Denali National Park – Wandering Dawgs

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #342 – Going Wild

March 30, 2025Posted in Birds, Butterflies, Photography, Wildflowers, WildlifeTagged Denali National Park, Everglades National Park, It's a Wild Life, Lens-Artists, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Photo Challenge, wildlife photography37 Comments

Let’s take a walk on the wild side with Egidio’s challenge “Going Wild”. I love being in wilderness areas and photographing the landscapes, wildlife, wildflowers, and birds I see there. For this challenge I chose images from my three favorite wilderness areas.

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is closer to my home than any of my other favorite wilderness areas. We have been there many times and always enjoy the wildlife and birds we see there. The butterflies on wild thistle in the header image was taken in the Okefenokee.

Young alligator in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Everglades National Park, Florida

We have visited Everglades National Park in Florida many times through the years. There are several entrances to the park with Flamingo being the most remote area. The Everglades is a bird lovers dream with many varieties all throughout the park. No matter where you go in the Everglades you are likely to see alligators.

Egrets and Spoonbills gathering in a pond near the Flamingo Campground in Everglades National Park

This alligator ignores the human invaders of his territory at Shark Valley in Everglades National Park

Denali National Park, Alaska

Denali National Park is the most remote wilderness area I have ever visited. I loved the feeling of being miles away from civilization while we were there. The scenery is breathtaking and the wildlife abundant. Most of the wildlife we saw was too far away for a good photo even with my telephoto lens.

Celebrating 12 Years of Wandering Dawgs

I started the Wandering Dawgs blog in March, 2013 as a way to document our 4 month RV journey from Georgia to Alaska and back. In the beginning, the only people who read my posts were friends and family. Today, I have blogging friends from all around the world! I recently celebrated the 12th anniversary of Wandering Dawgs! Many thanks to everyone who reads my posts and leaves me comments.

Many thanks to Egidio for this challenge Lens-Artists #341 – It’s a Wild Life

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #150: Let’s Get Wild

June 5, 2021Posted in Alaska, Photography, WildlifeTagged Denali National Park, Lens-Artists, Let's Get Wild, Photo Challenge, Wilderness18 Comments

Guest host Dianne Millard of Rambling Ranger has asked us to get wild for this challenge. On her blog she says “I’m talking about Mother Nature untouched and untrammeled, allowed to get on with her work without human help or hindrance.” Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska meets all of those criteria. It’s the wildest place I’ve ever been.

The landscapes in Denali are breathtaking whether seen from land or from the air.

Wildflowers growing in the middle of the riverbed

The high round snow covered peak is the south peak of Mt. McKinley

We were always looking out for wildlife. Except for a couple of moose, most of the wildlife was too far from us to get a good close up picture.

Dall Sheep in Denali National Park, Alaska

Grizzly Bear in Denali National Park, Alaska

Many thanks to guest host Dianne Millard for the challenge. Please be sure to visit her post at Lens-Artists Challenge #150: Let’s Get Wild

Lens-Artists Challenge #134: From Forgettable to Favorite

February 12, 2021Posted in Birds, Flowers, PhotographyTagged Camellia, Denali National Park, Forgettable to Favorite, Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, Pink Camellia26 Comments

For this challenge Tina has asked us to demonstrate how we use editing to improve an image. This was a fun challenge that took me out of my comfort zone. Usually, I crop the photo and I’m done. For this challenge I experimented with a few other editing techniques using Photoshop Elements.

The camellias are blooming and I’ve been trying to get a perfect shot of them. To focus on the flower I cropped this original into a square and applied the Watercolor effect. The finished image below shows the details of the flower and the rain drops on the petals.

On the left is the original of a Great White Egret in the salt marsh. I wanted a close up of the Egret so I cropped it before adding the Rough Pastels effect.

This last image was taken in Denali National Park in Alaska on a cloudy, overcast day. I replaced the dull sky with a brilliant blue sky to add more color and enhance the image.

Many thanks to Tina for this week’s Lens Artists photo challenge #134: From Forgettable to Favorites.

Lens-Artists #119: Hideaway

October 24, 2020January 23, 2024Posted in National Parks, National Wildlife Refuge, PhotographyTagged Denali National Park, Everglades National Park, Favorite Quotes, hideaway, Lens-Artists, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Photo Challenge14 Comments

For this challenge Ann-Christine has asked us “where or what is our hideaway”. Her description of hideaway says “A Hideaway, is a place to which a person can retreat for safety, privacy, relaxation, to seek seclusion or refuge.”

When I am at home I can hideaway for a few moments by getting out in nature or by reading a book. But for me, a true hideaway is a wilderness area far away from civilization, somewhere with no robo calls, internet, or other interruptions.

Three of my favorite destinations immediately came to mind – the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in south Georgia, Denali National Park in Alaska, and Everglades National Park in Florida. Although these are three unique protected wilderness areas, what they have in common is that they are miles away from civilization and the wildlife is free to roam.

Of these three areas, the closest to my home is the Okefenokee Swamp. When we get to the end of the 17 mile road from the main highway and arrive at Stephen C. Foster State Park I feel like I am in another world. This image and the one at the top were both taken in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge near Fargo, Georgia.

Mount Denali in Denali National Park, Alaska

To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world.
John Muir

Sunrise in Everglades National Park in Flamingo, Florida

There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth; remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas

Thanks to Ann-Christine for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #119: Hideaway.

Lens-Artists #108: Sanctuary

August 5, 2020Posted in National Parks, National Wildlife Refuge, Nature, PhotographyTagged beach, Denali National Park, Everglades National Park, Lens-Artists, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Photo Challenge, ruby throated hummingbird, sanctuary35 Comments

This week, our guest host Xenia of Tranature has chosen Sanctuary for our challenge. She reminds us that “Sanctuary can be found and created in a garden, a park, a field of wild flowers and by the sea …… watching wildlife, listening to birdsong …… along the forest trails and in the mountains.” She has asked us to show where we find it or how we create our calm and healing.

America’s National Parks and Wildlife Refuges are national treasures and wonderful places to find sanctuary.

Pa-Hay-Otee Overlook in Everglades National Park

20180214Okefenokee-Boat-Tour-(78) — Cypress Trees in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Closer to home, I can find my sanctuary watching the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean on one of Georgia’s barrier islands (image at the top of the page), walking on the beach, or watching the birds and butterflies in my backyard butterfly garden.