Parque Nacional Vulcan Masaya - Masaya Volcano National Park

I went to the Masaya Volcano National Park. They had a Visitor Center which has a great exhibit area about the history of the volcano and how volcanoes are formed geologically.   From there you can either either walk or drive to the top of the volcanoes.  There are two active volcanoes and five craters that are in active.  They also have guided tours in the day and even at night.

There are some precautions to note about visiting an active volcano. The sulfur gases and smoke are toxic so they don't recommend staying in the area longer than 5 minutes. It also can erupt or launch material at any time, so you have to be aware of the surrounding sand listen to ranger that is there for safety.  There was an area that had steps as you can see in the first picture that we could not go up due to some damage.  

The part of the park that I visited was called Plaza de Oviedo. It has a clearing for parking and is next to the opening of one of the active volcanoes.  There was a lot of the smoke and steam coming from the volcano, so seeing anymore than the edge that I was standing by was difficult.

Overlooking active volcano Masaya

After taking pictures of the volcano and its surroundings, it was time to head down.  I was with a friend who wanted to walk part of the trail while the others of the group were going to stay a bit before driving down. There was little plant life besides grass so there wasn't much shade along that path. We went about half a mile down before the group came by to get us.  I noticed that it still was another mile or so of driving down before we saw trees and other plants.  It is amazing how a volcano can change the landscape. Active volcano today, ancient volcano crater turned lake tomorrow, Meet Me Outdoors.

Grand Canyon - Arizona

The much anticipated Grand Canyon was planned for the end of our road trip.  We stayed in Flagstaff, AZ and drove up to the South Rim of the canyon.

As mentioned in my pre-road trip blog post that I wanted to get a good panarama of natural sights along the trip, and the Grand Canyon was the place to do it.  Grand Canyon has trails along the rim where you can walk and get various views of the canyon.  There are also places where people can hike down to the base of the canyon, but for this trip we decided that the view from the top is the one we wanted.

View from Mather Point

We started at the Grand Canyon Visitors Center, walked over to Mather Point then to Yavapai Point and Geology Museum. At the Geology Museum there are hands on activities that show the geological history of the canyon and how it was formed. The museum also has park rangers who can tell you about the canyon and some of its interesting features.  Binoculars were available for visitors to use to look down into the canyon.

View of Canyon and Yavapai Point from Mather Point

 From Yavapai there is a walk called the Trail of Time that has samples of all of the layers of the canyon and information about it.  It was recommended by some people we met in our travels to go along that trail as it is very informational.  However, we didn't get a chance to go, so another time perhaps. 

 The park has a shuttle service that takes visitors between the various lookout points along the South Rim.  It runs on a regular schedule so it is easy for people to get around if walking between points is a challenge, or if you want to see more places in a limited time.

I saw lots of families walking around, and strolling along the trail.  Located at each of the visitor centers is information on how kids to become a Junior Ranger as part of the National Park Service experience.  While I am a bit old to be a Junior Ranger, I enjoyed seeing the rangers inspire the next generation. 

No matter where in the Grand Canyon I was, the views were always amazing.  If we stayed longer into the afternoon or early evening when angle of the sun is not directly overhead, the views are said to be even more awesome.  It only gives more reason to return another day.  Until then, I will just have to enjoy the views I captured from my trip.  Enjoy the pictures, Meet Me Outdoors.

Driving through the middle of nowhere...

Many days of this road trip that I am on have been spent driving through the middle of nowhere. From Spokane, WA to Salt Lake City, UT have been filled with roads that go through mountains and trees and more mountains. Some areas we went by have lakes, rivers and even farms.

These are just to give an idea of some places we drove through. While I couldn't tell you where half these pictures are from it has been an interesting time driving through and seeing the beautiful sights.  We soon discovered that calling out every cow, horse, tree and mountain can be tiring after the first ten that you see.  However, a quieter game of road trip bingo is sometimes needed for the sanity of other riders.  Sometimes its just easier to pick up a camera and record what you see, of course taking time to just enjoy the sights and sounds is just as good.  The road trip continues, Meet Me Outdoors.

Transit of Venus June 5, 2012 Event

Here are some pictures from the last in a lifetime event. The white circle is the Sun and the little black dot is Venus.  Venus from our perspective is 30 times smaller than the Sun which is why it looks so small. But really the diameter of Venus is slightly smaller than Earth's.  

There were various ways that people were able to safely look at the transit, one of the ways involved placing a funnel on the eyepiece of a telescope with a special screen on the end so the image is projected onto the screen.

Projected image of the beginning of the transit.

The tiny dot is Venus at the 10 o'clock position. The lower half is clouds. 

