Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Photos: Raven delights on Artist's Drive
It was very kind of this very black bird to take some time from his day to pose for me. He was sitting on a hill overlooking Artist's Palette. It must have been his spot for the afternoon; he actually waited while I switched lenses on my camera!
Photos: Mosaic Canyon
Wow - I got some good prancing and bouncing in today. Mosaic Canyon is just beautiful. I hope that Denise got some good photos!
--- Rover
Look - I got to play with Denise's big camera on this trip. That was fun!
Oh, you want to know what a SmugMug is? That's where Denise has her photo galleries. You can wander over and see them at denisegoldberg.com, or you can go directly to the photos from this trip.
--- Rover
A conversation with a few prancing ravens
I stopped for coffee and a snack at the Stovepipe Wells General Store after my morning wanderings on the sand dunes. As I walked back to the picnic tables along the side of the store to enjoy my late breakfast, I was greeted by some ravens.
I didn't feed them, but I was happy to share a conversation.
I didn't feed them, but I was happy to share a conversation.
Sunrise wonder
...and shared visions
Morning came early for me today. My alarm clock was a gentle reminder that even though it was still dark outside, it was time to move. I headed down a dark road with the intent of reaching the sand dunes before the sun did. As I drove, I saw the lights of Stovepipe Wells in the distance. I was traveling down a flat road, but I found it amazing how visible this little village was while I was many miles away.
The sky was getting lighter as I arrived at the sand dunes. I wandered out among the dunes, trying to decide if I wanted to be at the top of a dune or hiding in a dip. I kept walking, waiting, looking for the sun to rise above the mountains. When the sun decided to join the day, it cast shadows, highlighting wind-swept ridges and patterns in the sand. I think I have more pictures of the sand than I do of the sunrise.
As I was following beetle tracks in the sand, one of the black creatures that was leaving its imprint scuttled across the sand.
Walk a little further, look for patterns in the sand, follow an easy track between high points, climb a dune, slide down the other side. Walk a little further, play with my camera, walk a little further... By the time the light flattened out I had covered a bit of distance. Ah, time to reverse direction.
The Stovepipe Wells General Store was a good place to stop for a muffin and a cup of coffee, fuel for my next wander. It turned out to be a good place for conversation as I had a chat with the ranger who shared her excitement about Death Valley in the evening program last night.
And then, on to Mosaic Canyon. I thought about waiting until tomorrow when there will be a guided geology walk there. But hey, it was just down the road, and it was calling to me. The first half mile of the canyon was spectacular, narrow, with polished marble walls. The rest was more a more open wash. And yes, I followed it to a point where I could walk no further. Big chunks of rock filled the passage, a signal that it was time to run around. The plus to this being an out-and-back non-trail was that I traversed the interesting beginning of the trail a second time.
As I walked to my car, I had a surprise greeting. My camera was adorned with my new SmugMug camera strap, and that attracted Sam's attention. We both participate in the Digital Grin photography forum - which was the source of the camera strap. I knew that Sam was planning to visit Death Valley based on a post he made last week, but by the time I saw his plans I think he was already on the road. No matter, because when Sam saw the camera strap he asked my name. We talked, then since neither of us had concrete plans for the rest of the day we decided to explore together.
Sam drove Titus Canyon yesterday, and suggested the end of the canyon as a good place for walking and camera play. That sounded good to me since the Titus Canyon road is one that isn't accessible to those of us driving standard cars (as opposed to a high-clearance vehicle). The 3-mile two-way section of the road that we traversed in Sam's truck was pretty rough, and he said that the rest of the road was worse. It was a treat of a walk, with rock "paintings" drawing my eyes and imagination.
After our Titus Canyon walk we headed back toward Badwater, doing a quick loop around Artist's Drive. That was still beautiful the second time around, but I think I'd like to see it just a little later in the day.
Another good day, another night to dream of tomorrow's wanderings...
