Grand Canyon, Arizona

We are standing at Grandview Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, just before dawn on a cold spring morning. In the upper left is the Temple of Vishnu, almost 7 miles (11 kilometers) distant. In the upper right we can see the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon, flowing toward us from the east.

Explored April 1st, 2013

[Reprocessed July 30, 2022]

Tags:   sunrise landscape Grandview Point Grand Canyon Arizona Grandview Temple of Vishnu Grand Canyon National Park dawn canyon South Rim Colorado River Vishnu Vishnu Temple

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The Pigeon Point lighthouse is located on the California coast between Santa Cruz and San Francisco and ties with the Point Arena lighthouse as being the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast. The original light was lit in 1872; a modern light still provides navigational aid. There has been no public access to the tower for over a decade. Repairs are needed, but budgets are tight.

The lighthouse keepers' housing (visible in the image) has been converted to a youth hostel capable of housing up to 50 people overnight.

Tags:   Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park Pigeon Point Pacific Ocean California coast lighthouse landscape seascape pacific ocean shore

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Just before dawn is a magical time. Gower's Gulch at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley. The Panamint Mountains in the background glow purple from the pre-dawn light.

Tags:   Death Valley National Park Gower's Gulch Zabriskie Point National Park sunrise California Death Valley Zabriskie landscape

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Erosion patterns, like interlaced fingers, in the soft sedimentary deposits of Zabriskie Point in Death Valley. It is late morning, long after the iconic dawn display on Manly Beacon.

Tags:   desert Death Valley National Park Zabriskie Point National Park California landscape Death Valley Zabriskie

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Each time I've driven the Badwater Road into Death Valley, I've encountered coyotes near mile post 38. People have clearly been feeding them. The coyotes certainly have their act together. One of them saunters along the side of the road. When a driver slows down and stops, the lead coyote looks over expectantly while the others hang back a bit.

I don't feed wild animals. But I did roll down my window and pick up my camera. When food wasn't forthcoming, the coyotes wandered over to a nearby creosote bush and laid down. Eventually I had my fill and turned to set my camera on the floor of the passenger's side. When I turned back, I was startled to see all three coyotes standing about twenty feet from my open window. Clearly they had interpreted my movements as reaching for the goodies. I disappointed them.

If you don't see anything wrong with feeding wild animals, type the phrase "why you should not feed wild animals" into a search engine to understand why you're not doing them or yourself any favors.

To make the coyotes stand out better from their surroundings, I've lightened the image's background and dropped its saturation.

Tags:   Badwater Road Death Valley National Park coyote National Park California Badwater Death Valley

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