Fishing at Jordanelle Reservoir

October 18, 2019

My dad came to visit me and my grandma for a few days this week. Today we went to one of his favorite fishing spots, Jordanelle Reservoir, about an hour north of Salt Lake.

We got our poles and gear, and set out to catch-release some trout.

No luck came our way, however. The only fish we saw were salmon that were hanging out near the rapid parts of a creek that fed into the reservoir, and they weren't taking our nightcrawler bait.

At least I've found a new spot to go fishing and to camp overnight at if I ever get the inclination, especially if I wanted to practice my night sky photography.

Good thing the lady in the Compass didn't see me snap this one

Wasatch Reptile Expo 2019

September 30, 2019

This weekend was the second Wasatch Reptile Expo of the year. I was finishing up my last day of my US Forest Service job on Saturday, so I was only able to catch the Sunday opening, but I got there right when it opened and took the opportunity to get lots of good shots of the cute reptiles and other animals for sale. I also loved the chance to know the different breeders that are much better sources of healthy animals than corporate stores.

Lighting was terrible in the venue, though, so even my best images had a ton of noise. I tried to reduce some of it, but too much reduction started getting rid of details like scales and color. I'm still fairly happy with my 50+ photo turnout, out of 400+ photos taken.

This monitor was kept in a corner near one of the company booths,
caged by only a plastic gate. I didn't see a sale sign, so I suspect it may
have been a personal pet from one of the vendors.

Uromastyx, the kind of lizard I had in middle school.

It's so cool feeling the gecko's claws and sticky palms on your skin
as it crawls all over you.

The piebald snakes are my favorite morphs

Halfway through the day, one of the staff members did a reptile show,
showing a blue-tongued skink, this caiman, a tegu, and a burmese python
to a decent crowd of people and their children.

It was cool to see the vestigial leg bones that snakes now use to aid in copulation.

I'm already looking forward to the next expo in May. I felt like a little kid again, being lost in a sea of fascinating creatures. I'm also introduced to a bunch of great breeders of super healthy animals, including some I may wanna get myself one day.