View allAll Photos Tagged Weather-Forecast
I was on a hike in the Alps with our dog Giorgio. The weather forecast predicted it would be a sunny day! But the God of the weather had other plans. His humor is more complex. It’s much funnier to have fog, followed by a pinch of strong wind and a few hours of snowstorm. I think it was an experiment to test how long it will take until I’m going crazy (lol), because suddenly all the three components were there! We were still high up on the mountain and had to hurry to reach our home. From a distance I saw a house like the one on my photo! Such houses are only used in summer for the cows. In winter they are empty!
Do you know those movies where a small group of teenagers find a small little house in a place in the wilderness only to die one after the other? Well, it was too late for us to descent the mountain, so we went to this little house to seek shelter from the storm.
And then we stood in front of the door. The house was made of wood and was very very old. The wind was getting stronger and stronger and the wooden beams rattled! Should we really enter this house? I heard the wind whispering to me: „Get in there my little boy, please go inside the house!“. The trees behind me began to bend over because the wind was getting stronger and the sky changed to a mystical dark. Oh boy, if a witch is in the house there, I will die :-)
I stood closer to the door and listened. What was in there? I heard something! I tried to open the door. Very good, it was open he he he! But honestly, I did not wanted to enter this place! And again I heard the wind that whispered to me with a raspy voice: „Come in my boy, here it is warm and beautiful, come in!“. I slowly opened the door and Giorgio began to growl. The door squeaked and in front of me I saw only darkness. And again that scary whisper: „Come in and bring me luck“ … for a felt eternity it was very quiet except for Giorgio who was still growling … and suddenly a raven flew over our heads into the open! Ahhhhhh … I swore vilely in six different languages! What a fright!!!! My heart has fallen down into my shoes, and since then I try to get it back again (lol). I think I am aged about 20 years ha ha ha!
Well, we were about 30 minutes in this cottage. And then after this time the sun came out! This day was one of the sunniest days of my vacation :-)
I want to thank all very much for your "views", "Comments" and "Favourites" :-) The only thing that matters is that you have joy in this photo. Again, thank you :-)
A planned return visit, hoping the weather forecasters have got it right today, which I'm glad to say they did, giving superb light throughout are stay.
And the bird played it's part too, had to wait about 45 minutes for it show (resting in reeds) but when it did it came very close and was quite active in different parts of the bay it was feeding in has can be seen by the water colour differences.
John you should have waited it did come back and showed well in front on the reeds feeding, before retiring back to the reed bed.
The weather forecast predicted heavy snowfall. The temperature was about -15C. The relentless wind out of the south-east had a familiar bite.
This female Snowy Owl is big and she is beautiful. After having been on foot for more than 90 minutes to reach this area I had decided to change locations because the wildlife activity was quiet. There was a couple more areas I wanted to explore. Not more than 30 seconds later I looked to my right and saw something white, at a distance.
I raised my camera and took a look and there she was. She had seen me but due to the distance between us she remained unconcerned. I took a few shots and moved closer. Every 50 feet I would take a series of shots as I made my approach. She remained relaxed and I'm certain that the weather conditions made her feel right at home.
She may have felt comfortable in this deep freeze but my fingers were so cold that they were starting to not function. Yes, I have to wear better gloves and I remembered I had a long walk ahead of me to get out of here, so I decided to start my exit. I would also be losing light soon and the decision to leave was an easy one.
The weather forecast was showing clear and frost, so off i set towards the royal parks, well how much wrong could they have been..travelling around the M25 the temperature was rising and cloud was increasing. Well the early alarm call and weather watch had thrown a spanner in the works. after a morning of very little action at Bushy park. lunch was taken then off to Richmond, quick ride around and again not a lot happening. with the sun just peeking out of the clouds a trip to the pond was in order, Kids bit feeding ducks, but just not any old duck a few lovely mandarins were amongst the mallards. laying close to the water edge. i picked the odd one out as the duck chased the food.
