Jeff Welker

Here are a few more for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments. @Doug: I shot most of my images at 1000th to 1250th shutter speed and f/4 to f/5.6. I was also shooting at ISO 100 with an EV of +⅓. I was using a Canon 1DMk4 camera and Canon 100-400L zoom lens. It was definitely a hoot

Thanks all for the kind words - it was a great experience. Got to handle a loaded 30mm round after the flights ended; it makes a 50 caliber look seriously small. When they fire their cannons the 30mm rounds go super sonic and make the loudest/wildest sound you've ever heard. Combine that with the very loud "buuurrrrpppp" of the cannon firing, and any self-repsecting insurgent would likely soil themselves

I had a tremendous opportunity come to fruition today. I got a very early call offering me a chance to photograph A-10's in a live fire exercise at the Barry Goldwater USAF Range. I was able to rearrange a few appointments and quickly headed out the door. Hearing those Hogs firing their 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling-type cannons within close range of your camera position is quite an experience. These Hog drivers are sharp shooters with those cannons and I would definitely not want to get caught in the open desert with one of these bad boys on my tail. Here are a few images from the morning.

My son and I got our tags in the mail today

Congrats Bill. My son and I drew our first choice, Unit 22 North Bull tags, a late rifle hunt.

This is what it looked like in Payson on Sunday during the storm. Like others have said, I'm guessing the majority of this new snow is already melted.

Bill: Here is what it looked like at 9:00 AM Sunday morning on Hwy 260 just west of the Greer turnoff. Shortly after I took this photo, it became a complete white-out near the FSR 117 turnoff. I can be sure of the exact location because I could not see There was already a bunch of standing water in the forest before this storm. The rapid snow melt will only enhance that situation - a good thing IMO. A couple of days before the storm, I visited all the local lakes in Greer and they were completely full. A great change from August last year.

Thanks everyone for the kind comments. It is a tremendous experience to be so close to these aircraft during flight operations. On more than one occasion, I had an F/18 Super Hornet launch with full afterburner within 20 yards of me. The pressure change and AB blast was so significant that it was often difficult to maintain a solid position from which to photograph. These planes are unbelievable. I'd hate to be a bad guy and have one of these headed my way. Here are a couple of my black & white conversions and some other aircraft.

I had the great privilege to be invited join a small group photographing a Blue Angel practice session and naval aviation action at NAF El Centro. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day and the photography was challenging. Nevertheless, we had a great time and got a few keepers. Here are some photos from the days activities. Early morning practice begins with four ship launch. Opposing solo #6 launching for morning practice. Storm approaching while the opposing solos climb for the sky. VFA-122 Flying Eagles Super Hornet launching for afternoon practice on the range. CoNA Legacy Hornet practicing carrier landings.

The cutting that happened almost immediately (adjacent to rights-of-way) is primarily intended to remove falling tree hazards from the roadways. I did see some it being delivered to the Reidhead boys; however, there is just not that much usable timber. There are also mills in New Mexico within reasonable distance that could join the fun if larger timber sales were allowed. Here is a photo of Escudilla taken shortly after the fire. The second photo was taken just the prior October. As you can see, it was hit very hard. In 1951, a similar fire hit Escudilla and caused nearly the same damage. They logged-off nearly the entire mountain very quickly. That is where the road to Terry Flat and the other logging roads on Escudilla came from. Not only did it generate timber sales, jobs, local economy boost, etc; it is believed it helped the mountain flora/fauna recover much quicker that it would have if the timber had been left to rot.

Groves Ward, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

+1 - Geof Moss knows units 22 and 24 extremely well.

Great tom - congrats for your father. I hope I'm not out of line; however, would you please share the name of your father's guide and where this lion was dispatched? My son and I have been considering a guided lion hunt and don't know any guides with dogs. It would also be cool to know the area where this tom was working.

As I noted in the HB2072 thread, I was disappointed that Rep. Weiers did not reply to my email questions. This mass email memorandum does not address any of my questions and only convinces me of one thing, this is definitely not over. I don't agree with this proposal and think that Arizona already has plenty of auction and raffle tags. That being said, I still think we/you/us are going to take this in the shorts in the long run. These folks are organized and well funded. Time is on their side. There are many ways to get this type of legislation approved - including incorporating it into a completely unrelated bill. Unfortunately, it will take some serious day-in-and-day-out diligence to make sure any future attempts are properly vetted by the AZGFD and via public meetings throughout the state. I wish I could be more positive; however, I've seen these things up close and personal. The well organized/funded groups have the influence/horsepower and usually get what they want. I hope I am wrong. From my perspective as an old hippie from the '70's, it is just another example of THE MAN putting us down