Jackson Meadows Reservoir
08-01-2009
Laura and I spent a week camping at Jackson Meadows Reservoir. It’s a beautiful area with an elevation of about 6,500 feet.
A couple of bald eagles, a male and a female, were pretty active in the area. These birds are very graceful in flight and I was able to get close enough with a long lens to take a few photos.
On one of the days, a strong storm moved slowly through the area. At one point, it hailed constantly for about 30 minutes. The hailstones were the size of grapes and it was pretty impressive to see that much weather activity.
As if the hailstorm wasn’t wild enough, the most amazing moment came on the last morning – we were awakened by the sound of a gas-powered LEAF BLOWER. The camp host, of all people, was using it to blow the pine needles off the campground road. When I asked him to turn it off, he was shocked by my request. I told him that the leaf blower was an offensive noise and that pine needles and dirt were a normal part of a campground. This was the final straw after listening to his generator run most of every day we were there. After I had calmed down, I realized I had missed my chance to take a short video of his efforts. It was the most unbelievable thing I had ever witnessed in a campground.
A few other images from the area:
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August 4th, 2009 at 9:50 AM
Great shots of the eagle! I saw a bunch while in WA, but didn’t have my camera handy (I don’t think the iPhone would do them justice…)
I’ll have to remember to pack a leaf blower next time I go camping – wouldn’t want to have to step on any dirt or leaves while outdoors.