Hoover Dam

Leaving Joshua Tree National Park I set my sites on Hoover Dam. Driving northeast I was soon back in civilization and after the mind expanding experience of the last park the invasive explosion of humanity was more then obvious. I don't mean this to be in a negative context, just an observation of fact. Driving between wilderness and cities is a real eye opener about how we live. The narrow roads of wide open spaces give way to the 5 to 8 lanes of superhighway and cloverleaf junctions filled with traffic congestion. Everywhere one looks there is signage informing us of our needs to consume everything from A to Z. All of this is of course is a necessary part of the economy and we all need to participate at some level right? It is just that much more noticeable after coming out of a place like Joshua Tree. Wind farms (a good thing) dot the hillsides where they can do the most good.

 It wasn't long before I arrived at Las Vegas, Nevada. I would spend the night there to clean up and have a hot meal. Can't tell you how good it feels to sleep in a real bed after camping so many nights in the car. Soon my wife will arrive and we will travel together for a while. The next day I pick her up and meet some friends... then we get on the road to Hoover Dam. There is a great deal of construction being done on the infrastructure of the roads all over the southwest. Hoover Dam is no exception. The traffic began to back up miles from the dam and it took hours of bumper to bumper driving to reach the dam. As I crested the hill that provided my first gimps of the dam it all felt worth all the trouble.

If you look carefully you will see how the road winds a zig zag now the hill and out over the dam then up the opposite side of the ravine. A grand view overlooking it all. There are many places to pull out and park but you will pay at least 7 dollars for the privilege. Do it... it 's worth it so you can spend some time walking around and taking in the spectacle of this place. It is a beautiful thing to behold. What follows are just a few of the images I captured at Hoover Dam. Enjoy!

If you look carefully you can see all the power lines running from the Dam to the poles on the left this is to distribute the power generated by the dam. I hope you enjoyed these images as much as I enjoyed being at Hoover Dam. Notice the bridge bypass that they are now constructing. Soon You won't have to stop at all if you don't want to. This construction was the reason for the long lines of car waiting to cross. Next Park on my list is Zion National Park don't miss that one coming soon.

Mystical Joshua Tree

Getting to Joshua Tree takes me through many towns in Southern California, the drive is mostly freeway and civilization is sprawling with strip malls, factories and fast food joints along the way. There is no sign of wilderness for a great many miles. Eventually it all starts to give way to open desert and there is now a sense that I am escaping the congestion. As I climb into the foothills the Cactus becomes more noticeable and I begin to feel that I am close. I arrive late in the evening the sun is setting and I must find a camp site many are full as I drive from one location to another. Then I luck out and find a spot, must have been the last one in the park. Sun setting as  I bed down. Tomorrow morning I will get up early with the sunrise.

The light is cool and the scene is mystical as I get the first shot of the day. I am  captivated by the rocks and trees the landscape draws me in, but I need coffee and something to eat so my eagerness to explore will have to wait... Soon I am fueled up and grab my equipment for what will be a long hike into this wonderland.

Balanced rock caught my eye, How did that rock get there? It's too large to have been placed? Sitting up as though waiting and watching for something to happen I watch too.

The Joshua tree stands out in this landscape, a local resident of the desert. Each with it's own personality, accented by gesture of shape and a crown of spiky leaves they seem to be communicating with one another. This is a place without much water yet vegetation abounds amidst the large out of place rock formations and fields of sandy soil. It all feels so alien yet right.

As the day draws on, I wander through the landscape the rocks reveal their mineral content with blasts of color. Quartz rocks sparkle like gemstones. I need to know more about Geology to be able to tell you what I am shooting. I do know that red rock has iron content and oxidation causing the rusty color. Yellow could be sulpher, but i'm guessing here? I notice this chromatic formation crested with a cactus plume. Now the day is growing long and I start back to the camp... as I walk, I notice the openness of the sky... the quiet of the space. I stop to sit and take it in, an hour passes... and this is what I saw.
How long would you sit in this place? As I write this I miss it already.

Journey South to Joshua Tree National Park.

