Alcatraz, California
Monochrome Monday:
Alcatraz, California
Tag Archives: california
Cee’s Fun Foto: One
ONE erratic rock
Erratics were brought to the area by glaciers
Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
Cee’s Fun Foto: Landscapes & Seascapes
Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge, Week 40
Why in the world would anyone drop off an old bathtub in the middle of the desert? Then I read the sign. “water for radiator only. do not drink”. I guess this is important in a place where average summer temps soar above 110°
Death Valley National Park, California
Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge: Week 34
Make a wish…if you dare!
Anyone remember the movie “Big” staring Tom Hanks? Here is the “Zoltar Speaks” machine that he wished on to be “big”. What would you wish for? Just remember, all wishes come with a price.
San Francisco, California
Sunday Nature Quote: Range of Light
I have crossed the Range of Light, surely the brightest and best of all the Lord has built; and rejoicing in its glory, I gladly, gratefully, hopefully pray I may see it again.
~ ~ John Muir
Mount Whitney, Sierra Nevada Range, California
One Word Photo Challenge: Silver
Silver Seas
Crystal Cove State Park, California
For the Love of Geography: Cold Dry Forests
People often imagine a dry forest as a hot environment; however, cold climates can also be dry. Dry, cold forests include steppe and alpine. Dry forests have a combination of grasslands, shrubs with groupings of various types of trees including conifers.
- Steppe is a cold dry forest close to montane barriers. Halfway between a forest and desert it consists of grasslands, shrubs and sparse groupings of trees
Caribou National Forest, Idaho
Fossil Butte National Monument, Wyoming
- Alpine forests, often referred to as montane forests, occur above 10,000 feet and have long winters. Plants are small and close to the ground. Conifers are sparse.
Mt Shastina, California
Other posts in this series on Forests: Temperate Forests, Coniferous Forests, Deciduous Forests, Cold Dry Forests, Hot Dry Forests
Travel Theme: Roads
The “You want me to go where road!”
As my family and I were driving through The Valley of the Gods in southern Utah we approached a mesa, a vertical wall of rock several thousand feet in height. I stated “Ashley, I think this road is going to end but the map shows it going through.” We got closer and then in a panicked tone I exclaimed “I think were supposed to drive up the side of that mesa!” Now my fear of heights is only second to my fear of spiders. Luckily my daughter was driving because I would have turned back. This photograph was taken at 1100 ft. I got out of the car shaking; my daughter too was unnerved by the windy drive with its hairpin turns on a single land gravel road. We still laugh as we talk about this scary journey up the side of a mesa.
The Scenic Road
This scenic road in Brown County State Park (Indiana) is a favorite getaway spot as 1000s of visitor come to view the beautiful fall foliage.
The road goes on forever
It may seem like forever as you drive through Death Valley. What seems close is just an illusion and as you think you are getting close to your destination you are actually still very far away.
The long and winding road
This winding gravel road was taken as I drove the back country of Parke County, Indiana in search of an elusive waterfall…and yes I found it, Groundhog falls.
An Ancient Road
The Sunken Trace is a remnant of the ancient Natchez Trace Parkway where in the early 1800s people walked 500 miles enduring hardships and even deadly conditions in order to find for themselves a better life.
Mountain Roads
This photograph was taken from a rest area along Utah’s scenic route I-70. Many highways were carved from mountain rock to make westward travel more efficient.
Check out this and other Travel Themes at Where’s My Backpack.
For the Love of Geography: Deserts
Years ago before having visited my first desert landscape my perception of deserts was that they were devoid of any benefit: devoid of life, devoid of beauty. As a geographer I knew the facts, however my (mis)perceptions remained.
Let’s address some these common misperceptions:
Deserts are devoid of water.
While there is little water in desert regions there is water. There is rainfall in all deserts. The Arica Desert in Chili gets less than an inch while others get as much as 10 inches. This may not be much but the earth and vegetation have a way of conserving what little water they get. If you visit during the “rainy” season beware: flash flooding is an unforeseen danger for the unaware visitor. (While there is water in the photo to the left you wouldn’t want to drink it, thus the name “Badwater”. Even so there is water, albeit intermittent)
Deserts are always hot.
While desert temperatures can exceed 120° in the winter temperatures can dip down into the 30s. Those would be considered “hot” deserts. There are also “cold” deserts which occur in the higher altitudes and Antarctica. In a cold desert precipitation is usually in the form of fog or snow.
Deserts are devoid of animal life.
Actually there are numerous species of mammals including javelina (a type of wild hog), prairie dog, mule deer, porcupine, coyote, jackrabbit, fennec fox, and rats. Additionally, there is an abundance of snakes, lizards, owl, roadrunners, hawks, scorpions, spiders and tarantellas.
Deserts are devoid of plant life.
There are numerous plants, trees, shrubs, cactus and flowers including wooly daisy, saguaro cactus, prickly pear cactus, Joshua tree and yucca. Not only is desert vegetation beautiful it is also useful. Plants feed small animals as well as providing water.
Deserts are devoid of beauty.
I have visited desert regions on several occasions and after returning home, deserts are what I most long to visit again. The vegetation and the mountains are beautiful. The absence of sound and the dry warmth is soothing to the soul. I long for the peace I experienced. I encourage all of you to visit the desert and let the toxic build up of everyday life melt away.
Mojave Desert: Death Valley National Park, California & Nevada
My first visit to a desert region was Death Valley National Park in the northern region of the Mojave Desert. My daughters and I spent a few hours exploring then went to the nature center. It was 10:00 am and the thermometer read 114° in the shade. The heat was nothing like we could have imagined. We explored the rest of the day at my insistence, they weren’t happy about it. They went along with it because I had reserved a nice cool hotel room in Las Vegas. As we left we all agreed “We will never come back here. It’s too hot, there’s nothing pretty to look at and not much of a place to hike.” I did hike into the basin only because I couldn’t have come so far and not do it. I may have gone 150 yards before returning. TOO much heat!
But those few hours was all it took. Before we arrived at the hotel I was already longing for the peace and beauty of the desert. I told my girls I wanted to go back some day and even they agreed there was more to this desolate place than we had first seen. Death Valley is surreal, otherworldly. Once you visit it leaves a little of itself in your soul. I haven’t been back to Death Valley yet but I have visited many other desert landscapes, all beautiful, all restored my soul.
Death Valley trivia: During our visit I kept feeling like there was something familiar about the place. On our way to Vegas I decided to watch a movie…Star Wars. As I watched my eyes got big and my heart. I checked the credits and confirmed the movie was filmed in part at Death Valley.
All photographs taken at Death Valley National Park
Other posts in this series on Deserts: Great Basin, Chihuahuan Desert, High Desert Land, Sonoran Desert
Geophilia Photography 
