Two for the road!

Recently, I was looking through my digital negatives from past photography trips and managed to find a couple of "keepers" that I had overlooked previously. Since I'm leaving on another trip tomorrow, I thought it would be a good time to show those new-found beauties now, before I'm inundated with all the new shots I'll have from the trip.

Fire and Ice (larger size)

This first one is from Hawaii back in '05. We were lucky enough to be up the summit of Mauna Kea just after the area re-opened after a snowstorm. This is an abstract of the red volcanic soil and the wind-driven snow and ice that was interlaced with it.

Teddy Bear Nightmare (larger size)

This one is from my road trip through the western US last fall. It was taken in a Teddy Bear Cholla cactus garden near Joshua Tree National Park. Despite being extremely careful, I still got stuck by one of these little buggers. OUCH! It hurts more than you'd think. Hence the image title.

So, where am I going tomorrow? The good ol' Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. I should have some treats to show you when I get back. Let's just hope the weather is decent -- last year I thought I was gonna see Noah's Ark pass by our campsite. ^_^

P.S. If you haven't heard, I entered a local photography contest and made it to the final 10 out of almost 600 entries! The voting for the overall winner ends at noon, so if you're reading this in time, you could help me out by casting a vote for me (mine is the one that says "K. Lidstrom"). By the time I return from the BWCA, the winner will be revealed. Wish me luck!