Sunset at Cannon Beach

Beautiful chilly sunset among the sea stacks at Cannon Beach, OR USA

Valley of Fire

One of the gems of the Mojave desert is Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park. Established in 1935 and covering 40,000 acres, the park is renowned for it's red Aztec sandstone and contrasting limestone.

Outdoor Seating #2

A picnic table sits nestled in a ponderosa pine forest. Living 300-400 years, the average ponderosa pine measures 165'(50m) tall with the tallest known ponderosa being 268'(81.7m). Sisters Oregon, USA

Aspen in Fall Color

Taos New Mexico, USA

Road to the Shire

Adak Alaska, USA

White Sands at Twilight

The sand of White Sands National Monument is made up of gypsum crystals. It is the largest gypsum dune field in the world. Gypsum is water soluable but the basin where the dunes occurs has no outlet so the gypsum gets trapped here. The gypsum is disolved from the surrounding San Andres and Sacramento Mountains and is left behind in pools that form in the basin. The pools dry out and the gypsum crystals left behind break down and are carried by the prevailing wind to form the dunes.

Lake Betty

Panoramic view of Lake Betty, Adak AK. The interplay of the clouds and sun on these tundra covered hills was stunning.

The Aleutian Islands

The Bering Sea laps up onto a cobblestone beach on Adak Island, Alaska. The Aleutian island chain is visible on the horizon with the most prominent island being the Great Sitkin Volcano. These islands are part of the a group of islands named the Andreanof Islands in southwestern Alaska. Adak island lies 1200 miles (1931 km) southwest of Anchorage, Alaska and houses the western most US municipality of Adak Station.

When Boundaries Collide

Mount Saint Helens and Mount Rainier

This pink sunset photo was taken about 50 miles from Mount St. Helens which stands 8,366'(2550m) tall. To the left of Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier can be seen standing at 14,411'(4392m). The distance between these two mountains is approximately 50 miles (80 km). Sauvie Island, Washington USA

South Jetty Dunes

Oregon is home to one of the largest expanses of temperate coastal dunes in the world. The stark contrast of ocean, dunes, temperate forests, wetlands, sun and mist in such a small area is the recipe for rare and stunningly beautiful sights. South Jetty, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, Florence Oregon, USA

Ewe on the Edge

Watching Bighorn Sheep prance around on these loose cliff edges is a bit nerve racking for me as a human. Watching the lambs bounding right over the edge at speed made me wonder if they would reappear. They are incredibly agile and confident on these surfaces and the young always came bouncing back over the top into view. In 2017, Badlands National Park was home to at least 265 Bighorn Sheep. That number is 10% lower then the 2016 count, the 5 year average and the lowest count since 2006. The herds have been suffering from a bacterial pneumonia but seem to be recovering as mortality rates in exposed herds has declined. Game management doesn't seem to be concerned as hunting permits are expected to be issued for 2018 unless there are significant deaths before the season opens. Five permits were issued in 2017 and all 5 hunters bagged a ram (ewes and lambs are not allowed to be hunted). Badlands National Park, South Dakota USA

Sunset on the Wasatch Range

At approximately 150 miles long (240 km) the Wasatch Range runs from Southeast Idaho halfway through Utah in its central region. Topping out just below 12,000' (3650m) the range makes for a nice backdrop for cities such as Salt Lake City and Ogden with elevations around 4200' (1280m) . This photo was taken across the Great Salt Lake from Antelope Island. The interaction of the clouds and setting sun made for a delightful evening of shifting light and dancing color. Antelope Island, Utah USA

Crazy Horse - a Closer Look

Here's a close-up of Crazy Horse that may help to put my last wide angle shot into perspective. Crazy Horse's face is 87' (27m) tall. That's 45% taller than the 60'(18m) faces of Mt Rushmore. The project was started in 1948 with the face being completed from 1982- 1998. In comparison, Mt Rushmore took 14 years to complete (with a work force of 400) and it is generally thought the Great Pyramid of Egypt was completed in 20 years. Given that the finished sculpture is to be 641' (195m) wide by 563' (172m) tall, I'm pretty certain, I won't get to see it complete in my lifetime and question if anyone alive today will see it completed. Black Hills, South Dakota USA

Crazy Horse Memorial

By private commission by Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota elder, the Crazy Horse Memorial has been a work in progress since 1948. The monument plan calls for the finished sculpture to be 641' (195m) wide by 563' (172m) tall which will make it the largest sculpture in the world. Crazy Horse, a Oglala Sioux Indian chief, warrior and military leader, is probably most well known teaming up with Sitting Bull for the Battle of Little Bighorn (Custer's Last Stand) in 1876. Crazy Horse was able to wipe out Custer and much of his Custer's 7th Calvary leading the natives to their greatest victory. Determined to destroy or tame the Indians, the US Army intensified their efforts and within 5 years had confined or killed the majority of the Sioux. Crazy Horse was confined and killed in 1877 after leaving the reservation without permission. Black Hills, South Dakota, USA

Moods at The Painted Hills

Spring showers pass through the Painted Hills unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Oregon, USA

Silver and Gold

This mesa, once part of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, was returned to the Bureau of Land Management in late 2017 when the monument's borders were shrunk by 47%. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah USA.

Thor's Well at Sunset

Thor's Well is a relatively large diameter (10'/3m) blowhole along the Oregon coast of the Pacific Northwest. The interesting feature of Thor's Well is that the surrounding rock is relatively bowl shaped. This shape forces much of the water that was ejected by the blowhole to retreat back into the same blowhole it was ejected from. Yachats Oregon, USA

Mountains Along the Prince William Sound

Alaska USA

Manhattan Beach Pier -n

California USA

Spring in the Columbia River Gorge

The Columbia river is the only navigable waterway through the Cascade Range. The gorge the river cuts through the range is up to 4000' (1200 m) deep and is approximately 80 miles (128 km) long. Oregon, USA

Leading Lines

Page Arizona, USA