See, I really did meet Sam, thanks to my SmugMug camera strap.
Morning came early for me today. My alarm clock was a gentle reminder that even though it was still dark outside, it was time to move. I headed down a dark road with the intent of reaching the sand dunes before the sun did. As I drove, I saw the lights of Stovepipe Wells in the distance. I was traveling down a flat road, but I found it amazing how visible this little village was while I was many miles away.
The sky was getting lighter as I arrived at the sand dunes. I wandered out among the dunes, trying to decide if I wanted to be at the top of a dune or hiding in a dip. I kept walking, waiting, looking for the sun to rise above the mountains. When the sun decided to join the day, it cast shadows, highlighting wind-swept ridges and patterns in the sand. I think I have more pictures of the sand than I do of the sunrise.
As I was following beetle tracks in the sand, one of the black creatures that was leaving its imprint scuttled across the sand.
Walk a little further, look for patterns in the sand, follow an easy track between high points, climb a dune, slide down the other side. Walk a little further, play with my camera, walk a little further... By the time the light flattened out I had covered a bit of distance. Ah, time to reverse direction.
The Stovepipe Wells General Store was a good place to stop for a muffin and a cup of coffee, fuel for my next wander. It turned out to be a good place for conversation as I had a chat with the ranger who shared her excitement about Death Valley in the evening program last night.
And then, on to Mosaic Canyon. I thought about waiting until tomorrow when there will be a guided geology walk there. But hey, it was just down the road, and it was calling to me. The first half mile of the canyon was spectacular, narrow, with polished marble walls. The rest was more a more open wash. And yes, I followed it to a point where I could walk no further. Big chunks of rock filled the passage, a signal that it was time to run around. The plus to this being an out-and-back non-trail was that I traversed the interesting beginning of the trail a second time.
As I walked to my car, I had a surprise greeting. My camera was adorned with my new SmugMug camera strap, and that attracted Sam's attention. We both participate in the Digital Grin photography forum - which was the source of the camera strap. I knew that Sam was planning to visit Death Valley based on a post he made last week, but by the time I saw his plans I think he was already on the road. No matter, because when Sam saw the camera strap he asked my name. We talked, then since neither of us had concrete plans for the rest of the day we decided to explore together.
Sam drove Titus Canyon yesterday, and suggested the end of the canyon as a good place for walking and camera play. That sounded good to me since the Titus Canyon road is one that isn't accessible to those of us driving standard cars (as opposed to a high-clearance vehicle). The 3-mile two-way section of the road that we traversed in Sam's truck was pretty rough, and he said that the rest of the road was worse. It was a treat of a walk, with rock "paintings" drawing my eyes and imagination.
After our Titus Canyon walk we headed back toward Badwater, doing a quick loop around Artist's Drive. That was still beautiful the second time around, but I think I'd like to see it just a little later in the day.
Another good day, another night to dream of tomorrow's wanderings...
See, I really did meet Sam, thanks to my SmugMug camera strap.
Photo courtesy of Sam's camera and a woman in a parking lot who was willing to catch us in the lens.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Photos: Sand dunes... learning
This quick trip to the Sand Dunes was a listening and learning visit, a session with a photographer. My camera still managed to snap a few photos.
More Sand Dune play at sunrise tomorrow...
More Sand Dune play at sunrise tomorrow...
Photos: Badwater
Badwater has the lowest elevation on this continent, at 282 feet (85.5 meters) below sea level. It's between two mountain ranges, which provide an interesting contrast.
There is a small bit of water, but it is primarily dry. I wish I had been here during one of the flood - heavy water from the sky - years. I saw a photo of two people kayaking in a very flooded Badwater (wide, yet shallow water) a couple of years back.
There is a small bit of water, but it is primarily dry. I wish I had been here during one of the flood - heavy water from the sky - years. I saw a photo of two people kayaking in a very flooded Badwater (wide, yet shallow water) a couple of years back.
