Post two of my Peru images. Arriving at Machu Picchu. I don’t think Hiram Bingham saw Machu Picchu like this in 1911. As a matter of fact, it was covered in vines and other vegetation. But the archeologist discovered the remains with help from the locals and eventually determined that this was the lost capital of the Inca Empire. This view has been disputed since many think Vilcabamba was the real lost city. Most impressive is its precisely-cut stone walls, bound together without mortar. It is thought that Machu Picchu was built around 1450.
Temple Of The Sun
URUBAMBA RIVER FROM THE TOP OF MACHU PICCHU IN PERU
From nearby Huayna Picchu, which rises steeply 850 feet above the ruins. It’s amazing from this view to see that Machu Picchu is rather small compared to the surrounding landscape.
The climb up Huayna Picchu is very, very steep……
My friend Bob stood out amongst the ruins. We arrived early in the morning when it wasn’t so crowded.
Finely carved rock walls.
My friend Jennifer poses.
The terraces of the agricultural zone.
The house llamas
A LONE TREE GROWS IN THE PLAZA OF MACHU PICCHU. THE TREE WAS FIRST A STUMP USED FOR SUPPORT BUT SPROUTED INTO A FULLY GROWN TREE
A good friend of mine is leaving for Peru today and I’ve told her all the must-see places to photograph. So I decided to post some images from my trip there 10 years ago. It’s quite a place that includes colorful landscapes and people. This first of five posts covers our trek to Machu Picchu via the Salkantay Trail
Our destination for this trek.
The bus leaves at 5am from Cuzco, bringing us to Mollepata, the beginning of the Salkantay Trail. The bus not only took us, but stopped along the road and picked any locals looking for a lift.
Three Colorful Peruvians
Family in Mollepata.
Leaving Mollepata.
I believe this was Pablo Escobar’s Hideout….
That’s Nevado Salkantay in the distance, rising some 20,000 feet in the Peruvian Andes. We would eventually make it to Salkantay Pass at 15,000 feet.
Packing up, day two.
THE RIO BLANCO
Heading up the fog-shrouded pass.
Spoiled Cattle
Salkantay Pass where it was snowing and then raining….
Our trek was at the very end of the rainy season so all the rivers and creeks were quite swollen.
The roaring Rio Santa Theresa winds its way through the Andes.
During part of the trek, it was necessary to be transported by van. I was thinking I’d rather walk.
The young woman nursing her baby was actually pressed up against my right arm so I moved a bit to get the photo. I don’t think she noticed. The baby certainly didn’t.
On the other side of Salkantay Pass, we made it to a tropical valley.
Vegetable stand in Santa Theresa.
I’ll take an order of flies with that…….
THE URUBAMBA RIVER FLOWS THROUGH A LUSH TROPICAL VALLEY NEAR SANTA TERESA,PERU
The easy way to cross the mighty Urubamba River.
A WILD POINTSETTIA FLOWER GROWS IN THE URUBAMBA RIVER VALLEY,PERU
The town of Aguas Caliente at the foot of Machu Picchu. The train takes you right to your hotel.
Yosemite Valley is expected to receive at least a foot of snow today(Friday) Wish I could be there. The High Sierras are expected to get 3-4 feet of snow as well. Below are some images from about 10 years ago when Yosemite Valley received a foot and I was there to experience it.
Fresh snow has fallen at Yosemite Valley National Park, California
Badwater Basin at Death Valley National Park is famous for the fact it is one of the hottest (It was 85 degrees F this day) and lowest places on earth. The salt flats are a result of any standing water in the basin evaporating and leaving the salt deposits behind. I caught these images last week after a sand storm blew through the valley but parted right around sunset.
I went to visit Antelope Canyon the other day in Page, Arizona, hoping to tour the Lower Canyon. However, that was closed temporarily so my friend Alison and I went to Upper Antelope Canyon. Even for January, it was fairly crowded.
The one rule change they have instituted is that tripods are no longer allowed! Panic set in as I have always used a tripod here as it is highly needed due to the low light conditions inside. So I did the best I could by setting my camera to a higher ISO which makes my sensor more sensitive to the low light but produced digital noise. To get rid of the noise, you use software to eliminate it at the expense of detail. I was mostly shooting at a shutter speed of 1/40 sec. which is slow but manageable at a focal length of 24mm.
The Lower Canyon used to have a photographer’s tour during the winter where you could go by yourself for 2 hours. That has been eliminated. They do have a photographer’s tour at the Upper Canyon but the cost was quite steep. This will be the last time I or Ali will visit Antelope Canyon
I got brave last week and ventured out to the edge of this point that looks toward Marble Canyon and the Grand Canyon. I set up my camera on a tripod and set the timer to release the shutter every 15 seconds. That was as far as I got to the edge! Looked like a 2,000 foot drop below.
The swells a few weeks ago were crashing pretty high along California’s Pacific Ocean Coastline. Fortunately these two people were not hit by these massive waves and swept to sea.
Peru has its amazing landscapes and lost cities but I was really struck by the people. The young, old and in between. All photos by Dawn2Dawn Photography.
From nearby Huayna Picchu, which rises steeply 850 feet above the ruins. It’s amazing from this view to see that Machu Picchu is rather small compared to the surrounding landscape.
The climb up Huayna Picchu is very, very steep……
My friend Jennifer poses.