Since the weather forecast promised clouds and rain during the Perseid maximum I went to my usual shooting spot a night early. Well worth it. They kept coming steadily. Sadly I missed the longest ones I saw traveling about 1/3 lenght of the sky. Composite photo of 38 shots.
The weather forecast has issued flood and storm warning for the next couple of days so I went and took a few pictures of the remaining leaves on our trees ; I will miss the glorious Autumn colours ...
After checking the weather forecast for the next few days, I decided to do a drive N and E of the city on 20 February 2021. I knew I would check a few backroads for a Snowy Owl (none were found), but that was not the purpose of my trip, as I have already seen several Snowies this winter, 2020/2021. I wanted to revisit a few old barns that I had seen before and keep my eyes open for any unfamiliar ones, too. The last drive I did out of the city was on 1 February, so almost three weeks ago! Brutally cold, snowy weather, with windchills that dropped to as low as -42C, kept me safely at home. How good it feels to have milder weather now!
One of the locations I wanted to visit again was a ranch with three wonderful, white dairy barns. Two of the barns are very long and quite impressive. The first time I had seen them was in January 2014, when friend, Phil Quinn, took me out for a day drive north of the city. It must have been the worst day of that winter, with blowing snow swirling across some of the roads and a white sky as well as a white ground. Everything was white. The next time I saw them, from a distance, was on 3 November 2020, when I came across them unexpectedly, not realizing just how far I had driven. Unfortunately, almost all of the barns seen on this day were on roads that had just enough traffic on them to make it really difficult to take photos - there was always at least one car right behind me when I wanted to stop and there was no shoulder to pull over.
On my way home late afternoon, I quickly checked a favourite barn, just in case there was a Great Horned Owl sitting in the window - and there was! I had also photographed an owl there in December 2019 - both times an adult. This made a very nice ending to an enjoyable few hours, far away from crowded city parks.
Our weather forecast was for rain, today, but thankfully no rain so far!! Therefore, I managed to jump in the car for a few photos and then back to watch the Wimbledon Tennis Final!!
365/2023 - A Never Ending Journey ~ 365/197
Stay Safe and Healthy Everyone!
Thanks to everyone who views this photo, adds a note, leaves a comment and of course BIG thanks to anyone who chooses to favourite my photo .... Thanks to you all!
The weather forecast had announced a rainy day, so I wanted to sleep in. When I woke up shortly after six o'clock and looked out of the window, I was surprised that the warm southerly wind called "Föhn" had blown a small strip between the cloudy sky and the horizon. In such situations you are either lucky and there is a gigantic sunrise or you are unlucky and the gap is completely closing until sunrise. Anyway, I did not want to miss the chance ...
After seeing the weather forecast I decided it looked promising for a sunrise shot at Snowdon. Up again at 3am I headed of to the national park . The sky was just getting the first hint of light so I began to walk up the miners track. Very slippery under foot in the -5 Temperature but thankfully there was not the same bitter wind as on the Friday. When the sun did come up the mountains slowly lit up a beautiful pink and I took this panoramic shot and yes that is the moon !
This was shot near the Cypress Hills (in the background) in Southwest Saskatchewan. I ran PS autolevels on the sky and landscape selectively. Otherwise, no other alterations.
Well, there is only one image to post today :-) The second full moon of the month and a supermoon as well.
It looked the same to me. But it was meant to bigger and brighter.
Note to self: Weather forecast was for cloud all day, plus I had meetings at work, so I didn't pack my camera today. Well the clouds cleared and my meeting was cancelled. so it could have photographed the rising moon.
20210126_1095_7D2-140 Aussie Outback Weather Forecaster
I was waiting for the string to curl as we had the hottest day here in about 20 years! 37°C
#12508
Weather forecasters are predicting minus temperatures for many in the UK tonight but Archie looks as though he should be just fine.
