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Day Trip Through Hill Country

While in Texas recently, I had a chance to get away for a day to see if that state had anything to offer this nature photographer.  I have been to the Guadalupe Mountains in the far western portion of the state, but much of what I’ve seen has been flat and unphotogenic.  My previous most favorable impression of Texas has been the best night sky viewing I’ve seen anywhere.

I had heard about the hill country near Austin and San Antonio, so that’s where I was determined to explore.  A cold front blew through the day before, with tornadic activity in the northern part of the state, but I was left with blue skies for the day.  Although I prefer clouds and softer light for my photos, I wasn’t going to complain with temperatures that barely hit 70, and almost no humidity.

I tried to research places to check out, but really didn’t see any photos that made stop and say, “Wow, I have to visit there”!  I was really disappointed that many of these places didn’t open until 8am.  With a sunrise at 6:30, that meant I was going to miss the best light of the morning.  My first stop was Guadalupe River State Park.  It really wasn’t a planned stop, but the sign said 3 miles, so it seemed a waste not to visit.  The river is wider than I expected in this mostly arid environment, with a beautiful green hue to the water.  Mostly I was charmed with the older trees along the banks and their beautiful exposed root system.  The tiniest of clouds passed briefly in front of the sun, showing me a glimpse of how this place would photograph under softer conditions.  That was just a tease, and I did manage a couple photos before realizing it was time to move on.

River 02

My next stop was Cave Without A Name.  This was a planned stop.  There are other caves in the region, but the remoteness made me think I would have a little quieter visit.  There were just 5 of us in our little tour, and the staff was very friendly.  I expected the usual stalagmites and stalactites that are common to caves, but there were features called “bacon strips” that seemed pretty unusual, and my favorite “the alien”.

Cave 05

Cave 04

Cave 01

Cave 03

I spent more time there than I had anticipated, but given the fact that above ground was midday lighting conditions, that didn’t seem to matter.  I was definitely glad with this choice for a visit.  Upon my drive out I saw a sign for a local county park.  Kreutzberg Canyon Natural Area is on the Guadalupe River, and seemed like a nice place for a picnic, but given the fact that I had stopped previously along this river, and the sun was now too high, I kept my visit brief.  I was planning to stop next at Enchanted Rock, but the people at the cave told me it was a popular area and might be closed due to crowd size already.  The fact that they didn’t stay open until sunset just reinforced my feeling that this would have to wait for another trip.

After a late lunch stop, I was headed off to my last scouted location, Pedernales Falls State Park.  Although none of the photos I had seen had a wow factor, the staff at Cave Without A Name said I would enjoy this place.  They were absolutely correct.  As I was driving through hill country, I realized I was at the tail end of the spring flower season, but there were still a few left, including these within the park.

Pollination

Flowers

My biggest surprise was the overall size of the place and volume of water.  These are not tremendous falls, but a series of cascades all distinct from each other.

Falls 01

Falls 02

As I said, the volume of water was not what I expected after the photos I had seen online, and this river has perhaps the best infinity pools I have ever seen.  This is the moment I was really wishing for clouds.

Infinity Pools

There were still a few people around at this point, but not too many.  I think this allowed the wildlife to feel at ease returning to the water.  The park’s website lists heron and vultures as part of the permanent inhabitants.  Even with the telephoto lens, the vultures I saw were too far away to really recognize, but this heron put itself in the most perfect spot to be photographed.  The bird was aware of my presence, so I kept my distance until I had many shots that I liked.  When I took a couple steps closer, I was able to capture its takeoff.

Crane

Falls 03

With that, I was just waiting for the sun to get to the horizon for the soft light I needed for my favorite part of the falls.

Falls 08

Falls 05

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Monochrome Madness: MM3-52

As spring storms start to lose their punch, it’s time to start venturing further northward.  One place I love to photograph is Cathedral Gorge State Park.  It’s a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of spot along the Great Basin Highway in eastern Nevada.  Full of texture and contrast, it offers many opportunities for black and white photography, and there are places and times where color photography works too.  Storm clouds added another dimension on this spring day.

This photo is my contribution to Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness this week.  Next week starts the fourth year for this project for Leanne.  To see what other photographers have contributed, or instructions to join in, visit her website.

