Lake Nakuru
Trying to avoid some airport closures due to winter storms I decided to fly to Kenya two days before the official start of our tour. Ryan Snider – our guide – had suggested I could spend these extra days at Lake Nakuru National Park and was kind enough to arrange for a car and driver for me. Lake Nakuru is a shallow alkaline lake located in the Great Rift Valley. It is known for its large amount of Flamingos, but the recent drought in Kenya caused the water level to drop and most of the flamingos left. Fortunately it started to rain in recent weeks, the water level is starting to rise and the flamingos are slowly returning.
But there is plenty of other wild life here. On our evening game drive we came upon a white rhino and its calf, water buffalo, hyenas, gazelles and a pride of lions ready to go on the hunt for some wart hogs. It seemed to be a half-hearted attempt and the wart hogs got away.
The next morning we left for another game drive after a very early breakfast. We took my luggage along so we would not have to worry about being back in time for check-out from the camp. It was a drizzly and rainy morning. It did not take along until we found a group of Rothschild giraffe. We followed them for quite some time and I was able to get some nice shots of them.
Shortly after leaving the giraffes Steve, my driver, noticed something in the brush across a large field. It was a black rhino with its calf! It stayed in the brush for a long time and we patiently waited in the hope it would come out into the field. Just when both mother and baby decided to finally appear another vehicle came down the road and scared them off. Fortunately I was able to get at least one picture before they disappeared. I still have no clue how Steve was able to spot them. He was driving on a narrow dirt road, it was drizzly and the rhino was so well hidden (and at quite a distance) that at first I had a tough time seeing them even after he pointed them out to me. Eagle eyes and plenty of practice, I guess.
Hoh Rainforest
October 7th
I got a very early start yesterday to drive about 1 hr from La Push to the Hoh Rainforest. I wanted to get there early before the bright sunlight made photographing in the forest impossible. I arrived just as it started to get light and headed down the Hall of Mosses trail. It was a beautiful hike but the light did change rather quickly. Nevertheless I was still able to capture a few pictures of this magical place.
Afterward I continued my journey towards Bainbridge Island. I drove past beautiful Lake Crescent and stopped for a hike along the Hurricane Ridge Trail with a wonderful view of the Olympic mountains. It was mid-day, so the light was far from ideal for photography, but it was still a very enjoyable hike. I can’t believe people ride their bicycle up here. It is a 18 mile long road, going from sea level to 5700 feet (1700 m).
After spending the night on Bainbridge Island I took the early morning ferry to Seattle. I stopped by Art Wolfe’s gallery and enjoyed his “Travels to the Edge” exhibit before continuing to the airport for my flight home.
This is most certainly a beautiful part of the country and I can’t wait to travel back there and explore it further.
Reflection Lake and Second Beach
October 5th, 2009
A long day. I got up very early to drive to the Reflection Lakes in the hope of getting a nice shot of Mount Rainier at sunrise since the weather was finally clearing up. It was worth the early wake-up call! I arrived still in the dark so I was able to get a picture of the mountain as the first rays of sun touched it and the beautiful image was reflected in the lake below. It was a cold morning and there was frost on the grass surrounding the lake. It was a wonderful and peaceful experience. For this image I used a circular polarizer and a Singh-Ray 3stop soft step ND Filter to balance the light in the scene.
Afterward I headed back to the hotel, packed my belongings and drove 6 hours to La Push on the Olympic Peninsula. I had checked the tide forecast and was happy to see that I should have a nice low tide to photograph the sunset at Second Beach. I had never been to Second Beach before and was quite overwhelmed by the beautiful scenery. There is about a 1 mile hike through the forest and you will already get a glimpse of the sea stacks before you arrive at the beach. I was lucky to catch the sun as it was setting behind one of the sea stacks.
After the sun set, the sky turned into beautiful shades of pink and purple reflecting in the wet sand. Some light clouds arrived just in time to make the sky a bit more interesting. Again, the light in the scene was balanced using a Polarizer and Singh-Ray ND filter.
Mount Rainier workshop
October 4th, 2009
I just spent three days at Mount Rainier in a wonderful workshop led by Art Wolfe , Gavriel Jecan and Jay Goodrich. Just like the workshop in June in Acadia National Park, it was a fantastic learning experience with interesting lectures and plenty of field time. Even so Mount Rainier decided to shroud itself in clouds, rain and snow we had plenty of subject matter to shoot. The overcast conditions provided the perfect light in the beautiful old-growth forest.
Some early snow fall provided a nice photo opportunity with the fall colors getting turned into a pastel landscape.
Beate Dalbec's Blog 