Show Navigation
Worldwide favorites All Galleries
Add to Cart Download

Highlights 2014

234 images Created 11 Nov 2016

Loading ()...

  • Alpacas at Huillca in the Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America. The alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated species of South American camelid. Day 5 of 10 days trekking around Alpamayo in Huascaran National Park.
    14PER-1219_alpacas.jpg
  • Nevados Pucajirca (6000 meters) seen from Jancapampa Valley, in Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America. Day 4 of 10 days trekking around Alpamayo in Huascaran National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
    14PER-1139_Nevados-Pucajirca.jpg
  • Farmer tills steep field with oxen pulling plow at Pishgopampa village in Jancapampa Valley, Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America. Day 4 of 10 days trekking around Alpamayo in Huascaran National Park.
    14PER-1003_oxen-plow.jpg
  • From Pishgopampa village in Jancapampa Valley, a trekker admires 6000-meter peaks of Nevados Pucajirca. Day 4 of 10 days around Alpamayo, in Huascaran National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America. This vertical panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    14PER-0989-91pan_Jancapampa-Valley.jpg
  • Cute campesino children with hats at Pishgopampa village in Jancapampa Valley. Day 4 of 10 days trekking around Alpamayo, in Huascaran National Park, Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America.
    14PER-0968_Campesino-kids.jpg
  • Campesino farm family poses with oxen plow at Pishgopampa village in Jancapampa Valley. Day 4 of 10 days trekking around Alpamayo, in Huascaran National Park, Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America.
    14PER-0965_oxen-plow-family.jpg
  • Day 3 of 10: From Alto de Pucaraju pass (15,300 ft or 4640 m), see Nevado Taulliraju (at center 19,100 ft or 5830 m) and Alpamayo (far left). Trek 10 days around Alpamayo, in Huascaran National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America. This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    14PER-0836-38pan_Nevado-Taulliraju_P...jpg
  • Day 3 of 10: From Alto de Pucaraju pass (15,300 ft or 4640 m), see Nevado Taulliraju (19,100 ft or 5830 m) rising behind the clouds. Trek 10 days around Alpamayo, in Huascaran National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America.
    14PER-0835_Nevado-Taulliraju_Peru.jpg
  • Day 2 of 10: From Punta Union (a pass at 15,584 feet or 4750 m), see Nevado Rinrijirca (5810 m) above Lago Taullicocha. Trek 10 days around Alpamayo, in Huascaran National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Huaraz, Peru, South America. This panorama was stitched from 2 overlapping photos.
    14PER-0704-05-pan_Punta-Union.jpg
  • Our eight trekkers pose in Vaqueria at the start of day 1 of 10 days hiking around Alpamayo in Huascaran National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America. For licensing options, please inquire.
    14PER-0569_Trekkers--at-Vaqueria.jpg
  • Nevado Huandoy (20,866 feet or 6360 meters elevation) rises high above Llanganuco Valley and Lakes, in Huascaran National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America. Published in Wilderness Travel 2018 Catalog of Adventures.
    14PER-0490-p1_Llanganuco-Valley_Peru.jpg
  • Llanganuco Valley and Lakes, Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America
    14PER-0486_Llanganuco-Valley_Peru.jpg
  • In the Andes, the Lupinus weberbaueri plant has a giant flower stalk that can grow nearly 2 meters high. Lupinus (common name lupin or lupine) is a genus in the pea family (also called the legume, bean, or pulse family, Latin name Fabaceae or Leguminosae). As a day trip by car and foot from Huaraz, hike to Lake 69 (4600 meters elevation, 8 miles round trip with 800 meters gain) in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, South America.
    14PER-0384_Lupinus-weberbaueri.jpg
  • Polylepis genus of tree is in the rose family. As a day trip by car and foot from Huaraz, hike to Lake 69 (4600 meters elevation, 8 miles round trip with 800 meters gain) in the Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America. This gnarled tree is wind-pollinated.
    14PER-0254_Polylepis-tree-genus.jpg
  • Llanganuco Lakes (Lago Chinancocha, 12,631 feet / 3850 meters elevation) in the Cordillera Blanca, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America.
