By Ted Grussing
… my favorite views are to the north because of the wildly beautiful alien features of the Colorado Plateau and environs … there has been way too much smoke to permit anything resembling beauty lately, but today there was an opening directly to the north of the peaks where it wasn’t too bad, so I spent some time this morning shooting the peaks mostly from the south … maybe a mile and at 12,800’. Still had morning sun so the lighting was also pretty good.
In the foreground lower right is Agassiz Peak which at 12,360’ is the second highest peak in Arizona topped only by Humphreys Peak at 12, 633’, which is above it following the ridgeline; about half way going up the ridgeline you can see where the trail to Humphreys Peak comes from below. Snow Bowl ski area is just over the ridge line that goes from the bottom left of the image up to Agassiz Peak and you can see some of the ski runs. To the right of the main ridgeline is the inner basin and following it down slope and not visible is Lockett Meadow. I ducked into the inner basin to get some shots, but after getting my head thumped on the canopy a couple of times I gave it up … winds at the peaks were around 25kts and I knew it could be a little messy behind the peaks … oh well.
Just to the right and a little below Humphreys Peak you can see a black lava flow and that is from S-P Crater … yes geologists have a sense of humor … think of a name descriptive of a flow like that which would offend delicate ears if spelled out. Directly above the peak is the far east end of the East Kaibab Monocline, one of the most prominent features on the Colorado Plateau … it extends from the edge of the San Francisco Volcanic Field north about 150 miles to Bryce Canyon in Utah. The tip of the monocline is about forty miles from the peaks and on the other side of the monocline there is the road which goes from SR89 to Desert View overlook on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. On the horizon left you can see a dark line with light cliff faces … this is the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. On the upper right you have the northwest part of the Painted Desert and the rather dark line just below the horizon is the far wall of the Little Colorado River; the canyon is only a couple of hundred feet deep there.
Didn’t make it to Sound Bites tonight as I was still in the cockpit working on new calibration issues … also a piece of equipment I was going to update needs new chips before it can be updated and having a few issues getting it out of the plane to send in. You will only find thin pretzel type people who work on avionics in planes … I don’t make a very good pretzel, but getting there.
Have a super day … finishing up calibration issues with the help of Matt at MGL Avionics … he gives support and counsel second to none. If you would like to take a peek at the avionics I use, check out his website at: www.mglavionics.com
Cheers and keep breathing which gives cause for a smile or more … I mean you are still here … how great is that!
Ted
At nightfall,
Though I know I shall sometime no more open my eyes to the night or the day.
I am one who looks at the stars when unchained from the workbench at nightfall.
They are a sign I am not ephemeral, nor you, nor you, whoever you are.
The dawn comes and the dark and the sign sparkling in the brooding night,
forever and forever.
— Max Ehrmann
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The easiest way to reach Mr. Grussing is by email: ted@tedgrussing.com
In addition to sales of photographs already taken Ted does special shoots for patrons on request and also does air-to-air photography for those who want photographs of their airplanes in flight. All special photographic sessions are billed on an hourly basis.
Ted also does one-on-one workshops for those interested in learning the techniques he uses. By special arrangement Ted will do one-on-one aerial photography workshops which will include actual photo sessions in the air.
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