Mike's Memorial Day Weekend

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Mike B in OKlahoma
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Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:32 pm
Location: Oklahoma City

Mike's Memorial Day Weekend

Post by Mike B in OKlahoma »

And a couple of days after, actually!

I was running around Eastern and Central Washington state. The area is noted for the aftereffects of colossal flooding between 10-15,000 years ago when a huge glacial lake repeatedly melted and flooded the countryside, which was already pretty heavily affected by vulcanism. I was fascinated by the after-effects!

This boulder (which later split in half) rode the flood encased in an iceberg till it settled down 100-plus miles from where it started. Huge thing now sitting in a farmer's field! Of course, the best part is the way the local high school kids have vandalized it! :roll:

Image

Before the flooding, these polygonal basaltic columns formed as volcanic basalt cooled down. These are perhaps 12 inches or a little less (that's about 1/3 meter for you metric folks!) on a side. These are similar to the Giant's Causeway in Great Britain.

Image

I found these basalt columns especially intriguing, and sought out a particular huge set:

Image

These pentagonal columns are huge, about two feet on a side, and short enough that you can use them for a chair as Brad Pitt is doing here. The angle I could get with my camera on tripod (and self-timer) wasn't high enough to show the shape off as well as I'd like, alas. Oh wait, that isn't Brad Pitt, it is me! Understandable mistake! <heh heh>
Mike Broderick
Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Constructive critiques of my pictures, and reposts in this forum for purposes of critique are welcome

"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul....My mandate includes weird bugs."
--Calvin

salden
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Post by salden »

I knew that was not Brad... :lol:
Sue Alden

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

Thanks for the photos, Mike!

This is fascinating country.

For more info, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missoula_Floods and its references, especially http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/projects/geoweb ... lands0.HTM .

--Rik

MacroLuv
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Post by MacroLuv »

I like that car the most. :D
Just kidding. :lol:
Great natural environment. :smt023
The meaning of beauty is in sharing with others.

P.S.
Noticing of my "a" and "the" and other grammar
errors are welcome. :D

Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

So Mike...where'd the 15,000 yr. old nice set of wheels wash up from...hmmm? :roll:

Yeah I knew all along that was not Brad Pitt. Brad would not be caught in those "loud" trousers! :lol:

Nice series of images there Mike, interesting. By the way those trousers are okay for out in the field, just kidding. Don't wear them to a dinner party though. :wink: :D

Mike B in OKlahoma
Posts: 1048
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:32 pm
Location: Oklahoma City

Post by Mike B in OKlahoma »

Ken Ramos wrote:So Mike...where'd the 15,000 yr. old nice set of wheels wash up from...hmmm? :roll:

Yeah I knew all along that was not Brad Pitt. Brad would not be caught in those "loud" trousers! :lol:

Nice series of images there Mike, interesting. By the way those trousers are okay for out in the field, just kidding. Don't wear them to a dinner party though. :wink: :D
The wheels were entombed in the ice....Unlike the cheesy mockup you see on the tv show, this is Fred Flintstone's REAL car! :-)

Hey, those pants are Bass Pro's finest--They insist on putting that fakey too-small camoflage pattern on everything. Pretty good pants, other than the pattern, though.
Mike Broderick
Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Constructive critiques of my pictures, and reposts in this forum for purposes of critique are welcome

"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul....My mandate includes weird bugs."
--Calvin

Ken Ramos
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Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2006 2:12 pm
Location: lat=35.4005&lon=-81.9841

Post by Ken Ramos »

You know I just noticed...those rocks are covered in lichens. To bad you didn't shoot any or did you? Oh well, lichens are not really all that photogenic unless you happen across the brightly colored ones. :D

Mike B in OKlahoma
Posts: 1048
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:32 pm
Location: Oklahoma City

Post by Mike B in OKlahoma »

Ken Ramos wrote:You know I just noticed...those rocks are covered in lichens. To bad you didn't shoot any or did you? Oh well, lichens are not really all that photogenic unless you happen across the brightly colored ones. :D
I didn't shoot any closeups of lichens, now that you mentioned it. Though I did consciously think to use them to add color to some of my basalt column shots. I was so intrigued by the columns that the lichens just paled in comparison. One of the negatives of shooting this stuff is that the rock is a rather dull color, and I tended to view the lichens as a way to jazz up the rock, rather than an end in themselves.

In Southwest Oklahoma, we have quite a bit of fairly colorful granite with interesting lichen on it that I ought to shoot in closeup more often. As it happens, my first attempt at macro was shooting some of this lichen with a 100-400 lens and a closeup diopter, and the focusing (or lack thereof, actually) was so awful it put me off trying macro again for literally a year....Maybe that's why I've avoided it since!
Mike Broderick
Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Constructive critiques of my pictures, and reposts in this forum for purposes of critique are welcome

"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul....My mandate includes weird bugs."
--Calvin

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