 I was in charge of the binoculars which were used to project an image onto a paper.  I had to aim the binoculars just right so that we could see the Sun but without looking though the eyepieces because the concentrated light and super brightness of the Sun would have damaged my eyes. 

Me showing a projected view from the binoculars onto my hand.  

 To keep people from trying to look through the eyepieces, I put a box with a hole for the binoculars to fit on and the opposite end was taped a piece of paper where the image is projected. 

Sun/Venus is projected through the box and onto the paper for safe viewing.

Another great view of the transit.  Tiny dot now farther from the edge.

There were hundreds of people who trekked out to the Maryland Science Center to see this last in a lifetime event.  The clouds even parted long enough for us to view.  I hope you got a chance to view some of it. 
Until next time, Meet Me Outdoors.

Last in a Lifetime Event June 5/6, 2012

On June 5/6, 2012 there is a last in a lifetime event happening.  Depending one where you are in the world you may be able to catch a glimpse of this occurrence.  Last time this happened was June 2004 and the next time will not be until December 2117.  That's over a hundred years from now!

So what is this amazing event??

It is the Transit of Venus.  A transit, in astronomy terms, is when one object passes in front of the face of another object. In this case, it is when the planet Venus passes between Earth and the Sun such that we see it move across the face of the Sun.

WARNING: DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN!! 

THIS WILL DAMAGE YOUR EYES!!!!

Venus will appear as a tiny dot moving across the face of the Sun.  This alignment where Earth, Venus and the Sun are along the same plane does not happen often, and usually occurs in pairs 8 years apart.  So if you missed the June 8th, 2004 transit of Venus, this one of 2012 will be your last chance to try to catch it as the next time this happens is December 11, 2117.   

For more information on safe viewing of this event and when to see it in your location see the website TransitOfVenus.org.  Check to online see if your local observatory, planetarium or stargazing/astronomy clubs will be hosting an event during the transit.  The closer you are to middle of the Pacific the better chance you will have of viewing of the full transit, which takes about six hours from start until finish.  Otherwise you might just catch it either at sunrise or sunset.  East Coast of the United States will see the transit as the sun is setting beginning around 6:04pm and until 8:30pm when the Sun has set. 

The Maryland Science Center, located at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, will be hosting a viewing event from 6pm-8pm.  There will be various ways available to safely view the transit as well as other fun hands-on activities.  The activities will start before the transit begins, and will continue until the Sun and Venus go behind the buildings. 

I know I will be there to see this rare event and I hope you will join me, Meet Me Outdoors.

Rock Creek Park of Washington, D.C.

Today I met with some friends at Rock Creek Park for a picnic and some hiking.  It was a cloudy day today and minor drizzles but that didn't keep us from having an adventure.  Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera (and my phone that has a camera ran out of battery) so I don't have any photos to share.

Rock Creek Park as lots of picnic areas and some open space too great for families or a gathering of friends.  At one part along the road, toward where my friends and I were going to eat, I saw a sign with a trivia question and farther down there was a table set up with a couple park rangers with the answer.  As some bicyclers rode by the table they shouted out what they thought the answer was, and the rangers would give a yes or no.  It certainly was entertaining.

There are a lot of trails and different kinds of paths to take, some paved and some not. We took a couple different trails that were shared by bikers and runners, it was also a equestrian (horse) trail at times (we had to look out for horse droppings along the way).  The hike was peaceful, we chatted a bit along the way but we also just wanted to "be one with nature" as they say. 

As we were walking, in my head, I kept track of items I saw that are on the Nature Bingo cards.  I saw horse tracks, fungus, some flowers, insects, a deer, even poison ivy (which I know to avoid) and much more.  There was lots to see on the walk, and I had a fun time exploring in the park. 

I learned there also is a Nature Center at Rock Creek Park that is worth checking out sometime.  We skipped over the Nature Center today, but next time I am in the area I will be sure to see what is there.  I hear they have ranger led programs for all ages and other information and educational resources there. From scavenger hunts to "meet the animals" type presentations, and short guided hikes there are lots of ways to connect with nature. If you are in the Washington, D.C. I'd recommend this as a place to explore.

Whether you want a small encounter with nature or and all out hike in the woods, find a park nearby where you live and go explore.  Come along for an adventure, Meet Me Outdoors.

My Trip to DC - Cherry Blossom Festival

A few weeks ago I mentioned wanting to go to the Cherry Blossom Festival, and I did.  I got to walk around the Tidal Basin and see all of the beautiful cherry trees.  That day it happened to start of rain the whole drive from Baltimore to Washington DC but it cleared up the moment I arrived at the National Mall where I met a friend to join me on the walk. 