As I drove up the steep slope that marked the exit of Death Valley I had mixed feelings. On one hand I was glad to be leaving the dry intense heat of the desert floor and the constant thirst that my body called for, but on the other hand I was a bit saddened to leave this place of intense beauty, filled with a plethora of wonders that had moved me so deeply. I was glad that I took the time to photograph it's marvelous splendor. Now I was looking forward to the next destination, it would be Joshua Tree National Park.

Once over the hill that led from the valley, even though it was still desert it was noticeably different. There was moisture in the air and the light seemed more chromatic. I guess to most people this might go unnoticed but on this journey of solitude with a meditative quiet mind, my senses seem heightened.

Now that I have left the below sea level depths and peaceful quiet of Death Valley I can not help but notice the intrusion of the modern world. Telephone poles, billboards and cell towers marked the long ribbon of highway breaking the horizontals of the hills with the intrusive verticals of man made things. 

Wind power generators ever spinning as they catch the never ending wind gusts that make the desert what it is, a dust bowl. Nature is being harnessed we are getting the message of our oil dependency, even if it is in small amounts. It is not an easy thing to turn a ship the size of our economy.

Night was now falling and tomorrow I will be entering the Mojave Range and then Joshua Tree. I think I'll sleep in a real bed tonight even if it is a cheap motel it's better then the car. Besides I need a shower.

The next morning I wake with the dawn a habit one forms when sleeping under the stars. Go to sleep when it gets dark, get up with the first light. Early morning is when the light presents photographic opportunities that can only be revealed in the half light of dawn. Here are a couple of shots I got this morning.

So as the sun rose in the sky the land became flat and less interesting. Much of it looked like the outskirts of small towns with one gas station, a restaurant and a small motel. Who lives in these places? I often wonder what makes some of us so reclusive. I don't think I would last long in such a remote place. Driving back roads or super highways in this area is much the same, there is not much to see and the highway is faster. Lunch came and went as the hours of driving pass the road under my wheels, and the day wore on.

It wasn't until late afternoon that the landscape started to change and reveal the promise of once again becoming immersed in nature. The desert was reclaiming the land. There were no more man-made objects aside from the road itself that I could see. The dust bowl was now behind me. The distant hills were gaining in scale and the cactus seemed to be everywhere. I am getting close to Joshua Tree.  As I pulled into my camp site the light was fading. I am excited to be here and to feel the energy of what I know will be another great experience waiting for me in the morning. I will rise with the dawn tomorrow and see what I can see. One last shot... then sleep...

Into the Valley of Death

If you have never been to Death Valley you will not be able to comprehend the scale and extreme qualities that this place exudes. Most often the heat is unbearable for long periods of time (I am thankful for my Subaru's air conditioner). Being there in springtime when temperatures are somewhat less (from 100 to 109) was still an experience I do not want to repeat. Mid-day was spent parked in whatever shade I could find. So most images were taken in morning or evening. In the above image we are looking down into the great basin and can see for 100 miles to the distant peaks. Evenings are a relief from the heat as temperatures drop by as much as 60 degrees and the night sky is not to be believed as the heavens reveal the infinity of space. Try to spend one night in a sleeping bag under the stars and you won't be disappointed as it all seems to reach down through the atmosphere, you can reach out and almost touch a meteor.

Depending on the direction you enter the Valley you will either see the basin or the Sand dunes (entering from the north). From a distance they appear small but look close and you can see the size of people walking toward the peak of the highest dune. Few reach the top as the heat takes it's toll.
I decided that I would forgo the hike and focus on the compositions from below the peaks.

As I walked in the lower sands the compositions unfolded for my camera. The scale of the vegetation, the colors of the distant hills all effortlessly fell into perfectly designed formations, a symphony for my eyes.