A decent weather forecast for Tuesday coincided with some interesting workings through Worcestershire. The west wasn't as full bling as the east with high cloud clearing sufficiently to illuminate this. This was a virtual repeat of what I went out for a couple of weeks back but with a syphon on the rear. The prospect of much better conditions was the reason for my second attempt at this location.
The weather forecast is clear so Greta and Max are taking a ride to the mountains to do some hiking. The autumn colors are at peak. They both love this time of year.
Doll: Mondrian Blythe
Car: Barbie - thrift store find
Dog: Liv
Sweater and shirt: Etsy
Hat: $0.50 from a recent doll show
Shorts: Barbie
Cooler: vintage
Pink bag: Blythe stock
Background: calendar image
The weather forecast was for little wind today, so we took the Smith-Dorrien Highway through Spray Lakes Provincial Park to the Rummel Lake area. The trail to Rummel Lake is very popular, but we opted for the more challenging and less frequented Rummel Ridge. The views were sublime!
Weather forecast said "No rain on Sunday". Well...it was raining hard on the abbey, one of those heavy summer rains, on me too from my position on the foothills of the valley, but not between us where the sun was shining. The result is this contrast of colors and shades on the valley.
Looking at the weather forecast i had decided on an early start, which on reflection should have been the right thing to do...but regretably it wasn't as i was mostly up in the clag.I was not able to see all that much until i was well down from the tops and that was when the clouds rolled away to give me a view.
This is taken from the Miners track heading up onto the Glyders in Snowdonia, the hills you can see are those that make up the classic Snowdon "Horseshoe", with Y Lliwedd centre of picture Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) the sharp pointed peak farthest away with another darker pointed shape of Crib Goch just in front of it and on the right looking highest Carnedd Ugain, a bit of an illusion really as far as looking at it from this angle as Snowdon at 3560 feet stands proudly as the highest peak in wales.
Contrary to the weather forecast, by 11.00hrs, the clouds rolled in and it was less than 10% chance of getting in sun. So after waiting patiently at Ais Gill, having dinner and watching the gloom, it was time to get into position at MP260 and hope for the best. Very much to my surprise, 37667 (D6851) works up to the summit wiith 1Z44 14.38hrs Appleby to Skipton 'Staycation Express' with low and behold, a shaft of sunlight lights the loco just as approaches. Lucky indeed but appreciated. 9th September 2020.
Copyright: 8A Rail
The weather forecast yesterday was for clouds and some sunshine. We are still looking for the latter, but it didn't stop us going for a walk in Stowe Gardens.
The Gothic Temple in Stowe Gardens was designed by James Gibbs in 1741 and completed about 1748. This is the only building in the Gardens built from ironstone, all the others use a creamy-yellow limestone. The building is triangular in plan of two stories with a pentagonal shaped tower at each corner. It is available as a holiday let through the Landmark Trust.
Stowe Landscape Gardens, which surround the late 17th century Stowe House in Buckinghamshire, date from the early 18th century and are a significant example of the English Garden style. They have been in the care of the National Trust since 1989. The 750 acres of landscaped grounds have 40 listed temples and monuments within them, as well as large lakes. A number of outstanding designers and architects worked on the gardens in the 18th century, including Charles Bridgeman, John Vanburgh, Capability Brown and Gibbs.
This picture was taken with Judy's iPhone 7. It was then tonemapped in Photomatix.
The weather forecast for today was rain, we desperately need rain, everywhere is crumbling to dust, the rivers and lakes are drying out and most of the country has been declared to be in drought, there’s talk of water rationing coming soon…..so the forecast was looking good….however there’s been no rain, there might have been some drizzle overnight as the roads were wet this morning but that had evaporated by eight o’clock and with temperatures of twenty c and above any moisture in the air isn’t enough to condense into rain.
Another picture of the El Capitan (left) and Three Brothers (right) as seen from one of the Merced river locations in the last week of December. Unfortunately, the weather forecasting went wrong and there was snowfall for the last few days. I am yet to make another trip to make the picture in my mind!
