The dominant feature of Tule Lake Basin is an ever changing sky

A snow front moves across the sky diagonally pushed by strong cold winds.

Tule Lake Basin is home to powerful storms that move across the old drained shallow lake bottom, now some of the richest farm soil on earth.

Migrating geese fly high off the ground but well below the migrating clouds.

Spring and fall are visited by the great waterfowl migration along the Pacific Flyway. In the spring, the farmland and refuge of the Tule Lake Basin is the last refueling and rest opportunity for geese headed to Alaska and Siberia. This is vitally important for reproduction, healthy parents produce healthy children.

A sunset storm moves between Malin, Oregon and Tulelake, California.

On some late afternoons the skies take on colors that come only in dreams and summer storms. And then darkness paints over the sky’s fading color.

Military jet on southern approach to Klamath Fall's Kingsley Field.

In the morning, and afternoon, the sky above Tule Lake Basin is an etch-a-sketch of high flying north-south commercial contrails. The military uses an landing-takeoff pattern when the winds call for it as do fire fighting planes. U.S. Fish and Wildlife has a spotter plane that flies on average once a week to do bird counts. And then there are the birds: geese, ducks, pelicans, ibis, eagles, hawks, blackbirds, swallows, crows and vultures to name a few.

Spring can be a dramatic, long and stormy season in the Tule Lake Basin.

Winter into Spring, some years, seems like one unending season that storms into June. The first waterfowl of the Spring migration arrive in February as it is snowing and the last of the geese head north by May’s end when it can still be snowing, or at least freezing rain.

Spring squalls across the basin leaving a trail of melting snow.

This land of fire creates its own weather. Mt. Shasta to the southwest sends storms through valleys toward Tule Lake. Medicine Lake Highlands, the Cascades’ largest volcano, redirect the winds northward up the Tule Lake Basin. Sheepy Ridge to the west, Stukel Mountain to the north, and Bryant Mountain and Clear Lake Hills to the east enclose the basin.
There are small gaps between Sheepy and Medicine Lake and Stukel that allows the weather to come and go.

Beyond the vortex of spinning weather there is blue and an universe beyond.

This photo gallery is in progress, a new image will be added daily.

©2011 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.