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Tag: monsoon rain

31 August 2022

Busy cloud watching and nepholography

view W sunset mammary clouds Skull Valey AZSeems I spend a lot of time cloud watching which has expanded my nepholography* beyond still shots to time-lapse and video.  Monsoon doesn’t last all year so need to take advantage of it, just like the Aridzona plants.

pond Skull Valley AZRain over night has been common lately so one morning I decided to walk to the nearby driveway wash.  I could see water had run and the pond was back but the crossing was drivable.  The humidity and mosquitoes quickly chased me back home.  Where I spent the day watching clouds while taking time-lapse, using the phone, as I’m entranced with the dance-like motion.

trees rock Bradshaw Mts clouds Skull Valley AZ

trees rock Bradshaw Mts clouds Skull Valley AZI’m working on a video where I’ll share the time-lapses and talk about the science behind monsoon and safety.  Haven’t been using the Nikon for time-lapse because there’s something on the lens that shows as a backwards C when the lens is set wide between 18 and 35 mm.  I can usually remove it with Lightroom in stills.  I’m bummed about that, but the cloud watching makes me happy.

trees rainbow dark sky Skull Valley AZ

trees part rainbow Skull Valley AZAnd if it wasn’t so buggy, I’d dance outside when a rainbow shows.

sunset clouds Skull Valley AZInstead, I published a SHORT teaser video about RVs.

Sierra & GaelynThen spent the next two days putting together a video about choosing your first RV, making suggestions for things to look for before you buy.

Roadrunner bird Skull Valley AZRoadrunner bird Skull Valley AZRoadrunner bird Skull Valley AZ

Joann stopped by for a visit and the local Roadrunner came by.

cumulus clouds E Skull Valley AZCloud watching continued throughout the day over the mountains to my east and west along with some rumbles but very little rain.

view W sunset mammary clouds Skull Valey AZUntil evening when a storm came from the north along with sunset.

trees N storm clouds Skull Valley AZThe next couple of afternoons, huge storms descended from the north.  Hard and loud directly overhead, I could feel the thunder from the tires up.

view E storm clouds Skull Valley AZFor a couple hours I was in ambedo** while cloud watching and taking video mostly to record the marvelous sound.

view W shadows Brushy Mt clouds Skull Valley AZ

view E trees rock Bradshaw Mts bird on wire Skull Valley AZThen back to monsoon missing me pattern with lots of good cloud watching to the east and west over the mountains.

NPS stuff

view W Brushy Mt clouds crepuscular rays Skull Valley AZAnd celebrating the National Park Service 106th birthday, that makes me miss my job.  Probably not enough to return to 40 hours a week.  No time for that.  (Here’s a post about the NPS history.)

coyote tall weeds Skull Valley AZI’m too busy paying attention when the Gray squirrel sends out a loud chirping alert.  That paid off when I saw the “danger” as a coyote went past.

view N stormy sky Skull Valley AZ

tree rainbow Skull Valley AZA new video editing app kept me busy with a rather easy learning curve and I published another SHORT teaser video.

Sierra cat watching sunset Skull Valley AZ

trees Bradshaw Mts reverse sunset clouds Skull Valley AZI’m also busy cloud watching and the storms are changing.  Coming from north is opposite the summer patterns, so I wonder if monsoon is almost over and Autumn is on it’s way.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Nephos = Greek for clouds.  Nephelococcygia (ne-fee’-lu-koe’-ku-jee’-u) as the scientific terminology for “cloud watching”.  A person who photographs clouds is a *nepholographer.

**Ambedo – a kind of melancholic trance in which you become completely absorbed in vivid sensory details – raindrops skittering down a window, tall trees leaning in the wind, clouds of cream swirling in your coffee – briefly soaking in the experience of being alive, an act that is done purely for its own sake.

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Arizona, monsoon, nepholography, Places I've been, United States clouds, monsoon, monsoon rain, photography, video 16 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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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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