I was surprised at how crowded the Tidal Basin was since it had just rained but people were out and about in large numbers.  Lots of people stopping to take pictures with the trees, or close ups of the flowers, and many more just enjoying the day.  I was unable to stop and take a good picture since it was so busy and I was having a good time walking about.  I did end up taking a picture of the Tidal Basin with the Washington Monument in the background.  If you look at the picture there is a row of white between the blue of the water and brown of the other trees yet to grow leaves.  That row of white is not snow, it is the cherry trees and the white flowers that have blossomed.
 

 I took this from across the basin, behind me is the Jefferson Memorial. I spun around after taking the first picture to take this one:

 As you can see there are lots of people there too. My friend and I continued our walk around the Basin and enjoyed seeing how spring season was starting to show through.  I hope some of you who are reading this will take the time to go outside and really look around and take it in.  All along the walk we saw families young and old also enjoy the Cherry Blossom Festival, with fun activities all around.  If you missed it this year be sure to check it out next year.  I know that if I am in the area next year I may make the trip again because I am sure there is more to see and do than I was able to to on my afternoon trip. 

When I got back to Baltimore I realized that there were cherry trees much like those I saw down in DC so I took a close up shot of the branches.  You can see in this picture that the white flowers are there and some leaves have already come out.

Grab a hat and some sunblock and go have fun outside.  I hope you join me on another adventure, Meet Me Outdoors!

Oh! What A Beautiful Morning!

No fooling, it is beautiful out! Sun shining, birds chirping, people out in just t-shirts and shorts, and I am going to take a walk around the neighborhood.  Maybe even explore some part where I haven't gone yet, I encourage you to do the same.  I think I might go up to Federal Hill Park to see the harbor from a different vantage point.  I'll be sure to share some pictures and video if I make any.

I hope you have a fun day as the weather gets nicer.  Remember to wear sunblock and a hat if you have a bright sunny day like it is here in Baltimore.  Enjoy the day, Meet Me Outdoors.

Lunar Eclipse Photos

As promised I am posting my photos from the Lunar Eclipse that was on December 21, 2010.  This eclipse was visible all across North America in the early, early morning on that chilly December day, which also happened to be the same time as the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Braving the cold and the late hours of the start of the eclipse, I started taking pictures around 1:15am and tried to take them at semi-regular intervals, last picture taken around 2:30am just before it became a total eclipse.  (I have to go to sleep sometime.) I am also posting some of my favorite photos below the video as well.

In the slide show you will notice that the ball that is the Moon is slowly being covered by the Earth's shadow. I didn't have a tripod so the Moon in the same place in each time so it looks a little like a bouncing ball in the blackness of the sky.  And yes I know the banjo music is a bit funny, just enjoy it.

 These were taken from around 2am-2:30am. From where I was standing to take the pictures and see the eclipse there was a tree branch that you can see in silhouette in these pictures.  I actually didn't see that the branch was there until after I took the pictures. I think it makes the pictures look cooler than just the moon. 

Each picture is about 10-15 minutes apart.  If I stayed up an extra 20 minutes I might have gotten a shot of the Moon fully covered by the Earth's shadow, but I was too tired.  In truth, I think the partial eclipse looks more interesting in pictures than when it is a total eclipse because the Moon would be fully hidden. What do you think?

 You don't have to wait for the next eclipse to enjoy the wonders of the Moon and the night sky.  Go outdoors on the next clear night and see if you can see the Moon, stars, or if you are lucky a planet.  At this time of the year you can find some fun constellations like Orion the hunter, Taurus the bull and even the Gemini twins.  Use a star-map (you can also use the one listed on the resource page) to see where some of the constellations are or other interesting features in the sky.

Go out, have fun, Meet Me Outdoors!

Total Lunar Eclipse

Yes it is cold outside, and night time, but it is not often that you get to see a total lunar eclipse.  To be seen by all of North America and I am just waiting with anticipation.  I already took a peek even though I know it doesn't start for a couple hours. The whole thing starts at 1:32 a.m. EST when the full Moon starts to move into the shadow of Earth.  The Moon is fully in the shadow – and fully eclipsed – by 2:40 a.m. and stays that way until 3:53 a.m.  The darkest part of the eclipse occurs at 3:17 a.m., when the Moon is in the deepest part of Earth’s shadow.  From 3:53 to 5:02 a.m., the Moon moves out of the shadow.  

Next time we will get a total lunar eclipse in this part of the world will be in April 2014. So if you got clear sky's get outside and have a look. Join in the lunar fun and Meet Me Outdoors!