A once in a lifetime picture

dbCooper · March 3

Very cool!

Botch · March 3

Do they sell lottery tickets in Britain? Damn nice!

Buckwoody Egger · March 3

now that is stormbringin’ it, nice pic

Stormbringer · March 3

Buckwoody Egger said:

now that is stormbringin’ it, nice pic

Nice one.

Thanks folks. Bucket list item achieved.

Stormbringer · March 3

Next goal ... ISS over the moon. I have an app that will tell me that though, rather than relying on blind luck like last night.

Canugghead · March 3

You're becoming a cat

GrateEggspectations · March 3

Great shots, @Mickey and @Stormbringer.

Paolo · March 5

Cool picture! I love astrophotography so much.
Let's wait for the ISS now

YukonRon · March 10

We were back out in the Rockies, and decided to climb a 10,000 + above sea level peak called Deer Moutain. When in your 60’s with bad ankles, bad knees and a bad back, your elevation climbs are not as high as before.

I submitted this bad boy, and I was using my altimeter to help me find the spike that establishes the elevation, along with the Latitude and longitude, placed by the USGS. Kind of a thing with me.

I was walking, looking down, not really paying attention to my surroundings, because I was still below the treeline (11,000 feet in the Front Range of mountains in Colorado, where above that elevation trees do not grow) so finding it was a challenge due to fallen branches, ground cover, etc.

As I was strolling through the forested peak, I heard a very loud screeching grunt, nothing I have heard before from all other wildlife encounters.

It caused me to freeze, when I looked up, about ten meters away, I saw a crouching female moose, whose shoulders when standing would have been several inches above my head.

I immediately thought of the fact more people are killed in Colorado by moose than any other animal (mostly from car accidents). So I did what any skilled alpiner would do, I turned and ran as fast as I could to escape, what I thought was imminent death…

I ran, still hearing her scream and grunting, thinking I would be a statistic, kind of my luck, and found a rocky ridge for me to climb and escape, because any moose that climbed 10,000 feet surely could not climb two more meters to get to me… (just plain stupid thinking there)

Upon that ridge I decided to look back to see how close she was and if I lost her. What I saw was a moose giving birth.

The following images are not very good, but when taken my hands and arms and backpack was filled with climbing equipment, as I fumbled around to get my IPhone I dropped a couple of times.

If you zoom in, you will see her standing, with her calf beneath her. You can still see the afterbirth on her.

I watched her clean her calf and also watch the calf stand on wobbly legs, and began to nurse. Admiringly I was amazed to see this and did not immediately think to capture the moment, as it unfurled.

Again I apologize for the poor quality, but I thought I would share my once in a lifetime experience.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/rz/bslqmr4n1if0.jpeg

YukonRon · March 10

Also just a few more images.

I don’t know why I was not expecting to see turkey on my way up (about 8000 feet above sea lever) but there you are, and a few elk grazing, then a massive heard as we were leaving the western end of RMNP.

If you do not see Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park, you are sleeping.

PSA: Keep a distance from all wildlife, for your protection and their’s. Don’t become the idiot, social media will make of you, should your close encounter go poorly.

dbCooper · March 10

@YukonRon - Thanks for the write up and your pics, great stuff. RMNP is truly a national treasure, luckily I'm only about 7 hours away and get to experience it at least once a year.

YukonRon · March 10

dbCooper said:

@YukonRon - Thanks for the write up and your pics, great stuff. RMNP is truly a national treasure, luckily I'm only about 7 hours away and get to experience it at least once a year.

We are in the final stages of getting our home ready for the market now that we have retired.

Once we do, we will be looking forward a place out west. We had a bid on some property a couple years ago, but the deal fell through when we had it inspected and most of what he had listed was fallacious at best. We have been looking around the western slopes and the sw part of the state, as well as Washington, Oregon, Wyoming NM and Montana.

it seems the market is flooding right now due to the economy. We will see once our home is sold.

We may run into each other sometime?

Stormbringer · March 10

Lovely pics @YukonRon we were in RMNP a few years ago, lovely place and this bought back some good memories.

YukonRon · March 10

Stormbringer said:

Lovely pics @YukonRon we were in RMNP a few years ago, lovely place and this bought back some good memories.

My Beautiful wife and I are summiters. We are invested in the 14 ers safety and preservation. We have added may notches in Colorado and share the same appreciation you have for the National Park.

Thank you for the kind words, and hope you are doing well.

Stormbringer · April 24

Patience is a virtue apparently ... I got a full video clip of this, which a local camera shop put up in their Facebook feed https://www.facebook.com/share/r/18R7d7d7uZ/

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/na/8vjz1jekl0zv.png

EGGjlmh · April 26

YukonRon said:

I love that image! Thank you for sharing.

This was mine @14,000+ asf. This mountain goat followed us to the peak and photobombed us.Zoom in look over Suzy’s shoulder in the back.

UUnbelievable climb for us, given the bad knees, ankles, hips and back. We always take a victory image and this was timed…tried four times to get it. Then just said flicker it, we are just going to take this one and head back down, after 4-5 times at a timed flash, (usually it is a tight hug and a kiss).

We had no idea until we got home.

I had knee surgery 6 weeks before. We had never thought we would summit.

Wow, as fat as you are I'm surprised you didn't pass out on that trek up there. Nice

Begger · April 26

Amazing what you can do with photoshop.
I'd like to know what Lens was used for the moon shots? That kind of glass ain't cheap and not all camera makers will have such in the catelogue.....

Here is a shot I took at the zoo. It is a Single exposure, without 'tricks' or manipulations.....

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/8d/rsdxwdxjwgav.jpg

bluebird66 · April 27

Begger said:

Amazing what you can do with photoshop.
I'd like to know what Lens was used for the moon shots? That kind of glass ain't cheap and not all camera makers will have such in the catelogue.....

Here is a shot I took at the zoo. It is a Single exposure, without 'tricks' or manipulations.....

Beautiful photo, I've recently dug out my photo gear and starting shooting again.

Stormbringer · April 27

Begger said:

Amazing what you can do with photoshop.
I'd like to know what Lens was used for the moon shots? That kind of glass ain't cheap and not all camera makers will have such in the catelogue.....

Here is a shot I took at the zoo. It is a Single exposure, without 'tricks' or manipulations.....

Seestar S50 smart telescope $549, no additional kit. No complicated post processing, just took a still from the video footage I shot and lightened it up in Photos on the IPhone.

Begger · April 28

550$ is pretty good for that scope. I'd have to see the big file or even the RAW file on a good monitor to be sure, but for my usage, It'd do......

BTW? The really big / long lenses for Nikon and Canon....and presumably other makers who go to the trouble, can run 5 digits. These are large, specialty lenses used a lot by 'birder' and other nature guys as well as some sports use........but ya gotta be quick.....

A once in a lifetime picture

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