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Category: photography

21 March 2023

Chasing the moon Kofa to Owl Arizona

Saguaro desert Kofa Mts sunset moon King Rd BLM Kofa AZStayed at my Kofa camp and shot the pre-full moon for a few nights before clouds settled in.  Then left, chasing the moon first to cloudy Yuma followed by clear skies in *Owl, Arizona.

desert Kofa Mts moon King Rd BLM Kofa AZI spent four days chasing the moon before it was full, starting at my Kofa camp.

Saguaro moon King Rd BLM Kofa AZ

Saguaro moon King Rd BLM Kofa AZSadly, I wasn’t always paying enough attention to see it break over the horizon during a cloudless afternoon.  But I did have fun shooting the moon with the big Saguaro cactus next to my camp.

Northern Mockingbird in flight cactus King Rd BLM Kofa AZAnd I tried for birds.  They’re so fast, this Mockingbird didn’t pose for long.  Would have been really cool to catch a bird on the cactus with the moon nearby.  I’ll have to work on that.

mt bird moon rise King Rd BLM Kofa AZ

Saguaro desert mt moon rise King Rd BLM Kofa AZI was way more prepared the following day and under clear sky found myself chasing the moon up over the horizon of the rugged Kofa Mountains, not for the first time.

Saguaro mt moon King Rd BLM Kofa AZAnd still played with the cactus.

sunset clouds King Rd BLM Kofa AZPlus enjoyed a lovely sunset.

Mockingbird Saguaro King Rd BLM Kofa AZThe next day’s clouds didn’t forebode well for chasing the moon.  Yet a bland gray sky makes a nice background for shooting birds.  And when I’m inside editing video, like this one about safe boondocking in bad desert weather, the camper acts like a bird-hide.

Mockingbird Saguaro King Rd BLM Kofa AZAnd if the windows are clean enough some shots come out pretty good among the scores of lousy ones.  Bonus is listening to the elaborate song of the Mockingbird, named for their ability to mimic everything from sirens to other bird species.  I don’t talk to them for fear of them sharing my secrets.

desert Chocolate Mts sunset clouds King Rd BLM Kofa AZBummer about clouds obscuring the moon however did bring on a delightful sunset.

Coyote

Sierra in bed King Rd BLM Kofa AZSierra when I tell her “We’re going to roll.”

In the morning I discovered the trail-cam caught a coyote after dark, and that the camper was out of propane.  The later meaning I have no choice but to move to a town for a refill.

desert Kofa Mts sunrise clouds King Rd BLM Kofa AZ

bumper rock collection King Rd BLM Kofa AZAnd being clouds were predicted through the day and into the night my decision sent me toddling south to Yuma.  So I said a sad goodbye to the Kofa Mountains and my lovely rock collection and hit the road.

RVs BLM-VFW Yuma AZAfter filling both propane tanks and getting a few groceries I ended up back at the BLM-VFW camp just north of town.  Thank goodness for just one night, with cloud cover there was no chasing the moon.

Sierra cat in bedI left that crazy camp by 9am, rather early for me, to visit Joann plus shower, laundry, fill water bottles, and she fed me.  We talked about improving ourselves, looking for the right words, and so far like “evolving” meaning change and growth.  I love our mind expanding conversations.  Left her place to dump tanks and drop off garbage bags for free at the Speedway.  Then hopped on Interstate 8 east to continue chasing the moon from my next camp.

desert Mohawk Mts Owl AZ

purple Phacalia flowers Mohawk Mts Owl AZred flowering Ocotillo Mohawk Mts Owl AZ

                                       Phacelia                                                                Ocotillo

Exit Mohawk Valley, where I didn’t actually go.  Years ago I tripped on a little piece of BLM land in the Mohawk Mountains with many small drainages that offered wildflowers at this time of year.  Sadly, not as many this year but still a pretty place.

camp view E Hist80 & I8 Mohawk Valley Owl AZAnd not a bad place to boondock considering how close to the Interstate and railroad.  You can see that camp in this video.

moon light behind Mohawk Mts Owl AZmoon light clouds behind Mohawk Mts Owl AZ

full moon rising clouds Mohawk Mts Owl AZfull moon rise Mohawk Mts Owl AZ

Even with some clouds I did watch the moon rise over the Mohawk Mountains well after dark but was too lazy to set up the tripod so handheld doesn’t come out very good.

desert full moon set Mohawk Mts BLM Owl AZ

full moon set bushes Mohawk Mts BLM Owl AZBut the following morning came out much better as the moon set and ended March’s time for chasing the moon.

