Regensburger Photography

Tag: sunrise

  • Sandhill Crane Migration, Nebraska

    Sandhill Crane Migration, Nebraska

    It has been twenty years since I had been out to Nebraska to witness the sandhill crime migration so I thought I ‘d take a day and head northeast. Every spring, the sandhills descend on central Nebraska en masse so they can roost in the Platte River valley. There are upwards of 500,000 cranes in the area so it is a spectacle not to be missed.

    This year the weather cooperated. Unlike past years when the weather in late March can be unpredictable, this year it was sunny and around 70. Perfect. The sunrise and sunsets were spectacular as well, providing the perfect backdrop for groups of cranes flying in to roost in the river for the night or take off for the fields in the morning.

    The biggest collection of cranes can be found between Kearney (Exit 272) and Grand Island (Exit 320). During the day, the birds can be seen in the local farm fields fattening up on left over corn kernels from the previous year’s harvest. They will also take flight and move from field to field. Just before sunrise or just after sunset is when the real show begins, however. The birds fly in waves back to the river or take off from the river. The sun rises or sets in a big orange ball over the river. It looks like something out of an African safari.

    This year I went to the Plautz viewing deck near Gibbon to watch sunset while I stopped at the river bridge just east of Kearney (exit 279) for sunrise. Other options include guided tours from the Rowe Sanctuary (located between Kearney and Gibbon) or Fort Kearney State Park. The latter has a bicycle bridge over the river that provides good access. This one gets crowded so I prefer the other locations.

  • Miami

    Miami

    My family and I traveled to Miami over Christmas this year. We took in a sunrise at South Beach, strolled through the Art Deco district, and toured Viscaya. I also grabbed a quick walk around Bill Baggs State Park on Key Biscayne as well as Homestead Bayfront Park. Unfortunately, our snorkel adventure in Biscayne National Park got canceled due to rain. Winter weather is unpredictable everywhere I guess.

  • Dream Lake Loop

    I hiked a loop from Bear Lake parking lot in Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday. I photographed the sunrise at Dream Lake and then ventured over the hill to Lake Hiyaha about 1 mile away. Although virtually at the same elevation, the two lakes are separated by a large hill that must be scaled. So the trail ascends and descends steeply form Dream Lake. Lake Hiyaha has a weird green mile color right now due to glacial sediment being disturbed. The lake itself is not very photogenic due to the presence of large boulders all along its shoreline. The tarn just in front of the lake was more photogenic in my mind. I then hiked the connector trail with the glacial gorge trail. About half a mile from the junction, there are two small tarns that are quite photogenic. I did get wet getting to the shore of one, however. It is quite the bog!

  • Grand Teton and Yellowstone

    Grand Teton and Yellowstone

    After backpacking to Alaska Basin, my wife and I spent a couple of days in Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. With not a lot of time to spend, we hit some of the highlights of each park. We kayaked in Jackson Lake, took in the sunrise at Oxbow Bend, and then headed to Yellowstone. We caught the eruption of Old Faithful and toured around the Grand Prismatic Pool area. I really liked Firehole Falls at the beginning of the Firehole River canyon. The best was yet to come, however. I found a huge field of wildflowers near the shore of Yellowstone Lake and then we caught the sunset at Gull Point along the lake. What color! In the morning, we made our way out of the park to pick up our son at Buffalo Bill Boy Scout camp. There were more fields of flowers just before Sylvan Lake. The yellow was quite a contrast with the stark tree poles killed by forest fires in the area. Unfortunately, there was not much wildlife to be spotted. Only the occasional bison and elk. I think the heat had many animals hiding up high.

  • Sprague Lake in winter

    Sprague Lake in winter

    I ventured up to Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday to check out the sunrise. While the sun take a while to hit the peaks directly in back of the lake the color in the sky during a winter sunrise is spectacular. I was one of only two people at the lake so it was a peaceful, serene setting to take in a pretty sunrise as well. Since it is located off the Bear Lake road, Sprague Lake can be overrun with tourists in the summer so it was a welcome change to see so few people there.

  • Red Rock Lake Sunrise

    I finally decided to do some snowshoeing this winter. I went up to the Brainard Lake Recreation area in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. First, I stopped at Red Rock Lake to catch the sunrise. I had been meaning to do this for a number of years but had never gotten around to it. I picked a good morning to come. The color was intense–unfortunately, so was the wind. It had to have been blowing 50 mph. It knocked over my tripod on a couple of occasions (luckily without my camera on it). The sunrise was a rosy red and purple to the east and then the rising sun lit up the mountains behind Red Rock Lake. I then hiked up to Lefthand Reservoir. The view was noice but the clouds were really rolling in by then. What a special morning.

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