Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert

Panamint Valley Hills

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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.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Owens Valley, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Mo’s Cloud

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Mo's Cloud
“Mo’s Cloud” — Lenticular “sierra wave” clouds above the eastern Sierra Nevada

We spotted this remarkable cloud while camping in the desert near Mammoth Lakes 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. This is a “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 hour 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.

Photographic note: This photograph comes from very early in my transition from film to digital. At the time I was doing early experiments with a digital camera that was quite limited. Unfortunately, while the image is quite spectacular, it is only suitable for relatively small prints.

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.

Photographs: Owens Valley

Mo’s Cloud

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Mo's Cloud
“Mo’s Cloud” — Lenticular “sierra wave” clouds above the eastern Sierra Nevada

We spotted this remarkable cloud while camping in the desert near We spotted this remarkable cloud while camping in the desert near Mammoth Lakes 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. This is a “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 hour 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.

Photographic note: This photograph comes from very early in my transition from film to digital. At the time I was doing early experiments with a digital camera that was quite limited. Unfortunately, while the image is quite spectacular, it is only suitable for relatively small prints.

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