    14PER-0239_Llanganuco-Valley_Peru.jpg
  • Mount Rainier aerial view, dotted with clouds, Washington, USA
    14PER2-002_Mount-Rainier-overview.jpg
  • Large fallen tree raises its root ball along Mount Si Trail, North Bend, Washington, USA
    1406WA-001.jpg
  • Columbian lewisia flowers bloom on Table Mountain Trail #1209, near Blewett Pass, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, USA. The Columbian lewisia (scientific name: Lewisia columbiana, in the purslane family) is native to western United States and British Columbia in rocky mountain habitats. Several stems rise up to 30 centimeters tall, each bearing up to 100 flowers. The flower has 4 to 11 petals, each up to about a centimeter in length and oval with a notched tip. The petals are white to pale pink, usually with sharp dark pink veining (stripes).
    1405WA-564.jpg
  • Flowers of purple Grasswidow and yellow Glacier Lily bloom together on Table Mountain Trail #1209, near Blewett Pass, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, USA. Erythronium grandiflorum is commonly known as glacier lily, yellow avalanche lily, and dogtooth fawn lily. Grasswidows have the scientific name Olsynium douglasii, with synonyms Sisyrinchium douglasii or Sisyrinchium grandiflorum, in the genus Olsynium, native to western North America from southern British Columbia south to northern California, and east to northwest Utah. Grasswidow is a perennial herbaceous bulbiferous plant which grows 10-40 cm tall with flowers having six purple tepals.
    1405WA-561.jpg
  • Grasswidow flowers bloom on Table Mountain Trail #1209, near Blewett Pass, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, USA. Grasswidows have the scientific name Olsynium douglasii, with synonyms Sisyrinchium douglasii or Sisyrinchium grandiflorum, in the genus Olsynium, native to western North America from southern British Columbia south to northern California, and east to northwest Utah. This perennial herbaceous bulbiferous plant grows 10-40 cm tall with flowers having six purple tepals.
    1405WA-533.jpg
  • A Shooting Star flower (Dodecatheon genus in the Primrose family, Primulaceae) blooms pink/purple along the Table Mountain Trail #1209, near Blewett Pass, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, USA
    1405WA-521.jpg
  • A Shooting Star flower (Dodecatheon genus in the Primrose family, Primulaceae) blooms pink/purple along the Table Mountain Trail #1209, near Blewett Pass, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, USA
    1405WA-519.jpg
  • Erythronium grandiflorum is commonly known as glacier lily, yellow avalanche lily, and dogtooth fawn lily. The flower was photographed along the Table Mountain Trail #1209, near Blewett Pass, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, USA.
    1405WA-502.jpg
  • Erythronium grandiflorum is commonly known as glacier lily, yellow avalanche lily, and dogtooth fawn lily. The flower was photographed along the Table Mountain Trail #1209, near Blewett Pass, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, USA.
    1405WA-492.jpg
  • Erythronium grandiflorum is commonly known as glacier lily, yellow avalanche lily, and dogtooth fawn lily. The flower was photographed along the Table Mountain Trail #1209, near Blewett Pass, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, USA.
    1405WA-490.jpg
  • Erythronium grandiflorum is commonly known as glacier lily, yellow avalanche lily, and dogtooth fawn lily. The flower was photographed along the Table Mountain Trail #1209, near Blewett Pass, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, USA.
    1405WA-468.jpg
  • Purple Trillium flower, Ingalls Creek Trail, Wenatchee National Forest, between Leavenworth and Blewett Pass, in Washington, USA.
    1405WA-404.jpg
  • The Calypso orchid (Calypso bulbosa, also known as fairy slipper or Venus's slipper) has a small pink, purple, or red flower accented with a white lip and darker purple spottings. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Calypso, a Greek word for concealment, as they tend to favor sheltered areas on conifer forest floors; bulbosa refers to the bulb-like corms. Photographed along the Ingalls Creek Trail, in Wenatchee National Forest, between Leavenworth and Blewett Pass, in Washington, USA.
    1405WA-399.jpg
  • The Calypso orchid (Calypso bulbosa, also known as fairy slipper or Venus's slipper) has a small pink, purple, or red flower accented with a white lip and darker purple spottings. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Calypso, a Greek word for concealment, as they tend to favor sheltered areas on conifer forest floors; bulbosa refers to the bulb-like corms. Photographed along the Ingalls Creek Trail, in Wenatchee National Forest, between Leavenworth and Blewett Pass, in Washington, USA.
