Category: Photography

Virginia Trip, 2018: Luray Caverns

Michael Rappa

These photos are from Luray Caverns in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The stalagmites and stalactites of the caverns create remarkable landscapes that look like scenes from an Alien film. Another attraction to look out for is the Great Stalacpipe Organ, which uses the stalactites of the cavern as pipes. When played it sounds similar to a xylophone.

I only wish I’d had my new wide-angle fast lens with me at the time (these were shot with a 50mm prime lens, which was great for the low-light conditions but limited in how much of the landscape it could capture in one photo).

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Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns: Great Stalacpipe Organ
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: Bryce Canyon Floor

Michael Rappa

After spending a couple of days in Angel Canyon at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the next leg of my southern Utah tour sent me north to stunning Bryce Canyon National Park. These are the photos I shot upon reaching the floor of Bryce Canyon after descending the Wall Street arm of the Navajo Loop and before ascending back up to the rim via the Queen’s Garden trail. The entire loop is nearly three miles, with the floor portion of the trail taking you through a pine forest. It rained a bit when I reached the bottom with some thunder in the distance, but most of the hike was pleasantly sunny and took about three hours, counting photo/lunch stops.

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Canyon floor along the Navajo/Queen’s Garden loop.
Canyon floor along the Navajo/Queen’s Garden loop.
Canyon floor along the Navajo/Queen’s Garden loop.
Canyon floor along the Navajo/Queen’s Garden loop.
Canyon floor along the Navajo/Queen’s Garden loop.
Canyon floor along the Navajo/Queen’s Garden loop.
Canyon floor along the Navajo/Queen’s Garden loop.
Canyon floor along the Navajo/Queen’s Garden loop.
Canyon floor along the Navajo/Queen’s Garden loop.
Canyon floor along the Navajo/Queen’s Garden loop.
Canyon floor along the Navajo/Queen’s Garden loop.
Canyon floor along the Navajo/Queen’s Garden loop.
Faces in the rocks.

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Around Yellowstone

Michael Rappa

This is a collection of miscellaneous photos from my visit to Yellowstone that didn’t fit into the themes of any of my previous posts, including various wildlife encounters, landmarks, scenic pullouts, and some buildings. The shots featured here run the gamut from the Montana to the Wyoming ends of the park.

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The famous Roosevelt Arch at the North Entrance.
Roadside bison encounter.
Roadside bison encounter.
Roadside bison encounter.
Just outside Lamar Valley.
Cars look like ants next to this rock.
Tatonka.
Squirrel!
Large bird in tree near Norris Geyser Basin.
Lake Yellowstone Hotel
My home for the final three nights in Yellowstone.
One photo to commemorate the half-dozen times I crossed the Continental Divide at various locations on this trip.
Old Faithful Inn
Old Faithful Inn
Kepler Cascades
This beautiful specimen was standing right in front of the lobby door of my hotel and then dashed off as soon as I opened the door. I should have taken a picture of him through the door when he was still just a couple of feet from me.
One good thing about it raining upon my arrival: I was able to get iconic shots at the entrance without other people around. One bad thing about the rain: I was only able to take one quick shot of the entrance sign that didn’t come out very sharp.

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London Trip, 2016: Carnaby Market and Picadilly Circus

Michael RappaLeave a comment

A few photos from the Carnaby pedestrian shopping market and Picadilly Circus (London’s version of Times Square), shot during my brief visit to London in February, 2016 for my sister-in-law’s wedding.

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London, England – February, 2016
London, England – February, 2016
London, England – February, 2016
London, England – February, 2016
London, England – February, 2016
London, England – February, 2016
London, England – February, 2016
London, England – February, 2016
London, England – February, 2016
London, England – February, 2016
London, England – February, 2016
London, England – February, 2016

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Canada Trip, 2016: Cape Breton Cabin and Beach

Michael Rappa1 Comment

During the Nova Scotia leg of our Canada road trip, we spent three nights at a cute little cabin in northern Cape Breton. The cabin was owned by people from Holland, and at their Dancing Moose Cafe they make this delicious Dutch dish called pannekoeken, which is basically like a thin pancake or crepe made however you want it. The first two mornings I got mine with bacon (in my pre-vegetarian days) and onions baked in, and a fried egg on top. The third morning I got one with apple and cinnamon. If you find yourself in northern Cape Breton, look up the Dancing Moose Cafe–you won’t regret it.

The cabin is a nice place to stay as well, right on the beach, where we saw dozens of seals floating off the shore, one of which is featured in the photos below.

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View from our cabin property.
View from our cabin property.
The beach in front of our cabin: long exposure shot.
The beach in front of our cabin.
The beach in front of our cabin.
Seal viewed from the beach in front of our cabin.
The beach in front of our cabin.
Rainbow in the clouds viewed from the beach in front of our cabin.
The beach in front of our cabin.
Looking toward the Dancing Moose cafe (where our landlord made delicious breakfast).
Chickens owned by our landlord–fresh eggs for breakfast!
Our cabin.

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Seattle Trip, 2019: Bainbridge Island Ferry

Michael Rappa

When I was planning my trip to Glacier National Park, the flight home was going to require a layover in one city. I believe the options were Seattle, Denver, or Chicago. I’d always wanted to visit Seattle so I decided to make a four-day stay out of it. This is the first batch of photos from my visit to the Emerald City this past September. These were all shot while riding the ferry to and from Bainbridge Island.

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View from Bainbridge Island Ferry
View from Bainbridge Island Ferry
View from Bainbridge Island Ferry
View from Bainbridge Island Ferry
View from Bainbridge Island Ferry
View from Bainbridge Island Ferry
View from Bainbridge Island Ferry
View from Bainbridge Island Ferry
View from Bainbridge Island Ferry
View from Bainbridge Island Ferry
View from Bainbridge Island Ferry
View from Bainbridge Island Ferry
View from Bainbridge Island Ferry

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Upstate New York Trip, 2015: Letchworth Middle/Upper Falls Hike

Michael Rappa

These photos are from my hike along the Middle and Upper Falls of Letchworth State Park in Upstate New York. As I’ve mentioned before, Letchworth is one of my favorite parks, rivaling some of the national parks in splendor.

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Glacier National Park, 2019: Avalanche Lake Trail

Michael Rappa

Greetings, readers, it’s been a while, but this post is hopefully the start of my renewed dedication to this blog.

Back in September I took another trip out west, this time to Glacier National Park and then Seattle. The photos below are from my final hike on my last day in Glacier. I had almost quit the Avalanche Lake Trail before the end because it was late in the day, the woods were getting dark, and I was hiking through grizzly country with very few other hikers on the trail, but I’m glad I stuck it out because the reward at the end was more than worth it: a pristine hidden lake casting a perfect mirror image of the earth and sky above, including a pair of waterfalls in the distance.

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Avalanche Lake
Avalanche Lake Trail
Avalanche Lake
Avalanche Lake Trail
Avalanche Lake
Avalanche Lake
Avalanche Lake
Avalanche Lake Trail

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

Michael Rappa

These photos are from my downtime at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah, where I volunteered in Dogtown (you can also volunteer with cats, horses, pigs, bunnies, etc.). It was a rewarding experience; I would love to return one day.

When I wasn’t volunteering, I explored the Angel Canyon area, where Best Friends is located. Unfortunately it was a mostly rainy couple of days and I wasn’t able to explore the majority of the canyon as the roads were closed for flooding, but I still managed to get a few decent shots.

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The Best Friends welcome center (right).

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