Fisher Towers - River Road, Moab, Utah

With all of the superb parks in the Moab area (Canyonlands NP, Arches NP and Dead Horse SP), River Road is often overlooked by visitors. It is a shame, as there are some stellar spots. The added bonus is that the Colorado River runs along the majority of the road. One of the best areas to visit on the road is Fisher Towers. Jeff Clow's Photo Tour had visited the road earlier in the week, but the weather was quite overcast.  When the tour was over, Jaki Good Miller and I were headed to Grand Junction and decided to take this scenic route. Great choice, as Mother Nature treated us with some great clouds and weather along the way. 

As we approached Fisher Towers, the sun started to hide behind them and, while we got some quick shots, the towers were dark. Given that we only had less than an hour left of sun, we decided to drive further north and try to get a shot looking south to the towers with the snow capped La Sal Mountains as a backdrop. I had shot from this spot before, but was never there at the right time of day. Just as we set up, the sun broke though and gave us this scene.

Off-Road - Death Valley National Park, California

Some the best locations to explore in Death Valley are the many canyons that seem to be just about everywhere. Some are small and narrow, while others are wide enough to have roads. Of all of the canyons that we visited, Twenty Mule Team Canyon was my favorite. Truth be told, it probably was my favorite spot in the park. 

Twenty Mule Team Canyon is quite large, and viewing it from the ground didn't give me the perspective of the area. Fortunately, the rock formations are climbable if you are in decent shape. So up I went to the top of many of the surrounding formations, some by a trail and others blazing a new trail. When I reached the top to look around, I had a 360-degree view of this section of the canyon. As you can see, the landscape is quite amazing, with small ravines running between the formations. This view looking eastward away from the road shows the incredible formations with the Amargosa Mountain Range as a backdrop.

Oxbow - Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

What can I say about a location that is iconic and photographed millions of times over the years that hasn't been said before?  Almost every photographer that is semi-serious who visits the Grand Tetons will head to Oxbow Bend and take photos there. The serious ones are there for sunrise hoping to get the classic shot. What makes Oxbow fun is that the weather patterns often make what sunrise looks like so different on a daily basis. There are days when the clouds are so thick that you can't see Mount Moran, or the sun for that matter. On those days, sometimes a quick break in the clouds will light the top of Moran for seconds. Other days, like the day I shot this photo, there are great clouds that are reflected in the calm waters of the Snake River.  That is why I keep going back, as I am never sure of what this iconic scene will look like.

Devils Tower - Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming

Ever since I saw the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", I knew that someday I would get to visit Devils Tower National Monument in northeastern Wyoming. Well, it took me 36 years (the movie premiered in 1977) but I finally got there on a cross-country trip back in 2013. It is located in the middle of nowhere, about 60 miles northeast of Gillette, WY and about 110 miles northwest of Rapid City, SD.

We got a late start from Gillette and the winds were quite strong. Driving on the highway was challenging, requiring two hands firmly on the wheel. When we got off the interstate, we were shielded a bit by the formations on either side of the road. Devils Tower is quite a large formation that sticks out of the landscape, as it is surrounded by plains. Despite that, I couldn't get a glimpse of it until we were almost there.

This image was one of the first ones I shot of the day and is a great view of the formation. The wind was blowing so hard that I had to hold onto my tripod to keep it from blowing over. The clouds were a bonus and were moving quite rapidly the whole morning. And no, we did not see any aliens.

Boats for Rent - Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta

Lake Louise is a mountain lake in Banff National Park. Its blue-green water is set against the stark backdrop of Victoria Glacier and the Rockies. The lake is in the small hamlet of Lake Louise about a half hour north of the town of Banff. The lake is one of the most recognized and photographed scenes in the Canadian Rockies.

On one end of the lake lies the Chateau Lake Louise, a resort hotel. I have always wanted to stay in the hotel but it is quite pricey. When I visited Banff in 2006, I decided to break open the piggy bank and stay there. The advantage of staying there is the ability to roll out of bed before dawn and, in a quick short minutes, be looking at this scene. There were only a couple of people up at this hour, mostly other photographers. The light was phenomenal and the reflections of the mountains contrasted well with the bright red boats. The moment I shot this, I knew I had a winner.

Impressive - Jasper National Park, Alberta,

I have posted and written about the famed Icefields Parkway so many times that I am running out of things to say. Suffice to say, this 140-mile long road that travels along the Canadian Rockies from Banff National Park to Jasper National Park, is the most spectacular road that I have ever seen. This is a "road shot" somewhere along the drive north in Jasper.

Astoria Column - Astoria, Oregon

High above the mighty Columbia River in the town of Astoria, lies the Astoria Column, one of the most visited attractions in Oregon. Sitting about 600 feet above sea level, the column affords some of the best views that can be found near or on the Oregon Coast. What is cool about the column itself is the spiral mural, which if layed down flat would be 525 foot long and 7 feet wide.  The mural itself depicts 14 significant events in Oregon's history, such as the discovery of the Columbia River and the terminus of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was modeled after the Roman Trajan's Column and was completed in 1926.

