February 16, 2011 - Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

On my way home from Death Valley I stopped at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Wow is this place amazing. Red Rock Canyon consists of a 13-mile Scenic Drive and all of these pictures, except the first two, were taken from turn-outs on the drive. As you can see the weather was really getting bad at this point in the day. The winds were fast and furious and by the end of my trip it was raining pretty good. The clouds were so thick that when the sun did break through it was spectacular.

There are 16 turn-outs that offer spectacular views and there are 19 hiking trails. The hiking trails very in distance from just over a half a mile to six miles, with levels of difficulty from easy to strenuous. On the hikes you could see wild horses and wild burros. Red Rock Canyon is part of the BLM's National Landscape Conservation System. You may also see Petroglyphs and Pictographs on some of the trails.

Red Rock Canyon also offers Rock Climbing, by permit, Camping, Hiking, a Picnic Area and of course a wonderful view. Another great thing to note, is that it is less then 30 minutes from Las Vegas. So, if you only have time to drive the 13-mile scenic loop, then it is still worth the trip.

The first two photos, were taken just down the road from Red Rock in an area called Blue Diamond. Did you notice the Burro?

I look forward to many more trips to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, and getting out on the hiking trails.

February 15, 2011 Day 4 Sunset - Dante's View

Day 4 brought us to Dante's View for Sunset. The elevation at Dante's View is 5,475 feet, and it is a 13 mile drive up from the main road. From here you can look a mile down to the valley floor and a mile up to the next mountain range west.

You can see Badwater below and Telescope Peak in behind Badwater. Telescope Peak is 21 miles away in a straight line, and the valley floor is five miles across. Death Valley is more than one hundred miles long. Five hundred-fifty square miles of it are below sea level and it is still sinking.

Down on the valley floor it is usually 25 degrees warmer then at Dante's View. It was defiantly much cooler when we were up there and the wind was blowing like crazy. We all had to hang onto the tripods to make sure they didn't get blown over. It was take your breath away windy. So if you do visit Dante's View then make sure you have some warmer weather clothes with you. It is a beautiful view and there is a 360 degree view of Death Valley.

These are the last of the photo's from my Death Valley Photography Workshop. On my way home I did stop at Red Rock Canyon. I will be posting photos from there tomorrow.

February 15 & 16, 2011 Day 4 & Day 5 Sunrise - Sand Dunes

Day 4 was the final day of the workshop, but I was fortunate enough to spend one more Sunrise in Death Valley. Day 4 took us to the Sand Dunes for sunrise and we loved it so much we, I was accompanied with two others, decided to return again the next day.

The Sand Dunes are amazing and on Day 5 we got to hike out to the Dunes in the dark. That was a great experience. We followed almost the same path as we did the day before, but in the dark everything seemed even more interesting and intense.

The first two pictures are from Day 4 and the remaining four are from the final morning. On Day 5, Death Valley, was struck with a storm. The cloud cover was beautiful and just made the experience that much better. The sand storm had already began by the time we left the Dunes at 8am. By 9am you could barely see the Dunes. The rainbow was proof that the rain was coming our way.

I missed the rain in Death Valley, but did get caught up in the start of the storm.

The Sand Dunes are definitely a must see, but you cannot just drive by and look. You have to hike out to the Dunes and watch the sunrise and listen to the wind and the sand. When you are standing on the Dunes, look around and see how really small you are. In one of the photos you can see a gentleman on top of one of the Dunes. I look forward to my return to Death Valley to experience the Sunrise over the Dunes.

February 14 & 15, 2011 Death Valley Day 3 Con't - Devil's Golf Course & Day 4 - Mosaic Canyon

Sunset on Day 3 brought us to Devil's Golf Course. The top two photos are from there. The rugged ground is formed by salt - 95% pure table salt - crystallizing and expanding. The tiny crystals are very sharp. About 2,000 years ago a saline, thirty-foot-deep lake temporarily covered this part of the Playa. As the lake dried, the dissolved salt precipitated into a layer about four feet thick.

Day 4, the final day of the workshop, took us out to the Sand Dunes for sunrise then on to Mosaic Canyon. The remainder of the photos are from Mosaic Canyon. Tomorrows post will have pictures of the Sand Dunes.