Shot on tripod with Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 mounted on Nikon D750.
Yosemite NP
2016/12/30
The weather forecast was for very high winds in the mountains, and so we settled on exploring Brown-Lowery Provincial Park once again. A lovely walk in the woods and out of the wind!
The weather forecast for the morning was calling for rain all over Shenandoah. But I knew what that means: solitude, quiet forest, and the sound of rain. I also knew that there will be no vistas and, probably, I even will not be able to pull out my camera and dare to expose it to the elements. Nevertheless, I wanted to experience the side of the Park, that a few people are willing to see.
I slowly drove Skyline Drive, stopping on overlooks and taking short walks here and there, until finally I arrived at one and discovered that the tree, that I usually considered an obstacle to the view, turned into my favorite subject of the day: the sleeping giant, wrapped in the fog and rain. The Dormant.
When the weather forecast brings rain for days..you head to the mall! When you have this thing for "shoes"...well..you head to your favorite shoe store and you cheer yourself up! Aren't these wild! Happy Monday!
The weather forecast for the Lune Gorge on the day this shot was taken noted "Full Sun & Blue Skies", but this never materialised. Anyway, here we see a Virgin Trains 390/1 Pendolino passing through the Lune Gorge valley working 1M09 from Glasgow Central to Euston on the morning of the 25/3/16 during a very brief moment of sunshine. Note the recent installation of Palisade fencing in the Lune Gorge which has disappointingly ruined the landscape.
Yesterday, 29 September 2018, I collected my fixed computer after having a virus and malware installed on it when my computer was hacked more than a week ago. I have all sorts of photos to go through and edit from the past week.
This photo is from 25 September, when the weather forecast finally looked a little more promising. We have had so many gloomy, rainy days and when I woke up that morning and saw that the sun was shining, I knew I had better get out to the mountains before the fall colours disappeared. It was almost 11:00 am before I left home, so I was limited time-wise, but still managed to get to my destination. This Raven was one of several along a gravel back road.
I have a very early start to today, and will be away from my computer till early this evening. Forecast is for snow : (
On this day, the weather forecast called for cloudy skies and possible snow-rain but Jasper called for clear blue skies. Knowing that Jasper was over 250km away I woke up with my friend Martha at 5am to capture a full day of pictures. Unfortunately the Icefield Parkway was not serviced this morning which made the 5 hour trip very dangerous as you were restrained to only using one lane in unplowed snow.
Despite it being -26C, the trip was well worth it as the skies were clear as predicted and I was able to take this beautiful photo of Mt Chephren in our first stop around 9AM.
En mi primer dia en Banff el pronostico era malo, dia nublado y lluvioso. Anunciaban que Jasper estaria bonito con cielo azul. Decidi madrugar y manejar mas de tres horas en completa oscuridad para ir a jasper que queda a 250 km de Banff. Fue mi mejor decision, el sol salio, el cielo completamente azul y y yo estaba feliz de verme por primera vez en un paisaje invernal tan hermoso. Esta fue mi primera parada en el Icefield Parkway, el cual estaba muy dificil de manejar ya que no lo habian limpiado y habia que seguir las huellas de los demas vehiculos por un solo carril lo que dificultaba avanzar en esas condiciones. La temperatura de -26 Celsius. Fue un dia inolvidable y tengo las mejores tomas a lo largo del Camino.
As always, thanks for stopping by and looking, I appreciate your comments and visits
I will add that this photo of two little Burrowing Owls was taken in captivity and not in the wild. I'm not sure if the front one is the female who is a foster mother to several babies who were brought into the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre. The owl that is peeping round the pipe is a young one. Only once have I ever seen Burrowing Owls in the wild, way down in south-eastern Alberta. What a thrill that was - many birders never get such a chance, so I know I'm very lucky.
