Another fantastic season of snowbirding down south in our RV is over. Over the course of 5 1/2 months on the road, I clicked the shutter hundreds if not thousands of times. Most images turned out to be duds or humdrum. But every once in a while the lighting and mother nature cooperate. I happen to get the composition just right. Out comes something special.
Today I decided to wade through all my gigabytes of pictures and whittle them down to my ten favorites. So here are those top 10 in chronological order with a little background info on the scene and where I snapped the shot. (Click titles for more in-depth information on photo locations. Click photos for larger versions)
Dusk at Oasis Palms RV Park
After our long journey from British Columbia down to southern California, we like to unwind at an RV resort. This year we tried a new place called Oasis Palms RV Resort spending a whole month in the little desert oasis. The small pond we backed onto provided perfect reflections for this early dusk photograph.
Afternoon Sun on the Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a favorite winter haunt for us. We return nearly every year to enjoy its tranquil atmosphere, dazzling sunsets, and a multitude of migratory bird life. Love the pelicans! I snapped this pic one warm afternoon. It was later in the day, and the sun was getting low. Angie decided the picnic table needed to be swept for crumbs.
Wild Saguaro in the Kofa NWR
After last winters enjoyable foray into the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, we just had to check it out again. Last season the weather was a bit harsh with cold temps and a ton of wind. This year was much more pleasant. On a warm, calm evening, I photographed this wild looking cactus just as the Kofa mountains were lit up from the last rays of sunlight. (Video footage from that evening)
Unexpected Desert Rainbow near Ajo, AZ
We spent a week this February boondocked in the lush Sonoran desert just outside of Ajo, Arizona. For several days temperatures hovered in the high 80s, then a cold front moved in dropping temps by 20 degrees. With the change came scattered thunderstorms and to our surprise a fantastic rainbow. Luckily I spotted it out the RV window. I had just enough time to scramble up a ridge and get this shot of our camper under the rainbow before it faded away.
Tumbleweed on a Lonely Arizona Highway
This year we stroked another location off our bucketlist with a visit to Chiricahua National Monument. Unfortunately, our trailer is too large to fit the campground inside the park, so we had to camp elsewhere and drive in. We ended up in Willcox some 40 minutes away. It was a blessing in disguise, though. One evening as were driving back we witnessed a stunning sunset on this lonely stretch of highway. All around us, the high desert grasslands glowed with golden late day light.
Campsite View Rockhound State Park NM
Sunrise on a gorgeous location in southwest New Mexico called Rockhound State Park. The campground is nestled up against a mountainside covered in prickly pear cactus. The views out from the campsite are panoramic, but I thought this view of the site was impressive as well.
Bizarre Clouds in Southern New Mexico
Dry camping in Caballo Lake State Park, NM we endured a day of tremendously high winds enough to blow our camp chairs over and keep us huddled in the trailer most of the day. The bright side of the winds was the spectacular lenticular cloud formations they created.
Epic Sunset at Angel Peak New Mexico
Camping and hiking in the Angel Peak Scenic Area were top highlights of the snowbird trip. In fact, we loved it so much we extended our stay a bit conserving our water. So glad we did as on our last evening nature put on a show! The clouds in every direction were lit up by the sunset bathing everything in a fiery glow. It this shot you can see Angel Peak framed by our picnic shelter.
On the Edge Goosenecks State Park Utah
After visiting in 2012, I knew what to expect when we camped at Goosenecks State Park this spring but it still amazed. I climbed on top of our Cougar fifth wheel to gets this perspective of our happy hour seating. Right on the canyon’s edge overlooking the snaking San Juan river a thousand feet below us. In the bottom left corner, there is a spiral sculpture someone made out of rocks. Far off on the horizon are the tops of sandstone spires in the famous Monument Valley.
Photographing in Alabama Hills California
To finish off this year’s desert RVing adventures we stopped off in Alabama Hills BLM for some boondocking, hiking, and of course photography. We had a blast hiking between and around the gnarly, blob-shaped rock formations and drinking in the views of snow-covered Mount Whitney. This photo was from an early morning hike. The sun was just coming up. You can see Anne further down the wash setting up to photograph.
Coming up with just ten photos was a tough assignment, I could have posted dozens more. What a fantastic trip we had! 🙂
To have a look at more shots from the past year head over to the Love Your RV! gallery. Also, check me out on Instagram @loveyourrv. Cheers! Ray
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