Old Town Dubrovnik – The Low Down

While walking the wall above Old Town Dubrovnik is certainly quite impressive, there is much to see and appreciate at ground level.

If entering at the Pile Gate (west entrance), one of the first iconic destinations is the Large Onofrio’s Fountain designed by Onofrio della Cava and Pietro di Martino dating back to 1438.



Interestingly, the fountain still services this section of Dubrovnik by providing potable drinking water.

Each of the fountain’s 16 sections is decorated with a detailed “mask” and a spigot coming from the mouth. A number of tourists used the fountain to fill their drinking bottles.



During earthquakes and through aging, the fountain sustained damage. Although the reconstruction was not quite as ornate as the original, it is still impressive. Kučak, the fountain dog, suffered severe damage, but was finally restored in 2016.

You can read about Small Onofrio’s Fountain HERE



The approximately 300 meter long limestone main street in Old Town is referred to as the Stradun. This is where a number of main attractions can be found.



Dubrovnik’s Bell Tower is a major landmark dating back to the 15th century. It is pictured below with Mt. Srd in the background. Two metal figurines known as “The Greens,” strike the bell every day at noon alerting those in and around Luža Square.



Read more about the interesting history of the Bell Tower HERE

There are many side streets which invite tourists to stroll down to explore the variety of shops and restaurants.



Don’t forget to look up to appreciate the architecture that does not appear easily in view.



The Church of St Nicholas Bell Tower

Of course not all is old. What tourist area would not benefit from a candy store? This particular version is quite different.



Needless to say, there are also numerous gelato venues. A somewhat unique shop offered toy rubber ducks. Perhaps they have duck races from time-to-time in and around Old Town.



In a fashion similar to that of St. Mark’s Square in Venice, pigeons have found a welcome home in Old Town. There are holes in the walls (aka “bird hotels”) used to erect scaffolding when work needs to be done and the birds have turned these niches in to nesting places.



At the far end of the main Stradun, near the Ploce Gate (east side), is an entrance to the Dominican Monastery showing amazing architectural grace and beauty.



It is easy to understand why Old Town is a tourist favorite with so much to see and explore! Scroll down for a few quick takes…

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Luža Square with the Church of St Blaise



Administrative buildings, such as the Rector’s Palace show incredible detail and craftsmanship.



National and county flags decorate a number of the office buildings.



A statue of Croatian writer Marin Držić receives nose rubs from passersby.



As we departed Old Town for the last time, we noticed (among the replica cannon balls) a cat eying a pigeon only a foot away. Both bird and cat seemed pretty laid back in the moment. Apparently all was peaceful this day in Old Town.



See previous entries in this series of posts:

Dubrovnik, Croatia – Pearl of the Adriatic

Old Town Dubrovnik – Above it all

 

Next stop – Dubrovnik viewed from the Adriatic and above!

The Hills Are Alive in the Sonoran Desert

During these times of sheltering in place, when the weather turns nice we are bound to get the urge to take part in an outdoor activity. Luckily, in Maricopa County (Phoenix and surrounds) the weather has been perfect.

Wildflowers generally bloom this time of year and because of the rather abundant winter rains, we were hoping they would be putting on quite a show. We wanted to share the hiking activity with my brother-in-law and his friend and naturally we needed to observe appropriate social distancing.

We decided to visit an area we thought would not be too crowded even though it is beautiful. The plan was that each couple would drive separately and meet up at Lake Pleasant near Wickenburg, AZ.

Once at the parking area, we used the amenities, reviewed the maps and headed out on the Cottonwood Trail.

This is a view of the lake from the parking area.



The Cottonwood Trail was in a direction opposite that of the lake and thus there we only encountered a few other hikers.

Almost immediately, we found a beautiful hedgehog cactus (chinocereus Engelmannii). The colors seem almost too intense to be real like those in an overpriced tropical drink!



Pink and purple were the dominant colors of the day. The hills were covered with owl’s clover (Castilleja exserta ssp. exserta).



They found footing in and around rocks and in what appeared to be inhospitable spaces.



Some patches were so dense that the entire hillside was pink!



The combination of the flowers, green bushes and towering saguaro cacti (Carnegiea gigantea) highlighted the natural beauty of the desert.



There were also ample displays of orange globe mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua).



