Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
A fun event just a bit ago as the Colorado National Guard and 140th Wing did a flyby of hospitals all along the Colorado Front Range. I was unfortunately almost directly under them and light was horrendous but still fun to see and a great way to honor the police, fire departments, and hospital workers keeping us safe during the pandemic.
Not the usual type of birds I photograph – these guys were a lot more mechanical. 😉
The Air Force Thunderbirds did a flyover the Air Force Academy’s graduation today then gave much of the Colorado Front Range a treat. As part of their #AirForceSalutes thanking front line responders for keeping us safe during the pandemic, they did flybys of many hospitals from Fort Collins down to Pueblo.
It was a bit of a guessing game as to where was best to setup and, unfortunately, I opted for a spot further north than what I should have. Mother Nature complicated things further with hazy skies. Nevertheless, I managed some okay shots and it was definitely a treat.
Longtime residents of Colorado know that 303 is the original area code for the Centennial State. We have since added three more but 303 is still the one most folks prefer to have and most-associated with the state.
It is somewhat of a badge of honor to have a phone number with the original area code. Today, March 3rd – 3/03 – is a day set to celebrate all things Colorado.
No doubt some marketing person somewhere along the line put the numbers together and thought it was a cool idea to have #303Day. It is kind of silly but also fun and an opportunity to show the pride we have in our home state.
This capture dates back to October 2018 and is one of a series I took of this way cool hot air balloon as it floated aloft. I’ve shared some of those other images, but this is one I haven’t made public before.
Snow day! Even though I was off work it was bad enough outside here in Denver, Colorado that I wasn’t too inclined to go far for pictures. However, I couldn’t resist the temptation knowing Union Pacific Railroad’s Big Boy 4014 was going to be heading north on its final leg to Cheyenne.
The weather caused a three-plus hour delay but it was well worth the wait. It came thundering by at 50mph or more, steam bellowing from its engine and the ground shaking. Once it was there, I didn’t mind the cold one bit!
Road trip! Not too far of one but we headed a couple hours east of Denver to catch this awesome steam engine as it nears the end of a months long tour celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad.
This behemoth of a train engine is 132 feet long, weighs 1.2 million pounds and is the world’s largest steam locomotive. On the first crossing we saw it at, it came flying by at probably 50mph and it shook the ground! Nothing short of impressive!
I’ll have more pics of it in the coming days but wanted to throw one out there right away. I liked the black and white as these trains definitely evoke a bygone era.
Not the usual type of bird I photograph but some that are pretty darned special. The Royal Air Force Red Arrows are on a tour of North America and made a stop in the Mile High City Monday and Tuesday.
We, unfortunately, didn’t get a full airshow however our friends from across the pond did do a series of flybys showcasing their incredible, precision flying and beautiful formations.
The Red Arrows are Britain’s equivalent to our Navy Blue Angels or Air Force Thunderbirds. They fly an upgraded version of the BAE Systems Hawk, a two-seat, high performance training jet.
The flight of nine took advantage of a gorgeous late summer day and it was a treat to be able to see these visitors from our nation’s greatest ally.
Fly me to the moon. Or, at least fly by the moon, eh?
Out taking pics last week I look up and see this airplane is going to fly right by the early evening moon. Unfortunately by the time I got my camera dismounted from the tripod and pointed at it, the plane had passed. It still makes for kind of a cool shot I think. Our moon looks absolutely fantastic against that clear, blue, Colorado sky.
As a space geek, I can’t help but look at it and look forward to the day when we can say, “There is a man (or woman!) up there!” It is hard to believe it will soon be 50 years since we first set foot on it. It has been far too long. Let’s go, NASA!
I meant to share these before the start of the new year and forgot! The day before Christmas Eve I headed out very early in the morning to capture some of the holiday lights in the Mile High City. Two iconic spots were my prime focus – Union Station and the 16th Street Mall.
Both looked absolutely gorgeous in their brilliantly lit displays. At the mall, the famous Daniels & Fisher Tower was lit up in red and green. Union Station had a similar color scheme and a beautiful display out front.
Getting out there early meant a minimum of traffic and people – and parking was easy. 😉
Something a bit different this evening. A friend of mine runs the website Complete Colorado and oftentimes needs stock images. He was wanting pictures of our local light rain system, FasTracks (or TaxTracks as I prefer to call it), and asked me if I could get some images.
Last week I was in the area of one of the stations for the new line that runs to Denver International Airport (when it works) and I stopped to snap some pictures.
The lighting was kind of harsh as it was mid-day but I was able to get some cool captures. By using a slow shutter speed (1/4 of a second) as the train pulled out of the stop I was able to blur the motion. Kind of a fun effect.
Today one of the Thunderbirds crashed after performing at the United States Air Force Academy graduation this afternoon. Thankfully it appears the pilot is okay and the crash occurred in an open field so no other people were injured or property damaged.
In a stunning coincidence on the same afternoon, Capt. Jeff Kuss was killed when practicing a U.S. Navy Blue Angels performance in Tennessee.
These men and women may perform for ‘entertainment’ and it may not be combat but that doesn’t make what they do any less dangerous. Pushing a supersonic combat figher aircraft to its limits has its risks, big risks.
This image was taken last year on May 31 at the Rocky Mountain Airshow in Aurora, Colorado.
