Tremors :: CA

Tremors :: CA

“I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful – an endless prospect of magic and wonder.” -Ansel Adams

I recently went digging through the archives looking for a particular photo…. but the archives are kind of like the Internet. You go into it with a single goal, and pretty soon you’re lost, following this and investigating that. The bad news: I never found that file I was looking for. The good news: I found this instead!

From Death Valley, a month after historic floods rocked the desert a few years back.

The Badlands

Of Fire and Waves :: CA

Earlier this month I went out west to explore Death Valley National Park in California.  During the month of October, they had a flood (yes, I said flood!  In the desert!) that changed a lot of the landscape.  Roads were washed out, some areas were completely inaccessible still, and the salt patterns in Badwater Basin got a bit of a reset.  Zabriskie Point though?  It was lookin’ mighty fine.  Especially draped in such dramatic light.

To say we lucked out with the skies during our trip is an understatement.  Like….the traveler/photographer/nature lover in me was literally freaking out.  A lot.  Because holy crap, that light. *swoon*

According to the Wik (always a reliable source of information), these badlands were the result of a little bit of water erosion (there used to be a lake here, with fish and stuff)…and then a little bit of lava action (so…also some volcano-y stuff).  The rock formations left behind were otherworldly and breath-taking, from both above at the overlook and below along the Badlands Loop trail. (To read more about our hike that day, check out my stuff on The Outbound Collective. They just released a brand new app for the iPhone and have a pretty rad new #protectthewild series of articles in their journal that are definitely worth a read!)

I had an awful lot of fun exploring Death Valley, and have put it on my “to re-visit” list, because a few days was just not enough time to see all of the awesome!  For now though, looking at these photos will have to suffice. 😉

Special thanks to David Thompson and David Pasillas for their help with this beast of an edit!

For those of you who like the details: f/9, 10 mm, iso 100, 1 sec

Nature Finds a Way

Against All Odds :: CA

I spent part of last week exploring Death Valley National Park in California. This shot is from a hike along the Badlands Loop, which we tried after watching a glorious sunrise at Zabriskie Point (photos of that to come!).

In October, DV had 1000 years worth of rain in one sitting. The result was lot of destroyed roads, flooded buildings, and new mud washes, which are now drying up.

Despite the conditions, the flora and fauna persevere. Nature finds a way, you know? 🙂

For those of you who care about such things: iso 100, f/9, 1/60 sec, 15 mm