Yosemite and More

I've been to Columbia State Park several times. Like most places after a while you see the same stuff. It helped this time that a number of shops were open and inviting to the photographer. I also wandered a little farther afield. This first one was taken in the blacksmith shop. The artists wares are in front and the artist is blurred in the background mimicking the shape of his art. And what's a blacksmith shop without some horseshoes. Lots of luck here. Down the street was a much more colorful vendor,  making candles the old fashioned way Heading a little out of the main part of town I came across this interesting scene. The trees conformed to the shapes of the rocks in search of the sun. The moss added a little color to the somewhat drab winter landscape. Nearby I saw this small creek. It mus be a seasonal one since it flooded one of the exhibit areas that is used during the summer months. Lastly I found this c...

This is my last post of my Death Valley trip. Lately there has been a lot of press about the super blooms happening in the southern part of California. I was told by the Rangers that it probably wouldn't happen in Death Valley and I was too early anyway. So I did the best I could to find something to photograph. This is creosote, and happened to be just outside the Visitors Center, the wind was blowing pretty hard so I set my camera on rapid fire hoping to get one shot in focus.  Along the road one morning I spotted this cactus. Pulled over and took a little walk back to get this one. Along with Death Valley I went to the Ash Meadow National Wildlife Refuge. Just like Death Valley I was a little early for much to be blooming. And honestly didn't see much wildlife. But still..... This is the top of Arrow Weed. Rangers told me the Indians used to use the lower reed portion to make arrows, hence the name. I looked in my ...

Let's see this is the 4th post from my trip to Death Valley. With one more to come showing some plants and such. Golden Canyon is an iconic hike. I actually went there twice, though I didn't take the longest route. As with most of the park the best times for photography is in the morning and evening when the shadows are most prominent. Winter helps because the sun is lower on the horizon, plus it's cooler. The colors and shapes throughout the park surprised me. Seemed like everywhere I looked there was color, shape and texture. Golden Canyon was a great  hike for all three.  Caution later in the morning I saw a line of about 15 people waiting for the PortaPotty. The visitors center is only a few miles away so you might stop there first. In fact stop there anyway, it's a great place for information and very knowledgeable staff. The formations were formed by several forces;  rain/water, volcanic action and most importantl...

One of the things Death Valley is known for is the 20 Mule Teams that transported Borax out of the Valley. They actually only lasted a few years and were replaced by a railroad. The cost being very high. There are no current borax works in the Park but there are several active mining claims. They're not being mined for two reasons, the cost and the fact that they don't own the water rights. Except one, it's not being worked but they do have water rights and the park anticipated that some time in the future it may start up. These first photos are from the Old Harmony Borax Works. This is the stuff (borax) that the 20 mule team hauled. It was mostly mined by Chinese laborers that lived in tents nearby. Black and white to emphasize the contrast I didn't take a lot of photos of 'things' and this shows part of the borax wagons. I  didn't like the fence around the exhibit so I shot above it. I thought sepia tone was app...

Here are some more from my trip to Death Valley. Most of these were taken along Highway 190 which is the main road through the park. Some are specific to areas, some I just stopped along the road and shot. Stopping was easy on Thursday and Friday, you could actually stop in the  middle of the road as long as you could see for a bit both ways. Saturday and  Sunday there was a lot more traffic.  This could actually be a number of places in the park. The colors and diversity of the landscape were amazing.  This one was taken on a short loop called 20 Mule Team Trail. The road here was actually pretty smooth which I was thankful for after going or trying  to go down some of the others in my Toyota Camry. Here is another area that I'm told was in Star Wars. It's called Artists Pallet Last one for this post, yes there is more to come. Like I said it was a blast and I definitely want to ...

Hope you like the new layout. Let me know in comments! I took a short vacation to Death Valley a few days back. As with most places, while I'd seen photos of the park, in person it was much more beautiful and interesting. If you're a Star Wars fan you might recognize some of the features. If not I hope I've  at least given you the desire to go for yourself. But go pretty soon. It gets just a little hot during the summer.  Here are some photos from the very first place I stopped. I came into the park just after a heavy rainfall, in fact I timed it just right as snow had closed some of the passes and in some areas the roads were still partly flooded. I was luck that it was a Thursday, not too many tourists, though the sand still showed footprints where the rain had not completely washed them away. The evening sun added some nice shadows and some color as well. A little closer view. Depending on the direction of the sun,...

Kinda on the spur of the moment a good friend and great photographer,  Dorothy Nielsen and I went to Yosemite this last Monday. Being winter I figured  even with the holiday the crowds wouldn't be to bad. Boy was I wrong. It was as bad  as a crowded summer day. I had forgotten that the Firefall at Horsetail Falls would be in play. No we didn't stick around for that. Driving, parking  and even rest-stops were very hard to navigate. And I hate crowds and so does Dorothy.  We did however stop where we could and so here are a 'few' of my photos. The line going into the park was pretty long but moved fairly well.  And of course everywhere  you looked was beautiful. These three were taken before we even got to the Valley Making trails in the snow can be very interesting!! Into the valley we go. One of the many icons of the park. Turned this one into Black and White, love the s...