Tag Archives: peak

Canisp and Loch Ewe

“Canisp and Loch Ewe — Canisp peak rises above Loch Ewe with a tree-covered island.

Some travelers like to know everything about their destinations before they depart. I can understand — one reason we travel is to learn about new places and, more practically, knowledge can help you travel efficiently. But I’m partial to not knowing everything in advance, instead leaving plenty of room for discovery. (Of course, it helps — a lot — that my wife is a planner!) The details of this photograph may be a case in point. (There has been an update to this post. Click the “more” link below to see… more.)

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Sandstone Terrain and Mountains

Sandstone Terrain and Mountains
“Sandstone Terrain and Mountains” — Morning haze and backlight obscures distant mountains and sandstone terrain, Arches National Park.

Arches National Park is red rock country, a landscape dominated by the colors of Southwest sandstone. Almost all of my photographs of the area are in color, for that obvious reason. It is not just the rocks themselves — the complementary greens of vegetation and the blue of the sky feature strongly, too. But this particular view, a veritable moonscape, seems to call for a monochrome interpretation.

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Lake Manly and Telescope Peak, Dawn

Lake Manly and Telescope Peak, Dawn
“Lake Manly and Telescope Peak, Dawn” — Dawn light on Telescope Peak above Hanaupah Canyon and the reflective waters of Lake Manly.

This photograph includes a short list of superlative features. Telescope Peak, at just over 11,000′, is the highest point in Death Valley National park. From the peak one can see the highest point in California, Mt. Whitney (in the Sierra Nevada) and the lowest point (Badwater Basin). In the photograph Badwater Basin is submerged beneath Lake Manly, which forms only in very wet years and generally evaporates quickly. Snow on Telescope Peak and the Panamint Range is not unusual in winter, but in this photograph it has reached a rather low elevation.

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Desert Gold Flowers, Panamint Range Mountains

Desert Gold Flowers, Panamint Range Mountains
“Desert Gold Flowers, Panamint Range Mountains” — The snow-capped Panamint Range rises beyond a field of desert gold wildflowers, Death Valley.

What is the popular image of Death Valley National Park? I’d say that it is some combination of the following: desert, sand dunes, arid, empty. There can be some truth to that though it is not quite so uniform. This photograph is an example — it is not empty and there are no sand dunes. Instead we see flowers stretching off into the far distance.

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