Kaibab Forest Sunset

Sunset, Warm Fire burn, Kaibab National Forest, Arizona

August on the Kaibab Plateau, the "mountain lying down" to the Paiute Indians. The high (7,000-9,000) gently curved mountain with no peaks, raised up from the Marble Platform down below by the Earth's ever flexing forces.

Near the edge of the now eight year old burn left by 1996's Warm Fire (an ironic name for such a massive, hot fire, almost 60,000 acres) I took advantage of the opening in the forest to admire some sunset cloud colors. The day had been one of summer monsoon thundershower activity, but all around me rather than on me. The leftover thunderhead and cumulus clouds reflected the setting sun, and the Ponderosa pine trees provided some nice silhouette shapes.

Photo location: North Kaibab Ranger District, Kaibab National Forest, between Jacob Lake and North Rim of Grand Canyon, Coconino County, Arizona. 

Evening Cows, Coconino County

Cattle at sunset amongst the volcanic cinder cones at the northern edge of the San Francisco Volcanic Field, north of Flagstaff, Arizona.

Mountain Ranch in January, Northern Arizona

[Photo: Morning, Pittman Valley and Sitgreaves Mountain, Coconino County, Arizona.
Click on image for larger version.]

Snowy scenery on a still, frozen winter morning in the Pittman Valley of northern Arizona. Coyote tracks are the first visible sign on the snow's surface after a winter storm passed through.

In the distance is the long, lumpy form of Sitgreaves Mountain, an extinct lava dome volcano.

Between Parks and Williams, Coconino County, Arizona.

Sunrise Colors, Pittman Valley

Intense dawn colors in the east over the San Francisco Peaks, from Pittman Valley between Parks and Williams, Arizona.

As usual, it's the positioning of the clouds above the horizon that determines how the colors will be. The clouds reflect the rays of the yet-unrisen sun. If there are no clouds, the colors will be greatly subdued. Too many clouds and the colors will be cut off. 

In this image, some ponds in the foreground added a powerful reflection accent.

Also see my Grand Canyon Photography Blog, and my YouTube channel. 

Sunset Light, Antelope Hills

Early December "golden hour"  evening light on two of the old cinder cone volcanoes that are collectively called the Antelope Hills. These are on the Babbitt Ranches north of the San Francisco Peaks and Flagstaff, in northern Arizona.

The summer's grasses and forbs have long since turned straw yellow, warming up nicely with the low angle of the sun. Some nice clouds accented the trademark Arizona blue sky.

Also see my Grand Canyon Photography Blog!

Arizona Meadow Daisies

Daisies in a mountain meadow, Coconino County, Arizona

August, 2012: Much of the U.S. is suffering from one of the worst droughts in memory.

Meanwhile, it's been wet in northern Arizona, of all places! Our late summertime monsoon season is in full swing, and we have been getting soaked with rain showers almost every day. Our springtime was typically sunny, windy, and dry, and the wildfire danger gradually raised to the Very High rating, prompting a ban on campfires. Even charcoal in grills. We went a near-record 65 straight days without precipitation after the snow melted. 

Finally, the monsoon season began. The moisture arrived from the Pacific Ocean, the clouds started to build each morning, and rain showers began. Blessed rain. Visitors from back East were puzzled to come to Arizona to be dodging rain storms and lightning. Sometimes hail, too. 

In this photo, I was exploring a small mountain meadow near Flagstaff, where I live. The daisies were in bloom, and the rich green grass of the meadow along the fringes of a small pond made for a vibrant background.