Road to Ruggedness - Death Valley National Park, California

Some the best locations to explore in Death Valley are the many canyons that seem to be just about everywhere. Some are small and narrow, while others are wide enough to have roads. Of all of the canyons that we visited, Twenty Mule Team Canyon was my favorite. Truth be told, it probably was my favorite spot in the park. The canyon was named after the teams of 18 mules and 2 horses that were attached to large wagons that transported 10 short tons of borax from the mines. The trip traversed the Mojave Desert and was 165 miles long. Considering temperatures during the summer can be as hot as 134 degrees, it must have been a very difficult trip.

Twenty Mule Team Canyon is quite large, and viewing it from the ground doesn't give a good perspective of the area. Fortunately, the rock formations are climbable if you are in decent shape. So up I went to the top of many of the surrounding formations, some by a trail and others blazing a new trail. When I reached the top to look around, I had a 360-degree view of this section of the canyon. The dirt road provided me a great leading line into the desert ruggedness.

Farmland - Steptoe Butte State Park, Colfax, Washington

The landscape in the Palouse is amazing to photograph, and the best place to start is Steptoe Butte State Park. The butte is the tallest feature in the Palouse area, rising about 3,600 feet above the surrounding rolling hills and mounds. At the very top, you get a 360-degree panorama of some of the best farmland in the United States. Photographing from the butte can be overwhelming, as it is difficult to capture the whole thing. Instead, it is easier to zoom in on smaller compositions that convey the beauty of the contours of the landscape that are more pronounced during early morning or late evening light. This photo was taken just after sunrise last year.

Haystack - Cannon Beach, Oregon

One of the signature sea stacks along the Oregon Coast, the Haystack Rock towers 235 feet above the beach, seemingly reaching out to the sky from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Along with its proximity to the city of Portland, this rock formation has contributed in making Cannon Beach a tourist destination. It is very accessible from the beach and one can walk right up to it during low tide. The saying, "you can look but you better not touch" applies to this iconic rock formation. It is protected, as it is a national wildlife refuge and one of seven protected intertidal areas along the Oregon coast. My favorite time in shooting it is at sunrise when the beach is not crowded. The morning glow starts at the very top of the rock and slowly moves down to bathe the full rock.

 

Old Trucks - Colfax, Washington

The Palouse is a region of farmland located in Eastern Washington State and into parts of Western Idaho. A number of my friends have asked me where the Palouse is, as they have never heard of it. Truth be told, it is a destination that primarily attracts photographers because of the landscapes of great rolling mounds and hills of farmland. After spending time there, it is obvious why non-photographers never heard of it. It is pretty remote with only a few very small towns. There are not many hotels and restaurants (my buddy Jeff Clow says it is a culinary wasteland), and, other than driving the roads for the scenery, not much for vacationers to do. One of the things that surprised me was the number of old car and trucks that dot the landscape. Another of my friends stated that the Palouse is where old vehicles come to die. This lineup of old trucks is just one of the spots that can been seen on the backroads.

Dune - Death Valley National Park, California

Death Valley is part of the largest desert in North America, namely the Mojave Desert. Of course, when one thinks of the desert, one of the first things they picture are sand dunes. The one thing that surprised me about my visit to the valley was, while there were dunes, the majority of the park (at least the parts that I saw) was more valley floor and mountains. Fortunately, down a few miles from our hotel, the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes were there waiting for us to explore. Arriving at the parking lot for the dunes about an hour before sunrise, we trudged out toward the dunes in the distance with our flashlights and head lamps. Along the way, the clouds began to put on a light show, before the sun peeked above the horizon. I shot a number of photos of the clouds, but my heart was waiting for the sun to light up the landscape and the dunes to the west. As you can see in this photo, the sun did its job and delivered amazing soft light that exceeded my expectations. 

Yosemite Morning II - Yosemite National Park, California

Nestled next to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California is my favorite national park in the US, Yosemite National Park. In the summer months, visitors swarm to the seven square miles of Yosemite Valley to take in the wonders of the nation's second oldest park. Granite rock formations with familiar names, beautiful waterfalls, clear streams, and towering cliffs are all on display everywhere one looks. In order to avoid the crowds, I will always awake before dawn, head out to take in the peace and quiet, and hopefully get some decent photos as the early morning light begins to light the valley. 

On this June morning, it seemed like I was in the park by myself. Since the valley is relatively compact, I was able to drive around from spot to spot, easily get a parking spot, and shoot to my heart's content. This particular composition was taken just off the road of Cathedral Rocks. The sun had peaked over the granite cliffs and lit the formations. The bonus was a pool of water that remained on the valley floor that enabled a super reflection.

The Ranch - Red Hills Ranch, Kelly, Wyoming

The Red Hills are located just east of Grand Teton National Park and are rarely visited by tourists. The main attraction of this area are the hills, which have a beautiful red color that are caused by mineral deposits. It is an area that I have photographed a number of times. You might ask where they are in this photo, and my answer is that they are not, but rather to my back. On my visits here before, I have tried and failed to get a shot looking west toward the Tetons through the Red Hills Ranch's gate, because of haze. This time, the haze was almost non-existent, and I was able to get a good shot. 

