Welcome to
Young's Photo Gallery

Unusual Things/Events

An historic event for the author and his family:  Jim, wife Karen, and three of
Jim's children use the author's 10-inch telescope to view all nine planets (Pluto
was a planet then!) on February 28, 1982.  Eileen is looking through the telescope,
while son Jeffrey holds the ladder, and Bryan looks on from behind Karen.  The
camera was on a timer to record this family event.

The author near the top of his 90 foot 'ham' radio tower September 16, 1986.
This picture was taken by a ham friend, Joe Kapp, N6MZG

An arsonist set this terrible fire that destroyed a USFS building at Big Pines, 4
miles west of Wrightwood, California on February 17, 1987.  This was the 1926-
built Swarthout Valley Lodge, and contained much of the area's historical photos,
papers, books, and records.  The arsonist(s) was never caught!

A low flying plane carrying Phos-Chek, a fire retardant, drops its load over a
small brush fire in Wrightwood, California on July 25, 1987.

The author and some of his family on the roof of the summit building of White
Mountain (elevation 14,246 feet) west of Bishop, California on August 10, 1987.
With his wife Karen and son Bryan to the left, son Jeffrey to the right, and
daughter Eileen in the front center.  The four summitted Mt Whitney less than
48 hours later, each mountain in only one day's time.

The 'shadow' of the Sandia Peak gondola, 10 miles north of Albuquerque, New
Mexico taken on October 23, 1989.  This is the world's longest passenger aerial
tramway, and it contains the third longest single span.  The tram rises from an
elevation of 6,559 feet to 10,378 feet in the Sandia Mountains, and has a total
lateral distance of nearly three miles.

This is the tallest TV tower in the world, located north of Fargo, North Dakota,
as seen in this October 30, 1989 image.  The tower is 2063 feet tall, and is
supported by 27 2-1/2-inch diameter steel stranded wire rope 'guy' cables,
totalling more than 20 miles of cable altogether.  At the time of the image,
this tower hosted KTHI-TV in Fargo.

This is what happens when there is an electrical fire in a house.  The residents
were able to escape without injury, but the house was totaled.  This image was
taken two days after the fire on December 27, 1990, in Wrightwood, CA

During a wet and stormy week preceeding this March 1, 1991 photograph, the
ground became so saturated, that a strong gust of wind blew down a poplar tree
onto a portion of the author's house earlier on this date.  Because the two towers
were partially supported by the framework of the roof rafters of the house itself,
 insurance coverage was obtained for damages to both 'ham' radio towers, minus
 the deductible.  The tree first struck the 'guy' wire running to the top of the far
tower, causing the top to buckle and twist upside-down. The second tower, closest
to the photographer, was also severely crushed by the 'guy' wire running to the far
 tower, as the wire was pinned under the tree trunk during the fall.  Needless to say,
the guy wire (stainless steel wire rope) never broke, and partially cushioned the
fall of the tree into the house.

The National Park Service plaque on the summit of Mt Whitney, as recorded in this
image by the author and his climbing party of nine climbers on July 24, 1991

An emergency resue helicopter arrives at the summit of Mt Whitney on the afternoon
of July 24, 1991 to pick up an injured climber.  The climber had broken several ribs
during a fall while climbing the east face of the mountain with his wife.  They managed
to summit, wherein 'Search and Rescue' operations were called for by the author using
his 'ham' radio.  Without any other communications, the man might have died if his
attempted hike down the 11 1/2 mile trail had caused his broken ribs to puncture his
lung, according to the doctor who eventually saw him after a seven-minute ride to Lone
Pine, and the local hospital emergency room.

The very large towers and antenna systems of the Voice of America (VOA) relay
station located at Delano, California on April 12, 1992

A large beach 'teeter-totter' constructed at Cove Beach, Oregon by the author
on the left, daughter Eileen in the center, and son Bryan on the right.  The image
was taken by K. Young on July 3, 1992

The argon-gas laser for the GOPEX (Galileo OPtical EXperiment) is seen here during
tests at Table Mountain Observatory on October 9, 1992.

After a successful aluminum mirror 'coating', the author inspects Table Mountain
Observatory's 48-inch reflector mirror, seen here on May 21, 1993

'Four Corners', where the states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona
converge in the desert 65 miles west of Farmington, New Mexico, on 14, 1994

The 'Scout' fire as seen from Table Mountain Observatory on June 25, 1994.
It was only 1 mile to the east!

Brother, Mike, gasping for (hot) air at Badwater, Death Valley National Park
on a hot August 16, 1997.  It was 117 degrees Fahrenheit!

A truck wreck on the Table Mountain Road, June 21, 1999

A specially designed 'Time Capsule' completed December 22, 1999 in Wrightwood,
California containing three layers: An aluminum inner container, surrounded by a
sealed box of Micarta, which in turn is surrounded by insulation and a pecan wood
outer box.  This box contains a history and memorabilia of the Young family now
in the possession of a family member for holding, passing down, to eventually be
opened on New Year's Eve, 2099!

The 'opposition effect' as seen in the Uncompahgre Mountains of Colorado, in the
late afternoon of April 24, 2000.  There are almost no shadows seen in the trees
directly opposite the sun in the center of this picture.

The Delaware and Neversink Rivers converge where the Pennsylvania, New York,
and New Jersey borders meet at a point (in the river).  This is the Tri-State
Rock photographed in the river on August 2, 2001.

The Taku Glacier east of Juneau, Alaska as seen from our helicopter on July 21,
2004


An old barn near Highway I-40, west of Nashville, Tennessee on November 20, 2004

The 'Prague Astronomical Clock', in the Prague city square of the Czech Republic
as seen on August 15, 2006. Click here to view the Prague Clock explanation.