Anecdote: We had a Maricopa County Park pass which allows for an entire car to enter the parks (including Lake Pleasant) on the one pass. Since we drove separately and although we totalled only four in our “group,” we inquired as to whether under the circumstances, we would be allowed to enter under the one pass. The attendant thought for a moment and said: “How about a Coronavirus discount?”… and waived us along.

Everyone is doing the best they can!

 
Read more hiking and exploring stories on JBRish HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

 
©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2020 — JBRish.com



Photography: My Shot – Earthen Details

“The devil is in the detail.” — Gustave Flaubert

 

Not only is the devil the the detail or details, as a photographer I find inspiration and beauty in the details. I am not the best photographer and have little hopes of attaining that title. I enjoy photography for many reasons, but let me address just one.

A significant benefit I receive from my photographic hobby is learning to see. We all look at a multitude things every day; perhaps millions of things if we could count them. But how many of us actually “see” those things at which we are looking?

Photography has given me an appreciation for taking my time to look at an object or a scene. I now search for the details; the small things that make the location or item special. The picture below was taken at Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada. If you are going through that area, I recommend it as a very picturesque and worthwhile stop.

While at Cathedral Gorge, I hiked among the canyons created by the eroding clay hoodoos. They were very intriguing in their other-worldly appearance.

This specific grouping of hoodoos served as a collection point for a number of tumbleweeds and these earthen structures created a chimney-like opening where they piled one on top of the other to make an amazing composition.



What struck me was the beautiful coloring and the synchronicity of the two natural aspects, i.e. the eroded clay hoodoos and nature’s tumbleweeds. They came together to form a wonderful, natural image – nature as artist!

I love the textures of both the formations and the tumbleweed. The brown tones bind them together to create, what in my opinion, is an artistic rendering.

Seeing the opportunity, however, doesn’t necessarily mean a photograph is going to successfully capture it the way it appeared to the observer and therein lies the beauty, the challenge and the motivation of photography.

I can’t think of a better hobby for people seeking to express their creative souls than that of photography.

 

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Metadata

File Name: 0000199-Tumbleweed plays among the hoodoos – Cathedral Gorge, NV
Capture time: 9:55 AM
Capture date: June 13, 2019
Exposure: 1/30 sec @ f/13
Focal Length: 20mm
ISO: 125
Camera: Nikon D3300
Lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

Edited in Lightroom

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Check out Jeff’s Instagram account for more interesting photos!

Read more photography posts HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged #please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2020 JBRish.com



Photography: My Shot – Taking Glacier by Storm

We are very fond of America’s national park system and each year we try to take at least one major hiking trip to one of the parks. Last year, after much planning, we spent nearly two weeks at Glacier National Park.

Glacier is very remote and very large and we made a point of staying in each of the two major areas, i.e. Lake McDonald and the Many Glacier area. One of the highlighted experiences is to visit the trails in and around Logan Pass.

The picture below is of Clements Mountain. It towers above the main trail leading to hidden lake just behind the Logan Pass visitors center. During our visit Hidden Lake was off limits because of extreme bear activity.

As you can see, there was a storm brewing and we did have to dig out the parkas and suffer some rain. The sky and lighting were very dramatic. Logan Pass is very popular so we were sure to arrive early and visitor parking was difficult to find even before 8AM!



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Metadata

File Name: 000053_DSC_4820_glacier.NEF
Capture time: 7:59:48 AM
Capture date: July 13, 2019
Exposure: 1/50 sec @ f/16
Focal Length: 20mm
ISO: 100
Camera: Nikon D3300
Lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

Edited in Lightroom

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Check out Jeff’s Instagram account for more interesting photos!

Read more photography posts HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged #please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2020 JBRish.com



Caught by Fire While Hiking

In mid September we traveled to the White Mountains in northeast Arizona near Pinetop/Lakeside for some hiking. After much research, one of of the daily hikes we selected was the Los Burros Trail in the Apache Sitgreaves Forest.

“Killer hike” is how you’d describe Los Burros if you were writing a postcard. Even the historic red barn, which greets hikers at the trailhead, is alluring. Or maybe “mystical” is a better word. It’s the kind of place Django Reinhardt might have hunkered down with a bottle of Château Margaux, despite the “no trespassing” sign.

Source

While the hike was nice, it was somewhat rocky with little else to see except trees and a couple of meadows. There were no distant mountain vistas or breathtaking mountain views. Having said that, it was a typical forest hike with plenty of canopy. It was a good forest hike if that is your goal.

During our hours of hiking we passed one trio of horseback riders and a cyclist; that’s it!