A magic day
...learning from the experts
Hot temperatures during the day, cool and comfortable nights... There were two reasons I asked for a 2nd floor room. The first was the only one that crossed my mind when I was offered a choice. Why? So I could drape my washed clothes over the balcony chairs in the late afternoon, drying help. It's so dry here that the outside air probably isn't necessary, but still... The second reason? I've never been fond of air conditioning, and while air conditioning is a good idea here during the day, I can quite nicely sleep with outside air wafting in from the balcony. Nice.
So yes, I did have a good sleep last night. As seems to be normal for me, I snapped into this time zone immediately. It's my return to the east that usually causes problems for me. Of course the real time zone test will be tomorrow morning; I'm going to try to get up early enough to catch the sunrise on the sand dunes. Yes, I did say try... if the mood calls for sleeping longer, well, I am on vacation!
The puzzle for today was deciding where to hike. Well, not so much where, but when I'd hit each spot. Ranger-led hikes were tempting, but so were some other hikes. When I headed out this morning I thought I was going to do my usual solo wandering. Timing is everything though. Because I can't seem to get anywhere quickly - my camera insists I keep stopping - I arrived at the Natural Bridge parking area about 15 minutes before the geology walk was scheduled to start. That one caught my eye, and rather than hurry out on my own I waited for the walk to start. What a treat! The ranger that led our adventure is a geologist who spends his summers at Yellowstone and the rest of the year at Death Valley. It was fascinating hearing tales of the mechanisms of the faults that created this place. We walked up a wash that was "paved" in loose rocks, passing under a natural bridge, and ending at a major fault. It was more than a little interesting to look up at the bridge and see what appear to be major cracks running through the rock. I wonder how long it will last.
Looking at the layers in the rock was interesting, funny how sometimes the tilt of the layers changed.
Next stop, Badwater! That's the lowest point in the park - the lowest point on the continent actually - at 282 feet below sea level. From the geology talk I learned that the negative elevation is not that of the bedrock. That's about another 9000 feet below the surface. That dip in the earth is filled with the rocks that have rolled down from on high, transported by flood waters in this now very dry place.
I walked out on the salt flats for a bit. I could very easily go back and walk there again, perhaps a little earlier in the morning. Wandering, stopping at the pool of water shining with salt crystals, walking on the salt, discovering that the soles of my hiking shoes took a souvenir of some white crystals.
And then... time for a second application of sunscreen, and two more places to visit in the afternoon. The first was Salt Creek which at this time of year contains just a small amount of water. If you're lucky (or smart) enough to schedule a trip here in early spring, you may be lucky enough to see rare pupfish breeding in Salt Creek. No visible fish today, but I was happy to see a little water. I figured that I would be walking next to a dry creek bed.
On to Sand Dunes and a meeting with a photographer. Bob is a pro who volunteers for the National Park Service, both taking photographs and running sessions for park visitors. I was very lucky - today's session was very lightly attended, by me and just one other person. We spent more time standing, talking, and looking through a camera lens than walking, and I picked up some good tips from him. Now I just need to go back and practice. It was a late afternoon session, and it would have made sense to stay for the sunset, but I really wanted to attend the evening program at the visitor center, so I think I'll try for playing in the dunes during tomorrow's sunrise.
Timing really is everything. I don't know how I stumbled on this week as the right time for my vacation. It turns out that this is the first week that the ranger programs are running again. They aren't held during the hot times here. That makes sense given the dangers of playing in the heat. I expected to hike here, to enjoy the park. And even without today's session l would have been happy with just being here. But today's sessions were truly magic.
I hear that tomorrow is Death Valley National Park's 13th birthday. The California Desert Protection Act enlarging Death Valley National Monument and redesignating it as a national park was signed in October of 1994. Halloween, and a park's birthday.
Tell me, how can I fall in love with another national park? This place is addicting, and I have a feeling that my remaining days here on this trip won't be enough for me. I think that's a good kind of problem to have.
