April 29, 2014

Some photos from the Wilderness of Rocks blizzard on 4/26

(notice the stone steps up to Lemmon Rock Lookout on the left)

April 21, 2014

Easter Sunday at the Lookout (cross post from GD)

Moonlight and Tucson lights: 3AM

Easter Sunrise Service @ the Lookout

Early Morning Alidade

The Big Picture

The High and the Mighty

April 21, 2014

Sunday at the lookout (PHOTOS)

Moonlight and Tucson lights: 3AM

Easter Sunrise Service @ the Lookout

Early Morning Alidade

The Big Picture

The High and the Mighty

April 18, 2014

Great day at the lookout!

Great day today on the mountain in Southern Arizona. We got the water hooked up to the lookout, and the water heater running. My boss and I hiked around in some pretty steep terrain (at 9000 feet) following the water line from the tank to the lookout and then back up. Then he and I drove over to the ranger station for a company cookout at lunch. I got to meet some great USFS people: from young firefighters to long-time volunteers in their 80s. A prevention tech drove me on the grand tour of the area, especially the dispersed camping sites (which were already filling up for Easter weekend). Some of the roughest roads I have ever seen! We toured Summerhaven, and I bought some tomatoes at the General Store. The prevention tech then drove me up to the observatory gate and I hiked back in to the lookout. I went back into service and immediately spotted a large smoke in Tucson, which was a mobile home fire. Big day; exhausted; legs of rubber!

Then there was the eclipse from 9000 feet on Monday night. What a perch! What a view!

All in a black, an ink black sky,
Not like the Sun at noon,
Right over Lemmon Rock did stand,
'Twas the bloody Moon.

Apologies to Samuel Taylor Coleridge

April 14, 2014

Too good not to share: from my 2014 fire lookout gig (cross-post from GD)

Tonight is my first night sleeping in the lookout. What an incredible view!

I've been staffing the lookout during the day and sleeping at the ranger station. Now, I will spend most nights here, except for off-days. But the apartment at the ranger station is mine all summer.

We have a couple of fires going: one down near the Mexico border (Nogales) and the other, the "Brown Fire" (ALL fires are named here, and I get to name the fires I spot) is in Gardner Canyon. I have to stick pretty much to naming fires for geographical or topographical features.

Here is an incredible photo (IMO) from yesterday evening of the nesting hummingbird at the ranger station.

Lagniappe: photo from my lookout of today's aerial demonstration by the USAF Thunderbirds over Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, AZ. Hey Trof, you and I can do this with our eyes closed!

April 14, 2014

Too good not to share: from my 2014 fire lookout gig

Tonight is my first night sleeping in the lookout. What an incredible view!

I've been staffing the lookout during the day and sleeping at the ranger station. Now, I will spend most nights here, except for off-days. But the apartment at the ranger station is mine all summer.

We have a couple of fires going: one down near the Mexico border (Nogales) and the other, the "Brown Fire" (ALL fires are named here, and I get to name the fires I spot) is in Gardner Canyon. I have to stick pretty much to naming fires for geographical or topographical features.

Here is an incredible photo (IMO) from yesterday evening of the nesting hummingbird at the ranger station.

Lagniappe: photo from my lookout of today's aerial demonstration by the USAF Thunderbirds over Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, AZ. Hey Trof, you and I can do this with our eyes closed!

April 8, 2014

New digs for the 2014 fire season (cross post from GD)

Southern Arizona @ 9000 feet. Oldest continuously staffed lookout in US (since 1928). On the National Register of Historic Places. Located in designated wilderness area.

I'll be posting most of my photos in the Photography Group. From time to time I'll post alerts here if I put something really good in Photography.