My last visit to Costa rica was over a decade ago, and yet I still remember walking along sand beaches where the mountains capped with cloud forests met the Pacific, exploring volcanoes rising up from the thick jungles along the spine of the country, and relaxing on sunswept beaches lining the azure waters of the Pacific. It felt like a land that offered a slice of the 'pure life'.
Have you been here? What has been your favorite memory from here?
Costa Rica
Walking around barefoot on the soft sand is an experience like no other. And when I am in the Mesquite sand dunes in Death Valley National Park at the wrong time of day, I try to sample such an experience. However, when the sun starts dipping towards the horizon, I start focusing on the rich patterns formed by the undulating dunes, with the mesquite bush anchoring the wind-swept surfaces.
Perhaps the biggest challenge here may be getting away from the crowds to find your own undisturbed spot in the dunes. Which one is your favorite?
Death Valley national Park
CA USA
The term badlands are perhaps a misnomer as this unique terrain is more than just bad lands. Out here, you can spot layers of colorful sediments and clay rich soils exposed by the erosion patterns. Multiple parks in this part of the country feature such badlands, but perhaps the most famous of these is Badlands National Park. My personal favorite is the Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Badlands, however, offers very accessible bad lands along with glimpses of the prairie dog life in one easy drive. Here are scenes from Badlands National Park that highlight the unique geology of this place. Which one's your favorite?
Badlands National Park
SD USA
One of the few things that the central American nation of Nicaragua shares with the Pacific Northwest is the abundance of volcanoes. After all, it is the same ring of fire that stretches down from the Alaskan coast through the narrow isthmus of Central America down to Patagonia. And by virtue of being in the tropics, the volcanoes of Nicaragua can be ascended year around, unlike those of the Pacific Northwest.
Here are views from and of two volcanoes, Concepcion and Mombacha, that dot the Nicaraguan ring of fire.
Nicaragua
On a rare storm-free winter weekend in Washington, I managed to sneak out to the Olympic coast in search of some color after a long spell of the famous PNW greys. Thankfully the sky opened up that weekend for what turned out to be a remarkable sunset. I tried multiple compositions of that sunset, trying to frame the seastack and the small tidepools with the setting sun. This was one such outcome from that memorable sunset
Olympic National Park
WA USA
High in the eastern slopes of the cascades, the larches break out in a brilliant orange color in unison, transforming the dry green landscape to a vibrant gold. And in the right locations, this is a scene to behold.
Okanogan Wenatchee National Fores
WA USA
When I travel outdoors, I am constantly surprised by how life clings on to the barest of environments. While I struggle to grow potted plants indoors, I have found both colorful shrubs and towering trees grow in the tiniest nooks and crannies without any additional help.
Such as this group of larches showing off their golden coat amidst the stark rocky landscape of the eastern Cascades.
Okanogan Wenatchee National Fores
WA USA
This was one of the most torturous climbs I had ever done, partly due to the fact that it was a fourteener and I hadn't really acclimatized, and partly because I was climbing up in snow which caused traction issues. I still remember reserving all my stamina for the final push to the summit just so that I could have this panoramic view of this amazing mountainscape. Snow-capped peaks towered above the undulating landscape in all directions on this blue-bird day, the last of a rare weeklong stint of sun in the Rockies
White River National Forest
OR USA
It pays occasionally to dip below the line of flowers to capture a photo of the one
I was looking to capture unique compositions of the tulip fields when I noticed that the sun was very low on the horizon. I realized that I could use the dense rows of tulips to block the sun, and capture a sunstar when the tulips swayed with the wind. After a few trials, this was the final composition
Skagit Valley
WA USA
