This last 2012/2013 Snowbird season we stayed mainly in the desert areas of the three States of Arizona, Nevada, and California. We have grown very fond of the desert now and love the isolation, peace and beauty it offers.
Looking through my archive of photos I have picked out the 10 Favorite Photographs from our South West Desert Travels this past year.
The Cholla Garden located in Joshua Tree National Park. It was a beautiful warm sunny day in December and the Cholla Cactus were starting to bud. The garden is an area in the park where the Cholla, specifically the Teddy Bear variety flourish. There are thousands jammed together in a square mile or so area. I scouted out a couple nice ones and took this close-up shot against the nice blue California sky.
Just north of the chaos and noise that is Glamis Dunes Recreation area, where dune buggies rule the day, there is a nature reserve called North Algodones Dunes Wilderness. We spent a peaceful evening walking the pristine sandy dunes. With the sun getting low, I captured this simple scene of a lone desert plant.
Salvation Mountain is the name of this funky desert art installation. One afternoon we drove south from Palm Springs to witness for ourselves the infamous area known as Slab City. The expression Anne has says it all, “What the F#@K!”
On the outskirts of Palm Springs is a nature refuge called Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve. A short hike from the parking lot is a cool little oasis with natural palm trees surrounding it. You can see in this photo where Palm Springs got its name.
While in Las Vegas we day tripped out to Lake Mead and the amazing man-made structure that is the Hoover Dam. They have recently completed the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge crossing the Colorado River and have a walkway on it allowing you to snap terrific images of the dam below. Hang on to your camera and hat though, the bridge is 900 ft. above the river.
Boondocking near Borrego Springs, California gave a lot of open space for our little Beagle Angie to romp and play. None is more wide open and spacious as the Clarke Dry Lake. This was shot at 5:30 am just before sunrise and the release of the hound!
Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona was a highlight of our trip. Seeing these giant cacti up close was a real treat. They have an almost life-like appearance. In this picture, I imagine a couple are in an embrace and another is running to join it.
The scene is on Mesquite Dunes in Death Valley National Park as the sun sets the light becomes soft and Anne composes her shot. It was a gorgeous evening, quiet, still, and warm. All you could hear was the sound of bees buzzing on the flowering Mesquite Trees.
Wow! Things that pop out of the desert! The sculptures around Borrego Springs were incredible and we had a blast checking them out. This serpent is the largest of them and extremely cool looking, especially with the barren desert backdrop.
In Valley of Fire State Park there is a short mile or so hike to a special sandstone formation named the Firewave. In this photo is a group of photographers staked out in their selected spots waiting for the perfect light to happen. For a taste of what they would have captured check out Anne’s photo. If your learning photography pick up Anne’s free ebooks on photography.
For more photos from our travels check out the LoveYourRV.com Photo Gallery.