This week’s Foto Friday Fun features images chosen by 11 readers including South Africa, the desert Southwest, and many road trip memories.
Liberalwarrior chose #4951. A young male lion along the road during a morning safari ride in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Elephants may be my favorites, but lions always make my heart skip a beat.
Diane and Nigel chose #208. Looking up stream from the bottom of Grand Canyon at both of the foot bridges across the Colorado River. This being my second rim-to-rim hike I had a better idea about what to expect getting out of the canyon to the South Rim. Didn’t really make it any easier.
Gilda chose #3456. When traveling in South Africa during 2013 my friend, frequently called the bug lady, and I visited Addo Elephant National Park where we saw huge masses of Kite spider webs. Although not overly fond of spiders, I am mesmerized by their webs.
Jo chose #3500. Another side trip just to drive this South African mountain pass, Du Toitskloof.
Jennifer chose #0816. I loved my RV Imax windows view during 2014 at the North Rim Grand Canyon. This would have been my day of arrival the end of April, greeted by snow, spring buds on the Aspen, and clouds swirling in Transept Canyon.
Jeff chose #5652, “the number of miles driven thus far on Road Trip 2019.” Almost twice that many miles to the Mzamba site where I saw this 80 million year old ammonite fossil on the beach near Port Edward, South Africa on Road Trip 2014.
Rita chose #6399. The shore is diverse in Tsitsikamma National Park, South Africa, with some rocky tidepools and other sandy beaches.
Yogi chose #867, “the miles we will be driving tomorrow to get back home on our vacation this week.” Too many miles for a day drive for me, this road trip was only 355 miles from Yarnell to Death Valley. One of five in a panorama of the long valley and Panamint Range.
Pat chose #4444. I send her this Heart Arch the day before her long journey from Serbia to Seattle. The arch is located in the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine California where she may also journey near.
Sallie and Bill chose #8322. A sweet young cactus near my Sonoran desert camp along Darby Well Road. Sure hope to spend some time there again this winter.
Lisa chose #143, one of four in a panorama. Sedona Red Rock Country was just one of the places I shared on a road trip with a friend traveling from Oregon to Arizona in 2007.
My choice, yet another shot of the full moon rising above the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon from last month.
Thank you for playing along with Foto Friday Fun which allows me to share these photographs and memories. Please join in next week by leaving a number between 1 and 9999 in your comment below.
Do you have a favorite this week?
5357 for next week, Gaelyn. Comment too come later….
OK. #5357 for next week.
Cactus looks to be a ‘Arizona Barrel Cactus’ of the Genus _ Ferocactus. Species _ wislizeni. But, it could be some other Species. Like mushrooms, often hard to tell without more involved research.
Astro/Celestral photography is a tough capture because of very low light and the planet, inconveniently, inconsiderately, won’t stop for a capture. For some help for those who have some interest in the subject I recommend this primer @ _ astropix.com
Decisions, decisions. Back light or fore lighting terrestrial features in Astro photography. One is easy, the other can require involved artificial lighting. For example, there is a crater in Lava Lands N.M. in northern California. For years I have wanted to capture the Milky Way while lighting up the crater walls. Due to the size of the crater, an involved and expensive situation.
Speaking of northern California, a new ‘Dark Skies Sanctuary’, the seventh in the world has been established at ‘Massacre Ridge’ near Cedarville, California in the very N.E. corner of the state. This whole area is a dark sky opportunity. In fact, the whole N.E corner of Cali and the N.W. corner of Nevada, plus the whole S. W. quarter of Oregon has dark skies rivaling anything in the world.
I have made several trips down Oregon state Road ‘205’(an Oregon Scenic Hwy*) at night, a dark lonely ‘almost’ road that seems to run out and trickle down to a cow trail before resuming being a road a few miles later. You will think your lost and will be checking your GPS and maps. Always carry maps and a compass in the back country. This is an area of big ranches and the Steens Mountain Wilderness. A light is a rare thing, and I have never seen another vehicle on it at night. No cell service. The night sky from this road/trail is spectacular. You will cast a Star light shadow in this area of dark skies.
*Hwy. Is a misnomer. Trail is more like it.
Thanks for the bon voyage wishes and the heart arch. I hope our paths cross!
Safe travels. #1550 for next week.
Ooops. Next week, number 1550, the time on the 24-hour clock when I arrive in Seattle.
Scary spiders web, although in many ways it is also a work of art. Your moon photo is just fabulous. For next week can I have 9000? Have a good weekend 😄
Thanks. Sometimes the multiple webs would stretch 20 feet between trees. Glad I wasn’t walking. #9000 for next week.
Love the ammonite fossil Gaelyn was it too big to dig up, or aren’t you allowed to do that.?. My favourite this week is that lovely young Lion at the Krugar National Park. Can I have no 8376 for next week please.
We dug most of the way around the ammonite but it is attached to rock below the sand and the water and sand fills it almost as fast as we could dig. #8376 for next week.
Love every one but the fossil almost won first place as we will be near PE in October so we must keep a watch out. Then the moon shot appeared and that has to be the winner here, stunning. 1908 for next week please. Hope you have an enjoyable weekend, Diane and Nigel.
Thanks. Talk to Joan about the fossil site. It’s amazing. #1908 for next week.
My favorite is the hoodoomoon. Your last post, describing how much work, effort, planning and practice goes into the photograph was enlightening. I will no longer think “lucky shot!”, when I view a well composed photo. I choose 820 for next week. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks. Sometimes a good photo is about luck, or being in the right place at the right time. But it doesn’t hurt to plan either. #820 for next week.
How could one choose a favourite?! What a time you have been having!
I’ve been busily dumping photos. Gone are the days of 24 hots per roll of film, I guess I have been curating them and trying to keep my files down to 15,000!
How about #0385
I’m proud I got to your Friday post on a Friday!!!
Thanks. Why do you dump photos? I have several external drives full from all my years. That way I try to keep the hard drive space free for new stuff.
#0385 for next week. Congrats on making it Friday. But no matter anyway.
It simplifies things, Gaelyn. It is tough finding some photos, some days. I mean, how many caterpillar photos do I need??!!
All the photos today jar feelings, I hiked The Canyon (long ago) and crossed both those bridges – once! You did it twice?
For next week I’d like 1934 the year of Frankie Valli’s birth as we have tickets to the Four Seasons tonight.
I’ve hiked rim to rim five times, when I still could. Sounds like a great concert tonight. #1934 for next week.
Love the young lion looking so “chill”. Beautiful skies and landscapes – what an amazing world there is to see!
#9401 for next week please. Have a great weekend.
Yes, the world is an amazing place to see. #9401 for next week.
The lion, the cactus, the scenery… love it all, but that perfect moonshot (your choice) has to be my favorite ever …just beautiful! 819, my birthday for next week?
Thank you. And so another birthday. #819 for next week.
I love the lion photo especially after talking to a relative in southeast South Dakota who swears he has seen mountain lions on his property several times over the years he has lived there.
In keeping with the mileage theme. I drove 614 miles from South Dakota back to Tulsa this week, so there is my number.
I’ve only seen a mountain lion in the wild once, fleetingly, as it jumped across a forest road 50 feet in front of me.
#614 for next week.