The Smoke Creek Desert, stretching from US 395 in Lassen County, California, into northwestern Nevada, can be a barren wasteland at times. But in the right conditions, it transforms into a breathtaking landscape. In spring, when a touch of greenery softens the arid terrain, the golden hour light bathes the land in warmth. Above, dramatic […]
This is an image of a tufa formation at South Tufa on Mono Lake on a winter day. For those unaware, these towers are formed when subterranean fresh water springs enter highly alkaline salt water lakes (AKA soda lakes). This causes a reaction with calcium and carbonate salts that forms insoluble calcium carbonate (limestone). This
Happy National Ag Day tomorrow! National Ag Day traces its roots to 1973, when the Agriculture Council of America — a nonprofit coalition of leaders across the agriculture, food, and fiber industries — launched the observance with a simple mission: close the gap between the people who grow America’s food and the people who eat
This is one of several images I have from a very chilly and moody morning at Antelope Lake in Plumas County, California. The annual “”Junuary” cold front we always seem to get after Memorial Day was on its way out, but the clouds were still battling with the sun for dominance. The warming lake surface
I captured this frame with my 830-nanometer deep infrared filter on my full-spectrum camera while on a brief mid-day stop at Mono Lake in California. I like the dramatic black and whites that can be created at this wavelength, which is completely outside the visible part of the spectrum that ends somewhere around 700 nanometers.
The Wildrose Charcoal Kilns, located in Death Valley National Park, were built in 1877 to provide fuel for the smelters of the nearby Modoc Mine in the Argus Range. While mining operations continued into the early 20th century, records indicate that these ten beehive-shaped kilns, each standing 25 feet tall, were only in use until
This image captures the galactic core of our magnificent Milky Way galaxy from Antelope Lake in Plumas County, California, on a mid-April morning. The small island in the frame is directly across from the Lost Cove Boat Ramp, the lake’s only launch facility. On this particular night, I was struck by the crystal-clear sky, aside
This image is the recipient of the People’s Choice Award in the 2022 annual California Trout Photography Contest after being selected by the judges to be one of 25 finalists of 500+ images submitted. While on one of our great father-son fishing trips, my son hooked a small trout in Baum Lake (Shasta County, California,
Tomorrow, March 8, is National Oregon Day, celebrating the history, diverse culture, and landscapes of our 33rd state. Known as The Beaver State, paying homage to the historic fur trade in the region, Oregon contains nearly as much cultural and natural diversity as my home state of California. I have certainly not spent as much
I’m enamored with the Milky Way core. I’m enamored with stumps on lake shores. Naturally when I camp at a lake in a dark sky location, and that lake has stumps all around it, I’m going to see if I can put the two together. These three very large stumps were within sight of our