Summer is here and with no rain for the last few months, the land and my sinuses are parched here in Southern Utah. A forest fire erupted nearby, somewhat emulating a newly erupted volcano. The alfalfa fields are tall but a spark away from torching as well.
Coalmine Canyon in Northern Arizona straddles the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations. Both claim Coalmine Canyon as theirs but whichever way you slice it, Coalmine is magnificent. I recently met a Hopi Indian Tribal Leader traveling through Zion National Park and she informed me that photography and painting are not allowed on Hopi land. She did offer to show me their land, which the Hopi deem very sacred. I plan to follow up with her next time I visit the area.
On this day, gusting winds reaching 50 mph made photography difficult if fruitless, but I managed and hopefully all of these images are on Navajo Tribal Land.
More from Capitol Reef National Park’s amazing Cathedral Valley.
Camped just outside of Zion NP this week and relaxed, read my book about Zen by Suzuki, did lots of mountain biking(This area has some of the best mountain biking in the country) and tried out my new camera! These images came out really sharp!
Yosemite National Park may get all the pub and glory but Sequoia National Park is an enticing alternative high up in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. If you like peace, solitude, adventure, rugged peaks, pristine lakes and rivers, along with it’s main attraction, Giant Sequoia Trees, then Sequoia is a preferred destination. I worked a summer in Sequoia during my college years and it is a summer I will never forget. Where else can you encounter a black bear and a tarantula on the same day!
The park has immense elevation changes starting from the chaparral in the foothills at 1,300 feet, to dense sub alpine forests and onto the treeless alpine environment. Sequoia is home to Mt Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states at 14,491 feet and the world’s largest tree, The General Sherman.
Saguaro National Park on either side of Tuscon, Arizona, is home to the Saguaro Cactus. Growing up to 40 feet tall, these plants are native to the Sonoran Desert. Other succulents and plants in the park include the Teddy Bear Cholla, Barrel Cactus, Hedgehog Cactus, Prickly Pear Cactus and the Ocotillo.
Kinda looks like a balloon you can twist into all kinds of unusual shapes.
The prickly spines on the cactus ward off animals looking for a happy meal!
Ocotillo
LA’s Pershing Square
Life Imitates Art
Rated PG folks
Not enjoying the view
I was talking to an old friend of mine from Los Angeles the other day which brought back some photographic memories from living there 9 years ago. I shot all of these images, most of which were at least 10 years ago. First of two posts.
Classic SoCal Sunset
The Daily Planet, Where’s Clark?
LA’s Bunker Hill
The Huntington Beach Pier plus a flock of seagulls.
Downtown LA At Rush Hour
Classic Lifeguard Shack
Fun At Santa Monica Pier
Fun In San Diego?
Santa Monica Bay At Night
Santa Monica Bay During Day
Santa Monica Pier Reflection
The always jammed-packed LA Subway
One of my favorite places on Planet Earth, Eureka Dunes is in a very remote part of Death Valley National Park. The dunes reach some 700 feet into the California sky and stretch for about 2 miles on the ground. I come here at least once a year and visited a spot I hadn’t been to. On this visit, no Navy Jets buzzed me but that may have had something to do with the brief government shutdown.
This is the first of two posts.
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.
