July/Aug/Sep: Teter Rock Storm, Sunsets & Milky Way
Finally, on September 24th, there was a forecast for clear skies which was supported by the skies actually being clear all day. At the last minute, I threw my gear in the car and drove out there. The "Clear" came to pass except for a few wispy clouds and I was finally able to put together the image I had tried four times to get.
An upended limestone monolith juts unexpectedly up into the endless blue sky of the Flint Hills. Located at the crest of the highest hill in the area, it's visible for miles in all directions. The view from the area of the rock is great! The stone which serves as Teter Rock today, however, is not the original. It was erected in the 1950s to replace the earlier one which had been used as building materials in the nearby oil-boom town of Teterville. The original Teter Rock Monument was constructed by James Teter sometime in the late 1870s or 1880s as a guide for pioneers searching for the Cottonwood River, which drains all the land to the west of the marker. It seems that homesteaders passing through the area enroute to their claims on the Cottonwood often became lost in the rolling hills of the area. (This still happens to greenhorn tenderfoots--like the Flatlanders!) James Teter solved the problem with a simple pile of rocks which lasted until the 1920s. Today's Teter Rock was erected as a memorial to him by his descendants.
These amazing clouds formed in the sky over Teter Rock. I had never seen anything like them. An upended limestone monolith juts unexpectedly up into the endless blue sky of the Flint Hills. Located at the crest of the highest hill in the area, it's visible for miles in all directions. The view from the area of the rock is great! The stone which serves as Teter Rock today, however, is not the original. It was erected in the 1950s to replace the earlier one which had been used as building materials in the nearby oil-boom town of Teterville. The original Teter Rock Monument was constructed by James Teter sometime in the late 1870s or 1880s as a guide for pioneers searching for the Cottonwood River, which drains all the land to the west of the marker. It seems that homesteaders passing through the area enroute to their claims on the Cottonwood often became lost in the rolling hills of the area. (This still happens to greenhorn tenderfoots--like the Flatlanders!) James Teter solved the problem with a simple pile of rocks which lasted until the 1920s. Today's Teter Rock was erected as a memorial to him by his descendants.
These amazing clouds formed in the sky over Teter Rock. I had never seen anything like them. An upended limestone monolith juts unexpectedly up into the endless blue sky of the Flint Hills. Located at the crest of the highest hill in the area, it's visible for miles in all directions. The view from the area of the rock is great! The stone which serves as Teter Rock today, however, is not the original. It was erected in the 1950s to replace the earlier one which had been used as building materials in the nearby oil-boom town of Teterville. The original Teter Rock Monument was constructed by James Teter sometime in the late 1870s or 1880s as a guide for pioneers searching for the Cottonwood River, which drains all the land to the west of the marker. It seems that homesteaders passing through the area enroute to their claims on the Cottonwood often became lost in the rolling hills of the area. (This still happens to greenhorn tenderfoots--like the Flatlanders!) James Teter solved the problem with a simple pile of rocks which lasted until the 1920s. Today's Teter Rock was erected as a memorial to him by his descendants.
I call this a 3/4 Reverse Sunset. The bands of color were working their way east from the setting sun. I had been in place for several minutes waiting to see if anything would happen because I really wanted to get Teter Rock in the foreground. Fortunately it worked out.
As the light faded (or so I thought) I managed to get this image of Teter Rock from another angle with the sunset behind it. As it turned out, that color in the sky would linger for almost an hour though it got less and less impressive as time went by.
As we were preparing to try to shoot the Milky Way (didn't happen-clouds) Malcolm and Mary Ann walked toward me with headlight and handheld flashlight. I happened to be taking a test shot at the time trying to check exposure and composition. These crazy light trails were the result.
I guess 4th time is the charm since this was my fourth trip to Teter Rock since July 3rd in an attempt to photography the Milky Way. I did manage to get some really cool storm clouds, and a couple amazing sunset images but that wasn't why I was there. Late in the afternoon I looked at the forecast which said "Clear" and decided on a whim to go give it a shot. I got there after sunset. There was someone else there but they were sitting in the back of their truck just enjoying the sunset and the stars. I got my shots and left.