Idlewild Falls

A few weeks ago I went back to the waterfalls at Lake Idlewild just outside of Waterville, Kansas to see if there was much water running and if there was any ice on the waterfalls. It turned out that there was moderate water flowing and still some ice frozen over the waterfalls.

Getting around the waterfalls was a bit tricky with all the snow covered rocks, but the climb over the rocks was worth it. There are 2 major waterfalls here, I first went down to the lower level falls and then worked my way back up the falls right below the lake. This was my third trip to photograph these waterfalls and I'm sure I will be back many more times. Click on the link below to view my photographs:

Photographs of Idlewild Falls outside of Waterville, Kansas.

Carnahan Creek in the fog

We have been having a lot of foggy days lately, but today was by far the foggiest. I don't think I've ever seen fog like we had today. I headed to the Carnahan Creek area on Tuttle Creek Lake to get some photos. Visibility was only about 30-40' down around the lake. Click on the link below to view my photos from this morning:

Carnahan Creek Park foggy morning photos.

Alcove Springs

My Dad and I braved the cold Saturday to head up to Alcove Springs between Blue Rapids and Marysville in search of a frozen waterfall. A couple of years ago we had gone up there during a really cold spell and the ice formations were amazing. This year though no such luck. It looked like the waterfalls had frozen over, but either the ice had naturally broken or someone had helped nature along. In any case, I was able to get some pictures of the setting sun and the shadows falling across the snow. Best thing about this evening was the silence, there was virtually no sound...I could have spent a lot of time there, except for the cold! Click on the link below to view my photos from this trip:

Alcove Springs, Winter Photographs

Last of 2009

I was out at Stockdale Park on Tuttle Creek Lake to catch the last sunset of 2009. Turned out it was a good one (aren't they all?). I set up on a boat ramp to shoot the sun as it was dipping down below the far hills. It was really quiet that evening and I could hear the ice on the lake making all sorts of eerie noises.

After shooting the sunset, I drove farther down the cove where it opened out onto the lake to wait for the moon rise. This happened to be a "blue moon" which despite the name isn't blue. A blue moon occurs when you get 2 full moons in one month, which on average occurs every 2.5 years. The next time a blue moon will occur on Dec 31st will be 2028. Maybe if I'm still around I'll come back to this spot and try to photograph it again!

The moon photo shown in this post is from a sequence of shots showing the moon rising above the hills. These were taken over a 4 min span.

I also got to see a couple of foxes crossing the frozen lake and one of them came right up to my vehicle. One the way that evening I saw several deer and some quail. I'll take that over Times Square any day!

More photos from this evening are at the link below:

Last Sunset and Blue Moon, 2009, Stockdale Park, Kansas.

Winter at Pillsbury Crossing

With all the snow lately, Pillsbury Crossing has a lot of water flowing right now. I came home with some really cold feet after shooting these, but it was worth it. Click on the link below to view the photos:

Winter Photographs of Pillsbury Crossing, Kansas.

Happy New Year!

Finally, some snow photographs

We have had lots of snow lately around here including a nice little blizzard on Christmas that I'm sure messed up a lot of travel plans. Everyone wishing for a white Christmas got their wish this year!

I've been wanting to get out and get some photos of the snow, but it seems like if it hasn't been snowing we have had pretty poor light for photography. I did manage to get out this past week and get some shots around Tuttle Creek and along Marlatt Ave, just outside of Manhattan. A few photos from this outing are available at the link below:

Winter photographs from around Manhattan, KS.

Enjoy!

Little Blue River

I had a chance this weekend to sneak out to catch the sunset over the Little Blue River just outside of Waterville, Kansas. Ice was starting form in pretty big sheets and it was interesting to watch (and hear!) it break up and flow down river. I think I'm ready for some winter photography now! You can view a few of my photographs from this trip by clicking the link below:

Sunset, Little Blue River, Kansas.

13th Road

A few photos taken along "13th Road" outside of Waterville, KS.

Lyon County State Fishing Lake

A few weeks ago I spent a couple of days photographing around Emporia. These are a few of the pics I took at and near the Lyon County State Fishing Lake. It was bitter cold and windy, so if the photos look cold...it was! But it was a beautiful place. I had been there once before and will be back.

Enjoy!

Christmas Sunset

Sunset on Christmas Day was fantastic! Didn't really get a good shot of it, but here are a few photos I took that evening.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Peace.

Solstice Sunset....almost

I went out recently to get a picture of the sunset on the winter solstice, I thought that would be kinda cool. Fortunately there was a good sunset that evening, the only problem was that I went out a day early! A few pics from that evening can be viewed here.

Enjoy!

Winter is here

Winter weather has finally arrived. I was out at Tuttle Creek Lake during our first real snow storm. The snow was beautiful and my wife noticed the snow flakes and I was able to get a few macro shots of them. We also saw several Bald Eagles at the river ponds. Here are the photos from this outing.

Happy Holidays!

Bridge Outside Waterville, KS

Shot a few photographs of the sunset this weekend just outside Waterville, KS.

A Drive in the country

Here are some photos from a drive from Waterville to Blaine to Westmooreland and then along Tuttle Creek Lake (near the Oldsburg Marsh). This is also an area I will be returning to.

Enjoy!

Mill Creek Scenic Drive

Went for a drive along the Mill Creek section of the Skyline/Mill creek Scenic Drive recently. This drive has a lot of potential, I'm sure I'll be back this spring many times. The sunset that evening was fantastic! A few photos from this trip can be viewed here.

Pillsbury Crossing and Deep Creek Schoolhouse

I was out at Pillsbury Crossing this weekend with a friend photographing the water falls there. There was a little bit of snow and ice left and a lot of water flowing! After we were done there, we headed over to the Deep Creek School on Deep Creek Road and caught the sunset, which turned out to a be a really awesome one. The Pillsbury Crossing photos can be seen here and the Deep Creek School here.

Peace.

Frozen Alcove Springs

I was back at Alcove Springs recently to photograph the waterfalls while they were frozen. Compare the 2 photographs at the left, one taken this past spring and one this winter. Brrrrr!

The rest of the photos can be viewed here.

Peace.

Kanopolis Lake

I was at Kanopolis Lake this Saturday hiking with a friend, we went through Red Rock Canyon and Horse Thief Canyon. You can view a map of the route we hiked (outlined in red) here.

Photos from the hike can be viewed here. If you haven't been to Kanopolis Lake and you enjoy hiking, it is definitely a place you should go.

Tuttle Creek Lake Tubes and River Ponds

I went out to the outlet area and River Ponds area of Tuttle Creek lake this weekend hoping to see some bald eagles. No eagles, but plenty of other things to photograph. The photos are online here.

Peace.

Ice Storm

Wow, what an ice storm. We were without power for almost 6 days which wasn't fun, but what an opportunity for photos! I took some photos the first day of the storm just around my yard, then I went to Marlatt Park and Tuttle Creek Lake.

The next morning the sun was shining and I couldn't resist shooting some of the ice with the sun shining on it. My trees sure took a hit with lots of damage. Clean up will take awhile I'm sure. I hope everyone is getting their power back up and made it through the cold ok.

Peace.

Snowy Day on 2nd Road

These are some photos from the first snow of the year taken on 2nd Road in Marshall County. I was excited to get some snow pictures, I didn't think I would have any other chances anytime soon...boy was I wrong!

Enjoy!