Panamint Valley Hills

PanamintValleyHills2005: Panamint Valley Hills. Death Valley National Park. March 28, 2005. © "Copyright G Dan Mitchell".    keywords: panamint valley mountains hills storm clouds death valley national park california black and white photographPanamint Valley Hills. Death Valley National Park. March 28, 2005. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

This shot was taken out in the middle of the Panamint Valley on the road out of Stovepipe Wells and near what I think is called the Panamint Valley Resort. My youngest son and I were on a drive up the east side of the Sierra Nevada after dropping my daughter off at school in southern California. We had spent a good part of the day wandering around the floor of Death Valley in very cloudy and somewhat rainy weather, and we were about to head back toward Hiway 395 by the direct and rather lonely route.

One reason I stopped at this spot is that I had inadvertently spent an entire day here a few years ago. I was a parent chaperone on a week-long trip to Death Valley that involved an aborted pack trip, snow, a dust storm, cold, and you name it. On the last day we headed home from Stovepipe Wells… and the bus blew its transmission at about this spot. We ended up spending the day and a good part of the evening here waiting for a replacement bus. But that is a story for another time.

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Mo’s Cloud

Mo's Cloud
Mo’s Cloud

Mo’s Cloud. Eastern Sierra Nevada, California. May 28, 2005. © Copyright 2014 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

We spotted this remarkable cloud while camping in the desert near Mammoth during a Memorial Day ski trip. This portion is the west end of a layered cloud that extended for many miles to the left of what is shown here. I think this is probably what is known as the “Sierra Wave,” a cloud band that is formed by air rising over the Sierra crest.

The title “Mo’s Cloud” derives from the fact that Maureen (“Mo”), a friend and one of our group members, reported that she had watched this cloud for hours as she drove up the east side of the Sierra from Southern California.

Although the layered cloud moved little if at all, it was very windy where we were and the local clouds were moving quite quickly. Timing was everything in terms of getting an interesting pattern of light and shadow in the foreground.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Mo’s Cloud

MoCloud2005|05|28: Mo's Cloud. Owens Valley near Mammoth, California. May 28, 2005. © "copyright G Dan Mitchell".    keywords: wave cloud over eastern sierra nevada range owens valley mammoth california desert mo's cloud black and white photograph
Mo’s Cloud. Owens Valley near Mammoth, California. May 28, 2005. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved..

We spotted this remarkable cloud while camping in the desert near Mammoth during a Memorial Day ski trip. This portion is the west end of a layered cloud that extended for many miles to the left of what is shown here. I think this is probably what is known as the “Sierra Wave,” a cloud band that is formed by air rising over the Sierra crest.

The title “Mo’s Cloud” derives from the fact that Maureen (“Mo”), a friend and one of our group members, reported that she had watched this cloud for hours as she drove up the east side of the Sierra from Southern California.

Although the layered cloud moved little if at all, it was very windy where we were and the local clouds were moving quite quickly. Timing was everything in terms of getting an interesting pattern of light and shadow in the foreground.

Willie Mays Gate, SBC Park

WillieMaysGate2005|07|10: Willie Mays Gate, ATT Park. San Francisco. July 10, 2005. © "Copyright G Dan Mitchell".    keywords: ATT park sbc pacbell sf san francisco giants baseball stadium willie mays gate color photograph california
Willie Mays Gate, SBC Park. San Francisco. July 10, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell

Taken on another walk around San Francisco, this one on July 10, 2005. I wandered from the theatre district down to SBC Park, then along the waterfront to near the Ferry Building, and finally back up past Union Square.

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Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.