Tag Archives: gravel

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Fall Aspen Trees, Country Road

October 22, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A narrow gravel road approaches groves of brilliantly colored autumn aspen trees, Sierra Nevada

The eastern Sierra is full of fall color during the month of October, especially in areas where aspen trees grow. (The peak color is typically found sometime during the first two to three weeks of the month, though it varies depending upon a range of climate and local conditions.) Sierra aspens often have a different appearance from that which many expect if they have seen the big, tall, straight aspen groves in places like Colorado and Utah and similar. There are some groves like that in the Sierra, but they are unusual. Here the trees seem to have more varied form depending upon where they end up growing. In some places the trees are stout and thick but also quite twisted and gnarled. In others the trees are straight but very short. Along some creeks they grow so think that it is almost impossible to make your way inside the groves.

The trees in this photograph are perhaps typical, to the extent that it makes sense to speak of “typical” Sierra aspens. They grow at a relatively high elevation, on a ridge that is actually east of the true Sierra crest, and thus in a drier location. The trees are straight, but they are also not all that big. They are not part of a huge grove stretching across vast distances, but instead form a somewhat isolate grove — there are others nearby, but they are not connected.

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Golden Hills, Desert Sky

June 13, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Early evening clouds fill the sky above golden hills, Death Valley National Park, California

Today’s photograph is about as much of a contrast with yesterday’s photograph (winter in Yosemite Valley) as you can find in California, though both were made at close to the same time of the year. This photograph comes from the golden hills and broad washes along the east side of Death Valley south of the Furnace Creek Area.

Earlier that afternoon we had arrived in the park for a visit of several days. After getting settled we had a bit of daylight time still in the late afternoon and early evening, so we headed south towards these clouds. (The clouds were perhaps a harbinger of the strange weather we would have later on during our visit, including a full day of very cold weather and even snow high in the Panamint Range.) Many of the hills in Death Valley are not exactly of brilliant colors—this desert is quite different from that of, say, Utah. But in this particular area colorful formations rise from the edge of the Valley, and the rocks that have washed down carry that color out into the Valley… at least if you happen to be there late in the afternoon before the sun drops behind the tall mountains on the other side of the valley.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Holly, Black Formation

May 15, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Desert Holly plants grow on a black formation, Death Valley National Park

This area of Death Valley National Park, not far from the popular Zabriskie Point overlook, shares some of the same geology with that often crowded location. However, you don’t have to go too far from that parking lot to find locations where you can be almost alone, especially early in the morning. This area is one such spot—easily accessible but not marked in any sort of obvious way. Yet it is a great place to spend hours looking at geological forms, sparse plants, and spare effects of light and color.

The desert holly plants grow in some of the most arid locations, and often appear to be the only plants that are able to survive where it grows. You might find a plant or two in a rocky wash, growing out of a crack in a rock wall, or on this dark (volcanic?) material. One can only imagine how hot this black earth must get in the heat of the Death Valley summer! Besides often being the only visible living thing in some very stark areas, desert holly also can change its appearance depending upon how the leaves are doing and on where the light comes from. Light from behind the plant can make it take on an almost golden glow.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Wash, Evening Light

April 10, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Soft evening light shines on alluvial fan and a desert wash below Artist Palette, Death Valley National Park

Late on this April Fools Day, Death Valley played a bit of a trick on us. Earlier we had made a big trek through a back-country area, spending most of the day driving gravel roads and making photographs. Finishing this adventure we returned to our lodgings, took a brief break, downloaded some files from cameras, and started thinking about where to go for the evening. I find it very difficult to plan too far in advance in Death Valley, especially during the times of year when I typically visit. So much depends on the particular conditions of weather and light. An incoming dust storm suggests certain locations and certain ways of shooting, clouds suggest different approaches, and clear skies yet others. On this afternoon we had mostly clear skies, but with some clouds over ridges, notably above the high peaks of the Panamint Range.

Taking it all into consideration, it seemed to me like it might be a good evening to head south in the main valley and look for evening light on flats and hills. We drove a bit south and stopped to make a few photographs, and as I got out of the car I commented on how still the air was. As soon as these words left my lips a breeze began to stir, and by the time we finished and got back into the car the wind was becoming a bit more noticeable. As we headed south the wind continued to rise, and the shadow of the clouds above the Panamints began to stretch across the valley toward the eastern hills. As we continued south I stopped a couple of times for views that I caught out of the corner of my eye, and each time the wind was stronger, soon rising to the level where it was becoming difficult to photograph. I thought we might just outpace the oncoming cloud shadow and catch a bit of evening light along the base of the mountains along Artists Drive, so we headed up there. We stopped at a rise overlooking rugged terrain and stepped out… into what now felt like a full gale. But there was golden light glancing across the gravel wash, so we made a few photographs before getting back into the car to head toward Artist Palette. (Believe it or not, I have never photographed that feature before, and I really needed something for the archive.) But before we could get there the cloud shadow stretched to our position and the golden light was gone. I looked up at the clouds above the crest of the Panamints and saw a hole in the clouds below the band that was blocking the light and guessed that we might just maybe get one last beam of light, and with that in mind we high-tailed it to Artist Palette. Just as we got out of the car and set up cameras and tripods, that light did arrive in particularly impressive fashion, and we had about 1/12 of a golden hour before it was gone. I worked quickly, getting a few shots of the main feature but then focusing on other nearby hills and washes, including this one stretching below our location and toward the main valley.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: gravel

Fall Aspen Trees, Country Road

Golden Hills, Desert Sky

Desert Holly, Black Formation

Desert Wash, Evening Light

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