February 24, 2012
by David Ryan
6 Comments

Moonrise Over Hernandez

A little over 70 years ago, in the fall of 1941, 20th-century photographer, Ansel Adams, was driving back to Santa Fe, New Mexico, after spending the day taking photographs in the Chama River valley. As he glanced at the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in far off distance to his left, he noticed the light from the setting sun behind him reflecting off the headstones in the burial ground of a small church in front of him and off the clouds above the mountains. He knew immediately that it might make an exceptional photograph. If you have read The Gentle Art of Wandering, you could say that his search image capability noticed the reflection. Continue Reading →

February 17, 2012
by David Ryan
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Public Land Survey System

To wrap up the discussion on maps and GPS (see the post, GPS Settings), it is worth mentioning the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). Understanding something about how PLSS describes land can help you in find a parcel of land on a map, in Google Earth or on the ground.  The PLSS is how most of the country outside of the eastern seaboard is legally described. Continue Reading →