Greg Campbell
EF5
Any word from Mike? I hope he's not trapped in a snowdrift on some remote mountain pass somewhere, gnawing his arm for lunch...
-
After witnessing the continued decrease of involvement in the SpotterNetwork staff in serving SN members with troubleshooting issues recently, I have unilaterally decided to terminate the relationship between SpotterNetwork's support and Stormtrack. I have witnessed multiple users unable to receive support weeks after initiating help threads on the forum. I find this lack of response from SpotterNetwork officials disappointing and a failure to hold up their end of the agreement that was made years ago, before I took over management of this site. In my opinion, having Stormtrack users sit and wait for so long to receive help on SpotterNetwork issues on the Stormtrack forums reflects poorly not only on SpotterNetwork, but on Stormtrack and (by association) me as well. Since the issue has not been satisfactorily addressed, I no longer wish for the Stormtrack forum to be associated with SpotterNetwork.
I apologize to those who continue to have issues with the service and continue to see their issues left unaddressed. Please understand that the connection between ST and SN was put in place long before I had any say over it. But now that I am the "captain of this ship," it is within my right (nay, duty) to make adjustments as I see necessary. Ending this relationship is such an adjustment.
For those who continue to need help, I recommend navigating a web browswer to SpotterNetwork's About page, and seeking the individuals listed on that page for all further inquiries about SpotterNetwork.
From this moment forward, the SpotterNetwork sub-forum has been hidden/deleted and there will be no assurance that any SpotterNetwork issues brought up in any of Stormtrack's other sub-forums will be addressed. Do not rely on Stormtrack for help with SpotterNetwork issues.
Sincerely, Jeff D.
Fall Snow Storm 10-10-08 ?
- Thread starter Gerrit Gulden
- Start date
Rob Wadsworth
EF5
Not as yet; I am beginning to wonder the same thing.
Perhaps Mike H had PM'ed someone on STORMTRACK?
I think he's taking advantage of clear roads and drifting snow/nature shots at the right time - IMHO...
Mike Hollingshead
Naw, I drove back Monday. I've never wanted to see corn again and be out of mountains so bad in my life. Not a wonderful trip. I was going to make the whole account and post it whenever I get it done. I had put a couple pics and a few words on my front page yesterday for the time being.
I guess for leaving on a Wednesday and being back on a Monday, if I had to rate the photography I got on a 1-10 scale, for the whole trip, I'd probably put it around a 2. I learned a whole lot however. Take away the snow storm, severe headaches(the worst part), the bad cramping, horrid excuse for 'sleep' the whole time, screwed up neck last three days(thanks to shouldering gear the days before I guess...this made the headaches that much worse)...and not knowing the area....and I'd have done a better job shooting. It was just nice to get out of it all, lol. I'll put the pics up and the whole story sometime soon.
I didn't want to be in a motel out there one more night bad enough that I drove from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. to get home. Nothing like not being able to stay awake at 8:00 pm just outside of Rapid City with a drive to near Omaha to go yet, lol. That was fun.
Something funny and strange has happened after this one, it was so 'not great' while being there. Ever eaten something or drank too much, and gotten super super sick off it, then when you smell it later after you are better, it about makes you hurl? When I look at the RAW files to process them, that's how I feel, lol. The ones around the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces are the worst, as those smelled of Sulfur stronger than the other areas. Those are the ones I was stuck at for the majority of the time. I have very un-fond memories of there and my Gardiner motel room. It's just messed up how simply thinking about it, and seeing the images which help the memory, make me almost feel sick. But anyway, if I knew ahead of time what I know now, well it'd been a lot more enjoyable and rewarding.
For what it is worth, I never saw a heck of a lot of snow anywhere. The Beartooth Mountains around Red Lodge are the apparent winners, with 49 inches reported 5 west of Red Lodge, and other similar reports around there. It would have been a hair out of the way to drive there from the park though, so I never bothered. Had I stayed there, I doubt I'd have been in and around the park very much. And they did close Gardiner south in the park Sunday morning(and Dunraven and another pass in the park before that). At least they finally opened it around noon. I could not figure out why it was even closed. You could drive up to Mammoth and the terraces there, but not into the park. That section is one of the worst anywhere in the park that I saw, and it was open to that point. I was just like, if I can drive up to this point, why exactly can't I drive on the more flat areas in the park.
