Tag Archives: dawn

Rhyolite Ghost Town Ruins, Dawn

Rhyolite Ghost Town Ruins, Dawn

Rhyolite Ghost Town Ruins, Dawn. Rhyolite, Nevada. April 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dawn at the ruins of the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada. The remnants of one of the town banks is in the foreground, and the school building is seen in the distance. Beyond is the Amargosa Valley and the Amargosa Range in Death Valley National Park.

This photograph was made during a brief interval when the light went from rather flat and dull to lighter and warm as the sun briefly shone through the high overcast.

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Morning, Zabriskie Point

Morning, Zabriskie Point - Death Valley National Park

Morning, Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park, California. April 2, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved. (Sales)

keywords: zabriskie, point, morning, dawn, death valley, national park, california, color, desert, hills, mountains, formations, folds, landscape, scenic, travel, usa, stock

Mission Peak: First Light on Mount Diablo

DiabloFirstLight2006|11|23: First Light on Mount Diablo. Mission Peak, California. November 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved.

First Light on Mount Diablo. Mission Peak, California. November 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The story: This photograph was made just before sunrise at the top of Mission Peak, on the ridge above Fremont in the southeast San Francsico Bay Area. Here the sun is already striking distant Mt. Diablo, a landmark peak in the East Bay and Delta area. A group of us had climbed Mission Peak for the sunrise onn this Thanksgiving Day morning.

keywords: mount, diablo, park, dawn, sunrise, first, light, mission, peak, fog, hills, san francisco, bay, area, fremont, california, usa, color, photograph, landscape, scenic, east, regional, hike, climb, trail, stock, rock, valley

Autumn Snow, Sierra Crest

Autumn Snow, Sierra Crest
Dawn light on the snow-dusted Sierra Nevada crest along the northeastern boundary of Yosemite National Park

Autumn Snow, Sierra Crest. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dawn light on the snow-dusted Sierra Nevada crest along the northeastern boundary of Yosemite National Park.

After my first night camping on the East Side during this year’s autumn aspen color season, I got up before dawn, broke camp and loaded my vehicle, and was on the road before sunrise. My plan was to head down US 395 to a more southerly location where I was sure I would be able to access high elevation trees that often are the first to turn colors. The drive began with a short road taking me back to the main highway, and as I passed thought cattle country here I realized that it was only 19 degrees outside. That was a bit of a shock to a person who had only recently experienced 90 degree weather back home!

The actual realization of the cold arrived after I stopped to make this photograph. The light waits for no one, so when I saw that it was about to strike these high peaks along the northeast Yosemite National Park boundary I pulled over and got ready to photograph. And, boy was it cold — a good reminder to keep jacket, gloves, and other warm gear handy for the rest of this visit.


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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