Collection of Tornado Videos

Those in Chattanooga are aware of the tornado activity that occurred here on Tuesday, October 26. For others who might not have seen some of the video, I put together this collection. Tornadoes just don't happen often in Chattanooga due to the topography around the city.

This video shows the wall cloud moving across the city.



The tornado moved up the Tennessee River toward the Chickmagua Dam. Here is a shot looking down river from below the dam.




This is another video from under the dam looking at some construction buildings next to the Chickamagua Creek that join the Tennessee River on the South side of the dam. Watch the buildings.



This camera looks up the river and catches the tornado moving beyond the dam on the lake side. Watch at the end of the video for the funnel coming down over the hill. That is where the Lake Shore apartments are located. About 50 units were declared uninhabitable due to the tornado.




Flying debris on the dam caused a car pileup and injured several people. Fortunately there was no loss of life.

Moose Quest Begins Anew

Well, the moose quest I've been on for years has taken a slight change of course. My quest has been to find a moose with a full rack and be able to photograph it. Tonight there was a strange knock at the door while we were gone. Blanche called to tell us about it. We weren't too worried, thinking that she had perhaps heard the washing machine in the spin cycle.

When we arrived home we found the following sitting on the front porch.



Though it doesn't exactly complete my quest, it certainly adds a fun twist to the adventure. He has found a special place in our living room but meanwhile, the quest continues. We'll call in Stan for finger printing and his investigative services.

Thanks to the folks who surprised us with this new addition to the moose quest library of photos. Reveal yourself or you will be found!

Yellowstone Buffalo Fight

Here is the video I promised that documents some of the events that occurred just as we were leaving Yellowstone. Quite interesting to say the least. Go full screen and turn up the volume.

Sorry for the duplication for the Facebook folks. Several people interested are not on FaceBook.

Yellowstone Geyser Basin

As you probably know, a good portion of Yellowstone is in the cauldron of an old volcano. Just about every part of Yellowstone has something either steaming or spewing. The geyser basin is probably the most well know part of Yellowstone, primarily because of the geyser Old Faithful.

We hit the basin on a very good day. We saw 5 geyser eruptions in just 4 hours. I heard one of the faithful geyser watchers comment to his friend, "If folks here today knew that seeing more than 2 geysers in a day is unusual, they would appreciate what they're seeing even more." I didn't realize that but they were all a sight to behold.

Here are photos of the geysers. Each is unique.


Beehive geyser is named after the beehive shape of its spout. On a day with calm winds Beehive can spout to over 200 feet. A knowledgeable geyser watcher told us that beehive reached about 170 during the eruption we witnessed.



Grand Geyser doesn't shoot quite as high but its fountain is very wide. Occasionally it will spout more than once during an eruption. On our day we witnessed two back to back eruptions. That is really a treat. Kind of like an encore.





This is Old Faithful at sunset. We saw Old Faithful go off 3 times. Once just after we arrived, again after watching Beehive and Grand, and then another time at sunset (above) just after eating dinner.

It is interesting to met other visitors and hear their stories about Yellowstone. One lady, somewhat disabled, told us that she and her husband had been coming to Yellowstone for years. She has never visited in Winter and wants to do that some day. She likes watching Old Faithful (she would have some trouble getting to other geysers due to the walk) and says each time is a thrill. I agree.

Nan commented that it is so nice that much of Yellowstone can be enjoyed by people whose physical condition doesn't allow them to hike long distances. Much of the wildlife, hot springs, geysers, and just landscape beauty can be seen from the car or just a short distance down a level path.

If you have never been to Yellowstone, you ought to visit. Since the Tetons are close, be certain to see them as well.

Leaving Yellowstone - Grand Tetons

No moose on this trip. However, other wildlife was aboundant. We saw 5 grizzly bears, 1 black bear, 1 fox, 1 wolf, several deer and antelope. Other critters include squirrels, chipmonks, raccons, and various birds.

We left Yellowstone on Saturday morning. We had quite an adventure getting out of Yellowstone. We have video and I'll try to post it. Story at 11.

Leaving through the South Entrance you move into the area of the Grand Tetons. This is the second time I have passed through the Tetons in a day. I'm thinking that this area deserves more attention since the moose population seems to be greater here.

Here are some photos from the Teton region. There was a rain storm moving through the area as we arrived. It made for some interesting photography.

Here is a fence row at a stop we made next to the Tetons. The shot is black and white.



Here are the Teton Valley and the Tetons during the storm.





Finally, there is often a rainbow after the storm. We were treated to a double rainbow. The last one of these I recall seeing was years ago on a trip with mom and dad in the Smokies.


We are in Denver tonight. Our path home is a bit slow. We're somewhat car weary and trying not to make the days too long.