I'll post the link to the whole account whenever I can get it done. I've deleted a whole lot of the 1200+ images taken. I'm so annoyed I stayed in Gardiner for the majority and didn't even get crap for snow there anyway. I never got south of Norris till Sunday afternoon and left the very next morning. I am glad I decided to get up early and go back towards the Old Faithful area for some morning shots before heading home, even if it did make the drive that much longer. At the same time, it's just a reminder of what is in there and what I could have done had I done things differently. I should have stayed in West Yellowstone for starters, even if it was a bit more costly than Gardiner. From there to Old Faithful and there to the falls never even closed during the whole thing. It was also not as "passy" like that twisty sucker into Gardiner. That thing was pretty much a sheet of ice for the majority of the storm.
I guess for leaving on a Wednesday and being back on a Monday, if I had to rate the photography I got on a 1-10 scale, for the whole trip, I'd probably put it around a 2. I learned a whole lot however. Take away the snow storm, severe headaches(the worst part), the bad cramping, horrid excuse for 'sleep' the whole time, screwed up neck last three days(thanks to shouldering gear the days before I guess...this made the headaches that much worse)...and not knowing the area....and I'd have done a better job shooting. It was just nice to get out of it all, lol. I'll put the pics up and the whole story sometime soon.
I didn't want to be in a motel out there one more night bad enough that I drove from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. to get home. Nothing like not being able to stay awake at 8:00 pm just outside of Rapid City with a drive to near Omaha to go yet, lol. That was fun.
Something funny and strange has happened after this one, it was so 'not great' while being there. Ever eaten something or drank too much, and gotten super super sick off it, then when you smell it later after you are better, it about makes you hurl? When I look at the RAW files to process them, that's how I feel, lol. The ones around the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces are the worst, as those smelled of Sulfur stronger than the other areas. Those are the ones I was stuck at for the majority of the time. I have very un-fond memories of there and my Gardiner motel room. It's just messed up how simply thinking about it, and seeing the images which help the memory, make me almost feel sick. But anyway, if I knew ahead of time what I know now, well it'd been a lot more enjoyable and rewarding.
For what it is worth, I never saw a heck of a lot of snow anywhere. The Beartooth Mountains around Red Lodge are the apparent winners, with 49 inches reported 5 west of Red Lodge, and other similar reports around there. It would have been a hair out of the way to drive there from the park though, so I never bothered. Had I stayed there, I doubt I'd have been in and around the park very much. And they did close Gardiner south in the park Sunday morning(and Dunraven and another pass in the park before that). At least they finally opened it around noon. I could not figure out why it was even closed. You could drive up to Mammoth and the terraces there, but not into the park. That section is one of the worst anywhere in the park that I saw, and it was open to that point. I was just like, if I can drive up to this point, why exactly can't I drive on the more flat areas in the park.
I'll post the link to the whole account whenever I can get it done. I've deleted a whole lot of the 1200+ images taken. I'm so annoyed I stayed in Gardiner for the majority and didn't even get crap for snow there anyway. I never got south of Norris till Sunday afternoon and left the very next morning. I am glad I decided to get up early and go back towards the Old Faithful area for some morning shots before heading home, even if it did make the drive that much longer. At the same time, it's just a reminder of what is in there and what I could have done had I done things differently. I should have stayed in West Yellowstone for starters, even if it was a bit more costly than Gardiner. From there to Old Faithful and there to the falls never even closed during the whole thing. It was also not as "passy" like that twisty sucker into Gardiner. That thing was pretty much a sheet of ice for the majority of the storm.
Dustin Wilcox
EF5
Well, that explains the Headache, cramping, and less than perfect shooting...