    1405WA-398.jpg
  • Purple Trillium flower, Ingalls Creek Trail, Wenatchee National Forest, between Leavenworth and Blewett Pass, in Washington, USA.
    1405WA-394.jpg
  • Tree bark pattern. Ingalls Creek Trail, Wenatchee National Forest, between Leavenworth and Blewett Pass, in Washington, USA.
    1405WA-380.jpg
  • Arrowleaf Balsamroot blooms yellow on the Iron Creek to Teanaway Ridge Trail, in Wenatchee National Forest, near Blewett Pass, Washington, USA. Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata, in the aster/daisy family, Asteraceae/Compositae) is native to much of western North America from British Columbia to California to the Dakotas, growing in many types of habitat from mountain forests to grassland to desert scrub. All of the plant can be eaten, albeit bitter and pine-like in taste.
    1405WA-363.jpg
  • Arrowleaf Balsamroot blooms yellow on the Iron Creek to Teanaway Ridge Trail, in Wenatchee National Forest, near Blewett Pass, Washington, USA. Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata, in the aster/daisy family, Asteraceae/Compositae) is native to much of western North America from British Columbia to California to the Dakotas, growing in many types of habitat from mountain forests to grassland to desert scrub. All of the plant can be eaten, albeit bitter and pine-like in taste.
    1405WA-334.jpg
  • Erythronium grandiflorum is commonly known as glacier lily, yellow avalanche lily, and dogtooth fawn lily. Photographed along the Iron Creek to Teanaway Ridge Trail, in Wenatchee National Forest, Blewett Pass, Washington, USA
    1405WA-324.jpg
  • Arrowleaf Balsamroot blooms yellow on the Iron Creek to Teanaway Ridge Trail, in Wenatchee National Forest, near Blewett Pass, Washington, USA. Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata, in the aster/daisy family, Asteraceae/Compositae) is native to much of western North America from British Columbia to California to the Dakotas, growing in many types of habitat from mountain forests to grassland to desert scrub. All of the plant can be eaten, albeit bitter and pine-like in taste. This image was stitched from 2 overlapping photos to increase depth of focus.
    1405WA-319-20pan.jpg
  • Imnaha River Trail, Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, north of Imnaha village, Oregon, USA. The entire river is designated Wild and Scenic. This image was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1405OR-235-237pan.jpg
  • After 5 miles, the Imnaha River Trail ends at the confluence with the Snake River in Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, north of Imnaha village, Oregon, USA. The entire river is designated Wild and Scenic. This panorama was stitched from 12 overlapping photos.
    1405OR-203-214pan.jpg
  • Wenaha River Trail, Blue Mountains, Umatilla National Forest, Oregon, USA.
    1405OR-108.jpg
  • Tragopogon dubius flower blooms on Wenaha River Trail, Blue Mountains, Umatilla National Forest, Oregon, USA. Tragopogon dubius (commonly known as Yellow Salsify, Western Salsify, Goatsbeard, or Wild Oysterplant) is native to southern and central Europe and western Asia. The seed head resembles that of a large dandelion. After introduction into North America, it spread widely (invasively) across the continental United States and most provinces of Canada. The flowers open early in the morning and often close up by late afternoon. Western Salsify (T. dubius) looks very similar to the commoner Meadow Salsify (T. pratensis) except the green bracts behind the yellow flower are longer and more noticeable. Although not closely related to Meadow Salsify or Common Salsify or Oyster Plant (T. porrifolius), the Western Salsify readily hybridizes with both, and in North America its hybrids have created the new alloploid hybrid species T. mirus and T. miscellus.
    1405OR-057.jpg
  • Moss covers tree branches reaching for the sky in Wallace Falls State Park, Gold Bar, Washington, USA.
    1405WA-016.jpg
  • Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva) wildflowers bloom pink at North Table Mountain Biological Reserve on April 7, 2014, near Oroville, California, USA. Created by ancient lava (basalt) flows, Table Mountain is an elevated basalt mesa with beautiful vistas of spring wildflowers, waterfalls, lava outcrops, and a rare type of vernal pool, called Northern Basalt Flow Vernal Pools.
