On one hand, this is an interesting record of something you can see in high places above Death Valley following a very wet season. On the other hand, there are several stories behind this photograph. It was morning, and I had arrived at this high overlook before dawn. Eventually the shadows of the mountains upon which I stood retreated across the valley towards me, leaving the playa in sun. At the moment that I made this exposure, there was just a small stub of the mountain shadow still in the valley, yet the jagged ridge just below me was still in dark shade.
Far below, there was a lot of water on the desert playa, much more than usual. Heavy rains during recent months had flooded a large section of the valley, and here a large pond is visible among the deposits that spread across the playa. A twisting, meandering stream leads to it. Farther out on the playa there are more channels — this landscape that we think of as being arid and hot was, on this day, full of water.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.
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