This is a continuation of a multiple part blog of a sunset shoot in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.
Desert Structure 9Desert Structure 10
The rock features in Valley of Fire take on different looks as one moves around, viewing these from various positions.
Desert Structure 11
To Reach the Gold, One Must Overcome the Obstacles
Desert Structure 15 – The Funnel
The Funnel is my name for this location. The rock texture just seems to “funnel” one into the scene.
Desert Topping
Light tops off the distant rocks like a sweet, golden frosting on a multilayered cake, with a dollop of whipped cream on the edge.
Desert Topping 2
Everything in this image is in the previous one, but less. I moved in to reduce the scope of the image, then cropped in more in post processing to make the sky more prominent and emphasize the large rock feature at the bottom right, which was in the bottom left of the previous image. I think this makes the scene more dramatic, but that is in the eye of the beholder.
Flow and Glow
Evening sky flows and glows over Valley of Fire, Nevada, highlighting some features and casting others into deepening shadows.
This wraps up this sunset shoot, but there will be another.
There was a late day storm on the eastern horizon during this cloudy, sunset shoot. Such desert storms contribute to the slow, but certain evolution of the rock features found here. These are a few of those images.
Relentless Evolution 2
I made many images, capturing the changes in the sky as the storm and the late day lighting progressed.
I hope the similarity of these images is not boring to the reader. It was fascinating to see how the sky changed with the storm’s advanced across the landscape and the subtle changes in the light on the landscape.
It was a cloudy, overcast morning for this outing in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.
Niche
I’m always amazed at how some desert shrubs can survive with very little in the way of actual soil in which to put down roots.
Rocky LifeScarred MonolithWill it Rain?Rock SpineOn The RocksRock PortalsRocky Little CanyonBeginning or Ending?
A narrow wash with an apparent dead end, but is it the end of this canyon in the making or is this wash continuing to grow into a canyon? I suspect erosion will continue at a very slow rate and this short, shallow wash will grow into a deeper and longer canyon over a geologic time interval.
Cholla Sentinel
This was supposed to be a sunrise shoot, but as one can see there was little sunshine early this morning.
My son and I utilized the middle of the day hours to drive around, exploring the local area and generally sight seeing. We traveled to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam on a couple of occasions.
Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, iPhone Photo
The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge is like art and an engineering marvel rolled into one, which is fitting for this location, the site of the magnificent Hoover Dam, built over a period of 5 years from 1931 to 1936. That such a structure could be built in those early years of the 20th century is an astounding engineering feat.
Hoover Dam, iPhone Photo
I had to be sure to have a firm grip on my iPhone as I leaned over the walkway to shoot downward at the face of Hoover Dam. It was a windy day and the wind hitting the dam face was deflected upward with a significant velocity.
Lake Mead, Nevada, iPhone Photo
The image above is of Lake Mead, behind Hoover Dam. The bleached rock layers indicate the historic level of Lake Mead. This is a very large reservoir, so that indicated drop in the water level represents a tremendous amount of water that is no longer in the reservoir. Reading about the effect of the long drought in this area is concerning, but actually seeing the visible indication of how much water is gone, is much more impressive and startling. Maybe the recent heavy precipitation in this area will provide some respite, but it will take years of above average rainfall to replenish this reservoir. In the meantime, people whose water supply depends upon this water resource are having to adapt to using much less water.
Large man made reservoirs in the western U.S. have allowed more people to move into previously arid desert areas and increased farming and ranching activity, but now the lack of water resources is having dire effects upon that population and agricultural activity.
Hoover Dam Worker Tribute Sculpture, iPhone Photo
The drive between the Valley of Fire area and Hoover Dam is a scenic one along Northshore Drive.
One can see from the clouds in these photos, that the weather was unsettled at times with intermittent rain and gusty winds and the light on the landscape changed as the clouds moved over. The clouds added much drama to the sky and to the photographs.
Hint: Old rusty railroad spikes can often be found in large numbers alongside railroads, where these are left after railroad repairs.
Toppers, iPhone Photo
I learned not long ago, via one of my British Flickr contacts, that Toppers is an old British term for hats.