The Prague, Czech Republic traffic signals have the RED and YELLOW lights 'on'
together before the signal changes to GREEN, as shown here on August 15, 2006.


During the opening ceremonies of the 2006 IAU General Assembly in the Congress
Hall (the old Soviet Union headquarters, when Checkoslovakia was under their arm),
Czech youth performers play music while on their backs on August 15, 2006.


Beautiful stained glass window in the Prague Castle, Prague Czech Republic on
August 17, 2006


A 'Red Bull' car on the streets of Prague, Czech Republic, on August 17, 2006.


The shadow of the Boeing 747 after 'takeoff' from the Frankfurt Airport in
Germany, August 19, 2006.  Note the slight 'opposition effect' around the
shadow of the the jet (about 1000 feet above ground).  The image was taken
from the rear of the plane, just forward of the vertical stabilizer or fin.


The shadow of the 'contrail' projected on the ground some 34000 feet below the
'747' over the north Canadian tundra as seen on August 19, 2006.  In this image
the 'opposition effect' is very obvious as seen from the rear of the plane.


A lighted pumpkin, in Wrightwood, California on October 31, 2006


At her 16th birthday party, a daughter tries to skate under her father, while
her friends 'egg' her on!  This was in Victorville, California, November 11, 2006.


A very beautiful tile mosaic of St. Peter, on a church in Marblehead, Ohio, seen
on December 6, 2006


An 'owl' kite (4 feet across) above the beach at Seaside, Oregon, July 1, 2007.


An unusual 'iridescent' cloud seen in Phelan, California, on August 13, 2007.
The sun's image is the small round dot in the upper right area, and the dark
streak to the lower left of the sun is its partial shadow inside the cloud itself.


A small 'dust devil' seen in the Nevada desert area on US Highway 95 near
Tonopah on September 3, 2007.


A 'firestorm' in the Lake Arrowhead, California area as seen from Table Mountain
Observatory, October 23, 2007


This truck slammed into the fence (and support column) surrounding the LDS Church
in Wrightwood, California in the evening of October 26, 2007.


An unusual 'twin-blade' helicopter taking off from the Chalet parking lot at Table
Mountain, west of Wrightwood, California, December 6, 2007


This 'sundog' and arc ring were photographed from Hesperia, California on January
2, 2008


A multitude of 'snow rollers' on the slopes of the Table Mountain Road, west of
Wrightwood, California, on March 18, 2008.  These 'rollers' were from 6 to
18 inches in diameter.


Even too slow for a tired hiker!  The road to Whitney Portals (west of Lone Pine,
California) was closed due to the large accumulation of snow during the winter months
of 2008.  The author (seen here) and his wife hiked the 6 miles up and back on
March 25, 2008.  The photo was staged, of course, and snapped by K. Young.


One of the world's largest crosses, seen here in Groom, Texas, about 42 miles
east of Amarillo on April 20, 2008.  This cross is 190 tall, and is possibly the
second largest in the Western Hemisphere!


The Dewey Bridge, built in 1916 on Utah Highway 128, crosses the Colorado River
at Dewey, Utah about 25 miles NE of Moab.  Replaced in 1988 by a new bridge to
the west, the Dewey bridge continued to be used by pedestrian and bicycle traffic
  until it burned down in April, 2008, only two months before this image was obtained
on June 22, 2008.  A careless youngster playing with matches at the campground
just to the west, accidentally started a fire that swept east in dry brush, under
the bridge, and catching it on fire, as the above image testifies!  The bridge had
been carefully restored in 2000, and despite the fire, still remains on the 'National
Register of Historic Places'.  There is hope for another complete restoration, but only
if: 1) enough of the original bridge can be used in a second restoration to maintain
its historic registry status, and 2) enough funds can be obtained from local contributions
and possibly state funds.  More details can be obtained here for the Dewey Bridge.


The author, in the co-pilot's seat, chats with the pilot of this Boeing 737 while
sitting on the tarmack in Pittsburg, Pensylvania awaiting weather improvements in
the eventual destination city of Baltimore, Maryland before taking-off.  This image
was taken by my co-worker, D. Mayes, on July 13, 2008.


Very heavy winds create a 'dust storm' on El Mirage Dry Lake as seen here on
June 3, 2009, from Table Mountain Observatory


The right sun angle, with wind swept sand, produced this striking image of a
large piece of 'driftwood' at Seaside, Oregon on June 28, 2009


The whale blowing a spout of water and air out of its blow hole just off the beach
in Seaside, Oregon, July 3, 2009.


This is a 24 inch diameter 'cat' puzzle put together by the author and his brother,
Michael, in September, 2009 in Wrightwood, California.


The morning ice accumulation over a small stream next to the 'Mt Whitney' trail
above Whitney Portals (west of Lone Pine, California) on October 10, 2009.


Some type of 'tree fungus' in an old log, seen in a state park near Beacon Rock,
Washington on November 24, 2009.


A snow roller, 2 feet in diameter, seen on the Angeles Crest Highway, California
on March 28, 2011.


Same as above



A drop of water (dew?) found at the terminal bud of an unknown leafy plant in
the Olympic NP in Washington on July 13, 2011.


A sliding rock on "Racetrack Playa" in Death Valley NP, California on December
26, 2011.  You can read more about these mysterious moving rocks here.


The author's wife inspecting one of Racetrack's sliding rocks (as above).



The Clyde Tombaugh 'Memorial Window' in the Unitarian Universalist Church of
Las Cruces, New Mexico on February 12, 2012.  Read more here.