Great Basin National Park had always evaded me so far. Despite having lived in its neighboring state for over 8 years, I never managed to visit this little gem of a park tucked away amidst one of the multitude of mountain ranges marching north to south in Nevada. That is, until now.
My primary goal in the visit to my 59th of the 63 US National Parks was to catch the incredibly dark night skies. After having braved a tiring 5hr drive from Las Vegas, I managed to snag a campsite at the sought after campground near Wheeler Peak. Located at 9900ft (3015m), the high altitude campground features thin air and low air pollution, reducing atmospheric distortion and enables some of the finest astrophotography possible.
Here is one right from the campground I was parked at. See this in large in my 2025 calendar, available for purchase at this link.
Great Basin National Park
NV USA
Icelandic Greenery
From the vast windswept meadows, to the beautiful moss-covered rocks, and the towering mountains, greenery is everywhere in Iceland. But it is only in Iceland that you can see greenery even in the night. When the charged particles from solar wind impacts the earths magnetosphere, the skies above Iceland, being so close to the North pole, lights up in a brilliant display of greens, purples, reds and blues. And during a strong storm, one can even glimpse the rare occurrence of the dance of the aurora, when the bands of the aurora scintillate and change shape by the second.
This was captured during one such brilliant shows above the glacier of Fjallsjokull in Vatnajökull National Park in southern Iceland. See this in large in my 2025 calendar available, for purchase at this link.
Vatnajökull National Park
Iceland
A Blast of Red
The geomagnetic storm I witnessed in Iceland on Oct 10 led to perhaps one of the brightest auroral events I had ever witnessed. Even with my eyes blinded by the headlights while driving, I could still see the reds and the pinks in the sky. The splash of color in the sky danced and morphed continuously, highlighting an intensity of storm that was off the charts. A few moments later, when I stopped to take a look, the bulk of the auroral activity was occurring in the southern half of the skies.
I had never seen such bright band of red span across the entire sky from east to west. These colors show up rarely and only during intense storms where the charged solar particles react with Oxygen above 200mi (320km). The typical aurora with green hues occurs from this same reaction occurring at much lower altitudes (60-190mi or 100-300km). This is also why you see the greens band below the reds.
This storm continued for the entire night, though it ebbed and flowed throughout. I was glad I had an opportunity to witness this.
Fjallsárlón
Iceland
Rainbow skies
I am still on a high from Friday night.
I had an inkling of how auroras appear out in the PNW: a few pillars of hazy light show up on the northern horizon, lasting a few seconds before disappearing, with the entire show lasting an hour at most.
But last nights G4 storm was something else: a once in 20-year storm that hits intensity levels enough to bring the aurora down to the mid latitudes. And so while we were watching the northern front, the display of lights happened overhead instead. It was strong enough to bring the entire rainbow of colors from exciting Nitrogen (pink), Hydrogen, Helium (blue and violet) and high altitude Oxygen (red).
This Mother's day spectacle is something that I will not forget for a while. It rivaled the display I had seen many years ago in Iceland. Will there be more this year? That is a million dollar question
North Cascades National Park
WA USA
And vibrant cities
There is something unique about the urban life in many of the Western European cities. The activity and urban life I witnessed during my few brief jaunts to different cities left me longing for such a similar hub of activity. And I wondered what it was that created that feeling.
I realized that it really centered around exploring the old-towns in the country, replete with timber-frame housing dating back centuries, listening alternately to the harsh clanging of church bells and the melodious sounds of the choir, the vibrant street-music and colorful shops, and sipping on refreshing tipples in biergartens and wineries.
While not every place I visited had the entire gamut of experiences, most did. And Colmar, pictured here, came pretty close. And I was often torn between being a photographer documenting the scene, and enjoying the moment.
Colmar
Alsace, France
Above Atitlan
When I first heard the name Lake Atitlan, it conjured up a a god from Mayan mythology, an overseer who overlooked a pristine lake in a caldera of a volcanic nation. It turned out to be partially true, as it was the name given to one of the many volcanoes that ring this glistening lake in the mountainous center of the country.
My first glimpse of the lake was during a multi-day trek that terminated on an overlook of this lake. We arrived at this viewpoint at before dawn, in the calm stillness of the night. The jeweled lights of the villages dotting the lake mirrored the star-spangled banner that was the sky. Venus shone brightly above the eastern horizon anchoring the sky, while the blazoned gold of Fuego's eruption did so for the volcanic horizon. And below it, the dark glassy blue of the lake stretched into the distance, interrupted only by the shimmering reflections of the city lights.
It was freezing at the viewpoint in the early morning, and I was only warmed by hot cocoa slipping down my throat. And despite the lake of sleep, my mind was fully engaged in taking this expansive view of Lake Atitlan.
Lake Atitlan
Guatemala
Starlight magic
The transformation of the PNW in the summer is a sight to behold. Snow-covered winter landscapes become sun-drenched. Long nights transform to long days. And dreary grey days are replaced with a beautiful tapestry of sunlight during the day and a bejeweled carpet of stars at night. For long, I had visualized, in my minds eye, of a scene where the bright arc of the Milky Way draws out over the snow-capped summit of Mt Rainier while streaks of a meteor show dazzle in a starry spectacle.
This image, featured in the July month of my 2024 calendar, is a realization of such a scene. You can purchase my 2024 calendar at this link.
Mount Rainier National Park
WA USA
Ushguli Skies
While I was standing in the dark on top a small hill in the town of Ushguli, trying to compose this very image, I felt a small nuzzle on my legs. I turned around and it was a stray dog. Not just any stray dog, but one that I had fed a few cookies earlier in the day while hiking on a trail a couple of miles away. How it found me in the dark so far away from where I had seen it earlier is a mystery that may be hard to solve.
It just lied down beside the tripod quietly. And it didn't want anything. Just a few pets and scritches. I can still picture that scene, a mutt with floppy ears lying down and watching walk back and forth on that small hill under a moonlit sky. It was one of the friendliest strays I had ever met.
After finishing this star-trail shoot, I headed back, wondering if I would ever see that mutt again. And to my surprise, it showed up just as I was about to board the van taking me away. I almost wanted to bring it with me...
Ushguli
Georgia
Alone with the Stars
It was silent up there. Every rustle from the pine trees, every hoofbeat on the meadow, every chirp of the grasshopper were as loud as the crack of a bullet. But this silence let me focus on the beautiful night sky above me.
The sky glittered with the light of a million stars. The occasional meteor from the Perseid shower sped across this sparkling dome in a brilliant scintillating flash. And behind this, the bright band of the Milky Way arched across, a highway from earth to the heavens above.
Moments like these make me realize that we are but an insignificant mote in the vastness of space. And out here, in the PNW, such moments are rare to come by. I am glad I could be in wilderness on nights like these to enjoy its dazzling splendor.
Mount Rainier National Park
WA USA
Pillars of Heaven
After the aurora storm last Month, I wasn't expecting to see another storm until end of the year. So when the aurora indices were picking up another storm earlier this week, I was certainly surprised. But PNW showed of its true spirit by hiding the entire state under clouds right that night. Thankfully, I spotted an opening in eastern Washington, a good 3+hrs from home.
I weighed my options on whether to make the long journey through the night, and whether the show would be worth sacrificing productivity on Monday. Thankfully, the fore-casted window in the clouds stayed for the most part, and the fore-casted aurora painted the sky with colors. This is one of the many frames I shot while doing a timelapse to capture the dance of the night sky.
Prosser
WA USA