Bridalveil Falls and the Leaning Tower lit by the setting sun from across the Merced River, Yosemite National Park

On one of our trips to Yosemite, we were on the Northside Road heading out when we were struck by the light of the setting sun on the other side of the valley. The water of Bridalveil Falls glowed in the light of the setting sun, but the wall behind it appeared to be in shadow or was a darker granite. So the water really stood out from the wall during the brief time that the light came in at that angle. This image was taken in March, so there was still snow on the upper slopes. The Merced River was in shadow as well, so the brightly-lit cliff face and cloud are the brightest parts of the image. It has been cropped to an 8x10 ratio.

Remember, it's not just a photo, it's a story!

Kalmiopsis Wilderness, lizard using Sierra cup as a tanning bed!

We backpacked into the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in Oregon several years ago. After the first night, we decided to hike around a little bit without our packs to explore the area. Rick left his Sierra cup on a rock after breakfast so that it could dry out while we were away. When we came back, we saw this head sticking out from the edge of the cup. We made a point of making the lizard feel comfortable enough to stay put, while we got our cameras. While we were gone, the sun warmed the metal enough for the lizard to find it appealing for itself, so it had its body presed as flat as possible on the inside of the cup. Rick moved around until the glare from the cup shifted away from the lizard's head, so there would be enough contrast.

Th Kalmiopsis Wilderness is named for a rare memeber of the heath family of plants. It was discovered in the 1930's and is believed to have survived the last Ice Age in this part of Oregon's mountains. The wilderness also has the Chetco River flowing through it, which is used by river rafters and kayakers.

Here's what the lizard looked like from behind. Really trying to soak up the warmth.

Remember, it's not just a photo, it's a story!

Vernal Falls and rainbow

A view of an imposing granite wall that the Merced River tumbles over to form Vernal Falls.  A rainbow crosses in front of the waterfall, nearly every afternoon since this wall faces west.  This view is from the Mist Trail, a popular hike for visitors to Yosemite Valley.  Hikers on this trail often wear ponchos or other rain gear to keep from getting thoroughly soaked by the mist, especially in the spring and early summer.  It always amazes us how trees can seem to cling and grow in seemingly hostile places. Just down from the brink, you can see a conifer growing on a ledge, just above the upper end of the rainbow.

The trail eventually reaches the top of the falls via stone steps with railings. The railing extends from the trail to the brink of the falls and slightly upstream along the Merced River.  It's important to keep behind the railing.  Some people who have chosen not to have been swept over the edge to their death.  Although we refer to Yosemite as a park, it is still a wild place with inherent dangers that need to be respected.

Remember, it's not just a photo, it's a story!

Riverview Ranch from the San Joaquin River bluffs

The Riverview Ranch serves as a visitor center for the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust. The house has been turned into a museum and there's a gift shop in the middle building. A storage building further to the left in this image houses the Trust's canoes, which are used for trips down the river. The San Joaquin River forms into Millerton Lake behind Friant Dam, which shows the orange glow of the setting sun on its face, 7 miles away.The Sierra foothills appear beyond the dam. The bluffs created updrafts of air as the day warms up, so you can frequently see hawks and vultures riding on these air currents.

We made a recreational video about the San Joaquin River around the year 2000, but now want to re-do it in high definition. For that recreational video, we canoed the river from Lost Lake to the Highway 145 bridge (about 33 miles), biked the Eaton Trail, and flew over this section of the river twice. The Parkway expanded several times after we made the video, so it's already out of date. There are plans to eventually construct a hiking trail along the San Joaquin River that would allow hikers and backpackers to start in the Fresno, California area and walk all the way up to the Pacific Crest Trail, in the High Sierra.

Remember, it's not just a photo, it's a story!

Bryce Canyon in early Spring

Bryce Canyon, in southern Utah, is famous for having red rock features called hoodoos, pillars of rock sculpted by erosion. This image was the result of two images being merged and cropped at an 11x17 ratio. Rick was here in late March, so there was still quite a bit of snow around. During the summer, visitors have to take a shuttle bus to get to the various viewpoints, because of how crowded it can be on the road. There is only one road out and back in Bryce Canyon National Park. Trails lead from the rim down into the basins. The Kaibab Plateau makes the tree-covered, and snow-covered, horizon.

Bryce Canyon might not technically be a canyon, since that would require a stream flowing through it. It might be more accurate to refer to these features as ampitheaters, since they are more of a bowl shape. The many layers of sedimentary rock also show the much grander feature referred to as The Grand Staicase. Rocks in different layers with differing colors distinguish one step from another as erosion by water and wind reveals them over long periods of time.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!