""As a result of its ENDANGERED Species status in 1995, it has the focus of a variety of conservation efforts. Operation Burrowing Owl and other projects involving habitat preservation with landowners have been created. Populations are monitored by Fish and Wildlife departments. They have been reintroduced into the British Columbia interior, where it was extirpated. Outlook would improve if larger areas of habitat were preserved and harmful pesticides were banned in all areas of their range. Numbers could increase if an increased tolerance to burrowing mammals develops (i.e. badgers) – provides homes for the Burrowing Owl. Outlook: perilous." From burrowingowl.com.
burrowingowl.com/visit/index.php
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_Owl
This summer, we have had practically no 'normal' summer days. They have been either far too hot thanks to our endless heatwave, or too smoky thanks to all the wildfires in British Columbia and Alberta. The weather forecast for six days ago looked good; sunshine all day, with rain forecast on several of the coming days. I decided to finally do a drive all the way down south to near Lethbridge, so that I could again visit the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale. Last year, I did this drive for the very first time on my own and I wanted to make sure I didn't lose my courage to do it again. During the 511 kms that I drove, I had to ask for help with directions twice - both times in the same small hamlet! It was a hot day, with a temperature of 31C when I was at the Centre.
The forecast was for sun all day, but there was no mention of the smoke haze that completely blocked out the mountains and pretty much the foothills, too. Very quickly, I was almost tempted to turn around and come home, but I had noticed rain in the forecast for some coming days. I reckoned I would still be able to photograph the fairly close birds at the Centre, which worked out fine.
Amazingly, I managed to make myself get up early that morning, 3 August 2017, and set off just before 8:30 am. My intention was to drive straight to Coaldale without stopping anywhere en route. Not an easy thing for me to do, as I much prefer driving slowly along the backroads rather than the less interesting highways. However, I knew it would take me a few hours to get there and I wanted to have as much time as possible down there. On the way home, I drove one dusty, gravel road, but saw nothing but a couple of Horned Larks perched on fence posts. A couple of old barns (that I had seen before) and a few scenic shots, were more or less all I took.
Twelve hours later, I finally arrived home, at 8:30 pm, totally tired out, and my car was just about out of gas. For the first time in the year that I have had this vehicle, the gas level warning light came on. Also, it surprises me that the oil change light has never come on, as I have done 8,500 km in just under 12 months. I was given free oil changes for the life of the car, but was told that I can't get them done until the light comes on, on the dashboard. Think I'd better contact the dealership and ask about this. Almost a year sounds far too long to not have an oil change. Later: after doing a bit of Googling, it seems that it is quite normal to have done this many km, or more, before the maintenance light comes on for getting a first oil change. My previous vehicle was 17 years old and things have obviously changed with newer cars!
When I checked last night, the weather forecast called for a 30% chance rain this morning, so I was pretty sure there would at least be some clouds in the sky. Of course when my alarm went off at 5:00 am, I hit the snooze button and had the usual "Should I get up or not?" debate with myself.
This was my third Saturday in a row at Kirby Cove. The last two times I got skunked. This time I stood in the rain for roughly 45 minutes waiting for sunrise and making use of the integrated rain cover on my camera bag. I noticed a promising break in the clouds on the horizon, so I patiently waited for the the sun to peek through.
Shortly after sunrise the sun did indeed appear and briefly flooded the scene with warm light. During this time it continued to sprinkle on-and-off. I fired off a few quick exposures in between furiously wiping my filter with a micro-fiber cloth, and was lucky enough to capture this particular exposure with not a single water speck on my filter.
Single exposure
0.9H grad ND
The weather forecast was for clear skies today, so we thought we would try to see if we could spot some of the Snowy Owls which migrate from the Arctic to this area for the winter. Alas, no owls were seen, but I was able to capture some interesting scenes regardless...
Woke up an hour before my alarm clocks went off, after just three hours' sleep, so thought I would quickly add one photo. Just checked the weather forecast for today - a high of -2C (windchill -8C), wind 37km/hr with gusts of 52 km/hr, and snowing. Do I really want to go out in this, lol?