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Monochrome Madness: MM3-39

Now that winter snows have returned to the mountains of the southwest, the small streams that lie dormant much of the year are returning to life.  This one never really dries up, but this is a decent non-flood rate.  In the mountains east of Tucson, Arizona, my photo comes from the desert oasis of Tanque Verde Wash.

You will find this image, along with those taken by other photographers at Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness this week.  Instructions on how to participate are there as well.

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WPC: Path

Sycamore Canyon Wilderness, trail, hiking, Arizona, Steve Bruno

Although I spend a fair amount of time on hiking trails, I rarely photograph the actual trail.  On my first trip to the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness in central Arizona, it was past season for the autumn color, yet the canyon floor was filled with lush growth of tall foxtails.  The narrow path would have been taken over if it were not so well worn in.

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WPC: Local

bristlecone pine nevada

There’s nothing I’d want to take a picture of in my neighborhood, but I can see this mountain clearly from my windows.  For this week’s Daily Post Challenge of Local, I present to you a place I know by heart.

I was out here last week on a trail I have taken several times before.  Back to the bristlecone pines, the ancient forest.  As another dry year passes, and more people venture into the area, I am thankful there have been no major fires here.  It seems there are no “helpful” fires any more – the kind that sustain a forest – just large devastating ones.  In a normal winter, there will be snow lingering on this trail into May.  I am hoping for a normal or above normal winter, but that doesn’t seem very likely….again.  In the meantime, I try to get out to my local hangouts whenever I can.

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Monochrome Madness: MM3-21

Bristlecone Pine forest, Mount Charleston, Nevada - Steve Bruno - gottatakemorepix

Bristlecone Pines.  The ancient forest.  These majestic trees can live to be 5000 years old, and only grow at the highest elevations just below tree line.  This particular group is from the Spring Mountains, near Las Vegas, Nevada, at an elevation just over 10,000 feet.  Many of these can be twisted with stunted growth, usually on an exposed ridge where the dominant winds have a long term effect upon them.  The overall straightness and height of this group made me stop for a photo.

This is my contribution to Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness this week.  You can see the work of other’s on her site, as well as instructions on joining the challenge.

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WPC: Frame

Devils Bridge Sedona - Steve Bruno - gottatakemorepix

I find that natural arches usually frame the surrounding scenery very well.  The photo above was taken from underneath Devil’s Bridge, near Sedona, Arizona.  I was fortunate to have just the right amount of clouds helping to fill the frame.

Cave Creek Canyon, in the far southeastern corner of Arizona, is named for all the openings that dot the canyon walls.  From far inside one of the larger openings, looking back into the canyon, I loved how this shot is framed.

Cave Creek Canyon Chiricahua Mountains - Steve Bruno

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WPC: Fun

I truly enjoy spending time in the great outdoors and taking photographs of nature, but I’m not sure any of those photos convey a sense of fun.  Sometimes we just want to feel like the kid swinging from the rope, ready to release and splash down into the pool.  Maybe there’s an image of your kind of fun in the gallery below!

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Monochrome Madness: MM3-12 High

Harney Peak, South Dakota by Steve Bruno

This week’s Monochrome Madness has the theme of High, and my image comes from Harney Peak, South Dakota. It is the highest point in the state, and stands above everything for miles.  At a little over 7200′ it is not a very high altitude compared to those in the Rockies or Sierra Nevada, but its exposed summit and encompassing vistas make it seem loftier.

You can check out how others have interpreted this theme at Leanne Cole’s website

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It didn’t rain here

I repeat – it didn’t rain here.  Not a drop.Virgin River Flood-Steve Bruno

This is what we faced one morning a few years ago when we planned a trip into the Paiute Wilderness in northwestern Arizona.  During the majority of the year, the water of the Virgin River would be mostly clear and about ankle to calf deep here.  In the parts where the river channel narrows to the length of your average rental car, it is still only knee to thigh deep.  At this point, you can certainly feel the pull of the water, yet it is not dangerous.

Upon our arrival, we knew we had to scrap our plans.  One single thunderstorm had dumped upon the headwaters of the river, about thirty miles away, during the course of the night.  We could kick up dust here.