Soon after leaving the dunes the valley opened before me. The pastel colors of far off Inyo Mountains and the Panamint Range seemed to be faded by the sun. The Death Valley floor cracked from the ever present heat. I was beginning to understand how this valley got it's name. I could not imagine how the early pioneers survived it's crossing on horseback and wagon, brave and more then slightly crazy souls they must have been.  One is struck by silence of this place, it's as if it was holding it's breath waiting for you to burn up or get out. It looks like no life could exist here. The gates to Hades might seem an appropriate name if it were not for the contradicting beauty beckoning me ever deeper into it's heart. What would I find around the next bend? The stereotype of the cow skull comes to mind, bleached white by the beating sun... I drove on and soon I would be surprised by what I found at my next stop.


"LIFE" in the Death Valley. At Furnace Creek, water amidst the dry parched land came as a real surprise to me. I am so amazed how even in the worst of situations life finds a way. As I walked the path following the creek I discovered that there were small fish living in the water (Stickel Backs). In the Town of Furnace Creek I was told by the Ranger that there was Desert Iguana, Mule Deer, Bobcat, kit fox and Desert Bighorn Sheep in the full range of the park but all I saw were the little fish. I guess one has to be here a long time to take it all in . I was grateful for the fish.

If you want to stay at the hotel in town you will need to make a reservation and the same is true if you are going to tent camp. If you are not prepared (like me) you will be relegated to the RV park. I don't recommend it as there are no showers and you can't use the hotel pool.

One of the most memorable moments in the journey was my stop at the Artist's Palette the colors of this place are not believable even when you are looking right at them. The energy of the colors in the rocks is so exciting. (click any image to see it larger) The drive through the small valley road is a thrill to drive but you must be careful, you will not want to keep your eyes on the road... so much to see, I must have stopped at least 50 times along this drive. All to soon I found myself back on the main road wondering what could top that! Truth is I am spending most of my Sabbatical saying that to myself and wondering how we seem to settle for the city life and small loops of predictable travel our lives take every day when so much awaits discovery just outside our door!

Twenty Mules and the story of Borax is told in the remnants of the exhibit of wagons that still remain in the valley to remind us of the past industry of Death Valley.

In total it took four days for me to reach the southern end of the valley, I am treated to the profits of the earlier rains that came in winter. Fields of yellow and purple flowers blanket the sides of the road and the adjacent hillsides, as if to say thanks for coming and have a safe journey. I have a moment of sadness as I drive up the mountain and leave. One more glance in the rear view mirror and I am off to my next location.

Water, Trees and Sand

Traveling south from Seattle past Oregon, along the coast highway brings you to the giant Redwood trees and the wild beaches along the coast of California. This experience for me, demonstrates how Nature provides a sense of scale about what I should be valuing in my life. Standing next to a three thousand year old tree larger then my car is wide made me think of how small I really am. I am reminded of how short life is and how I in my short time on earth can effect the world around me. This old forest has lived 350 lifetimes and it's journey in all that time has only added in a positive way to the evolution of life on earth. The things we humans do has impact, we can make a difference.

 Heavy rainfall and the ever present salt air of the nearby Pacific ocean filters into the trees creating a very moist environment breading moss gardens. These are the rain forests fills with ferns and small animal life thriving amidst the giants. Smaller trees become covered with soft golden moss, beckoning  the eye and appear jewel like glow. A close look reveals an inner world of small habitat.

All to soon I am leaving the Redwood giants for the salt air of the beaches, just my luck to run into a rainstorm instead of sunshine. Even in the rain the shore is wild and beautiful. Shades of blue and gray color the land sea and clouds to the horizon. Sitting here in the car the rain beating on the windshield plays a rhythm so steady it feels like it will last all day...  I take a short nap.

Water, Weather, Wind and Rocks - Part 1 South

In my travels to the National Parks I am noticing the elements that shape our world, the similarities and differences in these magical places. In the southern canyon regions the dryer deserts are filled with monuments, towers and spires of mostly red rock conjuring up in my imagination the symbols and spirits that create feelings of sacred spaces. They scale the sky as the guardians in a seemingly eternal interplay of elements.

 It is easy to see how ancient tribes would see the great spirits living amidst the rocks. The chasms that result form the elemental dance of wet and dry and hot and cold, traverse everything from small slot canyons to the great grand canyons.

