Nose Hill for the Full Buck Moon

When I looked out my window a couple of hours past midnight to see if I could see the Full Buck Moon, it teased me a tiny bit through the trees. My hope was that it would be high up above the trees so I could get a good clear photo.  No luck, I went back to bed, sleep evaded me by now.  It was hot! I was restless! An hour later, I got up, made a cup of coffee, geared up and off I drove to Nose Hill.  

I arrived around 4:00am.  I used my headlamp to find the way up along the trail.  I did not go far before I set up my tripod & camera and began snapping shots.  This photo was taken shortly before 4:30am.  The sky was pitch black and I could only see faint outlines of bushes, trees, boulders and the trail. While I was photographing the Buck Moon, I heard three very loud hisses that were very close by.  It was a sound I never heard before but what came immediately after the hisses was something I was very familiar with, the smell of a skunk!  I grabbed my tripod & camera and was gone like lightning!  The further away I got, the less I could smell it which meant the spray did not reach me.  Whew!  

I ascended the trail to where I felt I was far enough away from where the skunk was.  Once again I set up my tripod and camera.  I watched the moon dip and then captured this photo.  I heard a rustle along the dirt trail and then saw movement. Through the darkness, I saw what was the size and shape of a coyote.  I stomped my feet in the dirt and I saw the shape quickly take off.  Whew!  

I was happy being able to witness the Full Buck Moon and also with the photographs I took.  Since I was up here, I thought I may as well stay for the sunrise.  In the darkness of the very early morning, I followed the trail to another high point where it was best to watch the sun come up.  On the way there in the dull dark, I saw a shape cross the trail in front of me.  The shape, size and the way it moved told me it was a porcupine.  I backed off for a few minutes while it worked its way through the bushes and then I carried on with hopes it would not shoot out its quills at me. I made it!  Whew!   

At 5:47 am the sun began to rise above the horizon.  I expected it would be bright pink due to the wildfire smoke that drifted into the city yesterday.  

the sun well above the horizon

Since I was here, I figured I may as well hike around and see what else I could see.

the blazing sun

I brought along my Amsterdam Virtual Challenge medal which arrived a few days ago. 

I wanted a photo of it while "out & a out".  

By now the sun was fully high in the sky.  The sky was not bright blue due to the smoke and the smell was not bad so I carried on. The trails were lined with the flower of Alberta, the Alberta Wild Rose.   

Bumblebee in a Wild Rose

a beautiful Wild Rose

This is my version of that beautiful Wild Rose which I painted later in the day!  

While putting paint on paper, I had a table fan on my face, while taking sips of an Austrian Ridler, with an ice cold tie around my neck, I was able to feel comfortably cool!  Whew!