Clouds and quotes: LAPC & WS

May 3, 2026May 3, 2026 / SoyBend / 8 Comments

For this post, I’m showing several pictures with clouds as a major element. The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge this week is to post quotes illustrated with your photos.

The first one shows a view of Red Canyon in Utah. The quote seemed to fit this picture perfectly.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.

Edward Abbey

I took the next picture in my backyard in Bend. The nighttime rainbow magically appeared in this image taken with my phone.

There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.

George Carlin

I took this picture of a tree in my yard in winter. My juniper tree muse looks beautiful with a coating of snow.

In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.

Alice Walker

The next picture was taken on the Oregon coast, south of Seaside. Misty clouds collect along the shoreline.

Change is the only constant. Learn to surf your life instead of planting your feet.

Amy Poehler

I took the next picture on top of Steens Mountain in Oregon. The yellow aspen leaves contrasted well with the blue skies and puffy white clouds.

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.

George Eliot

I took the last picture from my house of a sliver of sunset in the final moments of a day. My drone captured great pictures of the setting sun and dark clouds over volcanoes in the Cascade Range.

A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.

Steve Martin

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Pick a favorite quote and illustrate it

Weekend Sky

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Mt Hood from above: WS & OWS

February 22, 2026February 22, 2026 / SoyBend / 8 Comments

I took this photo of Mt Hood from above a couple of weeks ago.

If you look closely, you can see a couple other volcanoes in the background. Mt Adams, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Rainier are all close by.

The skies were beautiful that day, but at this time of the year they should be more cloudy and gray than blue. Snow accumulation on the mountain has been much lower than usual this season. This has affected winter recreation and all the other businesses associated with it. Fortunately, a recent storm system dumped a lot of snow on Mt Hood.

Weekend Sky (WS) & One Word Sunday (OWS) – Blue

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A stunning sunset: Skywatch Friday & Weekend Sky

November 28, 2025November 28, 2025 / SoyBend / 20 Comments

A stunning sunset near Bend, Oregon. I took this photo with my drone from the backyard. You can see several volcanic peaks along the horizon.

Skywatch Friday & Weekend Sky

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East of Steens: Weekend Sky

November 1, 2025November 1, 2025 / SoyBend / 10 Comments

A view from above east of Steens Mountain, Oregon. I took this photo with my drone on a cool October morning.

I liked the variety of components in this picture. Puffy white clouds, rough mountains, gray-green sagebrush flats, bright green hayfields, and red soil.

Weekend Sky

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In our dreams: LAPC & WS

October 12, 2025October 12, 2025 / SoyBend / 29 Comments

In our dreams,

we remember

the light and dark moments

of our lives

We remember soaring

over the highest peaks

and sinking to the lowest lowlands

In our dreams,

we remember the stormy times

and anticipate

the rainbows to come

We remember

turning around dark bends

towards the light of a new day

Lens-artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Dreamy

Weekend Sky (WS)

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Steens in the fall: LAPC, RDP, & WS

October 5, 2025October 5, 2025 / SoyBend / 20 Comments

The valleys on Steens in the fall
Are filled with green, yellow, and orange leaves,
Framed by mountain mahogany

Clouds skitter across the sky;
Parting to enlighten
Lone patches of gold

On Steens Mountain
Fall’s foliage gathers at the bottom of
Deep glacially carved gorges

Golden leaves of aspen and
Fuzzy flowers of rabbitbrush
Edge the ridgetops and roads

The last colorful moments shine brightly
On Steens in the fall
As winter’s darkness creeps in

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Looking Back to Lens-Artist Challenge #106: Autumn

Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP) – Valley

Weekend Sky (WS)

All pictures were taken on 1 October 2025 while driving to the top of Steens Mountain, Oregon. The mountain reaches an elevation 9,733 feet. The 52-mile long Steens Mountain Backcountry Byway loop road to the summit is open seasonally.

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Remnants of sunlight haiku: WWE & WS

May 27, 2025May 27, 2025 / SoyBend / 9 Comments

remnants of sunlight
slash across High Desert skies
on a cool spring night

Water, Water Everywhere (WWE)

Weekend Sky (WS)

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Above Haystack Reservoir: LAPC & WS

April 6, 2025April 6, 2025 / SoyBend / 34 Comments

On a recent sunny day, I decided to take pictures above Haystack Reservoir in Central Oregon. Here in the High Desert, reservoirs provide much of the water used in local agriculture.