Wheat Harvest - Palouse, Washington

Many of you who follow me have seen a number of photos from the Palouse showing the amazing rolling landscape of some of the most fertile farmland in the world. In the spring, this farmland is all green with the stalks of crops, mostly wheat. In late summer, the landscapes changes color to more of a golden color. The landscape is totally mesmerizing especially when the wind blows and the landscape looks like there are waves in them. I am sure that when America, the Beautiful was written, the line "For amber waves of grain" represented this effect of the wind. 

When Jeff Clow and I visited the Palouse a couple of years ago, the harvest was well underway. There were many scenes with the "amber waves of grain" to be seen but there were also many scenes like this one showing the line of large farm equipment after they had harvested the wheat into bales. This is a part of the annual ritual of farming that isn't frequently seen online and I decided to post this scene.

For Sale - Million Dollar Highway, Colorado

I came across this photo that I took while on Rick Louie's Fall Colorado Tour in 2014. I believe that this was taken near the Million Dollar Highway in the San Juan Mountains just north of Silverton. Of course, the foliage was one of the reasons that I shot it, but it was also the fact that this structure was for sale. Fast forward to now, I decided to see if I could find it and the realtor who had it for sale it. Fortunately, the sign led me to Lorenz Realty out of Durango. I went to their website not expecting to find this spot but there it was (it has been over 3 years since I was there). Turns out that it and the parcel of land that it sits on sold for $95,000. The structure is the tram house that brought ore down from the Silver Ledge mine located further north on Red Mountain Pass. I don't know when it was sold, but it always amazes me how much information you can find online.

Nowhere to Stop - Glacier National Park, Montana

There are times that you see a great view and it is very difficult to get the shot. Improvising is the only way to get it. For those of you who have been on the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park, you know that it is the only paved road in the park, and it stretches 50 miles from the west entrance to the east entrance. The road is particularly narrow with two lanes and there are very few pullouts to park along the way. The pullouts are quite small and are full most summer months. So how do you get this shot when you are moving 30 miles per hour? Put it in burst mode, hold on tight and stick it out of the window as high as you can reach. Burst mode allows for continuous shooting and you will need it. I think I shot 100 shots. Most but not all of them have trees in the middle of the mountain and others show the blurs of the guardrails, but there will be a couple like this one that looks like I was standing there when I took this photo.

Cruising Maligne Lake - Jasper National Park, Alberta

One of the most scenic spots in Jasper National Park is a visit to Spirit Island on Maligne Lake. The easiest way to get to the island is by a 90-minute round-trip boat ride that allows for about a 20-minute stay near the island. Unfortunately, these boat tours don't run during the best time of day--to get the golden hour light, you must rent a boat. They do have photographer tours that unfortunately weren't running when I visited the lake. Regardless of the time of day you go, the surrounding scenery is amazing. This is one of the many shots I took on the way to the island.

Point Cabrillo Light - Mendocino, California

I love lighthouses and seek them out whenever I am traveling. In September, we drove down the coast of Oregon and Northern California and I was able to visit and photograph a number of them. Of course, the best time to photograph lighthouses is either after sunrise or before sunset but, when you are on a 1,000 drive on the coast, it is impossible to visit each one during those times.

As we neared the town of Mendocino, our stop for the night, we decided to visit Point Cabrillo and visit its lighthouse. The point was surveyed for the light in the 1870s but wasn't built until 1909 after experiencing several shipwrecks. It was retired in 1973 and has undergone two major restorations. 

Getting to the light requires a half mile hike that takes you past several buildings that include cottages that can be rented by the public. Once you reach the light, you get wonderful views of the California coastline and the Pacific Ocean. The bonus from the point is observing the whales that are just passing by.

Serene - Lake Sabrina, Bishop, California

The Eastern Sierras, like many mountain ranges, have many beautiful mountain lakes that are picturesque in many ways. One of the things I learned was that this whole area of eastern California is a mecca for fisherman. This particular lake was man-made, created in 1908 by the damming up of the middle fork of Bishop Creek and is a beautiful spot to photograph. A little tidbit is that Apple's newest operating system, High Sierra, has Lake Sabrina as its wallpaper.

When we first got to the lakes, we saw a small marina and walked along the length of the dam to get some decent angles of the lake. The water was quite rough and getting a reflection was almost impossible. As I walked back toward the marina, I noticed that the water close to these boats were sheltered and thus provided a nice reflection. When I sat down to edit this photo, I remember how serene it was as I took in the scene and composed my photo.

Still Building - Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota

On my cross country trip several years ago, we decided to stay in Rapid City, South Dakota. This location was in the center of many of the attractions that we had targeted, namely Badlands National Park, Wind Cave National Park, Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park. Even though we had an interest in visiting the Crazy Horse Memorial, there wasn't time to fit it in. There are times when fate intervenes. We had left Mount Rushmore and I must have missed my turn when heading for Custer State Park. Lo and behold, we were only 10 miles from the site of the memorial, so we headed there. It turned out to be quite the inspirational visit. 