The road to Mosaic Canyon and is just after Stovepipe Wells. It is a three-mile-long road that winds through the twisting canyon. Some places get very narrow and the first 0.7 miles is the most scenic. We only hiked in about the first 0.7 miles. The Canyon consists of polished marble rock and a mosaic of recemented stream gravel.
The Canyon was beautiful and as you walked in, you could almost envision water gushing through the Canyon.

February 14, 2011 Death Valley Day 3 Con't - Hike to Golden Canyon

Today's

post is a continuation of Day 3 of the workshop.

After the beautiful sunrise at Zabriskie Point we hiked over to Golden Canyon. It was amazing to walk through the badlands and see how different the view was as we walked. It really makes you feel small and gives you a great appreciation of this beautiful land. Today's photos are from the hike.

Two photos show people in the photos. These two photos give you an idea of just how massive it really is.

Line 1 - Left photo shows two individuals on one of the dunes and the right photo shows the back side of Manly Beacon.

Line 2 - Left shows the hike up to the base of Manly Beacon and the right photo I took because it looks like a wolf howling. At least to me anyway.

Line 3 - Is a view of the side of Manly Beacon

Line 4 - Left is a photo of Manly Beacon from the start of the hike from Zabriskie Point and the photo on the right is a view of part of the trial.

February 14, 2011 Death Valley Day 3 - Zabriskie Point

Day 3 brought us back to Zabriskie Point at Sunrise. It's always amazing how differently things and places look in different light. Sunrise vs. Sunset.
Zabriskie Point is just as beautiful in the morning as it is in the evening.
Zabriskie Point was named after Christian Zabriskie, for his years as general manager of the Pacific Coast Borax Company. The high peak in the bottom right-hand photo is called Manly Beacon and was named after William Manly, who was one of the pioneers that wondered into Death Valley in 1849.
Manly Beacon, from Zabriskie Point, looks like a shark tooth, but when you hike to the other side it has a much different look and feel. About an hour after we finished photographing the sunrise, five of us hiked over to Golden Canyon. As we started the hike the view of Manly Beacon kept changing and turned into a completely different looking structure. Part of the trail can be seen in the bottom left-hand photograph.

February 13, 2011 Death Valley Day 2 - Badwater

Day 2 of the workshop took us to Badwater for Sunrise. The view is amazing and it is so wonderful to see the shift in colors as the sun rises up over the horizon. The seven of us stood out in the shallow water and photographed the sunrise with cold wet feet, but it was worth the chilly toes.
The name Badwater came from an early surveyor that determined that the area was 280 feet below sea level. He had noticed that his mule wouldn't drink the water so he noted "badwater" on his map. Hence the name Badwater. The water contains mostly sodium chloride which makes the water non-drinkable. Badwater is now 286 feet below sea level and is one of the world's hottest places. There is a record of 134 degrees in 1913; reported at Furnace Creek Ranch.
The snow covered mountain in two of the photos is Telescope Peak. Telescope Peak is the highest point within Death Valley and is the highest point in the Panamint Range. At an elevation of 11,330 feet above Badwater. You can hike to the top of Telescope Peak. There is a 14 mile, round trip, hike that starts at the Mahogany Flat Campground. If you hike to the top of Telescope Peak you will see why it got its name. You can see for over 100 miles in most directions.

February 12, 2011 Death Valley Day 1 - Zabriskie Point

I just had the opportunity of spending five days in Death Valley. It was an amazing experience and I look forward to returning. I went there as part of a Photo Workshop and got to photograph with six amazing individuals. Over the next week I am going to be posting pictures from the trip.
Today's post is from Day One. We meet up at Zabriskie Point and photographed the Sunset. The photos that are posted here were taken within a two hour period as the sun was setting. You can see the change in the colors as the sun sets. We did return to this location on Day 3 for Sunrise. The sunrise pictures will be posted in a few days.
Zabriskie Point is composed of sediments from Furnace Creek Lake that dried up over Five Million years ago, before Death Valley came into existence. The lighter colors, the yellows, tans, and browns, are mostly from iron minerals exposed to the air, the darker colors, the gray green to dark gray, are volcanic ash and lava flows.
There is a hiking path that connects Zabriskie Point to Golden Canyon. The trail is over 2 miles long and we hiked over to Golden Canyon on Day 3 after the Sunrise. It was amazing to be able to walk into the Valley and to walk among the amazing sentiments. Look for those pictures in the days ahead.