On Monday, hikers died in a narrow slot canyon in Zion National Park, Utah.  Rangers had given them a warning about potential flooding, but they can’t stop people from going unless flooding is imminent or occurring.  It is up to the discretion of the visitors to proceed, and once this has happened, there is no way to warn them of changing weather.  In canyon country, you have no way of knowing unless it’s directly above you.

On August 14, 1997, eleven hikers perished in a flood in Antelope Canyon.  A photographer friend of mine was there that day, and was one of several people pleading with the tourists not to proceed into the canyon.  The tourists had already discussed the conditions, and voted to continue, but they weren’t from around here.  Besides, it wasn’t raining there, either.

I get it.  People plan a trip and try to see as much as they can, and end up on a tight schedule.  A little rain shouldn’t interfere with that, right?

This is the desert, and a little rain goes a long way.  Literally.  Many, many miles sometimes.

To see an example of what not to do in a flood, watch this video on Youtube.  These are the stupidest people, and because they survived, the luckiest people you might ever come across.  I wanted to give them credit for making a wise decision when they seek higher ground in the earlier portion of the video, but then they resume when the rain seems to let up.  Tell me you’re not scratching your head by the end of this video thinking what are these people doing?

I’m certain this week’s news about hikers in a flood will not be the last of its kind.  I just know there’s no photograph in the world that justifies going into a narrow canyon when there’s rain nearby.  Other links to flash floods will show up when you watch this video.  I don’t want my last words to be “Should I keep filming this?”

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WPC: Today Was a Good Day

Taylor Creek Canyon, Zion National Park, Utah

As an old friend used to say, “Every day above ground is a good day!”  Some days stand out more than others, and here’s one that I still remember.

My friend Dave asked me to join him checking out a hike he had read about.  It was the Taylor Creek hike in the Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park in Utah.  The National Park Service lists this as a 5 mile roundtrip hike that only gains 450 feet.  Dave and I both have extensive hiking experience, including the Zion Narrows and many Grand Canyon hikes, so this sounded like something we would knock out in about 2 hours.  The official trail ends at Double Arch Alcove, but he had read that going further up canyon was worth investigating.  Even then, we both had the feeling we would be done early, and maybe that would leave time to hike another trail in the park.

We left Las Vegas about 8 am on a late April day.  The forecast for Zion was sunny skies and about 80 degrees F.  This placed us on the trail about 11 am, just in time for mid-day light.  Neither one of us was expecting any great photographs, but it was a beautiful day, and any day hiking is a good day!

The trail started out in relatively open country and we could see higher canyon walls ahead.  The easiness of the trail soon had us at an old cabin along the way.  It didn’t seem like it was much longer when we arrived at Double Arch Alcove.  This was an impressive sight and the depth of this beautiful canyon had become obvious.  As we continued further up, there was a physically demanding spot or two, enough to keep the average tourist back.  Then, our first unexpected sight came up.  It was a large snowbank at the base of the canyon where water was trickling down.  The cool air announced its presence before we had sight of it, and the snow was a bit on the mushy side, as one would expect in 80 degree air.  We continued upward, and as we neared the end of our route we encountered another snowbank.  This one, however, was completely different.  It was several feet thick and rock hard.  We referred to it as the desert glacier, and were estimating that it was still going to be there in June when the temps hit 100.  It was shaded by steep walls of the final narrow box canyon.  At the end of this box canyon were colors and textures that neither one of us had ever seen, and in a canyon so dark we needed a flash to capture it properly.

As we headed back, we couldn’t help but notice that there was a cloud or two floating above.  The weathermen rarely get it right, and this day was no exception.  By the time we got back to Double Arch Alcove, there was more cloud than open sky, and the light was becoming great for photography.  Usually I’m the one who holds other hikers back under these circumstances, but Dave was fascinated with the changing light as much as I was.  A hike which we should have finished in another 45 minutes took us almost 3 hours.  Most of these photographs are along the official trail.

As we got back to the car, we knew we only had about a half hour before sunset, and we couldn’t leave just yet.  We drove into the park about another mile and found a couple great spots to get more photos as the sun was going down.  Afterwards, we headed down to St. George and filled up on a healthy dose of comfort food.  What better way to finish out a very good day?

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