Little did we know what an adventure this would ultimately become. According to our Garmin GPS device, we had hiked a bit over eleven of the 13.8 (+/-) miles and we noticed that the sky was turning dark. Initially we thought a storm was brewing.

We heard helicopters circling the area several times. We saw them and they should have seen us as there were many times they passed overhead and we were in clearings along the path.

We continued along the trail and then we saw this…


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There was a tremendous amount of smoke and haze. Part of the forest was on fire. It was nearly four o’clock on what was a sunny day.



Luckily, we were close to a rather wide service road. As we began to walk along the road to get to where the trail continued. At this point, flames were clearly visible.



see detail with flames below



detail from photograph above

We were really in a quandary regarding what would be the “best” strategy; especially when we saw exactly where our trail led…



The trail continued directly behind the sign along that path!

At this point, it was obvious we could not take the trail so we began to walk down the service road in the direction of the trailhead. We knew then and there that this had the potential to be a very long day.

We were prepared with headlamps, extra food, water, etc., but we had no firefighting mechanism and we were breathing smoke from the surrounding fires.

A fire truck came rambling along the road and after being flagged down, the driver was able to shout some vague directions to us, but it still left us guessing. We had a map and to the best of our knowledge of the area, we continued to walk.

After ten minutes or so, we caught a lucky break. A woman on an ATV was approaching along the road. She heard about the fire and wanted to see what was happening. After some conversation, she agreed to drive us back to the trailhead; apparently we were going to be spared an ordeal!

NOTE: We learned that the fire along our trail was set deliberately to prevent a lightning induced fire farther south from ravaging the area.


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The story has a happy ending, but it still leaves me with some interesting thoughts:

    1 – If the firefighters knew they were going to set a backfire, shouldn’t they have considered that there might be hikers along the Los Burros trail?

    2 – Shouldn’t the helicopters have reported that there were hikers on the trail and request help/rescue?

    3 – Wouldn’t it have been nice under the circumstances for the firemen on the truck who offered us “directions” to have given us a ride to the campground? We later saw firetrucks and firefighters at the trailhead just yards from where we parked. I can’t be sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the driver of the truck that stopped was among them.

    4 – Couldn’t the men on the truck call to get someone to help us get safely back to our car?

In the end, it all worked out and I thank that wonderful woman for giving us a ride to the trailhead. She wanted no reward, just to be remembered for a good deed. We thank you Susan! You saved us much anguish and consternation!

 

Read more Hiking and Exploration posts HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2019 – JBRish.com



Photography: My Shot — Wild Burros at Lake Pleasant – Morristown, AZ

We decided to take a hike at Lake Pleasant to see if we could locate the wild burros that reportedly live there. As we travel along the highways, we see signs to watch out for the burros, but we have never seen one.

The park has a Wild Burro Trail so naturally we decided this would be our target destination. Lucky for us we were less than ten minutes into the hike when we spotted a lone burro. Upon further exploration, we came across the tres amigos (three friends) pictured here.

So…there really are wild burros at Lake Pleasant!



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Metadata

File Name: IMG_1103_r.tif
Capture time: 10:44:14 AM
Capture date: Feb. 15, 2019
Exposure: 1/400 sec @ f/5.6
Focal Length: 79mm
ISO: 80
Camera: Canon PowerShot AS590 IS
Lens: 4.3-215mm
Edited in Lightroom/Photoshop

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See more photography posts HERE and visit Jeff’s Instagram site HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2019 – JBRish.com



Photography: My Shot —Deer Mountain Peak, RMNP, Colorado

My wife and I enjoy hiking and every year we take two significant hiking vacations. During these hikes or treks, I enjoy taking photographs of the scenery, nature and other interesting finds.

The hike to the top of Deer Mountain, Rocky Mountain NP, was somewhat difficult in parts, especially the last ascent with a steep upward grade. The view from the top was striking although the day was overcast and the colors subdued.

Nevertheless, I captured the streaks of light coming from the sky, piercing the clouds and hitting the Moraine Park area. The picture captures the mood.



I thought perhaps since the tonal values were not intense that it might be better depicted in a black and white rendition. As you can see, the subtle color of the streaks of light become lost as they blend in with the surrounding monochromatic tones. What do you think?



Longs Peak is almost directly north, far off in the distance of the leafless tree on the ledge. Here is a closeup of Longs Peak.



