Tag Archives: nature

Two Towers

Two Towers
“Two Towers” — Two backlit sandstone towers, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Stopping to photograph these formations was almost an afterthought. We had been far down a remote road in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument photographing even more obscure locations, and we were headed back towards Escalante. Not being familiar with this area back then, I was surprised when we stopped here along the way, but then this little red rock garden began to attract me.

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Southern Death Valley

Southern Death Valley
“Southern Death Valley” — Desert gold wildflowers, dark hills with ancient Lake Manly shoreline terraces.

There is something. a little unusual about this post. I didn’t pick this photograph so much for aesthetic reasons as for its inclusion of some fascinating features in this part of Death Valley. Let’s start with the obvious. There are desert gold wildflowers in the foreground, but if you look closely you can see many more of them across this broad Vally on the dark hillside. Keep reading to learn something about that hillside.

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Lake Manly, Morning Clouds, Reflection

Manly Lake, Morning Clouds, Reflection
“Lake Manly, Morning Clouds, Reflection” — Panamint Range and morning clouds reflected in Lake Manly, Death Valley.

This season I took advantage of the rare opportunity to photograph reflections of desert mountains in Death Valley. We were there just before Christmas 2025 and then again near the end of February 2026. The Lake Manly was there both times, though it had visibly diminished on the second visit. But from up close its surface still reflected the surrounding mountains and sky.

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A Red Rock Canyon

A Red Rock Canyon
“A Red Rock Canyon” — A rocky canyon filled with trees twists through the landscape of Capitol Reef National Park.

The photograph comes from a trip some years back that took me to Capitol Reef National Park. Although it was challenging to find the right composition, I wanted to get a photograph of this bend in an anonymous red rock canyon where trees were tucked into the edge of hollowed out rock. The feature is fascinating, but it is more or less unmarked, like so many similar features in this landscape.

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