Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
Not one of the birds I was expecting to photograph yesterday. ? While photographing a wide variety of feathered friends, I heard the sound of a small engine growing closer. Soon, this guy appeared, flying over the state park, sometimes as low as 30 feet above the ground. It was fun to see but I don’t expect many of the campers enjoyed the noise on what was otherwise a quiet Sunday morning.
March 3rd or 3/3 is known as 303 Day, a day in which we use the original Colorado area code to celebrate the Centennial State.
Being a Colorado native and having lived here my entire life other than my time in the Navy, I take great pride in this place that I call home. Like many longtime residents, I do sometimes lament the tremendous growth we have seen and some of the changes that came from it but it still is a pretty cool place to live.
As for this image, it was taken back in November when I spent a good chunk of the morning following this beautiful balloon as it floated in the air on the Colorado Front Range. The view of it and the snow-covered Rocky Mountains pretty much scream, “Colorado.”
I really would have loved to have had a closer view of this gorgeous balloon flying in the distance this morning but didn’t do too bad as it was. Just another, gorgeous fall day in the Centennial State.
Sadly, I will miss today and this weekend’s show of this monstrous locomotive as it travels from #Cheyenne to #Denver and back but have a big smile thinking of the last couple of times I have seen it. Most recently, last September, my wife and I chased the metal behemoth on the plains of Colorado as it headed toward Denver. There, we were able to find a nice spot as No. 4014 crossed a bridge and climbed the hill. This image is a different look than any I shared of it previously, going with a sepia tone to date it to a more age-appropriate like capture. You truly can’t appreciate these mechanical marvels until you see them in person. They are truly impressive.
Of all the demonstrations at The Great Colorado Air Show last month, this was the one I was most looking forward to. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is the United States’ latest fighter aircraft and I expected it to be impressive – and it was.
The U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team and pilot Major Kristin “Beo” Wolfe put on a heck of a show. The single-seat, single-engine aircraft was amazing to watch, feel and hear.
It is interesting to note that there are three distinct versions of the F-35 Lighting II.
The F-35A, seen here, is the Air Force version and the lightest of the bunch. The Marine Corps flies the F-35B with it having the distinct capability of short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL), allowing it to operate in a wider variety of environments and off of Navy amphibious assault ships. The F-35C is the U.S. Navy’s version, beefed up with larger, foldable wings and stronger landing gear for operations off of aircraft carriers.
Continuing to intermittently share my pictures from The Great Colorado Air Show a couple weeks ago. This was one of the two military aircraft I was most looking forward to seeing.
The A-10, affectionately nicknamed the Warthog, is absolutely legendary. It is a plane, quite literally, built around a gun – a beast that shoots 30mm rounds at nearly 4,000 rounds per minute. That gun and the other armament the plane can carry make it perfectly suited for its mission of providing close air support to ground troops. Titanium armor helps to protect the pilot and the essential aircraft systems from ground fire.
For the air show, the demonstration team showcased the plane’s maneuverability and demonstrated attack maneuvers like what are used in combat. These planes may not be the prettiest or the fastest but they are nothing short of incredible.
Photographer’s note: I thank you for continuing to indulge me while I share some pictures of “birds” far different from what you normally see on this page. It was a fun and challenging event photographing the planes at the air show and don’t worry, feathered birds and furry creatures will certainly continue to dominate the pictures you see here.
A local aerobatic team that put on a heck of a display at the Great Colorado Air Show last weekend. Their seven planes may not have the speed associated with the military demonstration teams but that doesn’t make them any less exciting.
As I understand it, this was their last public performance as the team undergoes some changes. I am glad to have gotten to see them one last time.
Being a sailor, you can of course guess how much I loved seeing these! It has been 20+ years since I last saw the Blues perform and this was a good year to do it as they transitioned to the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Arriving at my campsite last Thursday, I was greeted by the familiar sound of roaring military power as the Blue Angels wrapped up their practice for the day. The next day I watched them practice from the campground and then Saturday and Sunday from the The Great Colorado Air Show itself.
Several hundred pictures later, I am not entirely sure which ones to share but here is a batch of my personal favorites, mainly because at least a few are uncommon views of this amazing team at work. It certainly brought back memories of my time in the service working in aviation and being on the deck of an aircraft carrier.
My thanks to my shipmates for their service and for a show well done. Bravo zulu!
Definitely not the usual type of birds I photograph but I couldn’t resist. I had long planned for this, making reservations at Boyd Lake State Park six months ago and buying tickets for the show the second they were available. Mother Nature played nice and it was a great way to wrap up our camping season watching stunt planes, parachutists and, of course, the Blue Angels. My thanks to all of the people that worked hard to make this show happen, the volunteers, and the performers. Please do it again soon!
I’ll be incommunicado this weekend while I hang out with some warthogs and hornets and watch some lightning. 😉 More pics to come on Monday.
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