Hot temperatures during the day, cool and comfortable nights... There were two reasons I asked for a 2nd floor room. The first was the only one that crossed my mind when I was offered a choice. Why? So I could drape my washed clothes over the balcony chairs in the late afternoon, drying help. It's so dry here that the outside air probably isn't necessary, but still... The second reason? I've never been fond of air conditioning, and while air conditioning is a good idea here during the day, I can quite nicely sleep with outside air wafting in from the balcony. Nice.
So yes, I did have a good sleep last night. As seems to be normal for me, I snapped into this time zone immediately. It's my return to the east that usually causes problems for me. Of course the real time zone test will be tomorrow morning; I'm going to try to get up early enough to catch the sunrise on the sand dunes. Yes, I did say try... if the mood calls for sleeping longer, well, I am on vacation!
The puzzle for today was deciding where to hike. Well, not so much where, but when I'd hit each spot. Ranger-led hikes were tempting, but so were some other hikes. When I headed out this morning I thought I was going to do my usual solo wandering. Timing is everything though. Because I can't seem to get anywhere quickly - my camera insists I keep stopping - I arrived at the Natural Bridge parking area about 15 minutes before the geology walk was scheduled to start. That one caught my eye, and rather than hurry out on my own I waited for the walk to start. What a treat! The ranger that led our adventure is a geologist who spends his summers at Yellowstone and the rest of the year at Death Valley. It was fascinating hearing tales of the mechanisms of the faults that created this place. We walked up a wash that was "paved" in loose rocks, passing under a natural bridge, and ending at a major fault. It was more than a little interesting to look up at the bridge and see what appear to be major cracks running through the rock. I wonder how long it will last.
Looking at the layers in the rock was interesting, funny how sometimes the tilt of the layers changed.
Next stop, Badwater! That's the lowest point in the park - the lowest point on the continent actually - at 282 feet below sea level. From the geology talk I learned that the negative elevation is not that of the bedrock. That's about another 9000 feet below the surface. That dip in the earth is filled with the rocks that have rolled down from on high, transported by flood waters in this now very dry place.
I walked out on the salt flats for a bit. I could very easily go back and walk there again, perhaps a little earlier in the morning. Wandering, stopping at the pool of water shining with salt crystals, walking on the salt, discovering that the soles of my hiking shoes took a souvenir of some white crystals.
And then... time for a second application of sunscreen, and two more places to visit in the afternoon. The first was Salt Creek which at this time of year contains just a small amount of water. If you're lucky (or smart) enough to schedule a trip here in early spring, you may be lucky enough to see rare pupfish breeding in Salt Creek. No visible fish today, but I was happy to see a little water. I figured that I would be walking next to a dry creek bed.
On to Sand Dunes and a meeting with a photographer. Bob is a pro who volunteers for the National Park Service, both taking photographs and running sessions for park visitors. I was very lucky - today's session was very lightly attended, by me and just one other person. We spent more time standing, talking, and looking through a camera lens than walking, and I picked up some good tips from him. Now I just need to go back and practice. It was a late afternoon session, and it would have made sense to stay for the sunset, but I really wanted to attend the evening program at the visitor center, so I think I'll try for playing in the dunes during tomorrow's sunrise.
Timing really is everything. I don't know how I stumbled on this week as the right time for my vacation. It turns out that this is the first week that the ranger programs are running again. They aren't held during the hot times here. That makes sense given the dangers of playing in the heat. I expected to hike here, to enjoy the park. And even without today's session l would have been happy with just being here. But today's sessions were truly magic.
I hear that tomorrow is Death Valley National Park's 13th birthday. The California Desert Protection Act enlarging Death Valley National Monument and redesignating it as a national park was signed in October of 1994. Halloween, and a park's birthday.
Tell me, how can I fall in love with another national park? This place is addicting, and I have a feeling that my remaining days here on this trip won't be enough for me. I think that's a good kind of problem to have.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