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Metadata

File Name: DSC_1031-2.tif
Capture time: 11:04:48 AM
Capture date: Sept. 16, 2016
Exposure: 1/80 sec @ f/25
Focal Length: 21mm
ISO: 100
Camera: Nikon D3300
Lens: 18.0 – 55.0mm f/3.5-5.6
Edited in Lightroom/Photoshop

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See more photography posts HERE and visit Jeff’s Instagram site HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2019 – JBRish.com



Photography: My Shot — Elephant Mountain Cave Creek, Arizona

A couple of weeks ago, the weather was rather mild in our part of the Sonoran Desert so we decided to take a hike which was partly in the Spur Cross Recreation Area. As we hiked over a dozen miles that day, we could see Elephant Mountain from numerous vantage points.



This is a well-known landmark in the area and there are several ranger-led hikes to the mountain every year. You can call for information if you like. Our hike this day took us near the mountain and around the sides, but not on to it. It was our near constant companion as we trekked along.

If you are having difficulty “seeing” the “elephantness” of the mountain, here is another copy of the photo with my interpretation.



As a bonus, I included a relevant quote. If you read my website regularly, you probably surmised that I am a collector of quotes.

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Metadata

File Name: DSC_4018.NEF
Capture time: 10:50 AM
Capture date: Dec 14, 2018
Exposure: 1/160 sec @ f/10
Focal Length: 18mm
ISO: 100
Camera: Nikon D3300
Lens: 18.0 – 55.0mm f/3.5-5.6
Edited in Lightroom

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See more photography posts HERE and visit Jeff’s Instagram site HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2018 – JBRish.com



Photography: My Shot — Pine Cones in the Mist

When we plan our hiking and photography trips, we understand that we are most likely going to have some days when the weather is not ideal. Even if it rains, as long as it isn’t a deluge, we carry out our plans to hike. We may elect to alter the selection of trails, but hike we will.

During our adventures in Sequoia National Park, California, we wanted to see a stand of the giant sequoias that were located in the Muir Grove near the end of the Muir Grove Trail. The day was a dreary, drizzly one. To add a bit of drama, we had a map that accessed the trailhead through one of the campgrounds that was unfortunately closed for renovations. Cars were not allowed, but we were told we could walk in.

The construction turned the campground into ghost town and the cloudy, misty, rainy day created an eerie spectacle. Undeterred however, and with most of the landmarks altered or removed, we finally located the trailhead.

As we made our way along the designated path, we came across the beautiful branch pictured below. The two elongated pine cones were dangling in the air. They were posed in such near perfect juxtaposition against the misty background, that I was inspired to take this photograph and I am glad that I did.



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Metadata

File Name: 000031_sequoia_1619.NEF
Capture time: 12:10 PM
Capture date: June 10, 2018
Exposure: 1/60 sec @ f/16
Focal Length: 35mm
ISO: 1250
Camera: Nikon D3300
Lens: 18.0 – 55.0mm f/3.5-5.6
Edited in Lightroom

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BTW – Here is a picture of me by the unbelievably huge sequoia’s near the end of the trail. To give some perspective to the scene, I am nearly six feet tall and I am standing at the base of a single tree.

Click HERE for more information about the Grove Muir Trail.



See more photography posts HERE and visit Jeff’s Instagram site HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2018 – JBRish.com



Photography: My Shot — Swirling Pine Needles


Pine Needles Swirling in the Stream

After hiking for more than a week in Yellowstone National Park, we moved on to Red Lodge, Montana to continue our adventure. We decided to explore a course along the Silver Run Plateau, Trail #102, Loop #3 just outside of town.

The first part of the loop was quite rocky with boulders and large rocks buried in and around the path. The return half of the hike, however brought us nearer to the river which had much better footing and more intersting views. Along the way, we passed a feeder stream that had a very slow, but consistent flow. A large number of pine needles were “caught” in a side channel and they were swirling around in a somewhat circular motion as the water worked its way around some rocks and debris.

The pattern was very appealing and I found that watching the movement was similar to playing with a kaleidoscope.

 

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Metadata

File Name: DSC_3958.NEF
Capture time: 11:18 AM
Capture date: Sept. 17, 2018
Exposure: 1/100 sec @ f/11
Focal Length: 55mm
ISO: 100
Camera: Nikon D3300
Lens: 18.0 – 55.02mm f/3.5-5.6
Edited in Lightroom & Photoshop

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See more photography posts HERE and visit Jeff’s Instagram site HERE


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All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2018 – JBRish.com