Landscapes

Summerland

Europe is a remarkable continent, where a 100km is a long distance and a 100 years is a short time, where kingdoms and civilizations have crafted a diverse set of cultures and communities, where haute couture in tourist hotspots stand shoulder to shoulder with quaint bucolic villages and picturesque countrysides, and where sensible urban design and vast expansive greenery are juxtaposed on one seamless landmass. Every trip to this continent rich in history and culture makes me giddy with joy in seeking out the hidden gems away from the tourist traps.

And I can't wait to go back again this summer, to seek out more of what this continent has to offer. Just like this peaceful meadow I found while exploring the Black Forest region of southern Germany.

Schwarzwald

Germany

It's a wonderful world

I love the mountains
I love the clear blue skies
I love the landscapes
I love when great whites fly
I love the whole world
And all its sights and sounds
…
Boom de yada, boom de yada
Boom de yada, boom de yada
…
Its a wonderful world out there, full of new surprises around every corner, and full of new adventures every day. And unless you go seek those adventures, you never get to experience the magic the world has to offer!

Songkol
Naryn Kyrgyzstan

One for the Earth

No day passes without news about the endless reckless pillage of the resources of the single planet that currently sustains life. And while that wanton destruction can be gut-wrenchingly painful, I am glad that we have set aside areas for protecting for the future generation. It requires a foresight for selflessness that is hard to find in a society that values short term gains over long term prudence. Let Earth day be a reminder to appreciate this clairvoyance and sense of conservation.

After all, we have but one Earth. Lets take one for the planet. Donate to your favorite earth-friendly non-profit, volunteer with your local charities, or do one little act that will help preserve the delicate balance of nature.

Sabrina Lake Basin

Bishop CA

Leave No Trace

As spring slowly transitions to summer, snow caps high in the Cascades will start to melt away and reveal beautiful alpine landscapes. And for a short span of 90 days, this fragile terrain will be host to not just thousands of eager hikers seeking out sublime vistas, but also delicate alpine flora and fauna, including feeble yet colorful plants that have to grow, bloom, pollinate, seed, and die in that short burst of summer, and hungry animals that have to fatten up for the next hibernation cycle.

So the next time you are exploring the high Cascades, remember to follow the Leave No Trace principles. This simple step will ensure that this natural beauty, such as this scene in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, is preserved for generations to come.

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

WA USA

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The Season of Love

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While passionate lovers and marketing experts for large retail firms will claim that February is the month of love, for the vast majority of species on the planet, March and April, in the heart of the spring, truly represents the season of love. Millions of flowers from hundreds of plant species bloom in an extravaganza of colors hoping to attract pollinators, and pass on their gene to the future generations.

This visual spectacle, under the right weather conditions, can transform a dry and dusty landscape into drapery of contrasting colors; vast fields of yellow, pink, orange, purple and blue stretch on and onto the endless horizon of the vast desert landscape. While such displays were much more common in the past, changing weather conditions and human impact have definitely reduced the scale of such a tableau. Witnessing such a bloom can definitely make one marvel at nature's creation, and instill a sense of conservation.

Table Mountain State Ecological Reserve

CA USA

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In Search of Tulips

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Spring has arrived, but the Pacific Northwest hasn't been informed of it. Cold damp conditions continue to persist, and sunlight barely manages to peek out through the dense cloud cover. The long halcyon days of warm sunshine that took over a few weeks ago seems to have gone back to hibernation mode, a cue that up in the mountainous Northwest, cold unpredictable weather is always around the corner.

I went around in search of colorful tulip fields of Skagit Valley opening up their buds to the embracing grace of morning light, but that was not to be. The reversal of the weather fortunes seem to have delayed the opening by a few more days. This image from last year was what I was hoping to find this year, but I never made it.

Skagit County

WA USA

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Sunstars

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While a part of my weekend time is spent looking at my photo archives for jogging my memories, a part of it is also spent gathering inspiration for future travel. And sometimes, looking at my archives can motivate me to seek new destinations.

This was one such archival set - a backpack I did into the coastal range of British Columbia into the heart of Garibaldi Provincial Park. While exploring opportunities to shoot by the lake at sunset, I found a small patch of fireweed catching the fire of the last light. This inspired me to start booking backpacking trips in this beautiful part of Cascadia.

Garibaldi Provincial Park

BC Canada

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Morning by the lake

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I could see my own breath condensing in the fresh cold air. The faint October sun had still not penetrated the towering peaks and deep valleys, leaving me shivering even with the layers I had adorned. Across the lake, the fringes of the conifers caught this cold morning light, glowing with a vibrant gold color.

All around, the morning forest was waking up. A thick scent of mountain pine and earthy tones permeated around. Songbirds, eagerly awaiting their winter migration, started their wake-up calls. And a lone kayaker took off from the tiny dock, hoping to get a lucky catch. This poignant scene lasted for but a moment. The roaring sounds of a dozen vehicles soon echoed through the valley - early morning hikers eagerly dashing off to the trailhead on a beautiful fall day in the North Cascades National Park.

I am eagerly awaiting the summer hiking season in this gem of a National Park so close to home.

North Cascades National Park

WA USA

The high and the low

The journey from the highest point in Death Valley to its lowest point spans ~11,300ft or ~3,450m. That journey takes one from the freezing snow-capped peak of the Panamint range to through rocky canyons down through the alluvial fans onto the lowest point in the lower 48 states - 250ft below sea level. And being able to witness this gradual transition of altitude, terrain, and climate, in one single glance is not possible anywhere else except at Dante's View in Death Valley National Park

I had arrived at the 5,500ft summit of Dante's view at sunrise, hoping to witness the first light on the mighty spine of the Panamint range. And after a colorful sunrise, pockets of warm light began to shine on the dynamic terrain of the Badwater basin and the stunning landscape all around. This was one such view capturing a well-lit alluvial fan that drained the Panamint range behind a hardy shrub that survives the harsh climate of Death Valley.

Death Valley National Park

CA USA

Leading Away

Death valley. The name conjures up an image of a vast desolate wasteland where life struggles to survive, where time stops ticking, and where the no one in their right mind would want to visit. And it may have certainly kept that image were it not for the contrivances of modern civilization: paved roads and automobiles that zoom across the desert landscape in a matter of hours.

While one can still plenty of peace and quiet in this park, trying to do so at sunset time along the dunes is probably an exercise in futility; throngs of tourist scramble all over this sandy center of the park hoping to find their perfect spot.

As the last light crept through the clouds, I had to make do with dunes already imprinted by the footsteps of a previous passerby.

Death Valley National Park

CA USA