Slot canyons have fabulous curvilinear shapes of texture and color that were formed by flash floods from heavy rains. Grand canyons are the result of great upheaval in the land long ago when the earths plates moved breaking the crust and refolding the earth's crust, pushing up mountains and creating deep valleys.
Sharp lava cliffs etched by long gone rivers leave rugged trenches of rocks and sand. In the large expanse of dessert space, sand is pushed around and piled into large dunes, ever moving magically from place to place at the whim of the winds.

So much grandeur is constantly overlooked as life keeps us from the "Nature" that is at the heart of our existence. To reconnect to this wondrous world for healing and grounding is something I am grateful for. My experience feels timeless and mind expanding as I walk and witness these untouched places of colors, shapes, textures and life forms from plants to animals that are so deeply rooted within my genetic make-up. I can see the garden again.

I have a feeling of returning to the source to the wellspring of life to the cradle of existence that is the earth we are supposed to know and love. 

It is my hope that this blog will help all who see it to find themselves visiting the National Parks near them soon.  It's so easy and you get great bang for your buck.

What did you do today?

I must admit that my day today was a bit out of the ordinary.  This morning started with the sighting of a Grizzly bear digging in the frozen ground and with one swipe of it's large claws unearth a meal from a rodents den. I was amazed to see him feasting without a care to my presence and many others, I must admit that his power was awesome and I felt a kind of primal fear deep inside. I should say that I  thought I was at a safe distance of about 60 yards but in thinking about it now I know I was close enough so that if he wanted to catch me he would have.  It is strange how we are drawn to get close to the things that can hurt us most.

Shortly after the experience with the bear, we sighted a large wolf feeding on a carcass, not really sure what it was nor was I interested in getting close enough to find out. He was large from a distance I could see that he was at least 3 feet at the shoulder if not more. The day went on with more wonderful sightings of Bison and elk as well as a second Grizzly that this time came much closer then the first. A large male chasing a bison came bounding across the plain on a diagonal towards my car. I drove off ahead of him trying to predict where he would cross the road. I was off by only 30 feet or so. With my heart racing I shot several images of him as he came over the hill and crossed the road. I shot from my car with the window down not daring to open the door. Soon he was gone into the sage brush on the other side of the road. Ah this is how it feels to be alive and in the moment, what a rush.

Hot Pools of Water

Unlike the other national parks I have visited Yellowstone is not totally about landscape. In the last two weeks I have seen Bison, Pronghorn, Black Tail Deer, Bald Eagles, Elk, Black Bear and Grizzly Bear. I have come close to these animals, in some cases so close that I may have endangered my life, I'm not sure, but here I am, so I guess I wasn't too close after all. I will talk more about the animals in another post.

Today I want speak about the geothermal beauty that makes Yellowstone so special. I could not help but be impressed by the steaming pools of colorful minerals that populate the hillsides and valleys of this uniquely different National Park. The smell of sulfide is not enough to deter the eyes from the spectacle of water and gas as it erupts from someplace deep in the imagination of the mind. One wonders what lies beneath and will the sleeping dragon of fire continue to sleep? Will it one day awake and crack the sky of this beautiful land? When will that day be?  What will it leave behind. These thoughts and many others I ponder as I stare into the blue depths of the bubbling pools. Others fountains flow down hillsides coloring the landscape with reds and oranges. White coulombs of minerals shape the pools steps of cascading terraces... the wonder of it all.

It is said that you should not go to Yellowstone when you are young but wait until you are older so you will not have experienced the most beautiful place on earth before you have lived a full life. In this way you will save the best for last.

APRIL 28 Yellowstone Park

Well after a full day of shooting in Yellowstone in a snowstorm, I am kicken back in a small Montana bar called the K BAR. One of the rangers told me the food was grea, so here I am with a beer, burger and salad... said to be the best local fair around. (So Sad) Sitting in the window table I see the snow isn’t letting up so I may choose to stay in the motel tonight instead of camping in the park. Don't get me wrong I love the camping but freezing cold mornings are no fun.