Next stop Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and here’s the road trip to get there.

*Owl, Arizona was established as a water station at Mohawk Mountain pass in 1870.  Later a garage and dance hall was built and people came from 50 miles away to dance.  The town burned in the early 1960s and is now privately owned by J.L. Foraker.

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Arizona, full moon, Kofa NWR, photography, Places I've been, Sonoran desert, United States, Yuma boondocking, full moon, moon, photography, Sonoran Desert 13 Comments
24 August 2022

Intermittent Arizona monsoon rain around my valley

view E sunset cloud Skull Valley AZMy heart just isn’t into writing a blog post.  I can’t even imagine why you’re here, reading this.  Week after week of Arizona monsoon rain.  Hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoy making them.  I suspect a high percentage of readers only come for the photos anyway.  That’s OK by me.  Thanks.

view E storm clouds rainbow Skull Valley AZI’ve come to the conclusion, that by hook or crook, I will NOT be on the ranch next year during July and August monsoon rain.  Wasn’t the original plan for this year, but shit happens.

rainbow view E SKull Valley AZI have almost seen a full year in Skull Valley.  So, I’m telling myself I was meant to be here for the heat, followed by monsoon, humidity, and storm energy.

view W Cumulus clouds Skull Valley AZI’ve had endless time to shoot video, time-lapse, and series photos of rapidly changing cloud patterns.

view E stormy sky Skull Valley AZInstead of thinking lazy, it’s about learning at a slower pace.  Some days just move slower than others.  The storms are exciting.

camera in window cow butt view E Skull Valley AZ

cow thru window Skull Valley AZI’ve tried to capture lightning with the camera set on tripod and timer but instead I caught cows.

timed storm view E Skull Valley AZ

timed storm view E Skull Valley AZ

timed storm view E Skull Valley AZAnd ended up with 70 images of the same view under a changing sky…

timed storm view E Skull Valley AZ

timed storm view E Skull Valley AZ

timed storm view E Skull Valley AZ…then selected six at five minutes apart for a fun series almost like a time-lapse.  But no lightning.

stormy sky view E Skull Valley AZ

reverse sunset mushroom mammatus clouds Skull Valley AZ PanoMost of my recent photos are taken from inside because the bugs eat me up and I swell and itch something terrible.  They even get me in the house.  After a long day inside putting out a video about Watson Lake I ventured out for some panoramic shots that didn’t include the power pole or lines.  But not for long, as our tall damp grasses and weeds offer perfect breeding ground for those aggressive skeeters.

view E sunset cloud Skull Valley AZ

view E sunset cloud Skull Valley AZ

view E sunset cloud Skull Valley AZThe sunset was magnificent and I took another series of shots this time on the phone over 35 minutes of dramatic change.

view E sunset cloud Skull Valley AZ

view E sunset cloud Skull Valley AZ

view E sunset cloud Skull Valley AZShould have taken time-lapse.

Now that I’ve figured it out, I’m hooked on time-lapse.  Once the camera is set up I can mostly ignore it and work on the computer.  So instead of gazing endlessly at the cumulus clouds billow and blow in a hypnotic dance, I watch later in accelerated time.  I’ll use those in a video about Arizona monsoon rain.

lightning strikes 8-17-22storm splits around my door step

Downloaded a lightning tracker app that mimics the radar storm patterns that most frequently miss my valley and move over the mountains.

reverse sunset clouds Skull Valley AZMonsoon rain makes for colorful sunsets.

Gray squirrel Skull Valley AZI moved the trail cam thinking I’d catch the playful squirrel family on the wood pile jungle gym.  The woodpile is too busy of a pattern for background, and the squirrels are small, though entertaining to watch through a window.

view W sunset clouds Skull Valley AZWest Brushy Mt

view E sunset clouds Skull Valley AZEast Bradshaw Mts

Not all the rain misses me.  Sometimes I see lightning less than a mile or two away and I’ve felt the thunder right overhead.  I love that energy and am glad to be well grounded on rubber tires.