On site is a wonderful museum with great displays and exhibits of the Native American culture. If you visit there, don't miss the movie that tells the story of how the sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, came to the project and the work he performed on it from 1947 through his death in 1982. Since that time, his family has continued his work. The family will not accept government funds because Korczak believed in individual initiative and private enterprise. The project is funded by admission fees and donations and it's completion date cannot be determined. The monument, when it is completed, will be about 10 times larger than Mount Rushmore.  If you look closely, you can see a couple of workers there that look smaller than ants. It was quite impressive to see in person and will be even more amazing when it is finished. I highly recommend spending time there if you visit the area. I am glad we ended up there.

Glacier - Banff National Park, Alberta

The Icefields Parkway is one of the longest and most beautiful scenic drives that I have ever been on. The parkway traverses the Continental Divide in the Canadian Rockies and connects Banff National Park and Jasper National Park. The Icefields Parkway is 140 miles long and named for the ice field and glaciers that are visible from the parkway. One of the glaciers that can be seen from the parkway is the Crowfoot Glacier pictured in this image. The Crowfoot Glacier's runoff is the main source of water for Bow Lake, which can be seen between the parkway and the glacier. The glacier has retreated and has lost an entire "foot", so it no longer resembles the shape for which it was originally named. Even with its missing part, it is still magnificent and provides a breathtaking view especially when seen in the early morning light.

Departing Storm - Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

I am always beating the drum about revisiting locations when the weather doesn't cooperate, even if there are years between visits. I first stood at Sprague Lake with family and friends during a very cold and very windy day. Even though the lake is far from any real oceans, I swear that there were waves on the water surface. Okay, maybe I exaggerate a bit but not by much. The next time I stood on the lake's shore, there was a steady rain that made photography impossible. So the third time is a charm? I'll let you be the judge of that. I shot this photo one September morning, and, although it rained during the night, I was blessed with great light and clearing skies as the morning sun lit up the landscape on the opposite shore.

Wandering - Venice, Italy

There is no better city to walk around than Venice, Italy. It has such a unique feel to it that transports you to a different time. Sure, the fact that the "streets" are canals contributes to the feel. But so do the gondolas, even though they are there for tourists rather than for transportation. Maybe it is the wonderful buildings, some of which have been there for hundreds of centuries. Maybe it is the museums that scream the Italian Renaissance wherever you look. Or it could be the history or the food. I could go on and on. When I edited this image, all of my feelings about Venice came rushing back to me. My wife and friends had headed back to the hotel to rest and I decided to spend the late afternoon just walking around with no destination in mind. When I came across this scene, I knew I had a winner (at least in my mind). Venice should be on everyone's bucket list.

Mount Rundle - Tunnel Mountain Road, Banff, Alberta

Standing in the town of Banff and its surrounding area, it is hard to miss Mount Rundle. It can be viewed for miles and miles around. The mountain is almost seven and a half miles long and has seven distinct peaks along its length. It's highest peak is almost 9,700 feet, which puts it in the top twenty highest peaks in the Canadian Rockies. It might be the most recognizable one given that Banff is one of the most visited towns in the Canadian Rockies. While Mount Rundle is often photographed reflected in Vermillion Lakes or Two Jack Lake, it still is a beautiful subject from almost anywhere. This photo was taken off of Tunnel Mountain Road one late June afternoon. 

Stanley Park View - Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver is my favorite city to visit in Canada. That's not to say the others aren't beautiful in their own right but there is something magical there for me. I am sure that geography has something to do with it (location, location, location) as it sits on the southern coast of British Columbia. It is a large city with a population of almost 2.3 million people (in 2016) but it does feel bigger probably because it is the fourth-most densely populated city in North America. The city has so much going for it, and for that reason, it is consistently named as one of the top five worldwide cities for livability and quality of life.

My favorite place to view the city's waterfront and skyline is from Stanley Park, a 1,000 acre public park that is almost completely surrounded by water. There are so many things to do there. Stanley Park was named "top park in the entire world" by TripAdvisor in In 2014. 

El Capitan Collapse - Yosemite National Park, California

Last September, I met with Mike Louthan in Reno before a Jeff Clow Mono Lake Photo Tour, and we spent a few days in Lake Tahoe and then Yosemite National Park. Yosemite might be my favorite location in the US. We had rented an AirBnb that was near Tunnel View and when we passed it on our way to check in, we decided to pull into the parking lot and take a look. As you can see in the photo, there was a cloud of smoke rising from the valley floor. I asked someone what was going on and he informed me that there was a small fire near El Capitan. We later found out that there was no fire, rather a large chunk of rock had broken off the formation and fell to the ground. On the previous day it had happened also, but that one was described as a small flake. The size of the one we almost saw was the size of an apartment building. There was so much concern in the park that the Park Service closed a large portion of the Northside Loop the next day, causing Yosemite's already bad traffic to become horrific. The loop is one-way and on Friday, it became two-ways with very little signage. Thankfully it was back to normal the very next day.