Balsamroot in full bloom stretch towards the horizon where the first light of day hits Mt Hood. Framed against the pink sky, the scene was a a perfect reminder of the beauty of spring in the Pacific Northwest, which encapsulates everything from the vivid tulip blossoms in Skagit Valley, the vibrant flowers in neighborhood gardens to vast blooms like this one.
I used the blur of the windswept blooms to highlight the gusty conditions that morning. While I attempted a few shots at a higher shutter speed to freeze the motion, I found that the blurred flowers worked equally well for this scene.
Columbia Hills Historic State Park
WA USA
Lines in the Sand
Mother Nature's fingerprint at White Sands National Park. The delicate lines on the dunes at dawn are a mesmerizing reminder of the ever-changing desert landscape. Witnessing the hues in the sand transition to warm to cool colors at dusk, and reverse again at dawn, was a big factor to decide to camp in the park. And it was worth every ounce of sand I discovered in the tent and backpack thereafter.
White Sands National Park
NM USA
Spring Thaws
California's magic unfolds as spring awakens Yosemite Valley. As snow-capped peaks begin to shed their winter coat, waterfalls roar to life, valleys become temporary lakes, and wildflowers paint the meadows in vibrant hues.
Yosemite National Park was one of the very first National Parks I had visited, and it's everlasting beauty played no small part in awakening my spirit of conservation. I hope that it inspires you to protect the rich diversity of this planet as well.
Yosemite National Park
CA USA
Floral explosion
The wild and unpredictable weather of California may have impacted the superbloom that was expected after the wet winter. While the colors may be more muted in most of California compared to the color explosion last year, Death Valley is experiencing a resurgence of colors after a perfectly wet winter. It remains to be seen if the other drier regions of the state experience a similar floral bloom.
Here are some of the blooms captured in the various wilderness areas in Southern California
CA USA
Chasms in the sandstone
In the red sandstone canyons of the Navajo Nation, there lies one replete with mysterious curves that bend and reflect the light in strange ways. Even mid-day sometimes never makes it down the canyon, but it highlights the striations that wind along the sinuous walls. Its a delightful photographic journey to walk down the canyon and immersing in the beautiful creation of water.
Navajo Nation
AZ USA
Tulip Season
Its perhaps the last week for the blooming tulips out in the Skagit valley. It is a a bit earlier than other years, perhaps aided by a few warm days last month. But it was as colorful as ever.
Did you get to see the blooms this year?
Meltwater
The spring thaws in the mountains bring about unpredictable dangers in the mountains. The warming temperatures thin the ice on frozen lakes, while meltwater gushing under snowbridges start weakening them. Cornices and avalanche slabs start to lose their strength and easily give way under the weight of a backcountry skier. All of these make it more challenging to traverse snow-capped mountain ranges in this transitional period.
And just like this picture, while it may seem like a pristine winter wonderland, the hidden dangers lay beneath the surface during spring.
Inyo National Forest
CA USA
Chasing totality
The chatter on social media over the last few weeks has been the great 2024 eclipse earlier this week.
Tracing a path from south-western Texas all the way across to New England and the north-eastern tip of the US, this eclipse was the last total eclipse in the lower 48 for the next 20 years. While the last eclipse I witnessed was in August of 2017 within driving distance of where I lived, this one required a flight and hop to get to the zone of totality.
While eclipses are easy to predict years in advance, the local weather pattern isn't. It had been a constant
dance of credit cards and booking websites over the last few weeks as I analyzed weather patterns to determine if I was heading to the correct location to catch the eclipse.
While I haven't yet edited the images from this year's eclipse yet, here is totality from the 2017 eclipse in Oregon.
Madras
OR USA
Blooms of the Gorge
Old wagons, run-down stagecoaches, rusty barns and worn out corrals dot the green hills that slope down to the still waters of the Columbia River a thousand feet below. These were the only vestiges reminding us of the rich history of homesteading in this beautiful region dating back to the mid-19th century. Today, these are part of the Columbia Hills Historical State Park in the Columbia Gorge, which in spring, bursts with brilliant blooms of balsamroot.
Here is one such bloom framing an old wagon, a remnant of a bygone era.
Columbia Hills Historical State Park
WA USA
Kiwi-scapes
Even though my Kiwi adventure was many years ago, it happened right around the time my fascination for the tales of Middle earth were peaking. Being able to visit many places popularized by the LOTR movies was a dream come true. I was absolutely impressed by the scale of the Alps, and the sheer number of hiking opportunities available, weather notwithstanding. It was no wonder that the South Island of New Zealand was perfectly capable of representing the diverse terrain featured in the movies.
South Island
New Zealand