God has created a wonderful world for us to live in. The beauty we've seen makes it easy to get attached to our home here. We need to remember that a far more beautiful home awaits us in heaven. The wonders there have to be far greater. This world serves as a testament to how great the God is that we serve.

Psalm 19: 1-6 says:

"1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard.

4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.

6 Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat."

Though we see God's great power in His creation, we cannot know His will or desire for us without spending time with His word. The Psalm goes on to say:

"7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;

9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.

13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

Take time to view His creation and be reminded of just how great He is. Then take up your Bible and learn how loving He is. As we are moved by his greatness and goodness, we want to respond. His word teaches us how to respond to Him in the way that please him.

Sorry for the sermon...I have been deeply moved on this trip and wanted to share some thoughts.

Yellowstone 2010

We entered Yellowstone on Monday. After over 30 hours of travel we found the following a big relief.

Our cabin is located on the north rim of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We found a good spot to shoot pictures of the family. Here are some of those.


Jeff is really an excellent photographer. He has a keen eye for good looking shots. You can view more of his pictures here.



Jeff and Sharria make a nice couple, don't they?

Nan makes trips so much fun. I'm blessed that we share so many interests and that our relationship in God has kept us together.

Here are two nice young ladies I get to travel with.

Nan found some guy to talk with. She really should pick better folks to hang around.

I've got more scenes to show but these will have to suffice for now. Some wildlife shots are below too.


This is just down the road from where we are staying.

This is the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Our cabin is about 2,500 feet away from this point.

Buffalo are common here. We saw this one walking along in the fog very early one morning. Last week a lady was trampled by one. There are warning signs every where telling you to stay away from the wildlife. Some people don't use the brain God gave them.

Here is another of the beasts.


And two other friends we meet along the way.

We have really enjoyed our time here so far. I've got 1,000's of pictures and little time to sort through them and post. Hope you enjoy these. Maybe I'll get some more up tomorrow.

Moose Quest 2010

Our quest has begun and we are having a great time. Internet access from the van makes life easier. I don't believe that Jennifer has asked one time, "When are we going to get there?"

The corn palace in Mitchell, SD is an interesting place. Everything you see below except for the spires are made from corn, either the cob, stalks, or other parts. Each year the city puts up a new design. Inside you can view photos of previous years. We asked about a couple of years that were missing and we were told that the corn harvest in those years was not plentiful enough for them to design the building.

Inside the corn palace gift shop Julie found that her natural color should be red. For those of you old enough to remember, that was my color, once upon a time.

All day as we were driving from Omaha, NE to Rapid City, SD, we kept seeing this guy pulling a boat named Erica. I first spotted him early that morning while everyone in the van was asleep. He was sitting on the side of the road under a bridge. We stopped for lunch and caught up to him at a rest area. We left before he did but after our stop at the corn palace we passed him again. About 50 miles down the road we stopped for supper. We figured we pass him again and did. WE all laughed and wondered if he recognized us. There was a beautiful sunset and we found a great place to pull over and watch. Sure enough, Erica passed us again, only for us to pass one more time. Late that night we stopped at a rest area before the final leg into Rapid City. As I waited on the women in pulled Erica.

I introduced myself to Ralph Downey, the new owner of Erica. I told him about how many times we had passed him and he said another family from North Carolina has been doing the same thing. Ralph bought Erica in Minnesota and is taking her back to Washington state. He had been having trouble with his truck and was taking it slow. I took the picture above because Erica needed to be documented for our quest.

Our first look at Mount Rushmore came Friday afternoon. You simply round a curve on a mountain road and this is what you see.

It is quite an impressive sight. We enjoyed our time at Rushmore and came back for the light show that evening. If you have ever been to the light show at Stone Mountain in Georgia, you know what a light show should be. Let me suggest that if you visit Mount Rushmore, don't worry about staying late for the light show. All they did was play patriot music and turn on some lights. It was nice, but nothing compared to Stone Mountain.

I learned that Julie nose a lot about Washington. You can tell from the picture below! I'll bet I'm in trouble for this one.

For all you folks back in Chattanooga...the weather here has been great. It was in the 70's today with these blue skies. At the light show it was actually cold. How nice to be here for the end of July.

More to come. No moose yet. First chance is at Yellowstone. We get there on Monday, if the Lord wills.

PS. For those of you checking the time on this post, keep in mind that we are on Mountain Time out here.

Washington, DC

Nan and I were in Washington, DC for about a week. I was working and she was vacationing. On a couple of evenings we went out and I took some night pictures of some familiar sights. If you have never been to DC, you really ought to go. It is impressive to see these historic landmarks in person.

Captial Dome

Tripod shot

Washington Monument

Tripod shot

Lincoln Memorial

Handheld - no tripods allowed

Capitol in Reflection Pool

Tripod Shot