The first photo shows the dam on the reservoir. There’s a fishing dock in the lower right corner. Visitors can catch largemouth bass, crappie, rainbow trout, kokanee, brown trout, and brown bullhead here.

My next picture shows a view towards the west. There’s a corner of the reservoir in the lower right. The snow-covered peak of Mount Jefferson is in the distance.

When I pointed my drone towards the east, it almost looked like a different location. The rising sun is reflected in the reservoir’s waters in a nearly monochrome image.

The next picture shows Mount Jefferson on the left and Mount Hood on the right. Volcanic peaks are ever-present characters in our landscape.

Looking again to the east, the morning light begins to brighten the scene.

Towards the south, you can spot one of the reservoir’s campgrounds. There are three campgrounds at the reservoir, including one specifically for groups.

When I zoomed in a bit above Haystack Reservoir, I saw the Sister’s peaks peeking out from between the hills.

The last picture, is looking to the southeast. Gray Butte is in the middle of the picture. It’s a great place to hike and find gorgeous wildflowers in the spring.

In past years, this and other Central Oregon reservoir levels were low due to an ongoing drought. However, we had higher than average precipitation this winter and there is currently no drought in Oregon.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Seen on My last Outing

Weekend Sky

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Powell Butte thunderstorms: WW & WS

April 2, 2025April 2, 2025 / SoyBend / 21 Comments

Powell Butte thunderstorms in Central Oregon

Wordless Wednesday (WW)

Weekend Sky (WS)

Snowy sunrise: Sunday Trees & Weekend Sky

March 9, 2025March 9, 2025 / SoyBend / 8 Comments

A snowy sunrise over western juniper trees in the High Desert.

Sunday Trees

Weekend Sky

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Red Canyon Scenic Overlook, WY: LAPC & WS

February 16, 2025February 16, 2025 / SoyBend / 32 Comments

If I had to feature just one photograph, as this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge suggests, I would choose this one. On our way to Thermopolis, Wyoming, we paused to marvel at the Red Canyon Scenic Overlook, 24 miles south of Lander on Highway 28.

Why did I choose this photo?

It has drama in the skies. Thunderclouds collect in the background and softer cumulus clouds hover in the foreground. The blue skies contrast nicely with the clouds.
It has varying colors of soil and vegetation. Yellow wildflowers carpet the hillsides. The complementary color of the green grass borders the red rock formation. Oxidized iron between and on the rock gives the formation its stunning red color.
It shows geology in action. The ridge on the right side is an area that was uplifted 60 million years ago. The more erodible soil washed away with the action of water, leaving the scene we see today.
It contains straight and curving lines. The curving lines of the valley pull your vision to the horizon. Red Canyon Creek meanders through the middle of the picture. The straight lines of the fence help divide the scene into thirds.
It has a tiny detail with a story behind it. If you look closely, you’ll spot a white cross next to one of the fenceposts. May the people who lost their lives here rest in peace and view this remarkable scene for eternity.

The Red Canyon Scenic Overlook is a beautiful roadside attraction that’s worth stopping for. For more information on the geology of this location, check the Bureau of Land Management site.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge (LAPC) – Only One Picture

Weekend Sky (WS)

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Cascade sunsets from above: WS & RDP

February 1, 2025February 1, 2025 / SoyBend / 17 Comments

I thought it would be fun to take pictures of Cascade sunsets from above to get more comfortable with using my drone. For eight consecutive days, I flew my DJI drone up to an altitude of 100 feet from my backyard. The mountains featured in these photos are approximately 26 miles away, as the crow flies.

These pictures show several volcanoes that are a part of Oregon’s Cascade Mountain Range. I recently featured aerial pictures of them from a closer perspective in another post.

Hope you enjoy these images of our spectacular skies near Bend, Oregon!

Colorful Cascade sunsets

The first photo shows a fiery sky. These are more commonly seen in the winter months around here.

The second photo shows a pale yellow background with the clouds floating over the mountains edged in pink.

Blue sky sunsets

The third photo shows a mostly clear sky. There appears to be a haze of smoke that could be from one of our prescribed burns in local forests. These controlled fires help prevent bigger fires.

Dusk over the Cascades — January 25, 2025

The fourth photo shows another clear sky.