Brushy Mt sun shaft clouds Iron Springs Rd Skull Valley AZRecognize Brushy Mt?

raining view S clouds Iron Springs Rd Skull Valley AZI seem to experience the heaviest of monsoon rain on town days in Prescott.  The drive home showed some ominous skies.

water flow Skull Valley washI’d never seen Skull Valley wash flow let alone churn it’s muddy waves.  Made me wonder if my driveway wash would be passable.

cows in driveway Skull Valley AZRan into a cow jam in the driveway as they helped themselves to my neighbors load of expensive hay for her horses.  Thankful to drive across my merely damp wash made it easier to unload the days spoils.

reverse sunset Bradshaw Mts Skull Valley AZ

view NE rainbow Skull Valley AZThose heavy clouds dropped only gentle rain and a streak of sunshine lit a brief gift to end the day.

view W Brushy Mt storm clouds Skull Valley AZInteresting shift in the typical summer monsoon rain pattern from the south/southwest.

storm clouds view W Skull Valley AZRecent storms coming from the north hit hard in my valley.  I lost count of the lightning and thunder.  The noise and energy was palpable.

storm clouds view W Skull Valley AZSo I set the phone to video, pointed at a rather bleak gray view, and recorded the sound.  Wish I could capture the smell and energy vibrations of this monsoon rain.

view W presunset clouds Skull Valley AZDoes this shift mean Autumn is on its way?

OK, I feel better now.  I hear rumbles coming and there’s currently no mosquitoes in the house.

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Arizona, monsoon, photography, Places I've been, Skull Valley, United States lightning, monsoon, monsoon rain, photography, rainbows, thunder, time lapse, video 20 Comments
17 August 2022

Rain and monsoon photography in Arizona

storm clouds Skull Valley AZTemperatures held in the 80s last week while humidity climbed into rain just about every day providing possibilities for monsoon photography and trying new ideas with multiple cameras.  Predictions for the week went from 30% chance—that often misses me—to 100% when sure enough, the rain came.  I’m a ceraunophilia who loves thunder and lightning.  Those negative ions provide a natural high.

Bunting bird molting Skull Valley AZBeing the trail cam hasn’t caught anything more than me and cows in over a week I figured to move it.  But when I walked around looking for a safe (from cows) place nothing appealed.  So it’s still mounted on the 5th-wheel ladder pointing towards some water bowls.  Food and water should attract wildlife.  I don’t feed animals but have put out some bowls for water.  Of course with all the rain lately they don’t need my water bowls.  Except a cow broke one getting a drink.  I spotted some kind of Bunting bathing in a bowl and managed a photo through the window.

Gaelyn looking out window Skull Valley AZ

stormy view E with rain Skull Valley AZI’d been working on a video when the rain came, and came down with force along with thunder and lightning.  So I set up the tripod and put the rarely used lightning trigger on the Nikon and pointed it towards the storm through the window hoping for some monsoon photography.  Didn’t get a thing and there was definitely lightning in sight.

hummingbird moth Skull Valley AZThe wildlife I’ve seen lately has likely been too small for the trail cam.  I was filling water bowls and saw a lovely White-lined Sphinx moth furiously flitting about.  Probably took 50 photos to get two.

squirrel collageI stacked more rocks around the cheap plastic bowls for camouflage.  And wouldn’t you know it, a squirrel came by and pushed one of the rocks away, with intention, then sniffed it over and seemed to rub and leave its own scent, perhaps to cover mine.

view E clouds Skull Valley AZ

view S sunset clouds moon Skull Valley AZAnother fun day of clouds with some rumbles but few sprinkles that left with a pretty sunset that even included the moon.

Brushy Mt low clouds Skull Valley AZRained over night and the humidity and chances of rain continued to increase.  It felt sticky.  I walked down to the wash to check for moisture there as I had to drive across it early the next morning.  Looked good so I didn’t bother to move the truck.  Just before noon it started to sprinkle and continued with a gentle female rain for about an hour.  That light rain just soaks into the ground unlike the hard rains that saturate, float, and flow.  Mostly the clouds just teased staying over the mountains to my east and west.  Worked on blog posts and finally put the Geogypsy Journey page together.  There’s a tab under the new header shot.