    1404CA-73_Table-Mountain-Reserve.jpg
  • Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva) wildflowers bloom pink at North Table Mountain Biological Reserve on April 7, 2014, near Oroville, California, USA. Created by ancient lava (basalt) flows, Table Mountain is an elevated basalt mesa with beautiful vistas of spring wildflowers, waterfalls, lava outcrops, and a rare type of vernal pool, called Northern Basalt Flow Vernal Pools.
    1403SWC-352_Table-Mountain-Reserve.jpg
  • Erythronium californicum (common name California fawn lily) is a species of flowering plant in the family Liliaceae, endemic to moist woodland habitats in the mountains of Northern California. Hike in Forks of Butte Creek Recreation Area, on Federal BLM land, California, USA. Directions from Chico: drive northeast on State Highway 32, 20 miles to Forest Ranch, then southeast on Garland Road (graded dirt road), then left on Doe Mill Road. It is about 4.75 miles to Butte Creek trailhead from Highway 32.
    1404CA-37_Erythronium-californicum.jpg
  • "Shiva: Shiwana" (1980) by artist Jon Barlow Hudson, is a stainless steel, three-armed sculpture representing the Y-shaped rail tracks of the VLA on which the 28 radio telescopes are moved, and also symbolizing the floating, 3-dimensional nature of stellar objects. Shiva, the god of creation, destruction and recreation references the universe studied by these telescopes and Shiwana is the name given to a healer who obtained his powers after being struck by lightening, from the local Tewa Tribe. The US flag flies against blue sky in the background. The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is one of the world's premier astronomical radio observatories. Visit the VLA on the Plains of San Agustin fifty miles west of Socorro, between the towns of Magdalena and Datil, in New Mexico, USA. US Route 60 passes through the scientific complex, which welcomes visitors. The VLA is a set of 27 movable radio antennas on tracks in a Y-shape. Each antenna is 25 meters (82 feet) in diameter. The data from the antennas is combined electronically to give the resolution of an antenna 36km (22 miles) across, with the sensitivity of a dish 130 meters (422 feet) in diameter. After being built 1973-1980, the VLA’s electronics and software were significantly upgraded from 2001-2012 by at least an order of magnitude in both sensitivity and radio-frequency coverage. The VLA is a component of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). Astronomers using the VLA have made key observations of black holes and protoplanetary disks around young stars, discovered magnetic filaments and traced complex gas motions at the Milky Way's center, probed the Universe's cosmological parameters, and provided new knowledge about interstellar radio emission.
    1404NM-6162_Shiva-Shiwana_1980-Hudso...jpg
  • Swirling cirrus clouds over Very Large Array (VLA) radio astronomy telescope, near Socorro, New Mexico, USA. The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is one of the world's premier astronomical radio observatories. Visit the VLA on the Plains of San Agustin fifty miles west of Socorro, between the towns of Magdalena and Datil, in New Mexico, USA. US Route 60 passes through the scientific complex, which welcomes visitors. The VLA is a set of 27 movable radio antennas on tracks in a Y-shape. Each antenna is 25 meters (82 feet) in diameter. The data from the antennas is combined electronically to give the resolution of an antenna 36km (22 miles) across, with the sensitivity of a dish 130 meters (422 feet) in diameter. After being built 1973-1980, the VLA’s electronics and software were significantly upgraded from 2001-2012 by at least an order of magnitude in both sensitivity and radio-frequency coverage. The VLA is a component of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). Astronomers using the VLA have made key observations of black holes and protoplanetary disks around young stars, discovered magnetic filaments and traced complex gas motions at the Milky Way's center, probed the Universe's cosmological parameters, and provided new knowledge about interstellar radio emission. The VLA was prominently featured in the 1997 film "Contact," a classic science fiction drama film adapted from the Carl Sagan novel, with Jodie Foster portraying the film's protagonist, Dr. Eleanor "Ellie" Arroway, a SETI scientist who finds strong evidence of extraterrestrial life.