The fifth photo shows yet another clear sky. This time I took the photo right as the sun was setting over the mountains.

The next photo shows… uh, maybe we should pause for musical interlude. This song, Blue Sky & The Painter by Bastille, is one of my current favorites and it’s about blue skies.

Why did I include an interlude? Because there were more days without a single cloud in the sky when the sun set!

The sixth photo shows a clear day as the sun sets.

The seventh day shows, you guessed it, another sunny clear day.

Based on these photos, is it really true that Bend, Oregon gets 300 days of sunshine a year? Nope. However, we do have 250-260+ days a year that are clear or mostly clear.

Stormy Cascade sunsets

The eighth day shows, HURRAY!, clouds as a storm was moving in. A thick, dark cloud floated ominously over the snow-covered peaks.

The Oregon Cascade Range gets quite a bit of snow each winter. Mount Bachelor (shown on the left in these photos), as I stated in another post, gets over 400 inches of snow a year.

Stormy Cascade sunsets — January 30, 2025

I may try taking sunrise pictures for a future post. I just hope that if I do, the clouds will cooperate. 😉

Weekend Sky (WS)

Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP) – Float

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High Desert Skies: LAPC & Weekend Sky

October 6, 2024November 13, 2024 / SoyBend / 28 Comments

High Desert skies can be full of fiery emotions

Or calm and blue, framing peaceful works of art

Continue reading →

Lamar Valley sky: Weekend Sky

September 8, 2024September 8, 2024 / SoyBend / 11 Comments

Bison grazing under the beautiful Lamar Valley sky in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

Weekend Sky

Near the ocean’s shore: LAPC & WS

March 31, 2024April 20, 2024 / SoyBend / 34 Comments

Near the ocean’s shore, wind and water create ephemeral works of art

Ebbs and flows peel away the earth’s surface to reveal its hidden brilliance

coastal cliffs — Cliffs at Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area, Oregon

Continue reading →

Beneath the Clouds in B & W: LAPC & WS

February 11, 2024February 19, 2024 / SoyBend / 35 Comments

Paddling beneath the clouds
Floating lacelike
Over lakes of lifegiving water

Puffs of pale exhalations
Follow meandering rivers

Continue reading →

Emptiness around memorable sights: LAPC

November 26, 2023December 10, 2023 / SoyBend / 40 Comments

On our road trip last June, we saw several memorable sights that were notable for the emptiness around them.

We drove past miles and miles of vast landscapes with few occupants. Near Carter, Wyoming, we spotted hundreds of sheep grazing by the road.

A little bit farther down the road, we were fortunate to see sheepherders and their five dogs at work guiding this herd.

On our way to South Dakota, we took a side trip to see a unique attraction near Sundance, Wyoming.

Continue reading →

A Malheur view: Weekend Sky, Pull up a Seat

September 9, 2023September 9, 2023 / SoyBend / 2 Comments

A Malheur view at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in Oregon.

Weekend Sky

Pull up a Seat

Beneath a cloudy Wyoming sky Nonet poem: WS

August 26, 2023August 26, 2023 / SoyBend / 7 Comments

Beneath a cloudy Wyoming sky

Bunchgrass buffeted by the wind

Wave a welcome to pronghorn

Sage embraces the herd

Distant thunder booms

A doe trembles

Giving birth

Beloved

Fawn

Beneath a cloudy Wyoming sky — Pronghorn herd near Farson, Wyoming

Weekend Sky (WS)

The path: LAPC, WWP, WS

May 21, 2023July 22, 2023 / SoyBend / 26 Comments

The path in front of you may be dark and foreboding

At times, it will zig and zag, causing you to lose hope

Keep your eyes and mind open, looking for an ephemeral glimmer of light

Continue reading →

Clouds of Harney County: LAPC & WS

April 19, 2023May 12, 2023 / SoyBend / 20 Comments

The clouds of Harney County form dramatic backdrops to the High Desert landscapes of eastern Oregon. I just returned from the four-day Harney County Migratory Bird Festival. Though I was there to see birds, the cloud formations draw your eyes to the skies.

Layers of fluffy clouds hung over the Battleground Buttes. Higher elevations in the county received 200% of their normal snowfall. Days before I arrived, these fields were covered with snow.

Farther south, on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, wispy clouds drifted in the wind. You can see part of Steens Mountain in the background. This 50-mile long mountain dominates the landscape.