A Flag for Sunrise (DIAL-UP WARNING)

[DemoTex]

"A Flag for Sunrise" is the name of a novel by Robert Stone, but I
thought it appropriate for today's photo album, too. I have been
waiting for the perfect conditions for a certain flag shot since 2009.
Those conditions all came together for about 120 seconds at sunrise
this morning (Sunday 7/17).

We have had bad late-afternoon thunderstorms for the last two days.
These storms have put down a lot of lightning, but they have also put
down - atypically - a lot of rain. That has kept the fire count low.

The heavy rains and cold morning temperatures allowed a sea of fog to
form on the forest floor and high desert this morning. The sun and
high clouds provided the incredible color.

BTW: A new flag has been requisitioned to replace the lookout's storm-tattered flag.


"A Flag for Sunrise"


After "A Night on Bald Mountain," the calm always follows the storms


Friday evening's storm dissipates (7/15)


One of the storms Saturday evening cools down as the sun sets


The Three Sisters and Broken Top look cold in their post-storm cloud shrouds


A sea of fog and a sky of color are testaments to the unusually high levels of moisture in the area (Sunday 7/17 at about 5:15 AM)


Almost like living on a lake!

[A HERETIC I AM]

1. Beautiful. n/t

[Gin]

2. you take some beautiful pictures....thanks for sharing

[Booster]

3. OMG, these are your best shots yet. They all belong in some

photo contest, especially the DU contest. Great job.

[Dappleganger]

4. These are simple stunning!

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Breathtaking...absolutely breathtaking. They WILL be in your book...right?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. My dear DemoTex!

Once again, you have hit it out of the damn ballpark!

These are breathtaking...

Incomprehensibly vivid colors.

You are really so damn lucky to be working in such a place...

And we're lucky to know you.

Thank you.

Recommended.

[rubberducky]

7. Absolutely fabulous!

[stevedeshazer]

8. Sweet Jesus, that is sweet stuff.

+1

[jwirr]

9. All very beautiful but I especially like the tattered flag in the wind in

the first picture.

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. You have topped yourself.

Pun intended.

[proud patriot]

11. majestic beauty

[stevedeshazer]

12. That sea of fog is nice

The Sisters and Broken Top.

Oh, man.

Good stuff.

[DemoTex]

14. From the Cascades to the serious high desert

I can see it all. It is low-hanging fruit for photography, and the last couple of days have been especially fruitful.

:hi:

BTW - Re: the kitty litter plant in Christmas Valley; it suckered me in last year .. another lookout and I reported it as a fire. It puts up a plume that looks like the smoke from a 30-acre fire (and it is 50+ miles away!).

[AsahinaKimi]

13. Did I just see Purple Mountain Majestry above the fruited Plains?

Awesome, thank you! :thumbsup:

[catchnrelease]

15. Speechless!

I just keep saying 'wow' with each one. Thanks for posting these.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

16. Number of forest fire lookouts decreasing - thought of you when I read this...

MEDFORD — The number of staffed forest fire lookouts keeps dwindling in Oregon, Washington and California as technology replaces human eyes.

Of Oregon's 1,000 lookout sites, fewer than 20 percent have structures and 106 are staffed. The number is smaller in Washington state where only 30 lookouts are staffed. The Evergreen State has 625 lookout sites, but just 107 buildings left standing.

California has 50 staffed lookouts out of nearly 200 buildings available.

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20110718/NEWS/107180328/


Not only do you keep us safe, but we wouldn't have your excellent pictures if they replaced you with a robotcamera...




edit: spelling