    1404NM-6133-p1_Very-Large-Array-VLA.jpg
  • Swirling cirrus cloud panorama. The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is one of the world's premier astronomical radio observatories. Visit the VLA on the Plains of San Agustin fifty miles west of Socorro, between the towns of Magdalena and Datil, in New Mexico, USA. US Route 60 passes through the scientific complex, which welcomes visitors. The VLA is a set of 27 movable radio antennas on tracks in a Y-shape. Each antenna is 25 meters (82 feet) in diameter. The data from the antennas is combined electronically to give the resolution of an antenna 36km (22 miles) across, with the sensitivity of a dish 130 meters (422 feet) in diameter. After being built 1973-1980, the VLA’s electronics and software were significantly upgraded from 2001-2012 by at least an order of magnitude in both sensitivity and radio-frequency coverage. The VLA is a component of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). Astronomers using the VLA have made key observations of black holes and protoplanetary disks around young stars, discovered magnetic filaments and traced complex gas motions at the Milky Way's center, probed the Universe's cosmological parameters, and provided new knowledge about interstellar radio emission. The VLA was prominently featured in the 1997 film "Contact," a classic science fiction drama film adapted from the Carl Sagan novel, with Jodie Foster portraying the film's protagonist, Dr. Eleanor "Ellie" Arroway, a SETI scientist who finds strong evidence of extraterrestrial life. This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1403SWC-328-330pan_Very-Large-Array-...jpg
  • White Sands National Monument preserves one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Here in the northern Chihuahuan Desert rises the largest gypsum dune field in the world. Visit the park 16 miles southwest of Alamogordo, NM, USA. White Sands National Monument preserves 40% of the gpysum dune field, the remainder of which is on White Sands Missile Range and military land closed to the public. Geology: The park’s gypsum was originally deposited at the bottom of a shallow sea that covered this area 250 million years ago. Eventually turned into stone, these gypsum-bearing marine deposits were uplifted into a giant dome 70 million years ago when the Rocky Mountains were formed. Beginning 10 million years ago, the center of this dome began to collapse and create the Tularosa Basin. The remaining sides of the original dome now form the San Andres and Sacramento mountain ranges that ring the basin. The common mineral gypsum is rarely found in the form of sand because rain dissolves it in runoff which usually drains to the sea; but mountains enclose the Tularosa Basin and trap surface runoff. The pure gypsum (hydrous calcium sulfate) comes from ephemeral Lake Lucero (a playa), which is the remnant of ice-age Lake Otero (now mostly an alkali flat) in the western side of the park. Evaporating water (up to 80 inches per year) leaves behind selenite crystals which reach lengths of up to three feet (1 m)! Weathering breaks the selenite crystals into sand-size gypsum grains that are carried away by prevailing winds from the southwest, forming white dunes. Several types of small animals have evolved white coloration that camouflages them in the dazzling white desert; and various plants have specially adapted to shifting sands. Based on an application by two US Senators from New Mexico, UNESCO honored the monument on the Tentative List of World Heritage Sites in 2008. This panorama was stitched from 4 overlapping photos.
    1404NM-6057-60pan_White-Sands-NM.jpg
  • White Sands National Monument preserves one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Here in the northern Chihuahuan Desert rises the largest gypsum dune field in the world. Visit the park 16 miles southwest of Alamogordo, NM, USA. White Sands National Monument preserves 40% of the gpysum dune field, the remainder of which is on White Sands Missile Range and military land closed to the public. Geology: The park’s gypsum was originally deposited at the bottom of a shallow sea that covered this area 250 million years ago. Eventually turned into stone, these gypsum-bearing marine deposits were uplifted into a giant dome 70 million years ago when the Rocky Mountains were formed. Beginning 10 million years ago, the center of this dome began to collapse and create the Tularosa Basin. The remaining sides of the original dome now form the San Andres and Sacramento mountain ranges that ring the basin. The common mineral gypsum is rarely found in the form of sand because rain dissolves it in runoff which usually drains to the sea; but mountains enclose the Tularosa Basin and trap surface runoff. The pure gypsum (hydrous calcium sulfate) comes from ephemeral Lake Lucero (a playa), which is the remnant of ice-age Lake Otero (now mostly an alkali flat) in the western side of the park. Evaporating water (up to 80 inches per year) leaves behind selenite crystals which reach lengths of up to three feet (1 m)! Weathering breaks the selenite crystals into sand-size gypsum grains that are carried away by prevailing winds from the southwest, forming white dunes. Several types of small animals have evolved white coloration that camouflages them in the dazzling white desert; and various plants have specially adapted to shifting sands. Based on an application by two US Senators from New Mexico, UNESCO honored the monument on the Tentative List of World Heritage Sites in 2008.
