American Kestrel

Ron NiebruggeAnza-Borrego, California, Photos, Travel 13 Comments

American Kestrel

American Kestrel

I think this is a beautiful falcon.  He has been hunting around our campsite in Borrego at least once a day since we arrived here.  Friday, I was finally able to photograph him!  I noticed he often returned to this specific cactus, so Friday I set up on it and waited.  It worked!  I also have some full frame closeups, but kind of prefer this version which shows more cactus.

I have seen these guys in Denali on numerous occasions, but have been unable to get close enough for a descent image.  It is fun to watch a bird like this up close.

Wrightwood California

Ron NiebruggeCalifornia, Los Angeles, Photos, Travel 8 Comments

The Yankee Peddler, Wrightwood, California.

The Yankee Peddler, Wrightwood, California.

 For me, the Yankee Peddler isn’t just a cool little photogenic store in Wrightwood, but it is also owned and operated by my sister-in-law Brenda.

We spent Christmas with family in Wrightwood, where I think they had as much snow as we did in Alaska.  It is interesting what happens when it snows in the mountains so close to a huge, snow-less city like Los Angeles – thousands of people flock there to play in the snow.  The traffic was pretty crazy, but it looked like people with sleds and snowballs were having a lot of fun.

Crazy Weather

Ron NiebruggeCalifornia, Photos, San Diego, Travel 6 Comments

Down powerlines Julian, California.

Down power lines in Julian, California.

I’m not a lineman or electrician, heck, I can struggle with on / off switches –  but I don’t think this meets code.  🙂

There are few places in the U.S. that have avoided winter storms this past week, but I don’t know if anyplace looked more unique then the upper Mojave desert.  I was there this weekend and there is still a good two feet of snow on the ground!  One person told me they received more snow last week, then they have in the last 18 years combined.

That much snow on the jumbo rocks and Joshua Trees was absolutely beautiful.  I snuck away from family activities Saturday evening for some sunset photography.  I had hoped to come away with a photo for today, but ended up getting my 4 wheel drive truck so buried in the snow that it took me a hour and a half just to dig it out!  By the time I was out, it was dark, and I was just happy to be driving. 

In the future when I drive down that narrow dusty dirt road in the heat of the desert, it will be hard to imagine anyone could ever get stuck in snow!

Julian California

Ron NiebruggeCalifornia, Photos, San Diego, Travel 13 Comments

Julian California

Julian California

We made it up to Julian, California yesterday.  It sure looked great with all the fresh snow.  There was a good foot or more of fresh, wet snow still on the ground.

Julian is a cool little historic gold mining town that has a lot of character and charm.  It seems to be a popular choice for magazines doing stories like “Best Places to Live in the U.S.” or “Best Small Towns in America”  Stories like that are a great way to ruin a good thing, but besides too much traffic, it is still a neat little place.  O yeah, it is also famous for it’s apple pies – and they are good!Read More

Desert Winter Wonderland

Ron NiebruggeAnza-Borrego, California, Photos, Travel 7 Comments

It was pretty amazing to see snow down this low into Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.  There was snow on the ground, and branches broken off the trees at the Tamarisk Grove Campground, just a bit over 1,500 feet above sea-level!  It was beautiful!

We tried to drive up to Julian to get photos of this popular tourist destination in snow, but the CHP had the road closed.  If they closed roads in Alaska every time a foot of snow feel on the ground, we wouldn’t get much done.  I was a bit frustrated at first, but then after seeing people (at least some) driving like maniacs, in vehicles totally unprepared for snow – I realized that it was a good thing the state government made decisions for people down here, otherwise it would be chaos!  We will try to get to Jullian again tomorrow – I would like to get there before the snow melts off the trees.

For those familiar with this area, this was a mile or two up the Plum Canyon Trail.

On TV !

Ron NiebruggeMoab, Photos, Travel, Utah 11 Comments

MSNBC

MSNBC

On Friday, as we were getting ready to head out the door, MSNBC contacted us for an image of Arches National Park.  The photo was aired along with a story on the last minute law changes being made by the outgoing Bush Administration – one of which would allow drilling on the outskirts of Arches National Park.  It happened quick – the photo was on the air just over an hour after they contacted us, so I decided to grab a quick photo of the TV.

This Saturday night, a couple of my photos of Spokane will accompany the ESPN’s coverage of a Gonzaga basketball game.

Palms and Snow

Ron NiebruggeAnza-Borrego, California, Photos, Travel 8 Comments

Snow on the mountains rising above Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.

Snow on the mountains rising above Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.

Between a multi hour road closure leaving Seward, below zero temperatures in Alaska, snow and ice in Seattle, and almost an inch of rain in Palm Springs – our travels were interesting, but all in all, went very smoothly.

It seems strange to see palm trees and snow in the mountains surrounding the desert, and it sounds like much more is in store for this area tomorrow.