The Visitor. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
An anomalous white rock rests against dark rock deep in a Death Valley canyon.
Desert canyons, especially in an arid place like Death Valley, are refuges from the harsh environment. Not that they are entirely gentle and friendly places, being periodically scoured out by floods and left covered in rocks. But they offer shade, sometimes sources of moisture, and occasional plants. The deepest and narrowest are quiet and still places.
They are transitory landscapes, on time scales that range from annual to much longer. Cut through by flowing water and weaknesses in the rock, they reveal strata from long ago. That flowing water inexorably moves material down from the peaks toward the playa, and almost anything we come across in such canyons will only be there temporarily. I don’t know enough geology to offer too many facts about this rock, but its light color against the surrounding dark rock was striking, as was its upright position.
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 and Amazon.
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