No. 1272,761.08Gulf-Tex-Deere
This is the first time I’ve seen this type tall Texaco oil bottle. Usually, these are all shaped like the Gulf and John Deere ones adjacent to the Texaco bottle.
Pennsylvania CreamAxed AgainMaskedFidelity
Apparently, enclosed cog wheels was an advanced feature in the age of this wringer washing machine. Probably a safety feature.
Home Office
A pre-computer version of a home office.
The Garret
The Garret is an old home that is now filled top to bottom with old stuff everywhere. It is run by an elderly couple that purchased the old home many years ago. I was not able to stand back far enough to get the best shot, especially after having to edit the original photo to make this structure look more upright. I was inspired to take this shot by the clouds in the blue sky above. It reminds me of something that might have appeared in the movie “Ghost Busters”.
This post is a catch all for a number of photos taken during a couple of road trips in 2022.
Ice Cream, Drugs and Beads
One might need to look closely to see the string of green Mardi Gras beads in this tree in old downtown Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Coca-Cola FadeSky and TreeWiredSky Flow 2
Standing on a Mississippi Gulf Coast beach, I observed clouds creating abstract forms.
Sky FlowEmpty – Waiting for SummerPi-BirdsCurious Praying MantisCypress Trio
These cypress trees in Lake Chicot, Arkansas show how much the water level is below normal due to drought in the U.S. mid-continent area. Lake Chicot is a horseshoe lake formed by an abandoned channel of the nearby Mississippi River, which was at an historic low level, at the time this image was made.
Early Fishermen
The link in the photo above, actually takes one to another, slightly different composition, than this one.
This is a continuation of September 2022 road trip photography.
House of Eight Gables 1
This old, abandoned block facade house, sitting in a wide open area along a gravel roadway was visible for some distance from the highway I was traveling on in Kansas. It is impressive enough to justify a detour to check it out.
Through A WindowInterlockedHouse of Eight Gables 2Corner CollapseHouse of Eight Gables 3Stairwell
This is a continuation of road trip photography of September 2022.
Prairie Home, Nebraska High PlainsThe GateHomeward LeanStill Spins
After shooting and driving away from this abandoned Nebraska home, I realized that I should have used a slow shutter speed to capture the motion of the windmill. The windmill still spins, but the pump is disconnected.
Old Prairie HomeStormy HorizonDuplex Model 55
This is apparently a popular pump gear box that is or was used with windmills. In researching this item, I found online listing for parts for this model gear box.
Listing Porch RoofNo PanesDistraught Tree
The evergreen tree on the left seems to be distraught about the dilapidated condition of this abandoned farm house. Maybe children once played around that tree. This image was chosen for Flickr’s Explore Page.
I arose early on the last day I had to spend in Badlands National Park, once again driving that slow, washboarded gravel road from Interior to SD 240.
I went back to an area from which I had shot a couple of morning already, when the sky were cloudy. Today the early morning sky was mostly clear and I anticipated a good sunrise golden hour.
Badland MorningSunrise CurveBadland NotchRabbit Bush MorningRegression and ProgressionRidgy Morning, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AMRidgy Morning 2, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AMRed Sky Morning, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AMLiving on the Edge, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AMBreak Out, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AMRidgy Morning 3, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AM
There is a gravel road from Interior, SD that goes into the Badlands NP, connecting to SD 240. I took this road, intending to go all the way to SD 240 and shoot sunset images in the same grassland area from which I had shot earlier this morning, when the sky was completely overcast.
Gravel Road into Badlands NP, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo
This gravel roadway was very washboarded over long intervals, when I drove it, requiring slow driving. As I got nearer SD 240, I began to realize that it might be better to shoot from a grassy area to the east of the gravel roadway, rather than going back to my morning location.
I had plenty of time prior to sunset, so I pulled over to scout nearby.
Change of Plans, Badlands NP, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone PhotoScouting Photo Badlands NP, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone PhotoScouting Photo, Badlands NP, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo
The big clouds are still hanging around, which bodes well for sunset shooting today.
Scouting Photo, Badlands NP, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo
After walking around this grassy area and shooting a few scouting images, I decided that this would definitely be a better area from which to shoot than where I had planned to go.
Stay tuned for the results of todays sunset shoot,
