Tag: waterfalls

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.

Click on any photo to open a gallery.

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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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.

Click on any photo to open a gallery.

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Canada Trip, 2016: Cape Enrage and Fundy National Park

Michael RappaLeave a comment

The photos below are from my visits to Cape Enrage and Fundy National Park on August 29, 2016.

My wife and I first drove to Cape Enrage, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch next to the lighthouse before taking a walk around the grounds. They have rappelling and ziplining at Cape Enrage, but unfortunately the zipline from the cliff down the the beach was closed due to the wind. Bummer.

After leaving Cape Enrage we drove to Hopewell and hiked out to the beach among the famous rocks at low tide (this experience will be recounted in a forthcoming post).

During our hike back from the beach at Hopewell the skies opened and drenched us, but by the time we got back to our chalet in Alma, it was sunny again, so we headed out to nearby Fundy National Park for an early evening hike along a small waterfall trail. It was beautiful, like a stroll through Middle Earth, and peaceful—we had the entire trail to ourselves.

Later that evening we enjoyed one of the best pasta meals I’ve ever had (yes, in Canada!) at a place called An Octopus’ Garden Cafe. Pasta is made fresh with sauce customized exactly how you want it (I chose a spicy red sauce). Highly recommended. I would make a trip back to Alma just to eat there again.

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Upstate New York Trip, 2015: Letchworth Lower Falls and Bridge

Michael Rappa

These photos are from my September 2015 visit to Letchworth State Park in Upstate New York, covering my hikes of the trails leading to the stone footbridge across the Genesee River, the Lower Falls, and down to the floor of the gorge at the site of a lost town called St. Helena. Despite not being a national park, Letchworth is among the more beautiful American parks you’re likely to visit.

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Michael Rappa

Seems appropriate, as I count down to my upcoming trip to the actual Grand Canyon, to share some photos of a different “grand canyon” in Yellowstone National Park. My day at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone included a couple of hikes along the spectacular gorge with nice views of the lower falls, a short hike to the brink of the upper falls, and a stroll to a secluded area of the Yellowstone River just ahead of the falls. Of the many fascinating areas in Yellowstone, this among its most beautiful.

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Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: View from Artist Point
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: View from Artist Point
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: View from Artist Point
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: View from Artist Point
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: Brink of the Upper Falls
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: Brink of the Upper Falls
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: Brink of the Upper Falls
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: I hiked all the way down to the boardwalk below. It was a long climb back up.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: View from Red Rock Point Trail
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: View from Red Rock Point Trail
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: View from Red Rock Point Trail
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: View from Red Rock Point Trail
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Multnomah Falls

Michael Rappa

On my way from Portland to Mount Hood I decided to take a detour to view the majestic Multnomah Falls. It was well worth the trip, though I narrowly avoided a situation that could have left me stranded there all day. As one of the photos below shows, a pair of RVs got themselves stuck together on the narrow road leading to the main parking lot, creating a massive traffic backup in both directions. Had I arrived earlier, I might have been stuck on the wrong side of that jam. Luckily, the RV crunch happened before I arrived, so I parked further away near a smaller waterfall and hiked to the main falls. I didn’t have time to hike up to the bridge but I got a few nice shots from below.

Click on any photo below to open a gallery.

These two RVs got themselves stuck together on the narrow road leading to the main parking lot, creating a massive traffic backup in both directions. If I had arrived earlier I might have been stuck there all day, but luckily I parked further away near a smaller waterfall and hiked to the main falls. It was still a chore getting back out because traffic was backed up past my car when I returned and I had to wait for someone to let me out, but it would have been so much worse if I had been stuck on the other side of those RVs.

The RVs were still stuck together when I left, causing traffic to back up past my car, so I had to wait for someone to let me out before I could turn the car around and leave, but it could have been much worse. I felt sorry for everyone who was stranded there because it did not appear that those RVs were getting unstuck anytime soon, but I made it back to the highway and was soon on my way up to Mount Hood.

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: The Movie

Michael Rappa

This compilation of the videos I shot on my trip last summer includes footage of Mount Hood, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Devils Tower, and drives through Shoeshone and Bighorn national forests, Spearfish Canyon, and Custer State Park. I sped up the driving videos for effect and time—I wasn’t really driving that fast. 🙂

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American Northwest Trip 2017 – The Panoramas

Michael Rappa1 Comment

At last, nearly five months after returning from my trip out West, I finished processing my final batch of photos (sometimes this photography hobby is like having a second job). This collection of horizontal and vertical panoramas feature photos from my visits to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, as well as Mount Rushmore and Portland, Oregon.

Uncharacteristically for me, I took almost no real panorama shots on this trip. In fact, only two of the photos below were shot as panoramas. The rest were created by stitching together pairs of similar shots that I thought would look better combined than as individual photos.

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Mormon Row – Grand Teton National Park – August, 2017
Cathedral Group – Grand Teton National Park – August, 2017
Brink of the Upper Falls – Yellowstone National Park – August, 2017
Grand Teton National Park – August, 2017
Old Faithful – Yellowstone National Park – August, 2017
Snake River – Grand Teton National Park – August, 2017
Lake Yellowstone – Yellowstone National Park – August, 2017
Hayden Valley – Yellowstone National Park – August, 2017
Grand Prismatic Spring – Yellowstone National Park – August, 2017
Excelsior Geyser Crater – Yellowstone National Park – August, 2017
Dragon’s Mouth Spring – Yellowstone National Park – August, 2017
Grand Teton National Park – August, 2017
Grand Teton National Park – August, 2017
View of Mount Rushmore from a scenic lookout on Iron Mountain Road – South Dakota – September, 2017
View from my apartment- Portland, Oregon – August, 2017
Lamar Valley – Yellowstone National Park – August, 2017

Photo of the Day: Fundy Waterfall

Michael RappaLeave a comment

This photo is from an early evening hike in Fundy National Park along a small waterfall trail. The hike was beautiful, like a stroll through Middle Earth, and peaceful–we had the entire trail to ourselves.

Date: 8/29/2016
Camera: Nikon D5100
Click for larger view

You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.

Upstate New York: The Movie

Michael RappaLeave a comment

I finally got around to editing the videos from our September 2015 trip to Upstate New York. This movie features visits to the beautiful state parks of Letchworth and Watkins Glen, as well as a day trip to Niagara Falls.

The movie is accompanied by Neptune, the Mystic, the sublime 7th movement of Holst’s The Planets. You can view it in 1080p via the video quality settings.

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