring in the heart of true wilderness where you face the elements on their terms.

Well, needless to say, I don't have a 4x4 either. I'm just glad that the most difficult route I've encountered here in the Cascades -- the 16-mile dirt road to Mowich Lake on the northwest face of Rainier -- while far from a smooth ride, can still be traversed securely with a garden-variety Honda Accord.