On 21 August 2018, it turned out to be such a great day, with some much-appreciated sightings. I must have spent about 8 or 9 hours driving and almost every inch of my body ached like crazy at the end of it. Now, each summer, I try and do two or three longer (for me) drives, making sure I don't lose confidence to get there.
Weather-wise, it was around 24C, so not too hot. Yes, it was still smokey from the British Columbia wildfires, making distant hills barely visible and deleting mountains from view, but it didn't have too much effect on closer photography.
It was a good day for Hawks, seeing three on the way south and a few on the way home. I almost missed two Swainson's Hawks, as the hay bale they were standing on was way out in a large field. At first, I thought there were three hawks together, but when I stopped to take a few photos, I realized that there were only two - one looked almost like two hawks close together, but then I saw that it had its wings mantled. I guess it wanted to make sure that the second hawk behind it couldn't steal any of the food from it.
A lone Common Nighthawk also helped make my day. For several years, I had longed to see one of these unusual birds and, finally last year (2017), I managed to find four of them. That time was almost two months earlier than my recent find, so I wasn't expecting to see any in late August. I would still love to find one lying on a wooden railing rather than a metal railing. Last year, I got a photo of one on a fence post, but the angle was not the greatest. These birds are 9½ inches from the tip of bill to the tip of tail.
"On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electric peent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land." From AllABoutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/id
"North America has 13 nighthawk populations. All but one are in decline and the species is considered threatened in Canada and several U.S. states."
www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/little-backpacks-gps-used-to-trac...
naturecanada.ca/what-we-do/naturevoice/endangered-species...
A Horned Lark, a Western Meadowlark juvenile, and a Vesper Sparrow gave me the chance for a photo or two, and a lone hawk I spotted way in the distance was a Ferruginous Hawk. A happy sighting, as these hawks are so few and far between.
The weather forecast looked good so I took a deep breath and drove the 6 hours to Lake Matheson (Fox Glacier) yesterday in an attempt to take a nice reflection shot of Mt Tasman and Mt Cook. This is the last of a pano of 3 portrait images. I was hoping that the sky would turn pink/purple as the sun was setting. Luckily, I was not disappointed.
The weather forecast predicted rain, rain and more rain for the weekend, so when I noticed a brief break in the clouds early this morning, I grabbed my camera and drove off in search of a composition or two... I didn't find much...
I processed this in B&W just to be different... :)
Nikon D300, Sigma 18-200mm at 80mm, aperture of f11, with a 1/250 second exposure.
Click here to view this one large.
Click here to check out my Vertorama tutorial.
The Weather Forecast was for lots of sunshine and little cloud, So a trip back to Gloucestershire to hopefully photograph Short-eared Owls.
However the good light failed to turn up. It was a lot cloudier than expected.
Images best viewed in "lights out" L key.
On an iffy weather forecast, got my passport out and headed to North Wales to record three railtours, along with some chill time too. On arrival at Rhyl, weather was better than I expected and got the first of the railtours in reasonable light. Passing the closed Rhyl No Signal Box, Class 20's No 20189 and 20142 on Vintage Trains 'NWCE' 1Z20, 07.55hrs Tyseley Loco Works to Llandudno, were there was the annual Victorian Extravaganza weekend. 30th April 2022.
Copyright: 8A Rail. www.8arail.uk
It's been a strange but nice Saturday. The weather forecast had predicted a cloudy day, with possible rainstorms in the afternoon. Nothing strange, it was the trend of the entire week. My summer vacation were going to end, and It was my last chance for a serious hike. I left the house at 6 AM and I started to hike on the trail that leads into Otro valley. Cloudy sky, but the clouds were high and it was windy. I did not know where I wanted to go. In the end, following a tradition of the last five years, I thought I had to reach Zube pass, despite the elevation gain, almost 1.800m (5,900ft), and the lack of a serious training. I had been at Zube at the end of every summer since my child was born. On the top of the pass there is a small chapel of the Virgin, dedicated to the protection of families all over the world. I am not a religious person, but that small chapel, in that place, always had a sort of mystic call for me. If the weather was bad, moreover, I had already taken so many shots up there, in the previous years, that I would not have cried for the missed photographic opportunity.