Mike Hollingshead
lol nice one. I may as well have been at the bar there.
http://www.extremeinstability.com/08-10-8.htm
Full account is up there, but it's not terribly weather-interesting. Wish I could do it all over again. I'd go after a storm, not before and during. I'd know a lot more about the area. I'd not have the same people above me in that motel, lol. The main thing that pulled me to go there was shooting scenes at night in moon light...and I didn't do that once. I knew that would be a problem with the storm, but really, by night it would not have mattered if clouds were gone anyway. I just all around blew what I spent on gas to get there and back and on motel rooms. Wouldn't hurt my feelings if I lost all the images I brought back. I guess I like a couple of the mountain scenes with clouds. What probably bugs me the most of anything is knowing what one CAN get there and how much I didn't. If I get wealthy sometime this winter(LOL) I'd go back and do night shooting. It's probably a bit like chasing or shooting various local areas. Probably helps a lot to get a lot more familar with what/where is best and when is best. The trip just fits with my chasing the last three years. FAIL. LOL.
Greg Campbell
EF5
Earplugs, Mike. Always carry earplugs when traveling! 
Thanks for the trip report. Sorry it didn't go as well as it might have.
"Next time!"
-Moo
Thanks for the trip report. Sorry it didn't go as well as it might have.
"Next time!"
-Moo
Rob Wadsworth
EF5
FWIW - I like the pics, some v. well-composed landscapes.
BTW - do you like the new camera?
How is it better - in your opinion - than the XTi?
Do you have any strong opinions about the XSi?
BTW - do you like the new camera?
How is it better - in your opinion - than the XTi?
Do you have any strong opinions about the XSi?
Mike Hollingshead
Earplugs, Mike. Always carry earplugs when traveling!
Thanks for the trip report. Sorry it didn't go as well as it might have.
"Next time!"
-Moo
Yeah, I was thinking head phone type ear plugs at the time. Having both at the same time would have been great and maybe worked.
FWIW - I like the pics, some v. well-composed landscapes.
BTW - do you like the new camera?
How is it better - in your opinion - than the XTi?
Do you have any strong opinions about the XSi?
Thanks. I've never used an XTi. That said, so far the dust vibration thing seems like a true joke. I have several that won't come off. Some blew off with a blower bottle that wouldn't with the vibration thing. That thing seems to do nothing.
Highlight tone priority seems to do nothing. But I guess it has to. Overall the camera has more noise than my XT, but not a lot. I don't know how much the added 14 bit processing adds over the 12 bit before. Doesn't seem at all noticeable. Other than added resolution/pixels I don't think it is much better than my XT. I loved live view for precise focusing, and I probably still do, I just don't know what exactly was happening differently on the majority of this trip to make so many so soft....and using that a lot was the only change. That's about it. Those SD cards seem damn fragile too, and I don't care for using those over compact flash. But enough off topic, lol.
mikegeukes
EF5
Mike, will you be going after the snow in central Nebraska,
Wednesday-Thursday
Winter Storm Watch:
Hastings office
http://kamala.cod.edu/ne/latest.wwus43.KGID.html
North Platte office;
http://kamala.cod.edu/ne/latest.wwus43.KLBF.html
Area Forecast Discussion
Hastings Office:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ne/latest.fxus63.KGID.html
North Platte:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ne/latest.fxus63.KLBF.html
Will Nebraska beat Baylor in College Football
Mike
Wednesday-Thursday
Winter Storm Watch:
Hastings office
http://kamala.cod.edu/ne/latest.wwus43.KGID.html
North Platte office;
http://kamala.cod.edu/ne/latest.wwus43.KLBF.html
Area Forecast Discussion
Hastings Office:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ne/latest.fxus63.KGID.html
North Platte:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ne/latest.fxus63.KLBF.html
Will Nebraska beat Baylor in College Football
Mike
Mike Hollingshead
Nope, seeing 2 snow storms before November is even here is too much. Will just "enjoy" the 4 days of rain here.
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