Apr 17, 2018 | 7 Image Story Posts, Black Bear, Daily Image 2018, Epson V600, Yellowstone, Yellowstone 1953
Yellowstone 1953 | Feeding Bears Yellowstone policy has changed since 1953 and now discourages people from approaching and feeding any wildlife, particularly bears. It’s better for the bears and safer for the visitors. The bears in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how cute they appear. Bears that become dependent on human food and/or become too accustomed to being around humans may become aggressive and need to be killed. To learn more about Yellowstone in 1953, see Yellowstone 1953 | a 7 Image Story.
Apr 16, 2018 | 7 Image Story Posts, Daily Image 2018, Epson V600, Yellowstone, Yellowstone 1953
Yellowstone 1953 | Yellowstone Falls Yellowstone Falls consists of two waterfalls on the Yellowstone River. The Upper Yellowstone Falls are 109 feet high. The 308 feet high Lower Yellowstone Falls is the largest volume waterfall in the Rocky Mountains. This photograph was taken from Inspiration Point, a promontory cliff on the north rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, east of Lower Yellowstone Falls. Although I don’t know the make and model of the camera my relatives used to get this photo, it clearly did not have a telephoto lens. Still, one gets a sense of the magnificent landscape. To learn more about Yellowstone in 1953, see Yellowstone 1953 | a 7 Image Story.
Apr 15, 2018 | 7 Image Story Posts, Daily Image 2018, Epson V600, Yellowstone, Yellowstone 1953
Yellowstone 1953 | White Dome Geyser White Dome Geyser, located in the Lower Geyser Basin only a few feet from Firehole Lake Drive, is a cone-type geyser. Its 12-foot-high geyserite cone is one of the largest in the park. Although Its eruptions are unpredictable, they generally occur within intervals of 15 minutes to 3 hours. Intervals between 20 and 35 minutes are common with 30 feet high eruptions typically lasting 2 to 3 minutes. Obviously, it erupted for my relatives in 1953 when they captured this image. To learn more about Yellowstone in 1953, see Yellowstone 1953 | a 7 Image Story.
Apr 15, 2018 | 7 Image Stories, Epson V600, Places, Yellowstone, Yellowstone 1953
Yellowstone 1953 | a 7 Image Story Established on March 1, 1872, Yellowstone National Park is America’s first national park. Obviously, it was open to the public in September of 1953 when my relatives vacationed in the park. The park then was much like it is now; mostly wild, filled with geysers, an array of thermal features, and wildlife. Yet, thermal features change from time to time, particularly after earthquakes. Many improvements have since been made to the infrastructure. Even, wildlife species change along with wildlife management practices.
So, what’s changed since 1953? Well, the basic layout of the park and its road system has remained pretty much the same. Of course, the infrastructure has been upgraded and modernized. To accommodate more visitors, larger hotels, camp grounds, viewing areas, marked trails, etc. have been built.
One of the most noticeable changes relates to approaching and feeding wildlife. Back in the 50’s, visitors were allowed to feed the wildlife. Notice images where people are feeding the deer and even the bears. The park policy has changed and discourages people from approaching and feeding any wildlife. It’s better for the wildlife and safer for the visitors. The animals in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how calm they appear. Animals that become dependent on human food may become aggressive and have to be killed.
And, of course, travel attire has really changed. When looking through the photos from this trip, the clothes on my relatives stood out. Can you imagine traveling cross-country from the midwest to Yellowstone and beyond, dressed in a shirt, tie, and dress pants or a long skirt and dress blouse? Obviously, jeans and tennis shoes were not in style in 1953.
Since 1953, another quite noticeable change came in 1995 when wolves were reintroduced into the park’s ecosystem. Almost all wolves in the US lower 48 had been killed off by 1930. After Yellowstone NP reintroduced them in 1995, Yellowstone became one of the few protected havens for wolves in the country. Currently, Yellowstone has approximately 11 wolf packs containing around 100 wolves. Wild wolves have a lifespan of 7-8 years so populations fluctuate year by year. Wolves are only protected within the park’s boundaries.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Yellowstone 1953.
Click any image below for a slide show!
Dec 7, 2017 | 4x5 Speed Graphic, B-26 Marauder, Daily Image 2017, Epson V600, Military Aircraft
B-26 Takeoff 7 Dec 1941 Pearl Harbor Day At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, 360 Japanese warplanes, mostly dive bombers and torpedo planes, attacked the naval base at Pearl Harbor. At 0700, eastern time, on 8 Dec 1941, less than 18 hours after the first bombs dropped on Pearl Harbor, the 22nd Bomb Group, the Red Raiders, took off in B-26 medium bombers from Langley field, VA headed for Muroc, CA to fly shore patrol. My father was a crew chief on one of those B-26s in the 33rd squadron. From Muroc, they boarded the airplanes and flight crews onto ships and sailed to Oahu. At Hickam Field, they reassembled the planes and island hopped to Australia. The 22nd BG was one of the first units to take offensive action against the enemy. From from bases in northern Australia, they flew bomb missions without fighter escort against Japanese bases and shipping around New Guinea and the surrounding waters. Seventy-five years later, some Americans worry that most Americans don’t recognize the importance of Dec. 7, 1941. Remember Pearl Harbor!
Jul 10, 2017 | Alaska Logbook, Daily Image 2017, Epson V600, Kodak Print
Piper Cherokee 235 This Piper Cherokee 235 is the plane I flew to Alaska and back some years ago. The 235 with a fixed pitch propeller cruises at around 133 knots while burning about 12 gallons of gas per hour. I have been preparing a series of posts depicting my Alaska flying adventure to be published soon. This image was captured using a film point & shoot camera, scanned using an Epson V600 scanner, and restored in post.
Feb 3, 2017 | Alaska, Aviation, Daily Image 2017, Epson V600, Kodak Print, Nikon Zoom Touch 500
Mississippi River Crossing This image was captured on first day of my flying to Alaska adventure some years ago. Flying northwest in early afternoon, the sun shone bright in the windshield. Adding to the very hot, sunny, hazy weather, the windshield caused reflections. For this post, a 4 x 6 print, from a Nikon Zoom Touch 500 camera, was scanned and restored. It serves as a preview of a new post series coming in July highlighting my flying to Alaska adventure.
Oct 18, 2014 | 22nd BG, 4x5 Speed Graphic, Aviation, B-26 Marauder, Daily Image 2014, Epson V600, Military Aircraft
This B-26 Marauder Bomb Run image was captured by a WWII AAF Photographer, who I’ll be featuring on this sight very soon. He was using a Speed Graphic 4×5 camera. For the younger photogs among us, that means manual settings, photographic plates, and big camera.