Thick clouds started to roll in at 8.30 AM, but they created an effect that was similar to thermal inversion, that is much more common during fall and winter. At an elevation of 2.400m (7,870ft ) the clouds were below my feet, and the summits of the high mountain were all there, clearly visible.
I reached Zube pass, 2.876m (9,436ft), at 9.30AM. Three hours and an half, not that bad at all. I was there, and I was alone, with a breath taking view. Despite the fact that you can use two cable lifts to shorten the trail (but starting from other valleys), and in the good season many people hike to the pass, I was the first one to reach the summit.
I have many shots with the most spectacular summits of Valsesia (and I will post many of them in a time to come), but I choose this one because it reminds me of how long the trail is.
I stood up there for an hour, with the Virgin, without caring of the temperature, that was close to Zero Celsius, and the fact that I had just a light jacket, shorts and a bottle of water. Probably the major discomfort was for Mary the Virgin, alone up there with a sinner and an unbeliever... but the Maker has a lot of pity.
E' stato un sabato strano, ma simpatico. Le previsioni del tempo avevano previsto una giornata nuvolosa, con possibili temporali nel pomeriggio. Niente di strano, è stato il trend di tutta la settimana. Le mie vacanze estive stavano per finire ed era la mia ultima possibilità per una camminata seria. Sono uscito di casa alle 6 del mattino e ho iniziato a fare un'escursione sul sentiero che porta nella valle di Otro. Cielo nuvoloso, ma le nuvole erano alte ed era ventoso. Non sapevo dove volevo andare. Alla fine, seguendo una tradizione degli ultimi cinque anni, ho pensato di raggiungere il passo Zube, nonostante il dislivello, quasi 1.800 m, e, molto peggio, la mancanza di allenamento. Sono salito a quel passo alla fine di ogni estate da quando è nato mio figlio. Sulla cima del passo c'è una piccola cappella della Vergine Maria, dedicata alla protezione delle famiglie in tutto il mondo. Non sono una persona religiosa, ma quella piccola cappella, in quel luogo, ha sempre avuto una sorta di mistico richiamo per me. Se il tempo fosse stato brutto, per di più, ho già fatto così tanti scatti da lassù in altre occasioni che non avrei pianto per l'occasione fotografica mancata.
Le nuvole spesse hanno iniziato a farsi vive alle 8.30, ma hanno creato un effetto simile all'inversione termica, che è molto più comune in autunno e in inverno. Ad un'altitudine di 2.400m erano sotto i tuoi piedi e le vette più alte erano tutte lì, chiaramente visibili.
Ho raggiunto il passo Zube, a 2.870m, alle 9.30. Tre ore e mezza, non così male alla fine. Ero lì ed ero solo, con una vista mozzafiato. Nonostante sia possibile utilizzare due funivie per accorciare il sentiero (salendo però da altre valli), e nella buona stagione molte persone camminano fino al passo, sono stato il primo a raggiungere la vetta.
Ho molti scatti con le vette più spettacolari della Valsesia (e ne posterò molte in un momento a venire), ma scelgo questo perché mi ricorda la strada fatta.
Sono rimasto lassu' per un'ora, con la Vergine Immaccolata. Senza preoccuparmi troppo della temperatura, che era vicino a Zero, e del fatto che avevo solo una giacca leggera, pantaloncini e una bottiglia d'acqua. Probabilmente il disagio maggiore e' stato per Maria, sola lassù con un peccatore e un miscredente ... ma il Creatore è misericordioso.