some more Death Valley photos from Thanksgiving....

[mike_c]

We had a couple of mishaps on this trip. My partner fell and injured her knee, requiring a 130+ mile drive to the nearest emergency room in Lone Pine and back. Our bank flagged both of our credit/debit cards for suspected fraud and froze our accounts because, you know, gas and water purchases in Death Valley, necessitating the same drive to Lone Pine, this time for cell phone service to call the bank and straighten things out. This after we had each visited different branches and so informed them of our travel plans twice. Sheesh.

So the number of locations I'd wanted to visit was constrained by those extra trips to and from Lone Pine. At the same time, I was learning how to use graduated neutral density filters to balance sky and landscapes, so I shot a bunch of photos that I'm not happy with.

Here are a few more:




Along Artist's Drive, Death Valley NP.




Salt polygons along West Side Road, Death Valley NP.




Death Valley NP. This is one of my favorites of the lot.




Artist's Drive, Death Valley, NP.




Badwater basin, Death Valley NP.




West Side Rd., Death Valley NP.

There are larger versions of these photos and others at https://mcamann.smugmug.com. I hope you like these!

[elleng]

1. Nice pics.

SORRY about all the aggravation!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear mike_c!

Wow, these are wonderful! I especially like how deep the blue is.

And I'm sorry you had so much trouble with the bank during your partner's travails. I hope she's OK.

[mike_c]

3. all is well....

We were going to pack up and go home because K couldn't walk on Tuesday, but the ER doc said "Look, you're not going to get an MRI scheduled this week anyway, so why doesn't she just relax in camp with her leg up while you do your thing?" By the end of the week she could hobble without the crutches, so it all worked out well. She's pretty much recovered now.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. I am glad to hear that! Happy healing to her. n/t

[awoke_in_2003]

6. The blue sky is striking...

I may have to pop out there one day.

[mike_c]

9. these were all shot with 2 or 3 stops of graduated ND filter...

...holding back the sky.

[awoke_in_2003]

10. Thanks. nt

[mnhtnbb]

5. Wow! I really like that 3rd one, too.

Great perspective and composition.

Sorry to hear about the fall and the aggravation with the credit card. The credit card companies drive me nuts. I have a card I use overseas because
it doesn't have a 3% charge--like all the others--for international use. I used it recently on-line to pre-pay a hotel for our trip to France next April no problem.
Then when I went to use it for the hotel in the next city, couldn't get the site to accept the card. Finally realized it wasn't the website, but the card, called them and they said, "yes, they allow one use and then freeze it". Dummies. I suppose I'll probably have to call them again since I stopped booking the trip after the election--in shock--and then Thanksgiving, but I need to finish booking the trip.

Hope your partner is doing better!

[mountain grammy]

7. Nice, thanks.

I was there two years ago. Hope to be back next Feb. Amazing place, especially for us high altitude dwellers.

[Adsos Letter]

8. I really like the desert.

And I also really like #3. It really has nice depth.

[nikto]

11. Great pics!

I love that place!!

If/when you go back, I suggest staying at Stovepipe Wells (across from largest dune field).

It's quieter and less-busy over there, than in Furnace Creek.

I also highly recommend:

----Golden Canyon/Gower Gulch day hike
----The drive (sloooowly, in your regular car) down Titus Canyon (ask about conditions there)
----The Stovepipe Wells area dunes (great all-day hike)
----Fall Canyon hike (2 miles up to the dry waterfalls, and if you can climb, farther, Titanothere Canyon)
----Mosaic Canyon
----Sitting out under the stars behind the rooms at Stovepipe Wells motel.


PS. Bring some cushy knee-pads.

[mike_c]

12. thanks for the suggestions

We prefer back country camping-- we camped up in Hanaupah Canyon off West Side Road, maybe 20 miles or so from Furnace Creek on this trip. I've also camped just outside the park, between DVNP and Death Valley Junction. There are pros and cons. The obvious upside is privacy with a fantastic view. One disadvantage is the long, slow, and rough daily commute from camp back to paved roads to access photo opportunities elsewhere in the park. DVNP is so big!

[emmadoggy]

13. Amazing pics!!!!