Lower Falls of Bell Canyon

This post shares images taken on a hike through Bell Canyon which is SE of Salt Lake City Utah. Our destination, reached after 2.4 miles, was the lower waterfall in the canyon. The map below shows the trail we took on March 27, 2025. There are also inserts showing the trail’s location relative to Salt …

Summer at the Lake 2024

Simply a collection of good pictures from this season at the lake cabin in North-Central Minnesota. One of the two islands in our lake. This sunflower was a volunteer in our garden. A better result than in years when I had actually planted sunflowers. Looking east at dusk. Fall colors seemed muted this year, maybe …

Loons at the Lake 2024

July 16 This year the nesting pair of loons on our lake raised two chicks. Below, these pictures of them were taken July 16. July 25 This next group of pictures was taken nine days later, on July 25. The chicks are growing fast. August 14 These pictures were taken August 14, the final day …

Rainbow

These pictures were taken looking west across our lake around 8AM on September 6, 2024. There was a slight rain shower to the west with sunlight from the east hitting the raindrops. Sunlight is reflected back towards the observer by the raindrops. Because of the refractive index of water, the wavelength of light, and the …

Northern Lights Return

The pictures below were taken last Sunday, August 11, just three months after a similar show of Northern Lights in May. I had thought Northern Lights predominantly occur in winter. This really does not make sense though. They are caused by interactions between solar activity and the Earth’s magnetic field and neither of these things …

Antelope Island 2024

Antelope Island is a peninsula that juts out into the east side of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The Utah State Park on Antelope Island is a short drive from Salt Lake City. Access to the park across a causeway is seen in the picture above. There are many hiking trails in the state …

Ski Slopes in Summer

Being familiar with the Park City ski slopes in winter, it was an interesting experience to hike partway up the mountain in summer. I mostly followed a trail designated as Jenny’s Trail. A person hiking here has to be aware of the mountain bikers who are also enjoying the trails; parts of the trail are …

Northern Lights, 2024

The exceptional show of Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) over the last few days has been covered extensively in the news. The reason for this event is traced back to sunspot activity, specifically in a sunspot cluster designated Region 3664, which is at least 15 times wider than the earth! Solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections …

Hike to Stewart Falls, April 8, 2024

Stewart Falls is a dramatic, reasonably accessible waterfall near the Sundance ski area; it is east up the Provo canyon from the Salt Lake City metro area. Hiking to the waterfall from the trailhead near Aspen Grove was a 3.6-mile round trip. The change in elevation along the trail is about 780 feet, but it …