National Parks
Merced River views
Drove into Yosemite Valley last weekend for a quick overnight stay. Played tourist and walked and drove to all the well known spots. This view from the Merced River looking towards El Captain never disappoints me.
Great Blue Heron
Decided to go out after work and look for wildlife in the estuary that near by. Found this Great Blue Heron stalking the waters for a meal.
Standing out in a crowd
In a field of yellow Coreopsis, these bluish purple blooms of larkspur stood out to me. Vibrant against all the yellows surrounding it. Equally stunning and beautiful, standing out in the crowd.
Pursuit of the Firefall
I remember the first time that I saw an image of the Last light on Horsetail Falls, Yosemite by Galen Rowell. In 1973 he was one of the first photographers to capture this iconic image. My sister and I were on one our road trips along the Eastern Sierras and we stopped in Bishop, CA for the night. We wandered around town and found Mountain Light Gallery and went in. The gallery images were breathtaking and inspiring to me. Galen Rowell described his style of photography as “a continuing pursuit in which the art becomes the adventure, and vice-versa.” I was hooked! Because he was ‘local’, it meant that some of his locations were attainable to me as well. These were adventures that I could pursue and hope to mimic some of his artistry as well. But a funny thing happened along the way in this pursuit of the shot; I found that being “present” in my environment meant so much more than just getting the shot.
‘Yes’ I’m a lemming that travels to Yosemite during February to get the ultimate shot of the Firefall. I park and wait for hours for that ten minute window when the setting sun sets and starts to illuminate Horsetail Falls. I also talk with other photographers and listen to their stories of their ‘first time’ seeing the mountain go from golden yellow to an intense lava red in a stream of glory. My follow photographers and site seers alike commiserate and then become awestruck by this phenomenon. I’ve been disappointed when the weather conditions didn’t cooperate. I’ve scouted different angles and vantage points and was vexed many times. And yet, this is my adventure and I find that each time I enjoy it so much. Maybe, my photo will inspire others to seek out their own adventures. Who knows…
Looking Forward to 2017
Hi all
I’ve been a MIA on WordPress for awhile now but will be back starting 2017! Here’s a sneak peak!
Tonto National Monument
The Southwest trip was ending and we drove the old Apache Trail (Hwy 188) to visit the Tonto National Monument. Here they have two cliff dwellings (one was closed) of the Salado people that lived in the Tonto Basin roughly 700 years ago. To get to the dwelling there is a steep path with switchbacks to get up the cliff. As I stood along the mouth of the entrance looking over the basin, I could only image how the people traveled throughout the area without modern conveniences.
Owachomo Bridge and US-261
We spent a afternoon at Natural Bridges National Park. Owachomo Bridge was already in shadow but it didn’t make this bridge any less spectacular than the previous two we visited earlier. This was however, the easiest to get to from the Rim Overlook. It was late and we needed to get to Monument Valley before night fall. This meant a ‘shortcut’ down US 261 also known as the Moki Dugway. A seemingly nice country road until the pavement ends and for 3 miles or so it turns into a steep, twisty dirt road with views of the Valley of the Gods and the Goosenecks.
Natural Bridges, Utah
Canyonlands – Utah
First day in the Canyonlands area. Spend the entire day hiking all over buttes and mesas! We scrambled on slickrock and scree and found amazing views and historical finds around every bend.
Snapshots by Kats 