Thirteen-Years Ago (14-September-2006) — Nevada

Gone to See America 2006 Driving Tour. Day 16: Extraterrestrial Highway, Nevada.

Sometimes you just have to stop and take the picture. No idea where the guys with the hard hats went, but it is close to Area 51. The area is desolate. Just outside Rachel (population 54), Nevada there is an old mine site. Afterwards more desert. For those planning to attend the Area 51 stampede later this month bring plenty of water, otherwise you will end up dazed and confused — easy pickings for the aliens.

Extraterrestrial Highway Sign. Somewhere near Area 51 in Nevada. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens (ISO 400, 62 mm, f/7.1, 1/180 sec). (David J Mathre)
Extraterrestrial Highway Sign. Somewhere near Area 51 in Nevada. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens (ISO 400, 62 mm, f/7.1, 1/180 sec). (David J Mathre)
Extraterrestrial highway somewhere near Area 51 in Nevada. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens (ISO 400, 27 mm, f/10, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)
Extraterrestrial highway somewhere near Area 51 in Nevada. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens (ISO 400, 27 mm, f/10, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)
Extraterrestrial highway somewhere near Area 51 in Nevada. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens (ISO 100, 38 mm, f/7.1, 1/180 sec). (David J Mathre)
Extraterrestrial highway somewhere near Area 51 in Nevada. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens (ISO 100, 38 mm, f/7.1, 1/180 sec). (David J Mathre)


Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter gallery containing the individual images in the following slideshow.


Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)
Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)
Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)
Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)
Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)
Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)
Dazed and confused after running out of water in the Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)
Dazed and confused after running out of water in the Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)
Dazed and confused after running out of water in the Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)
Dazed and confused after running out of water in the Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)

Seven-Years Ago (12-September-2012) — Belgium

Gone to see Europe. Semester at Sea. Fall 2012 Semester Voyage on the MV Explorer. Day 20: Fort Breendonk Memorial in Antwerp, Belgium.

Field trip to Fort Breendonk. A concentration camp during WWII. Some of the images may be disturbing. “If you don’t remember the past you are doomed to repeat it” And it seems like some in the US (and around the world) have forgotten. How many camps are there where people are being held against their will for reasons of race, religion, political belief, and poverty.

Fort Breendonk National Memorial. WWII Concentration Camp. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens. (David J Mathre)
Fort Breendonk National Memorial. WWII Concentration Camp. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens. (David J Mathre)


Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter Gallery containing the individual images in the following slideshow.



Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter Gallery containing the individual images in the following slideshow.



Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter Gallery containing the individual images in the following slideshow.


Fort Breendonk National Memorial. WWII Concentration Camp. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens. (David J Mathre)
Fort Breendonk National Memorial. WWII Concentration Camp. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens. (David J Mathre)

Ten-Years Ago (12-September-2009) — Canada

Gone to See North America Road Trip. Day 22: Anchorage to Burwash Landing on the Alaska-Canada Highway. Yukon, Canada.

Rather taking the Alaska Marine Highway ferry back, I decided to drive the Alaska-Canada highway. The summer travel season was over so there was very little traffic on the highway. I spent the night at a RV spot in Burwash Landing along Lake Kluane. There was a derelict boat behind my RV site next to the lake. The image of the boat seemed dull, so I played around with some of the image processing software packages ending up with a surrealistic photo art version of the derelict boat.

Derelict Boat at Burwash Landing, Yukon Canada. On Kluane Lake along the Alaska Canada Highway. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 14-24 mm lens (ISO 800, 24 mm, f/8, 1/30 sec) (David J Mathre)
Derelict Boat at Burwash Landing.  Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 14-24 mm lens (ISO 800, 24 mm, f/8, 1/30 sec) (David J Mathre)
Derelict Fishing Boat HDR at Burwash Landing, Yukon Canada. On Kluane Lake along the Alaska Canada Highway. Composite of 3 images taken with a Nikon D300 and 14-24 mm lens (ISO 800, 24 mm, f/8). HDR Processed with Photomatix Pro. (David J Mathre)
Derelict Fishing Boat HDR at Burwash Landing. Composite of 3 images taken with a Nikon D300 and 14-24 mm lens (ISO 800, 24 mm, f/8). HDR Processed with Photomatix Pro. (David J Mathre)

Ten-Years Ago (10-September-2009) — Alaska

Gone to See North America Road Trip. Day 20: Alaska Railroad – Denali to Anchorage, Alaska. (Day 6: Nikonians ANPAT 9).

We were very fortunate on this trip to see Mount Denali five days in a row. As the tallest mountain in North America, it creates its own weather and often is obscured by clouds for days at a time. The first set of images are of Mount Denali. They were taken while riding the Alaska Railroad train back to Anchorage from the Observation car. I didn’t posted them in the past because they were out of focus and blurry. Photographer error — I used shutter-priority mode  with a high shutter speed (1/1000 or 1/2000 sec) with the ISO set to 100. This resulted in the aperture being being nearly wide open, which meant a narrow range of distances in focus. The 45 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens is a manual focus lens, and I must have moved it off of focusing at infinity. I have reprocessed the images with Capture One Pro and Topaz Focus AI. I am very impressed with how much detail the Topaz Focus AI program was able to recover.

The next set of images are landscape views from the train. The same camera and lens, but set to aperture-priority with the aperture set at f/11, and auto ISO. These images were sharper, and did not need to be reprocessed. In some of the images you see the old telegraph poles. Although the wire had been removed years ago to recover the copper, the glass insulators are still there.

Finally, a time-lapse video (sort of) documenting the group on the train. All images taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 16 mm  fisheye lens. Two minutes in length.


Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.



Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.


Monday (09-September-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

It had been overcast and cool much of the day. In the late afternoon we finally got some much needed rain. Not enough, but something. The clouds started clearing from the west and I noticed sunlight coming in my bedroom window. When I looked outside I saw a double rainbow. I ran outside with the first camera I found with a wide-angle lens. Three views — a 360 degree panorama, a little planet view, and an inverse little planet/tunnel view.

Rainbow. 360 Pano View. Composite of 46 images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 19 mm f/4 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 19 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Rainbow. 360 Pano View. Composite of 46 images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 19 mm f/4 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 19 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Rainbow. Little Planet View. Composite of 46 images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 19 mm f/4 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 19 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Rainbow. Little Planet View. Composite of 46 images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 19 mm f/4 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 19 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Rainbow. 360 Tunnel View. Composite of 46 images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 19 mm f/4 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 19 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Rainbow. 360 Tunnel View. Composite of 46 images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 19 mm f/4 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 19 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (36.4 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (35.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Cloudy much of the day. Still cool enough that the windows can be left open and no need to run the Geothermal HVAC. Overall a net deficit of 0.9 kWh.

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