The day started with driving up the mountain in a blizzard, the things I do in pursuit of the best shot are often not easy at my age. So suddenly there is a payoff...There on the side of the road by the stream, a pair of coyote… they see me and the female turns and heads to the trees but the male is occupied by something under the snow possibly a mouse trying to get away so I get several great shots of him.

The storm is getting worse now, I pass a car in a ditch and the driver is standing off to one side scratching his head. "Are you alright" I asked he nods help is on the way. Ahead the ranger I am following pulls over by an official car and is talking to another ranger. Soon he finds out the road is closed with 2 other cars off the road. I am signaled to turn around and go back, so I do. The rest of the day is spent in the lower parts of the park. I shot Buffalo in the snow... a classic, Elk with their new budding horns of the season and a black bear by a pond, not a bad day all in all.  Just not what I had hoped for. I guess all this nature is making me spoiled.

Believing in my GPS

Last week my wife Trudi and I were on our way from Capitol Reef Park to Arches (Oh, she flew in to Vegas to join me for a week of the trip.) we were following the directions of my GPS unit to the letter. We were traveling on what appeared to be a new highway (70) through the desert when the GPS said turn right in 2 miles. With out question I pulled off the highway onto what seemed like an old road the GPS said go straight for 27 miles then turn left. I looked at Trudi and she did not look to thrilled with the prospect of driving off into the desert on this old road.  I said lets try it for a while we have water and food and a full tank of gas so off we went into the unknown.

Slowly the road got worse, the desert was reclaiming pieces of it as it clearly had not been driven on for some time. Now we had gone on for 30 or 40 minutes and the road was giving way at the edges to sand tumbleweeds blew by and the road soon turned to sand. The GPS said turn right in 5 miles so I pushed on… I could see the 70 freeway off in the distance and thought if I can get there we can get back on the main road. So I pushed on… Then the GPS said turn right but there was no road at all to turn on so I pushed on… thinking about getting to the highway again, I drove over a hill and low and behold in front of me was highway 70 but there was one small problem. There was a large fence between me and the highway not to mention a deep impassable ditch. Trudi said lets go back, I agreed so we turned around and following our tracks through the sand drove back the GPS kept repeating recalculating, recalculating… I turned it off.

On the way back we drove through a rock canyon. I noticed something on the side of the road that I could not see when we drove in, I stopped the car to get a closer look, It was the carcass of a cow. It was at this point skin and bone but I noticed it had been eaten the bones were scared with teeth marks and there were large paw tracks in the sand. Cougar I thought. I took some pictures and quickly got back in the car and drove on. I guess if I had seen the cow body coming in I could have read the signs and turned around then, but then there would be no story to tell. After several miles we were back at the turn off where we started. Trudi breathed a sigh of relief and I could not help but laugh at what was an exciting romp through a desolate tract of forgotten desert.  Oh by the way the GPS was right after an additional 30 miles I recognized the part of the fence where we were. If  they didn’t put up the fence and dig the ditch we could have saved some time and miles with the very long short cut through nowhere.

Opening to Grandeur

It has been a while since I last posted. My apologies to those of you waiting for the next chapter. I have had so little time and so much has happened since then.

I have been through the heat and ash of Death Valley, seen the trees of Joshua, Crossed the sands of Mojave, entered the promised land of Zion, photographed the Hoodoos of Bryce; Climbed the staircase of the Grand Escalate; Seen the towering walls of Capitol Reef and captured the Arches of red stone. Today I caught the dawn mist of the Salt River and the towering peaks of the Tetons at dusk and soon I will be at Yellowstone. Bison, Elk and deer seen grazing, squirrels pose for photos as if they know you. Crows and eagles and birds of all types and colors sing songs of courtship to each other and because I hear their call my heart swoons too.

