Desert Rainbows

Rainbows always fascinate me.  They are beautiful, ephemeral, and not something I see every day.  When I am lucky enough to see a rainbow,  I try to take time to enjoy it and appreciate it.  As a Christian, a rainbow always reminds me of God's promise to Noah that He would never destroy the earth by flood again. 

The science of rainbows are that it takes rain and sun to create a rainbow.  In the desert, rain events are few and far between, so a rainbow is even more special in the desert.  

In my last trip, I was at Big Bend during several rain events.  During the first one, the rain was in the middle of the afternoon when the sun was still high in the sky.  The location of a rainbow is related to the sun angle.  I was at the bottom of the valley when I saw the rain and sunshine.  I knew that I had to get up higher in order to see the rainbow.  I was with a photographer friend. When we got to the top and started looking for the rainbow, she saw it first. But it was against the hillside not high in the sky due to the sun angle - much as I had expected. I knew we would be looking down on the rainbow because of how high in the sky the sun was. I rushed to photograph it and thought that I had missed it.  

When I began working the photos from the trip, I realized that I had actually captured a double rainbow.  One is barely visible against the hillside and the other in the sky. 

As we drove back to where the bluebonnets were,  I saw another rainbow barely peaking over the canyon wall.

On a different day, the sun and rain again appeared together. This time the sun was lower in the sky and I knew we needed to get down lower to see it.  Sure enough, a rainbow next to Casa Grande.

As a photographer, I get a sense of urgency when I know a rainbow is possible. I can hardly wait to get the chance to photograph it, so when I see one is possible and I'm in the wrong place, you can imagine me bouncing in my seat in anticipation and hope that I will get there in time to capture it. 

Rainbow photography tips:

1.  Learn the sun angle - so you know whether or not you need a taller vantage point or a lower vantage point to see the rainbow.

2. Use a circular polarizer filter.  It will brighten the rainbow or make it totally disappear depending upon how it is turned.

3.  Bracket your exposure so you have a better chance to get the most vibrant colors. 

4.  When possible, try to find a location near you with an optimal composition.

5.  Take time to enjoy the rainbow in the short time it is visible. 

Ferry - Happy Valley/Goose Bay to Cartwright

I love ferries! We've ridden short ones and long ones. I love being outside on the open water seeing what there is to see!

The weather was nice and mild as we left the harbor, so except for dinner time, I spent the rest of the daylight hours on the deck enjoying the clouds, the rainbow, and the sunset.

As we left the doc, the sun was peaking out behind some clouds above the horizon.



The clouds in front of the boat were also beautiful. I was taking photos in almost every direction.



When this rainbow first began to form it was very faint and very small. Henry and I were even debating whether it was really a rainbo



While it stayed small for awhile, it began to grow until it became this beautiful wide arc!



I love the tranquility of being aboard a ship at sunset. No chores are staring you in the face demanding attention. You are free to enjoy the salt air, the beautiful clouds, the vibrant colors as the sun sinks below the horizon - an ever changing scene. My camera stayed glued to my eye as a I tried to capture the beauty I was seeing.



Even after the sun had left the sky, the clouds were still mesmerizing. Henry pointed out this "angel."



As a Texas gal, I was glad to see the road runner in the sky!



We were pleasantly surprised to find that the ferry had wireless internet. I had started playing Farmville on this trip, and it was nice to be able to havest my "crops" before they withered.

We had checked on the possibilities for accommodations. There were 2 and 4 people cabins. While there was a four person one available where we would have both had a lower bunk, I thought it was too expensive. So we chose the dormitory style bunks. Each of these "dormitory rooms" slept 16 people in plywood bunks with mattresses and curtains. There was even a light above your bunk for reading. While some people might find the small cozy bunks claustrophobic, I only spent time there sleeping, so it was fine for me. Henry stayed up much later enjoying being out on the deck looking at the stars. He visited with one gentleman who was taking the ferry to see his village one last time before the ferry service ends. When Henry got back to the dorm room, the lights were out, and he chose not to climb up into a bunk in the dark - sleeping instead on one of the sleeping chairs in one of the lounges surrounded by other passengers who had chosen to sleep there.

It was a calm passage and morning came quickly.

Leaving the St. Lawrence and heading north

Aug 14 - After the whales we headed east along the St. Lawrence heading for highway 389 that heads north to Labrador. This little park was our last stop before leaving the river. The lighting was bad because the rain was coming in. But sometimes I need to take memory pictures in spite of poor lighting. I was suprised what a little bit of post processing did.



This was a place I would love to have had time to be there in the early morning and before sunset. It is a tidal zone, so it would be interesting to see how it looks at high tide and low tide with golden light and sunset/sunrise glow. But our time was short and it was still a long way to Labrador so we pressed on.

But I couldn't resist photographing this rainbow. There was not a good vantage point for it, but it was so lovely, I wanted the memory.



Too often on this trip, I would be seeing lovely areas, but gray skies and no "magic" lighting. My instincts were to leave the camera alone - knowing that the photos would not be "saleable." But I had to keep reminding myself that there are many reasons to take photographs - even snapshots. They are one of the ways we remember where we've been and what we've done long after we have returned home.

Riding Mountain National Park

Back to the blogs about our Canada trip:

It was a rainy, cloudy day when we entered Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba. Beautiful aspen forests surrounded us as we drove into the park. There were two bison enclosures and we were able to drive quite close.



I don't know why, but I always enjoy getting to see bison - they're big, strong, and a historic symbol of the open prairie.



The wildflowers were beautiful.



From the daisies to the pink clover - there were flowers everywhere.



These reminded me of domestic day lilies, but they were small:



This young bear poked his head out of the forest to check us out. A little later we got to watch him grub for worms deep in the forest.



We were treated with a rainbow at the end of the day! What more can one ask!