Landscapes

The Best of the West

This landscape is animate: it moves, transposes, builds, proceeds, shifts, always going on, never coming back, and one can only retain it in vignettes, impressions caught in a flash, flipped through in succession, leaving a richness of images imprinted on a sunburned retina.

- Ann Zwinger

Of all the National Parks in the southwest, Bryce has some of the most unique geological formations - the amphitheater of hoodoos. While hoodoos (irregular columns of rock) exist on every continent, the largest concentration found anywhere on Earth is at Bryce. Hiking in and through these hoodoos and observing them from below and above, I had marveled at the innumerable canyons, gullies and gorges that changed this landscape over the geological timescale. And I am excited to be returning to this amazing park after over 8 years, and I can't wait to shoot the morning light over the cavernous amphitheater or the glowing reds of the hoodoos at sunset.

Bryce Canyon National Park

UT USA

Journey of Time

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.

- Henry David Thoreau

It seems we are all involved in a rat race, chasing a mystical dream in our daily lives: money in the real world, fame in the virtual world, and popularity in the social world. But what we actually need is time in the physical world. Our short lives are but a scintilla of light in the forward journey of time, and to be able to not just make a mark on it, but to experience that journey in the fullest should be the dream we should chase.

How are you chasing that dream this bright weekend?

Columbia River Gorge

WA USA

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