This trip is a lesson in greatness. NO, not mine but America's, I have seen the overwhelming grandeur of our nation in it's parks and the scenic byways between them, nothing in all my travels compares to the spectacle. It's as if suddenly everything has meaning, everything is as it should be, there is nothing to gain that is not already available and there is nothing to loose that is necessary to keep. Seeing nature in this scale and abundance gives life focus. It is the clarity of pine scented fresh air and the sureness in will of rock and stone layered in all the colors of the rainbow forged in the folding crust of the shell we call Earth. I try to think of how it has changed me, I wonder if my life will ever be the same again. I hope not, I don't wish to hold to the small minded ways of my former self.

I have used up my knees climbing up and down mountains (they are being ices as I write this), My back is stiff from sleeping nights under the stars in the back of my Subaru, muscles ache with overuse and I can't remember when I have done so much in such a condensed and daily activity regimen.  I could do it all again... and I will.

Finding myself alone in the wilderness

One would think that this trip is envied by many as a joy ride through scenic America and I would admit that there is some truth to that. Journeys are filled with unexpected delights and disappointments, I am learning as I go that not all things can be accounted for.

Over the last 4 nights as I traveled through Death Valley I was unable to find a single vacancy at any of the motels along the way. Three of the four nights I slept in my car under the stars. Sounds romantic until you realize how small the sleeping space is in the car. There would be no hot shower in the morning either, only cold water from a bottle to wash my face. On the fourth night I ended up at an RV Camper park and still had to sleep in the car but there was a hot shower for the campers and even an electrical outlet to recharge my camera batteries. What a luxury and all for under $20 with my AAA membership card.

Events like this make me wonder why I am doing this in the first place. It's not an easy or comfortable trip by any means. It's like I tell my students, the best photograph is often not taken from the most convenient location. I am not after a quick snapshot but rather a carefully studied and framed composition. I have been claiming up hills and down sand dunes fully loaded with all my gear to get to just the right point of view. I think I could even loose a few pounds with all the walking.

At some deeper level I kind of knew what I was getting into here. I wanted the unknown to shape the events of my experience. In this way I could learn something about taking better pictures and once there in that deeper level I could learn something about myself. Mostly we don't know how we will respond to unpredictable events, we hope that they will not be catastrophic, we hope they will bring out the best in us and in so doing we are the better for it. Sometimes the reward is profound and other times it is mundane. I believe sleeping in the car to be one of those mundane learning experiences. It is possible that in younger days I would not have noticed the cramped quarters. The adventure would supersede all else. Now it is a sacrifice I am willing to make, some small discomfort for the opportunity to experience the big picture and open myself the big mind.

Day 5-6

Day 5
Tonight I sleep in the car. I’m in the dessert at a place called Fossil Falls. Created by a prehistoric volcanic lava flow and eventually flooded by a river it became the home of an ancient tribe of people. Now the river is gone and all that remains is the carvings the water etched in the lava bed.
The sun has just set and the wind has increased its relentless howling as it rocks my car from side to side. I think it will rock me to sleep tonight. The rich blue sky is slowly giving way to the pinks of sunset and the eventual black of night. Is there a moon tonight? I will see the Milky Way!

Rock formations stand like dark sentinels around the camp sight. Offering me a glimmering hope of protection from whatever else is out there in the dark. It is all so vast and I feel like such a small thing barely noticeable in it all. Time to rest now.

Day 6
I woke up to a bright light shining in my window... It was the moon. The stars were now gone replaced by this almost full orb. As I looked around half asleep I saw that it lit up the dessert in an eerie half-light. Being the dedicated photographer I am and not wanting to miss the opportunity to capture the light I got up set up my gear and got the shot. Shortly after I went back to sleep.

Today I drove to Lone Pine at the foot of Mt. Whitney and the scene of so many western movies. High Serra staring Humphrey Bogart was filmed here and Gunga Din (not a western) "Into the valley of death road the 600". It is the Inyo National Park. I couldn't help but be struck by the rock formations and how every where I looked was filled with the interplay of color, light and shadow. So many dynamic shapes playing against the highest point in North America Mount Whitney. She stands majestic watch over the low lands.

After a full morning of shooting I was getting hungry and it was time to gas up the car, so back to Loan Pine and refueling then I was off to Death Valley where I am once again camping in the Subaru. Tomorrow I will explore Death Valley National Park.