I am pleased to announce that after over 12 years of publishing my gallery website under the address of www.WideRange.org, I have changed the address to www.MountainPhotography.com! This address is obviously a perfect descriptor of my online gallery, it’s easier to remember, and it dovetails nicely with this blog address of www.MountainPhotographer.com.
All my old page addresses will redirect to the new corresponding addresses, so all existing external links will still work properly. Enjoy!
Cliff Palace Sunset : Prints Available
Our last stop of our desert road trip was to visit the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde, in southwest Colorado. We toured the Cliff Palace – the largest cliff dwelling there, with more than 150 rooms. The cliff dwellings were built around the year 1200 A.D. by the Ancestral Puebloans, who farmed on the mesa above the dwellings.
Cliff Palace : Prints Available
What a fascinating place!
Cliff Palace Building : Prints Available
After our time in Page, we realized that circumstances were pulling us back home and our long desert trip was coming to a close. For one final night in the desert on the way back, we car camped on the edge of Cedar Mesa, with a commanding view spanning all the way from the San Juan Mountains on the far eastern horizon to Monument Valley far to the south.
Being November 6, we fortunately had just enough cell reception up there to check the election results – the suspense would have killed me otherwise. I’m not going to say much about it here, except that I’m proud to be a Coloradan! For the half of the population that is sorely disappointed, well, now you know how I felt in ’04. Life goes on, hopefully for the better.
Cedar Mesa Panorama : Prints Available
Panoramic evening view from the southern edge of Cedar Mesa, overlooking the Goosenecks of the San Juan River - November.
Our next stop after the Grand Canyon on our long scenic detour back to Colorado was in Page, Arizona, where we spent a day hiking a slot canyon similar to the famous Antelope Canyon but without the crowds. See LOTS more photos below! Continue reading “Slot Shots from Page”
Hazy Grand Canyon B/W : Prints Available
Smoke from a large scale prescribed burn on the North Rim fills the Grand Canyon with haze on a November day.
Exhausted from our strenuous trek into the Grand Canyon, we needed a day of relaxing to recharge our batteries, so we camped at the North Rim campground and enjoyed the viewpoints from around there. The campground was virtually empty, aside from a large group of firefighters who were conducting a seemingly large-scale prescribed burn in the forests along the North Rim. The smoke from the burns drained into the canyon, filling it with haze and making for some strange atmospheric conditions.
Claudia enjoys the view from up close.
Bright Angel Sunset : Prints Available
Sunset over the Grand Canyon, as seen from the Bright Angel Trail on the North Rim.
Point Imperial Sunrise : Prints Available
Sunrise light beams through the haze of prescribed burns along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, as seen from Point Imperial - November.
Looking into the Tapeats Creek canyon, a side canyon of the Grand Canyon.
At the beginning of November, Claudia and I were excited to go on a backpacking trip into the Grand Canyon, which neither of us has seen before. It was a great introduction to walk down all the way down into the heart of it, and WOW, we were impressed!
Our loop route took us down from Monument Point on the North Rim, down the Bill Hall Trail, over the Esplanade, across Surprise Valley, down into Tapeats Creek, along the Colorado River, up the Deer Creek Trail, then back up to the top again. All in all, more then 5,000 feet of elevation drop, and then back up again! Along the way we saw some of the most incredible sights, springs, and waterfalls we’ve ever seen in the desert.
Deer Creek Waterfall : Prints Available
The spectacular waterfall of Deer Creek that pours out right near the Colorado River at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
Below are more photos of a few of the many highlights along the trek! Continue reading “Backpacking Into the Grand Canyon”
The bright lights of the Las Vegas strip, as seen from the observation deck on the Eiffel Tower at the Paris hotel.
In a ridiculous contrast to our two previous solitary nights in Death Valley, we spent a night in Las Vegas on our way to further desert adventures. One night in Vegas is enough!
Sunset at the Racetrack : Prints Available
The Racetrack is a mysterious and fascinating location in Death Valley National Park – a flat dry lakebed playa in a remote desert valley where large rocks seem to have moved around by their own volition, leaving random tracks in the dry mud revealing their path. How did these rocks move?
Moonrise at the Racetrack : Prints Available
The theory is that given just the right conditions, rain will flood the playa, then freeze, and then once the ice starts melting a little, strong winds will blow the ice-bound rocks around on the slick mud underneath. It’s hard to believe, but the tracks are there – something made these rocks slide all around the playa!
Racetrack Curves : Prints Available
These particular tracks – illuminated by the setting moon – are especially interesting. At first glance I assumed that they were car tracks – that some idiot had driven his car out there. Upon closer inspection, it’s clear that no car in the world could make tracks like this! Even more mysterious is that about a hundred feet away from these tracks are an almost exactly identical pattern, but aligned facing a different orientation. It boggles the mind!
After leaving Bishop, we headed to Eureka Dunes in Death Valley National Park. These dunes are just about as tall as the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, but are basically one single big dune, instead of an endless repetition of them. Another striking characteristic of the Eureka dunes is their absolute pristine remoteness – there is nothing out there in that valley! No lights, no distant towns, just one dirt road and absolute silence. Very cool.
Eureka Dunes : Prints Available
Dusk light atop Eureka Dunes - October.
Any regrets about leaving the cold and snowy Sierras vanished as we enjoyed a perfectly calm and warm desert evening atop the highest dune, with our bottle of wine and my camera of course.
Ancient Bristlecone : Prints Available
The last rays of sunset illuminate a bristlecone pine, the oldest living organism on the planet. These trees can be nearly 5,000 years old; their wood is extremely dense and resistant to insects and fungi, and rather than suffering rot, the wood erodes like stone due to wind, rain, and freezing.
For a little field trip from Bishop one evening in late October, we drove up to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains, a high and dry mountain range on the east side of the Owens Valley. It’s a special feeling to walk amongst these statuesque trees, knowing that they have been standing there in this barren landscape longer than any living being on Earth!
