Travels
Trona Pinnacles
I’ve heard a lot about Trona Pinnacles and seen some amazing photos from there as well. I was in SoCal over the weekend and decided a detour was in order for the day. Here are a couple of photos.
If you plan to head out there here are some suggestions. The road out there is washboard gravel. It’s a short bumpy ride, so a passenger car is do-able. (There were rv’s parked out there). Bring water, it’s early April and I was running around in shorts at 3 AM so stay hydrated & don’t forget the sunscreen. It can also get windy so be prepared to have dust in everything. There is one pit toilet and someone had left a lit citronella candle burning in there. Made for one of the most pleasant smelling pit toilets ever.
View from the top
Went on a 4 day backpacking trip with eleven kids from the YMCA of San Francisco , sponsored by the Tahoe Rim Trail Association High point of the trip, peak bagging Freel Peak at 10,881ft. The view from the top was amazing!
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.
Super Bloom Carrizo Plains
I had heard about the Carrizo Plains a few years ago and wanted to find it. It was a Saturday and the original location I wanted to shoot at didn’t pan out so I decide to go for it. I arrived mid morning and there were already several cars in the valley. I started looking for any place that had less people. The road sign said Caliente Ridge and I followed that to the top. Looking back at the valley below, I knew I made the right decision.
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…
Sunday Haiku
Driving county road
Winter rains cause turbulence
Lost abandoned car
Lagomarsino Canyon, NV
Been back from my Southwest trip since early March. I had so many photos that I wanted to post from that trip that it’s taken me all the way into May. Now, for some shots from other adventures on the West Coast. Towards the end of March we ventured into Nevada to look for the Lagomarsino Canyon near Virginia City. Over 2000 petroglyphs have been recorded. The site is believed to be over 10,000 years old.
-
- Bring water
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.
Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, AZ
Spent part of a day at Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park in Arizona last March.
Snapshots by Kats 