Monday, December 7, 2015

California Redwoods - Trip West

Well, we've gone pretty far... but we're now in California! (In the blog world, that is). Our first stop, directly under Oregon, was the California Redwoods! They were awesome, so I'll go ahead and let you see them :)

Finally, California!

These were huge, and so were the ferns around them. In fact, for a frame of reference, notice my 6 ft 2 dad among them. Maybe that will give a little perspective to the size of the ferns, but more importantly, to the tree itself.

Along with those people, the car gives an excellent scope of just how enormous the knotted base of this tree is!

Had to get a picture of myself with the trees... so here I am :)
(Note: this isn't one of the bigger trees, just average sized. :o  )

A nice pathway through the ferns and trees... with my dad taking a picture to the left. :)

Here's a more general shot. The trees are quite common and frequent, not as scattered as one might suppose.

Here's a nice, old tree.

Another pathway, with my dad again taking some photos.

Here's a vertical shot of the same path, extending the view to the top.

Here's a shot directly up the trunk of the trees. Quite huge and scarily tall.

I really liked the pathways, it made it seem like a formidable medieval forest. :P

Photobug dad, again ;)
To be sure, these are gargantuan trees. The camera doesn't even come close to capturing the awesome enormity. These were some of the coolest things we saw the entire trip, and it's saddening that the cameras cannot evoke the same awe. Nevertheless, it's better to have some pics than none. :P

- Brett Cole Photography

Find and Contact Brett Cole ♦ Photography:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brettdcolephotography?ref=hl
Website: http://deanmail099.wix.com/brettcolephotography
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/brettcolephotography
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/100589357@N08/  
Email: brettcphotography@gmail.com

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Crater Lake, Oregon - Trip West

Oregon was a cool state after we got through the monotonous first half, but we didn't stop anywhere except Crater Lake. I didn't mind at all, it was a great photo-op area, and is truly an astonishing creation! I'll let you see for yourself, but to get the full experience, you have to see it personally! :) Highly recommend it!

Crater Lake hikers! Though it's illegal and very dangerous, these men decided to embark on a journey to the shoreline!

It's hard to describe in words how HUGE this lake is... there is SO much water, it's hard to comprehend.

The center uprising is actually another smaller volcano within the drowned cone of the HUGE volcano. It's pretty interesting!

The sun was setting behind me here, and it made for an interesting sky!

Here's the sky from a little wider angle, including the smaller volcano.


This was the beautiful sunset! It looked a lot like a pastel painting, and I really like how this shot reflects that!

I thought this was a cool shot, with the mountain hiding between the trees. :)

The area around the lake was really cool, and had some neat trees, driftwood, and paths.

This is the rim of the lake/volcano. It's really cool and pretty jagged.

Here I am... in front of the lake. :)

I thought this tall piece of twisted driftwood made the foreground look interesting.

Another shot of the sunset, encapsulated with snow and blue-ridge mountains. :P

Another shot of the driftwood stump.

This was a really cool tree!

I thought it was cool that there was still snow up on the mountains, rarely see any snow during June in Missouri, haha.

Here's a broad shot, again showing how big the lake is!

Another shot of the lake... xD

A closer shot of the neat tree... 

A lot of water...

More water... lol

I liked the sunrays coming through the trees, along with the cool wood. :)

I thought this was a nice, well-rounded shot. It has the water, the rim, the volcano inside, and also the rocks and vegetation around it as well. :)

Here's the sunset a little later... very pretty! :D

Anyways, I really liked Crater Lake! After hours of boring driving across Idaho and Eastern Oregon, it was a nice site for sore eyes. Lol. It was so awe-inspiring to see God's creativity manifested in such a way. It was SO big it was hard to believe I was actually there. :P Besides my mom constantly fretting I would fall into the water below, I had a fantastic time! ;) Until next time... which is California Pt. 1 (you can celebrate now, Damar). :P

- Brett Cole Photgraphy

Find and Contact Brett Cole ♦ Photography:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brettdcolephotography?ref=hl
Website: http://deanmail099.wix.com/brettcolephotography
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/brettcolephotography
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/100589357@N08/  
Email: brettcphotography@gmail.com

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Idaho! - Trip West

It's been awhile, but I haven't forgotten about the trip. :) Here's a bit from our jaunt across Idaho. Hoppe you enjoy!

Idaho! Another new state added to the running list of US states I've visited.

Another of the plenteous windmills we saw on our trip. ;)

I liked the trees along with the mountain and the road. :)

Mister Lizard was skeptical of my camera. :P I loved seeing a new lizard that I'd never seen before. I particularly liked his little blue patch under his throat. Favorite shot from Idaho! :)

Here's another shot featuring Mr. Lizard. It's really cool to find other species you've never seen before. God really created a diverse world!

That's all I have for Idaho... the ride was pretty uneventful, honestly. But, a few stops along the way gave ample opportunity for some neat photos. :) I'll try to get some more blog posts up soon, I don't want to neglect it any longer -- I have more stuff to blog about besides the trip!

- Brett Cole Photography

Find and Contact Brett Cole ♦ Photography:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brettdcolephotography?ref=hl
Website: http://deanmail099.wix.com/brettcolephotography
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/brettcolephotography
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/100589357@N08/  
Email: brettcphotography@gmail.com