Highline Trail - Glacier National Park, Montana

Those of you who know me well know of my love of hiking. I usually walk at least 5 miles every day, and rarely miss unless I am on a vacation or a photo tour. Sometimes it is not the distance of the hike, but rather the beauty of the hike. Fortunately, Glacier National Park is home to some outstanding hikes, both in length and beauty. On the first clear day, a few of us hiked the Hidden Lake Trail, while others tried the Highline Trail. On our last day, we spent a few hours back at Logan Pass and tried the Highline Trail.

I knew that there were sections of the hike which were high up and narrow (it is called the Highline Trail for a reason) from the others in our group, but it was even tighter that I expected. It is not for those who have a fear of heights. Portions of the trail  only have room for one person to pass, and has a cable for those who want to make sure not to fall. Since there was a lot of foot traffic in both directions, a lot of stopping to let others to pass was the norm.

In this image, I wanted to capture the sense of height and scale of Logan Pass while using the Going-to-the-Sun Road as a leading line toward Reynolds Mountain. I highly recommend this hike for any who visit Glacier.

Two Medicine Magic - Glacier National Park, Montana

One of my favorite locations in Glacier is Two Medicine Lake, located on the eastern side of the national park. Unlike some other lakes in Glacier, there are no grand hotels that sit on the lake although there is a a campground there. If you are visiting from the more populated west side, you have to get up well before dawn and drive along the narrow and winding Going-to-the-Sun Road. Is it worth it? You betcha. The dominant mountain at the lake is Mount Sinopah shown on the left side of this photo. It seems like it is always windy and cold when I visit there and this particular morning was no exception. While I waited for Mount Sinopah to be fully lit, I was attracted to the sun-kissed tops of the surrounding mountains of the Lewis Mountain Range.

Merced Beauty - Yosemite National Park, California

Yosemite is situated in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and is one of the most famous and most visited national parks in the US. For those of us that love the outdoors, Yosemite has everything: granite cliffs, waterfalls, rivers, streams, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers and sequoia trees, Yosemite has enchanted many for a long time. Galen Clark first championed the protection of Yosemite Valley, leading Abraham Lincoln to sign the Yosemite Grant in 1864. He was followed by John Muir, whose efforts helped establish a larger area beyond the valley to be included in what was to become a national park. The park gained even more acclaim through the photography of Ansel Adams. Adams' photo of Half Dome in 1927 named "Monolith" and his subsequent amazing black-and-white photos made Yosemite a must-visit location to the public. Yosemite's popularity continues today as more than 5 million people visited the park for the first time in 2016.

Road to Ruggedness - Death Valley National Park, California

Some the best locations to explore in Death Valley are the many canyons that seem to be just about everywhere. Some are small and narrow, while others are wide enough to have roads. Of all of the canyons that we visited, Twenty Mule Team Canyon was my favorite. Truth be told, it probably was my favorite spot in the park. The canyon was named after the teams of 18 mules and 2 horses that were attached to large wagons that transported 10 short tons of borax from the mines. The trip traversed the Mojave Desert and was 165 miles long. Considering temperatures during the summer can be as hot as 134 degrees, it must have been a very difficult trip.

Twenty Mule Team Canyon is quite large, and viewing it from the ground doesn't give a good perspective of the area. Fortunately, the rock formations are climbable if you are in decent shape. So up I went to the top of many of the surrounding formations, some by a trail and others blazing a new trail. When I reached the top to look around, I had a 360-degree view of this section of the canyon. The dirt road provided me a great leading line into the desert ruggedness.

Farmland - Steptoe Butte State Park, Colfax, Washington

The landscape in the Palouse is amazing to photograph, and the best place to start is Steptoe Butte State Park. The butte is the tallest feature in the Palouse area, rising about 3,600 feet above the surrounding rolling hills and mounds. At the very top, you get a 360-degree panorama of some of the best farmland in the United States. Photographing from the butte can be overwhelming, as it is difficult to capture the whole thing. Instead, it is easier to zoom in on smaller compositions that convey the beauty of the contours of the landscape that are more pronounced during early morning or late evening light. This photo was taken just after sunrise last year.

Haystack - Cannon Beach, Oregon

One of the signature sea stacks along the Oregon Coast, the Haystack Rock towers 235 feet above the beach, seemingly reaching out to the sky from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Along with its proximity to the city of Portland, this rock formation has contributed in making Cannon Beach a tourist destination. It is very accessible from the beach and one can walk right up to it during low tide. The saying, "you can look but you better not touch" applies to this iconic rock formation. It is protected, as it is a national wildlife refuge and one of seven protected intertidal areas along the Oregon coast. My favorite time in shooting it is at sunrise when the beach is not crowded. The morning glow starts at the very top of the rock and slowly moves down to bathe the full rock.