    1404NM-6003_White-Sands-NM.jpg
  • Echinocereus triglochidiatus (common name Claret Cup Hedgehog, Mojave mound cactus, or Kingcup cactus) is native to southwest USA and northern Mexico. Echinocerens is from the Greek echinos, meaning a hedgehog, and cereus meaning a wax taper. Triglochidialus means "three barbed bristles" and refers to the straight spines arranged in clusters of three. Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site is popular for birding and bouldering (rock climbing) in El Paso County, Texas, USA.
    1404TX-1215_Claret-cup-cactus.jpg
  • Echinocereus triglochidiatus (common name Claret Cup Hedgehog, Mojave mound cactus, or Kingcup cactus) is native to southwest USA and northern Mexico. Echinocerens is from the Greek echinos, meaning a hedgehog, and cereus meaning a wax taper. Triglochidialus means "three barbed bristles" and refers to the straight spines arranged in clusters of three. Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site is popular for birding and bouldering (rock climbing) in El Paso County, Texas, USA.
    1404TX-1201_Claret-cup-cactus.jpg
  • Echinocereus triglochidiatus (common name Claret Cup Hedgehog, Mojave mound cactus, or Kingcup cactus) is native to southwest USA and northern Mexico. Echinocerens is from the Greek echinos, meaning a hedgehog, and cereus meaning a wax taper. Triglochidialus means "three barbed bristles" and refers to the straight spines arranged in clusters of three. Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site is popular for birding and bouldering (rock climbing) in El Paso County, Texas, USA.
    1404TX-1166_Claret-cup-cactus.jpg
  • Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) sips nectar from Echinocereus triglochidiatus (common name Claret Cup Hedgehog, Mojave mound cactus, or Kingcup cactus), which is native to southwest USA and northern Mexico. Echinocerens is from the Greek echinos, meaning a hedgehog, and cereus meaning a wax taper. Triglochidialus means "three barbed bristles" and refers to the straight spines arranged in clusters of three.. Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site is popular for birding and bouldering (rock climbing) in El Paso County, Texas, USA.
    1404TX-1162_Claret-cup-cactus.jpg
  • A green sotol plant (Dasylirion leiophyllum) emerges from a field of yellow grass on the McKittrick Canyon Trail in the Chihuahuan Desert. Hike some of the most scenic trails in Texas in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, in the Chihuahuan Desert, near El Paso, USA. The park contains Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas (8749 feet/2667 m). The Guadalupe Mountains are the uplifted part of the ancient Capitan Reef which thrived along the edge of an inland sea more than 250 million years ago during Permian time. Capitan Reef is one of the best-preserved exposed Permian-age fossil reefs in the world. The park also features the landmark peak of El Capitan, along the historic Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line (1857-1861), which carried passengers and US Mail in just 22 days to San Francisco starting from Memphis, Tennessee or St. Louis, Missouri, twice a week. Hiking the ecologically-diverse McKittrick Canyon in Guadalupe Mountains NP is best when fall foliage turns color.
    1404TX-1107_Guadalupe-Mountains_Texa...jpg
  • Dolls Theater, soda straws and columns, in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, in the Guadalupe Mountains, Chihuahuan Desert, southeast New Mexico, USA. Hike in on your own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the visitor center. Geology: 4 to 6 million years ago, an acid bath in the water table slowly dissolved the underground rooms of Carlsbad Caverns, which then drained along with the uplift of the Guadalupe Mountains. The Guadalupe Mountains are the uplifted part of the ancient Capitan Reef which thrived along the edge of an inland sea more than 250 million years ago during Permian time. Carlsbad Caverns National Park protects part of the Capitan Reef, one of the best-preserved, exposed Permian-age fossil reefs in the world. The park's magnificent speleothems (cave formations) are due to rain and snowmelt soaking through soil and limestone rock, dripping into a cave, evaporating and depositing dissolved minerals. Drip-by-drip, over the past million years or so, Carlsbad Cavern has slowly been decorating itself. The slowest drips tend to stay on the ceiling (as stalactites, soda straws, draperies, ribbons or curtains). The faster drips are more likely to decorate the floor (with stalagmites, totem poles, flowstone, rim stone dams, lily pads, shelves, and cave pools). Today, due to the dry desert climate, few speleothems inside any Guadalupe Mountains caves are wet enough to actively grow. Most speleothems inside Carlsbad Cavern would have been much more active during the last ice age-up to around 10,000 years ago, but are now mostly inactive.
