Having Fun at Jumbo Rocks

The other morning, I thought it would be fun to go over to Jumbo Rocks and try some double exposures there. The rocks in that area are ice cream-like, melting shapes, so I thought they would lend themselves to this kind of imagery. I bouldered around for a couple of hours and came up with some nice ones. It's always fun to see the 'familiar' in a different way. (Click on to make larger)

Amazing Views of Pinto Basin With Fantastic Clouds Along The Lost Horse Trail Loop

This is one of our favorite hikes in Joshua Tree National Park, a good six miler. You start out in the parking lot and walk up 2 miles to the Mine Site through rolling hills with wonderful views along the way. Once you get to the top of hill above the mine, you begin to descend down through these craggy rocks with amazing views of the Pinto Basin. This is my favorite part of the Loop Trail, I couldn't stop taking pictures, the light was fantastic. From here, it's about 2 miles down to the valley floor on the other side and another 2 miles back to the parking lot through a lush forest of Joshua Trees. All in all, a good workout. I have to say, this time we were really pooped when we got back, as we hadn't been doing any long hikes during the winter. It was hot showers all around and a nice nap for me of course!

Desert In My Mind-Double Exposures at Hidden Valley

I'm always trying to see Joshua Tree National Park in a different and unique way, so the other morning I got up early and went over to a favorite spot in Hidden Valley where there are some great rock formations. I'd been thinking about this idea for a while and figured this was a good day to experiment. I spent the whole morning doing double exposures of the rocks and Joshua Trees there. It's a real hit and miss technique sometimes, but I think I came up with some nice ones.

A Reflective Morning at Barker Dam

I hadn't visited Barker Dam in quite some time and after seeing water at Surprise Tank, I figured a visit was in order. The day I went, I had the whole place to myself for a couple of hours which was a real treat. It was cold of course, but nice and quiet. A slight breeze came up at one point which created some ripples on the surface of the water adding a nice effect. Early morning is definitely the best time to go before the crowds get there. No big horn sightings this time alas. Next time.

There's Water at Surprise Tank Ma!

Since we've been getting all this rain lately, we figured there might be some water at 'Surprise Tank', so we hiked out to see what was what. Yup, there was a good amount, not quite up to the top but enough to get some pics and do some hiking around the otherworldly rock formations there. A pretty nice day was had by all.

 The tank is on the left nestled amongst the rocks

 Slippery shapes in the rocks

 The tank and water beyond

 Angled view to the North

 The elders

 Reflection

 View from in the rocks

Panoramic toward the North

A Little Dusting of Snow in Joshua Tree National Park

I noticed on Christmas Eve Night that we got some snow in Joshua Tree National Park, so I convinced Margie to get up at first light and head in to the Park to see if we could frolic in the snow (and get some pics of course). The best area was between Hidden Valley and Cap Rock, so we got out and wandered around amongst the Joshua Trees and then headed over to Hidden Valley Nature Trail for a short walk. We certainly worked up a good hunger for breakfast on Christmas Day!

 Alpenglow on the hills on the way in

 Hidden Valley

 An Outline of Snow

Bending 

 Joshua Trees

 Fluffy

 Star Light

Tall Josh

A Different Take on Fall at the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and Covington Park

Saturday morning I got up at first light and headed over to Covington Park and Big Morongo Canyon Preserve to take some pictures of the Cottonwoods in their Fall colors. Unfortunately, some of the color had been lost due to the bad weather this past week, so instead of doing my usual 'straight' photographs, I experimented with some double exposures. I came up with a little technique that put, what you might call, a little 'spin' on the pictures. Always fun to do something a little different eh?