 

Old Trucks - Colfax, Washington

The Palouse is a region of farmland located in Eastern Washington State and into parts of Western Idaho. A number of my friends have asked me where the Palouse is, as they have never heard of it. Truth be told, it is a destination that primarily attracts photographers because of the landscapes of great rolling mounds and hills of farmland. After spending time there, it is obvious why non-photographers never heard of it. It is pretty remote with only a few very small towns. There are not many hotels and restaurants (my buddy Jeff Clow says it is a culinary wasteland), and, other than driving the roads for the scenery, not much for vacationers to do. One of the things that surprised me was the number of old car and trucks that dot the landscape. Another of my friends stated that the Palouse is where old vehicles come to die. This lineup of old trucks is just one of the spots that can been seen on the backroads.

Dune - Death Valley National Park, California

Death Valley is part of the largest desert in North America, namely the Mojave Desert. Of course, when one thinks of the desert, one of the first things they picture are sand dunes. The one thing that surprised me about my visit to the valley was, while there were dunes, the majority of the park (at least the parts that I saw) was more valley floor and mountains. Fortunately, down a few miles from our hotel, the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes were there waiting for us to explore. Arriving at the parking lot for the dunes about an hour before sunrise, we trudged out toward the dunes in the distance with our flashlights and head lamps. Along the way, the clouds began to put on a light show, before the sun peeked above the horizon. I shot a number of photos of the clouds, but my heart was waiting for the sun to light up the landscape and the dunes to the west. As you can see in this photo, the sun did its job and delivered amazing soft light that exceeded my expectations. 

Yosemite Morning II - Yosemite National Park, California

Nestled next to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California is my favorite national park in the US, Yosemite National Park. In the summer months, visitors swarm to the seven square miles of Yosemite Valley to take in the wonders of the nation's second oldest park. Granite rock formations with familiar names, beautiful waterfalls, clear streams, and towering cliffs are all on display everywhere one looks. In order to avoid the crowds, I will always awake before dawn, head out to take in the peace and quiet, and hopefully get some decent photos as the early morning light begins to light the valley. 

On this June morning, it seemed like I was in the park by myself. Since the valley is relatively compact, I was able to drive around from spot to spot, easily get a parking spot, and shoot to my heart's content. This particular composition was taken just off the road of Cathedral Rocks. The sun had peaked over the granite cliffs and lit the formations. The bonus was a pool of water that remained on the valley floor that enabled a super reflection.

The Ranch - Red Hills Ranch, Kelly, Wyoming

The Red Hills are located just east of Grand Teton National Park and are rarely visited by tourists. The main attraction of this area are the hills, which have a beautiful red color that are caused by mineral deposits. It is an area that I have photographed a number of times. You might ask where they are in this photo, and my answer is that they are not, but rather to my back. On my visits here before, I have tried and failed to get a shot looking west toward the Tetons through the Red Hills Ranch's gate, because of haze. This time, the haze was almost non-existent, and I was able to get a good shot. 

Wheat Harvest - Palouse, Washington

Many of you who follow me have seen a number of photos from the Palouse showing the amazing rolling landscape of some of the most fertile farmland in the world. In the spring, this farmland is all green with the stalks of crops, mostly wheat. In late summer, the landscapes changes color to more of a golden color. The landscape is totally mesmerizing especially when the wind blows and the landscape looks like there are waves in them. I am sure that when America, the Beautiful was written, the line "For amber waves of grain" represented this effect of the wind. 

When Jeff Clow and I visited the Palouse a couple of years ago, the harvest was well underway. There were many scenes with the "amber waves of grain" to be seen but there were also many scenes like this one showing the line of large farm equipment after they had harvested the wheat into bales. This is a part of the annual ritual of farming that isn't frequently seen online and I decided to post this scene.

For Sale - Million Dollar Highway, Colorado

I came across this photo that I took while on Rick Louie's Fall Colorado Tour in 2014. I believe that this was taken near the Million Dollar Highway in the San Juan Mountains just north of Silverton. Of course, the foliage was one of the reasons that I shot it, but it was also the fact that this structure was for sale. Fast forward to now, I decided to see if I could find it and the realtor who had it for sale it. Fortunately, the sign led me to Lorenz Realty out of Durango. I went to their website not expecting to find this spot but there it was (it has been over 3 years since I was there). Turns out that it and the parcel of land that it sits on sold for $95,000. The structure is the tram house that brought ore down from the Silver Ledge mine located further north on Red Mountain Pass. I don't know when it was sold, but it always amazes me how much information you can find online.

Nowhere to Stop - Glacier National Park, Montana

There are times that you see a great view and it is very difficult to get the shot. Improvising is the only way to get it. For those of you who have been on the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park, you know that it is the only paved road in the park, and it stretches 50 miles from the west entrance to the east entrance. The road is particularly narrow with two lanes and there are very few pullouts to park along the way. The pullouts are quite small and are full most summer months. So how do you get this shot when you are moving 30 miles per hour? Put it in burst mode, hold on tight and stick it out of the window as high as you can reach. Burst mode allows for continuous shooting and you will need it. I think I shot 100 shots. Most but not all of them have trees in the middle of the mountain and others show the blurs of the guardrails, but there will be a couple like this one that looks like I was standing there when I took this photo.