Category: Photography

December at Grand Canyon

Late afternoon light illiminates the canyon walls.
Late afternoon light illiminates the canyon walls.

A low-end winter storm moved across Arizona a few days ago and brought some snow to the higher terrain. Flagstaff only received a trace of snow while locations to the west and northwest received more. With that in mind, we headed to Grand Canyon National Park for some afternoon and sunset photography.

Lipan Point looking to the west.
Lipan Point looking to the west.
Lipan Point looking north.
Lipan Point looking north.

We went to Lipan Point where about 2-3 inches of snow had fallen. The clouds were already clearing and that was a bit disappointing as we had hoped to see the clouds lifting out of the depths of the canyon. There were still plenty of clouds above the canyon rim and the lowering sun resulting in very nice sunset colors on both the clouds and the walls of the canyon.

A small tree clings to the edge of the canyon.
A small tree clings to the edge of the canyon.
A small tree clings to the edge of the canyon.
A small tree clings to the edge of the canyon.

We left only moments after sunset since the parking lot and road out of the park were already turning into black ice. Moments later we had dropped enough in elevation that we had dry roads for the drive back home.

A New Cloud Type is Proposed

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Turbulent wave clouds over the San Francisco Peaks (Jan 2021).
Turbulent wave clouds over the San Francisco Peaks (Jan 2021).

You would think that we have seen all the types of clouds—and named them—that can be seen. But the International Cloud Atlas added one new type (asperitas) in 2017 and is now may be asked to consider adding another—Supercilium. From the Royal Meteorological Society’s Weather journal:

‘Supercilium’ are short-lived cloud features, which appear in turbulent airflow over, and to the immediate lee of, steep mountain peaks during periods of strong mountain summit level winds.

I have seen and photographed this type of cloud several times over the years. My most recent photographs in January 2021 were posted to a weather discussion group in which several folks proposed some hypotheses on the nature and formation of these clouds. We did not reach a consensus or conclusion.

Same as above but zoomed in on the feathery tendrils.
Same as above but zoomed in on the feathery tendrils.
Another example seen over the Rocky Mountains (1990).
Another example seen over the Rocky Mountains (1990).

The Weather article proposes a name and description:

Proposed classification description
Supercilium: Short-lived, broken thin wisps of cloud, irregularly distributed, appearing to tumble and break in a turbulent way in airflow over, and to the immediate lee of, steep mountain peaks during periods of strong mountain summit level winds. Applies mainly to Altocumulus and Stratocumulus, possibly Cirrocumulus, sometimes coincident with the Duplicatus variety.

Nice to see that there will be a specific name applied to these very interesting clouds.

Edit: Fixed link to Weather journal.

 

Aspen in the Fall

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The aspen leaves have now mostly fallen to the ground with only a few patches of color left. It has been a good year for leaf peeping and I was able to capture several images that I like. But I have also captured some good photos over the years and this post highlights some of those.

Inner Basin Trail, October 2014.
Inner Basin Trail, October 2014.

My favorite is this photo taken while mountain biking in the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks. Shot with fill flash and an ultra-wide angle lens.

Inner Basin, 2005.
Inner Basin, 2005.

One of my earliest photos, also in the Inner Basin, was shot on Fuji Provia film in 2005. The remaining photos are from 2008 through 2022 and are, of course, digital shots.

Waterline Road, 2008.
Waterline Road, 2008.
Arizona Trail at Bismarck Lake, 2010.
Arizona Trail at Bismarck Lake, 2010.
Aspen Corner, Snowbowl Road, 2011.
Aspen Corner, Snowbowl Road, 2011.
Weatherford Canyon, 2012.
Weatherford Canyon, 2012.
NWS, Bellemont, 2012.
NWS, Bellemont, 2012.
Inner Basin, 2013.
Inner Basin, 2013.
Mountain biking, Inner Basin Trail, 2013.
Mountain biking, Inner Basin Trail, 2013.
Arizona Trail, 2013.
Arizona Trail, 2013.
Forest Road 418, 2013.
Forest Road 418, 2013.
Waterline Road, 2014.
Waterline Road, 2014.
Inner Basin Trail, 2015.
Inner Basin Trail, 2015.
Lockett Meadows and Inner Basin, 2015.
Lockett Meadows and Inner Basin, 2015.
Waterline Road, 2018.
Waterline Road, 2018.
Weatherford Canyon, 2018.
Weatherford Canyon, 2018.
Mormon Mountain, 2018.
Mormon Mountain, 2018.
San Francisco Peaks, 2019.
San Francisco Peaks, 2019.
Hochderffer Hills, 2021.
Hochderffer Hills, 2021.
Dry Lake Hills, 2022.
Dry Lake Hills, 2022.
Arizona Trail, 2022.
Arizona Trail, 2022.
Alfa Fia Tank, 2022.
Alfa Fia Tank, 2022.
Arizona Trail, 2022.
Arizona Trail, 2022.

Clouds at Sunset

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Storms were moving across the region and there was a chance of rainbows developing. But, in the end, the geometry was not right with the heavy rain in the wrong location for rainbows. Instead, we got these colorful clouds as the sun began to set.

I was happy with the results.

Lightning Across Northern Arizona

The North American Monsoon has produced many days with spectacular thunderstorms and lightning. Below are some of my favorite lightning photographs from this summer. These were taken in Grand Canyon, Sedona, San Francisco Volcanic Field, and Flagstaff.

Lightning over Northern Arizona in summer 2022.
Lightning over Northern Arizona in summer 2022.

We are now in the midst of a monsoon break but moisture will return over the next several days to northern Arizona bringing another chance for thunderstorms and photography.