Nebraska-Dakota 2014 Part 5

[Roanoker]

The museum had models made by the sculptor.


Lincoln.


Another model shot.


The original, portrait-oriented image is on the left, with a larger portion of itself on the right. I cheat a lot.


I guess you’d call this the main entrance.


More of the sculptor’s workshop items.


Teenagers can be useful.


Here they are with a little greenery.


A squirrel, eating something, I guess.


Time to say good-bye to Mount Rushmore.


It is a new day (8/20/14), and we are approaching Devil’s Tower.


And there it is!

[Roanoker]

The Devil’s Tower is smirking.


Driving to Devil’s Tower.


Another prairie dog village.


It must be safe to venture out.


The rocks are red.


A peek at the Tower.


I shot this from our vehicle. You can almost see the Tower, hiding behind the trees.


A Devilish path. I cloned in the top strip of this picture so as not to lose any detail through destructive cropping.


Here is another way to retain detail. Or cheat.


Just a Visitor Center sign. It is sometimes the only way I know where we were.


A natural frame for the Tower.


Birds like the Tower, for some reason.


So do I.

[Roanoker]

Devil’s Tower is in Wyoming, so we did visit that state, too. Here’s a map of the trail around the big rock.


The background was so busy, I blurred it. Now the flowers appear to pop out at you.


Some folks believe the tower has spiritual benefit.


We didn’t need a permit. Didn’t want to go there.


My son is in the clouds.


Just as majestic through tree branches.


Big tree.


Keep walking, and you can go all the way around this thing.


We had to negotiate a few big boulders.


Gotta stop and look up.


Another view.


Ditto.

[Roanoker]

Just another visitor.


Grabbed a shot as we walked around this thing.


Trees provide nice framing.


There is a tiny man in the bottom left corner.


There were opportunities to learn more.


Case in point.


Backside.


One of many sides.


The background was so busy, you couldn’t see the nice flowers. So I blurred it.


I like branches.


I put a red circle around two climbers. For reasons I do not understand, I could hear them talking. Can you imagine climbing this thing?


Another busy background. Another lens blur.

[Roanoker]

You know how I like grass. This example is so colorful. Love it. It is a portrait-oriented image plopped into a larger portion of itself.


Finding climbers on Devils Tower is kind of fun. These crazy people have to register prior to their ascent. So bodies can be found.


I saw evidence of a forest fire. This portrait-oriented image is flanked on the right by a larger portion of itself. A tall tree masks the edge.


Yet another portrait-oriented shot (in the middle) and another feeble attempt to hide its edges with portions of itself.


I’ve got to stop taking portrait-oriented pictures. This one is in the center with another attempt to hide its edges within itself.


This one was easier. Cropped a fuzzy flower thing and changed the background appearance with Photoshop Levels.


Ho-hum. Portrait-orient image on the left. Larger portion of itself on the right. Edge masked with whatever tricks.


Skinny, burned trees. Maybe the frame and filtered background make it halfway interesting.


I spotted these people taking a picture of young boys. Thought it was cute. Angled camera to get everyone in. Rotated picture.


Interesting flower things.


Confused thistle.


Staying on the path around Devils Tower.

[Roanoker]

Big boulder at the bottom of Devil’s Tower. My son is there for scale.


For those who wonder how those amazing squared-off columns formed, this sign may be interesting.


More of same sign.


A serious fire must have rolled over this terrain.


This is one of those portrait-oriented images plopped in the middle of a smaller portion of itself, edges masked my my trickery. Notice my son between the trees on the path.


Another portrait-oriented image in the middle…you know the drill. That black used-to-be-a-tree thing looks as if it is surrendering.


The words in the bottom left say, “Today the National Park Service uses prescribed fire as a tool to promote a vigorous forest ecosystem."


This may look like one of my doctored pictures, but it isn’t. Other than a crop on the left side, what you see is what my camera saw.


Now this one is doctored. Portrait-oriented image in the middle of itself.


The inevitable flowers.


Seemed like an interesting photographic object at the time.


This fuzzy thing will have to suffice as a flower.