My Photo Journal
Explore the wonders of travel and photography through my journal, where photos, videos, and stories bring the world’s wonders to life.
Milky Way + Aurora Borealis = Night to Remember
The Milky Way galactic center rose above Mount St. Helens during the early morning hours of March 22, 2026. It was an impressive display, made all the better by an appearance of the aurora borealis.
A Night Under the Full Worm Blood Moon
Dynamic weather made it difficult to observe the March 2026 total lunar eclipse from many parts of the Pacific Northwest, but a vantage point east of Vancouver, Washington, along the Columbia River offered a mostly clear view.
Swan Song - The Day the Lake Caught Fire
Something magical happened late one afternoon while I was photographing hundreds of swans at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Washington State.
The Day It Rained Rocks
During an eruption at Kīlauea volcano on the island of Hawaiʻi, we heard the roar of 1,470-foot-high lava fountains, felt the radiated heat on our faces, and stood agape as tephra (volcanic ejecta) fell around us.
Otters, Elephants(eals), and Snowbird Butterflies (Where Else but California?)
A four-day visit to the central California coast with my camera in late November-early December 2025 included stops at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, and Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove.
Plight of the Churchill Sea Bear
The warming climate poses an existential threat to the majestic polar bear.
Crater Lake After Dark
Following a memorable first attempt at photographing Crater Lake at night (see earlier post), I returned two months later for another try.
Summer Nights on Mauna Kea Volcano
Following my memorable after-dark experience on Mauna Kea Volcano in May 2025 (see post below), I returned two months later hoping to capture images and time-lapse video of both W.M. Keck Observatory telescopes’ lasers in action.
Sunset: Prelude to a Memorable Night
Native Americans living in the U.S. Pacific Northwest about 7,700 years ago witnessed the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Mazama, a towering volcano in southern Oregon.
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
During summer 2025, abundant surface water at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon’s high desert attracted large numbers of birds and other species, which made for excellent photo opportunities.
After Dark on Mauna Kea Volcano
The summit area of Mauna Kea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi is considered sacred by many indigenous Hawaiians.
A Snowy Day on the Oregon Coast
I spent a day in March 2025 along the central Oregon coast with a group of Western Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) - a species threatened by habitat degradation and human disturbance.
Boys Will Be Boys
In late autumn, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep migrate from the high peaks of the Gros Ventre Mountains to Miller Butte, a wintering area on the National Elk Refuge in western Wyoming. During the rut, rams vie for mating rights with ewes through fierce head-butting competitions. I was fortunate to witness one such competition from close range in December 2024.
Shoshone and Hoback - Giants of the Tetons
For more than a decade in the 2010s and early 2020s, two Shiras Moose bulls ruled the area around Grand Teton National Park: Shoshone and Hoback. Their wanderings, escapades, and a likely confrontation between them were chronicled by local photographer Mike Jackson (https://goldenstudios.com/shoshone/https://goldenstudios.com/hoback/). I was fortunate to encounter each of them on separate occasions spanning three years.
Tasmania and South Australia
Much of Australia’s wildlife is unique and occurs nowhere else in the world.
The Wild Mustangs of Pryor Mountain
Descendants of horses brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers in the late 15th and early 16th centuries now roam free on the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range, comprising 38,000 acres of public lands along the Montana–Wyoming border.
The Kids Are Here
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is home to thousands of Rocky Mountain goats.
