Monterey Oct 2013 and digascoping

Took a day trip to Monterey to take some pictures and see how the camera works with the spotting scope.  It was a beautiful day for a drive to bird rock on the 17 mile drive.  We also enjoyed spending time on the wharf and eating grilled artichokes for lunch and deep-fried artichokes for a snack.  I was really pleased with some of the results I got diga scoping.  Can hardly wait to use this set-up when I go birding in Aransas Pass in Feb. March.




This is bird rock looking through the camera.

this is picture taken by diga-scoping hooking my camera up to the spotting scope.  Scope was set up from location of the above picture.

Yosemite National Park 2013

My uncle Roger was visiting us so mom decided that we would take a day and visit Yosemite National Park.  We entered the park via the entrance near the big trees.  Then drove to Glacier point.  After visiting Glacier Point, we drove down to the Valley floor.  Saw the movie that the park has to offer, great one.  Had lunch at the grill, got to see a bear, and were able to watch a couple of mountain climbers on El Capitan.  It was a beautiful day in the park.

Half dome

El Capitan

mountain climber

Yellowstone National Park Wildlife

We spent a week in upper Yellowstone this year so we were able to see lots of wildlife.  We camped at Mammoth campgrounds, which was the only campground that was first come first serve with sites large enough for our rig.  Another reason for choosing that campground was that it was close to Lamar Valley where the wolves hang out.  We were able to see the wolves this year, all we had to do was get up at 4:00 am and drive till we found where all the people with large spotting scopes were hanging out.  We went looking for wolves 3 times and saw them twice.  This year we saw, eagles, buffalo, deer, grizzly, black bear, moose, elk, coyote, and goats.

the wolves were very far away.  But there were 3 of them

Yellowstone National Park Mid Geysers and Old Faithful

It was a cloudy day when we sent to see the Mid Geysers and Old Faithful.  It was also cool which meant that the geysers produced a lot of steam.  We were able to see Old Faithful spout off before we had to head for shelter to get out of the rain.

                                                                Old Faithful

Yellowstone National Park Norris Geyser Basin

Norris Geyser Basin is divided into 2 trails, 2 long trails with a steep climb to get out.  We walked the loop on the left and I took pictures of the loop on the right, which was the steepest of the 2.  Don’t miss the Norris Geyser Basin if you get to Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone 2013

There are many places to view the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  Some of the places are short walks, while others are long and steep.  We were able to see an eagle on our way to the Canyon and a grizzly on our way out of the canyon.  If you go to Yellowstone, be sure to see this part of the park.

Yellowstone National Park, Mudpots, Roaring Mt. Sulphur Caldron, 2013

We were able to visit the Mud pots, Roaring Mt., and Sulphur Caldron all in one day.  No walking to see Roaring Mt. or Sulphur Caldron, but in order to see all of the mud pots, you will have to walk uphill and follow the boardwalk.  We were also able to see 2 buffalo at the top of the Mud pot trail.