Posts Tagged ‘Grand Canyon’

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Nov
02
2010

Meet Mr. Elusive: The Kaibab Squirrel

Grand Canyon, North Rim.  You will not find Sciurus aberti kaibabensis anywhere else on the planet.  Nope, you have to come here to see them, and they seem  know it…  They are beautiful animals, with tufted ears, a dark underbelly, and most remarkably, a striking bushy white tail.

Chat up any Park Service Ranger and they’ll claim that there are tons.  Lies.  If you come to photograph this unique animal, you should be prepared for the harsh truth.  There are one or two.  Okay, perhaps there are more, but it doesn’t matter, because at any particular moment, only one or two of the little buggers are scampering around the Kaibab Plateau – it’s one of the rules of their little guild.

The Kaibab Plateau is an area of approximately 800 square miles in northern Arizona in a narrow swath lying between Jacob Lake to the north and the canyon rim to the south.  The Kaibab Squirrel is cousin to the Abert’s Squirrel (thus aberti kaibabensis), which you will find in abundance in a bunch of subspecies along the south rim.  The obvious physical barrier provided the geological isolation that allowed the unique north rim subspecies to evolve.

This squirrel makes it home in the Ponderosa Pines that are common along the north rim forest, and its natural food consists for the most part of the seeds of Ponderosa pine cones and small fungi that litter the floor around the trees.  The HP and I tracked this beastie throughout our visit, but saw two specimens (or perhaps the same animal twice) – both times in the general area near the North Rim Campground.  The Campground most probably provides the squirrels with a chance to supplement their diet with more worldly fare, e.g., cheese, deli meats, crackers, bread, and so forth.

Images of the Kaibab Squirrel were recorded on August 26, 2010, using the Nikon D3s and the AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED lens at 400mm.  Exposure was in the neighborhood of f/8 at 1/160s, ISO 8000 – yeah, I really do think you need the D3s to pull this off.

Copyright 2010 Peter F. Flynn. No usage permitted without prior written consent. All rights reserved.

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Oct
18
2010

Afternoon at Point Imperial

Grand Canyon North Rim, AZ. We left SLC headed south along I15 at about 10:15 MDT.  The weather was excellent and the traffic was light.  The route to the from SLC to the North Rim is exactly the same as the route to Zion NP, until you reach the UT Highway 9 junction at La Verkin, at which point you head south to Hurricane, then dodge east along UT Highway 59.

The route continues south into Arizona along Highway 389 through Hilldale and Colorado City, and then eastward along Highway 389 to Fredonia.  BTW, Judd Auto Service in Fredonia has an excellent selection of bottled beer and general supplies.  From Fredonia, continue southeastward along Highway 89a to Jacob Lake.  From Jacob Lake the route turns south, reaching the North Rim in just over 40 miles.

For our first sortie on this visit we decided to pay an afternoon visit to Point Imperial.  This spot is excellent for photography at any time of the day, but for those with a mindset focused on the golden hours, the spot is particular attractive at dawn and the late afternoon.  Note however, that while many spots along the North Rim make excellent locations from which to capture images of the Canyon, the light here often scrams well before the golden hour.  There are several vantage points around the point.  Although the classic vista lies at the end of a short walk down to the precipice, good views; including the one shown here, may be had from the area just below (in front of) the eastern edge of the parking lot.

The image above of Mt. Hayden and was recorded on August 24, 2010, at about 17:30 MDT, using the Nikon D3s and the AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED NIKKOR lens at 44mm.  Exposure was f/8.0 at 1/400s, ISO 200.  The 24-70mm is one of my favorite lenses, super sharp all-around and handles extremely well.

We really enjoy the North Rim.  It’s civilized.  A beautiful high-desert forest that runs off one of the most awesome cliffs on earth.  The place is relatively uncrowded, and since it’s in Arizona, we escape the Utah booze laws (seriously, the Utah politicos really need to stop using liquor laws an an excuse to try to better each other).  No kidding, you can grab a draft beer at The Saloon (it’s actually named The Saloon), in the Grand Lodge complex, and then wander over to the Lodge veranda which overlooks the Transept and Bright Angel Canyon.  A genuine pleasure.

Copyright 2010 Peter F. Flynn. No usage permitted without prior written consent. All rights reserved.

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Mar
15
2010

Epson 3880 & Friends – First Impression

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve checked in.  Blame it on the new (to me) Epson 3880.  The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 is a (relatively) compact printer that replaces the well-liked 3800 model, with features including the Epson UltraChrome K3 8-color inkset, with the new Vivid Magenta ink; a new MicroPiezo Advanced Meniscus Control printing head; and the AccuPhoto HD2 droplet placement technology.  I have a bunch of detailed remarks of course, but after one week of pretty heavy use, I can state simply and without hesitation that this printer is the real deal.  Although the 3880 is the entry-level printer in the Epson Pro line, the performance is a clear notch above offerings in Epson’s consumer inkjet line.  Not to take anything away from Epson’s excellent consumer printers, it’s just that the 3880 is, to be clear, a lot better.

The 3880 is shown above, midway through a 13″ x 19″ print (okay, right, it’s a 12″ x 18″ print on a 13″ x 19″ sheet – that’s the way I print ’em!).  The manual rear feed adapter is set up here since the substrate is Epson Velvet Fine Art paper – it’s 19 mil!

The system sets up very easily.  Honestly, the most challenging part of the setup is the removal of several dozen pieces of tape and small bits that are used to secure the system during shipping.  The first print out of the 3880; on Epson Ultra Premium Luster Photo Paper, looks fantastic!  This was a tough image too – Wotan’s Throne shot from from Cape Royal on the north rim of the Grand Canyon at dawn – and while on lesser printers the shadows plug and the highlights are dim, on the 3880 the rendering is just magic.

So whom are the ‘& Friends’ mentioned in the title?  Since a printer can only be as good as the paper it’s printing on, aka its friends, I’ll also report on a wide range of substrates.

Copyright 2010 Peter F. Flynn. No usage permitted without prior written consent. All rights reserved.

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