Tag Archives: death valley

Flowers at Dawn, Death Valley Dunes

Flowers at Dawn, Death Valley Dunes

Flowers at Dawn, Death Valley Dunes. Death Valley National Park, California. April 4, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Wildflowers in dawn light at the Death Valley Dunes with the Funeral Mountains in the distance. Photographed more or less behind the main dunes near Stovepipe Wells.

I had hiked out “behind” the dunes before sunrise, starting a bit closer to Stovepipe Wells than many may. This affords an easier route the the part of the higher part of the dunes, crossing a more level route rather than slogging across the waves of sand. The sun rose just as I came around behind the dunes.

keywords: flowers, wildflowers, yellow, blossoms, sand, dunes, death valley, national park, california, usa, nature, landscape, travel, scenic, morning, dawn, light, plants, funeral, mountains, stock

Southern Death Valley from Aguereberry Point

Southern Death Valley from Aguereberry Point

Southern Death Valley from Aguereberry Point. Death Valley National Park, California. April 3, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late afternoon view of southern Death Valley from Aguereberry Point.

Aguereberry Point is a high overlook to the west of Death Valley, reached by a long drive from the Valley, the last part of which is on a decent gravel road. The view is, to state the obvious, tremendous. It includes the highest peaks of the southern Sierra Nevada range far in the west, essentially all of Death Valley National Park including a good portion of Death Valley itself and points beyond.

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Titus Canyon

Titus Canyon

Titus Canyon. Death Valley National Park, California. April 3, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of Titus Canyon, Death Valley National Park.

This was, to say the least, a difficult shot. Besides driving nearly 30 miles on dirt roads, there were photographic challenges, not the least of which is the extreme dynamic contrast between the very bright sky and the dark canyon walls. Needless to say, this photograph is the result of some significant post-processing work – but do click the image to view it larger.

The road through Titus Canyon is one of the most amazing features of any Western US National Park. (Shhh….) It begins on a rather typical high desert dirt road through sagebrush country but then ascends into the Amargosa range. Before long this narrow one-way track twists and turns up and down steep ridges past amazing rocky ridges and along the top of tremendous canyons – while not a true four-wheel drive road, it is not for the faint hearted. It then descends into Titus Canyon itself, and near the bottom it passes through an unbelievable slot canyon – in places barely wider than your car the canyon walls rise vertically for hundreds of feet above. (If you visit Titus Canyon, check with the park service first since road conditions are very rough and can change.)

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Rhyolite School Windows, Amargosa Range

Rhyolite School Windows, Amargosa Range

Rhyolite School Windows, Amargosa Range. Rhyolite, Nevada. April 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of the Amargosa Range as seen through the windows of the abandoned school in the ghost town of Rhyolite Nevada. While the ghost town of Rhyolite is in Nevada, the eastern border of Death Valley National Park, including the Amargosa Range, is nearby and visible from here.

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