JACK HUBER, AUTHOR, BLOGGER, PHOTOGRAPHER & FULL-TIME RV'ER - Photo of the Week

JACK HUBER, AUTHOR, BLOGGER, PHOTOGRAPHER & FULL-TIME RV'ER

Up, Up and Away!

5/23/2020

When most people think of hot air balloon rallies, they think of the big one in Albuquerque. There are many others around the country, however, that are much smaller and more intimate. We had the pleasure of visiting a rally of 13 balloons in Angel Fire, NM, just about ten miles from our campground at the time. With so few hot air balloon and spectators, we were able to talk with balloon owners and pilots and even help with some of the setup. That day turned out to be spectacular, with some of the bluest clear skies they could hope for. It was an incredibly enjoyable experience. Yes, we could have gone up for a ride in one, but our schedule didn't allow it, so we passed.

You can purchase framed or canvas prints of this photograph at Imagekind:

Purchase prints of this photo

Nature's Seaside Drones

5/15/2020

This shot was taken at the tip of Harker's Island in North Carolina. I have many pictures of pelicans, but these guys didn't look real as they approached and I wondered aloud if they could be some new type of Navy drones, launched for surveillance of the seashore. After I took the photo, they ambled on, wings flapping and heads moving, so I determined they were indeed natural birds. Even the photo gives them a surreal look, making it one of my favorite seashore pics.

You can purchase framed or canvas prints of this photograph at Imagekind:

Purchase Prints of this Photo

Bluer than Blue- Louise Lake

5/9/2020

Somewhere in between Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier in the Cascade Range of Washington State, we came across the bluest lake I had ever seen. Located near the town of Packwood, this small lake reminded me a lot of some of the beautiful ponds of the Rocky Mountains, only with a much darker hue. Though we were in a bit of a hurry to see both National Parks in a single day, we simply had to pull over and enjoy the view.

You can purchase framed or canvas prints of this photograph at Imagekind:

Purchase prints of this photo

The Fog at Weaver Ledge

5/2/2020

When I first see this photo, it takes a moment to remember whether it was taken in Oregon or Maine -- such is the way of coastal zones. Weaver Ledge is near a pond on Bass Harbor Head, Maine, across the point from Ship Harbor.

Fog inundated Maine almost our entire visit, which I'm told is normal during late summer there. Luckily, the area is so beautiful that it only enhanced the view.

You can purchase framed or canvas prints of this photograph at Imagekind:
imagekind.com/the-fog-at-weaver-ledgedsc_art?IMID=5f519955-b72c-4485-8b12-0b72babb6e62

Towering Giants

4/25/2020

Tucked quietly away in a canyon near the Northern California shores is the Redwoods National Park, a forest of immense trees that visitors don't soon forget. Hundreds of years or perhaps even a millennia old, these trees have survived everything that man and nature has thrown at them, except logging. When the gold rush petered out mid-1800's, miners took to harvesting the nearly 2 million acres of giant redwoods and their success nearly cleared California of them. The Save the Redwoods League was formed in 1918 and in 1968 the Redwoods National Park was created for their protection. The remaining redwoods have been thriving ever since.

Though photos never do these towering giants justice, they can be vivid reminders of walking the forest and the feeling of awe from even a short visit. To paraphrase Danny Glover in Grand Canyon, "Yeah, those trees are laughing at me, I could tell. Me and my worries. It's real humorous to that old forest."

This should be on everyone's bucket list.

You can purchase framed or canvas prints of this photograph at Imagekind:
imagekind.com/towering-giantsdsc_art?IMID=d9c9a076-cd9b-4bd4-baa2-1f7e83084ffe

A Little Greece in Kansas

4/18/2020

Hesperis matronalis is a flowering plant native to Eurasia, with several varieties located in Greece and Turkey. Imagine my surprise when I looked up this wildflower I discovered on a photo jaunt in Eastern Kansas. It seems that they now reside, scattered, throughout the Midwest, having been included in many gardens in the area and expanded in this rich agricultural region. The biannual flower is also known as "dame's rocket" and, per Wikipedia, its scent "becomes more conspicuous towards evening."

I love to photograph wildflowers but this was more delightful find than most.

You can purchase framed or canvas prints of this photograph at Imagekind:
imagekind.com/a-little-greece-in-kansasp_art?IMID=0ec51771-0a34-4ccf-bd76-309c76fe5b85

A Pacific Wave

4/11/2020

The Oregon coast provided many epic shot during our journey and exploration there in 2019, so many that I'm having a difficult time choosing my favorites. This photo was taken near the Sea Lion Caves off the Oregon Coast Highway (US 101). It made the cut because of the interesting combination of a single windblown wave and a rocky cliff side sporting moss, shrubs and flowers. That the ocean was exceptionally blue that day didn't hurt.

You can purchase framed or canvas prints of this photograph at Imagekind:
imagekind.com/a-pacific-wave-dsc_art?IMID=7e63e1e0-3328-4aef-bf59-2c7da1c7ff50

Spring in the Badlands

4/4/2020

Part of the reason we love the Badlands in South Dakota is the unexpected beauty we found there upon our first visit. I had always pictured the region more like scablands, full of tight canyons and crevasses with minimal vegetation, nearly impossible to cross and perfect for outlaws to evade capture.

Even Wikipedia describes "badlands" with that vision: "They are characterized by steep slopes, minimal vegetation... and high drainage density. They can resemble... a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies, buttes, mesas, hoodoos and other such geologic forms are common in badlands. They are often difficult to navigate by foot."

To the contrary, we found South Dakota's Badlands region to be layered sandstone hills and valleys with the greenest vegetation that we have seen anywhere, at least in spring and early summer. We even boondocked (dry camped) on a cliff's edge of a Badlands canyon one summer, an amazing experience, and are looking forward to our next visit.

You can purchase framed or canvas prints of this photograph at Imagekind:
imagekind.com/spring-in-the-badlandsdsc_art?IMID=491ae4e1-862c-4dfe-834a-027242a93686

The Lighthouse at Point Atkinson

3/27/2020

No collection of iconic scenic photos would be complete without at least one picturesque lighthouse. This particular tower, located in Point Atkinson, northwest of Vancouver, BC, was built in 1914 on granite boulders jutting out into Burrard Inlet, across the Georgia Strait from Vancouver Island. The reinforced concrete structure replaced a wood structure built in 1875 and was considered an innovative design at the time. The lighthouse is still active but now automated.

This shot was taken on Day One of our Alaska cruise in 2019, just after leaving the Port of Vancouver. It was among the first of a plethora of scenic portraits I was fortunate to take during the trip.

You can purchase framed or canvas prints of this photograph at Imagekind:
imagekind.com/the-lighthouse-at-point-atkinsondsc_art?IMID=985253ca-91a7-4b7d-9bcd-0e7c8b67b1e4

The Window in the Door

3/21/2020

Like many photographers, I appreciate architectural or craftsman designs and elements in older buildings, especially in small towns. The door in this photo was in such a building in Miami, Arizona, the closest thing to a living ghost town as we have run across in our travels. I still wonder about the purpose of a single twisted rot iron rod centered just behind the pane. With such a small window, certainly it wasn't meant for security, or was it?

You can purchase framed or canvas prints of this photograph at Imagekind:
imagekind.com/the-window-in-the-doordsc_art?IMID=ec054ac7-4eb3-4f06-a759-f44650020313