boulders Watson Lake clouds Prescott AZI don’t like early.  But needed to get a blood draw for some routine lab work and that meant fasting for 10 hours.  So I was at the lab shortly after they opened and thankfully had an adept phlebotomist.  In 20 minutes I was out the door to morning coffee already made and waiting for me in the truck.  Then I met Joann for breakfast and she drove us to Watson Lake.

boulders clouds Watson Lake Prescott AZbouders North Shore trl Watson Lake Prescott AZ

We got there before the predicted rain so took a short walk along the North Shore Trail.  The granite boulders are magnificent yet do make walking a challenge.

granite Datura flowers Watson Lake Prescott AZDatura

white Datura flower Watson Lake Prescott AZclosed Datura flowers Watson Lake Prescott AZ

Many crevices offer good conditions for the beautiful Sacred Datura to grow and bloom.  It’s a hallucinogenic poisonous plant so you could get high, or die.

ducks under bench Watson Lake Prescott AZSee the ducks?

Although swimming isn’t allowed in the lake, kayak rentals are available, or bring your own, or a paddle board.  I put together a video about Watson Lake.  We didn’t stay long as the heat, humidity, and mosquitos were brutal.

grass forest Granite Crk Prescott AZ

Granite Crk Prescott AZAlso made a quick stop by Granite Creek.  But once again the mosquitos chased us off.  As much as I love to get out for some monsoon photography, I just can’t tolerate the mosquitos.  Joann went on her way and I spent the afternoon indoors doing chores like laundry and shopping.

Cumulus cloud Skull Valley AZCumulus clouds billowing to the east over the Bradshaw Mountains didn’t bode well for catching full moon rise.  Yet those same clouds sure made for spectacular monsoon photography.

https://geogypsytraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/14-64x-timelapse-Cumulus-cloud-bldg-Skull-Valley-AZ.mp4

I set the phone in a window and took time lapse.  Another new to me photography idea.  I’m sharing the first one taken and learned to allow for more space above.

storm clouds Skull Valley AZThe nepholographer in me can’t stop taking pictures of clouds throughout the day.

Roadrunner bird Skull Valley AZ

cow thru window E Skull Valley AZSaw a Roadrunner and some of the neighbors came by.

full moon clouds Skull Valley AZ

full moon clouds Skull Valley AZStayed cloudy for the full moon rise though it peeked through just a bit much later.

storm clouds view E Skull Valley AZTime lapse is fun, and easy.  Just set up the shot and push start.  My phone will take ten minutes of shots spaced 30 seconds apart with a choice of speeds 4x, 8x, 16x, and 32x.  After the first try at 8x I bumped it up to 32x.  I mean who wants to watch ten minutes of cloud video?  Plus when the filming stops I used the remote to start it again, and again, and again.  Then those can be put together in Movie Maker and one hour of shots can become 1.7 minutes of time lapse monsoon photography.  And I think it looks really cool.

camera on tripod from RV storm clouds Skull Valley AZ

camera on tripod Skull Valley AZBecause there were great clouds and lightning but no rain I sat the Nikon on tripod outside with the lightning trigger.  Luckily I also brought it in just as the rain began but never captured any of the lightning that was going on.

storm clouds view E Skull Valley AZ

misty view W Skull Valley AZThe rain fell for a couple of hours and the clouds continued their show so I did more time lapses from inside.

view W storm clouds rain shaft Skull Valley AZMore wonderful clouds and opportunities for monsoon photography the next afternoon.

rainbow view E SKull Valley AZThen just before sunset with a hard rain from the north, the sun came out and I searched hard until I could see a rainbow to the east.

raining Brushy Mt clouds sun setting crepuscular rays Skull Valley AZI tell you, at the end of the day, this pluviophile finds immense joy and peace of mind.

view W sunset clouds Skull Valley AZAnd then, if the mosquitos aren’t too bad, I step outside to breath deep of the petrichor.

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Arizona, monsoon, photography, Places I've been, Skull Valley, United States clouds, lightning, monsoon rain, photography, time lapse 14 Comments
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Hi, I’m Gaelyn, the Geogypsy

I retired after 29 summer seasons as a Park Ranger, traveling solo for 40+ years. My passions include travel, connecting to nature, photography, and sharing stories.

I started exploring US National Parks in 1977 and 20 years later became a seasonal Park Ranger.  I’ve lived full-time in a RV for 30 years working summers and playing winters.  I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow old, other than grow up.

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