    1404NM-5190_Carlsbad-Caverns-NP.jpg
  • Large columns, in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, in the Guadalupe Mountains, Chihuahuan Desert, southeast New Mexico, USA. Hike in on your own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the visitor center. Geology: 4 to 6 million years ago, an acid bath in the water table slowly dissolved the underground rooms of Carlsbad Caverns, which then drained along with the uplift of the Guadalupe Mountains. The Guadalupe Mountains are the uplifted part of the ancient Capitan Reef which thrived along the edge of an inland sea more than 250 million years ago during Permian time. Carlsbad Caverns National Park protects part of the Capitan Reef, one of the best-preserved, exposed Permian-age fossil reefs in the world. The park's magnificent speleothems (cave formations) are due to rain and snowmelt soaking through soil and limestone rock, dripping into a cave, evaporating and depositing dissolved minerals. Drip-by-drip, over the past million years or so, Carlsbad Cavern has slowly been decorating itself. The slowest drips tend to stay on the ceiling (as stalactites, soda straws, draperies, ribbons or curtains). The faster drips are more likely to decorate the floor (with stalagmites, totem poles, flowstone, rim stone dams, lily pads, shelves, and cave pools). Today, due to the dry desert climate, few speleothems inside any Guadalupe Mountains caves are wet enough to actively grow. Most speleothems inside Carlsbad Cavern would have been much more active during the last ice age-up to around 10,000 years ago, but are now mostly inactive.
    1404NM-5178_Carlsbad-Caverns-NP.jpg
  • Stalactite pattern, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, in the Guadalupe Mountains, Chihuahuan Desert, southeast New Mexico, USA. Hike in on your own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the visitor center. Geology: 4 to 6 million years ago, an acid bath in the water table slowly dissolved the underground rooms of Carlsbad Caverns, which then drained along with the uplift of the Guadalupe Mountains. The Guadalupe Mountains are the uplifted part of the ancient Capitan Reef which thrived along the edge of an inland sea more than 250 million years ago during Permian time. Carlsbad Caverns National Park protects part of the Capitan Reef, one of the best-preserved, exposed Permian-age fossil reefs in the world. The park's magnificent speleothems (cave formations) are due to rain and snowmelt soaking through soil and limestone rock, dripping into a cave, evaporating and depositing dissolved minerals. Drip-by-drip, over the past million years or so, Carlsbad Cavern has slowly been decorating itself. The slowest drips tend to stay on the ceiling (as stalactites, soda straws, draperies, ribbons or curtains). The faster drips are more likely to decorate the floor (with stalagmites, totem poles, flowstone, rim stone dams, lily pads, shelves, and cave pools). Today, due to the dry desert climate, few speleothems inside any Guadalupe Mountains caves are wet enough to actively grow. Most speleothems inside Carlsbad Cavern would have been much more active during the last ice age-up to around 10,000 years ago, but are now mostly inactive.
    1404NM-5172_Carlsbad-Caverns-NP.jpg
  • Large column, in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, in the Guadalupe Mountains, Chihuahuan Desert, southeast New Mexico, USA. Hike in on your own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the visitor center. Geology: 4 to 6 million years ago, an acid bath in the water table slowly dissolved the underground rooms of Carlsbad Caverns, which then drained along with the uplift of the Guadalupe Mountains. The Guadalupe Mountains are the uplifted part of the ancient Capitan Reef which thrived along the edge of an inland sea more than 250 million years ago during Permian time. Carlsbad Caverns National Park protects part of the Capitan Reef, one of the best-preserved, exposed Permian-age fossil reefs in the world. The park's magnificent speleothems (cave formations) are due to rain and snowmelt soaking through soil and limestone rock, dripping into a cave, evaporating and depositing dissolved minerals. Drip-by-drip, over the past million years or so, Carlsbad Cavern has slowly been decorating itself. The slowest drips tend to stay on the ceiling (as stalactites, soda straws, draperies, ribbons or curtains). The faster drips are more likely to decorate the floor (with stalagmites, totem poles, flowstone, rim stone dams, lily pads, shelves, and cave pools). Today, due to the dry desert climate, few speleothems inside any Guadalupe Mountains caves are wet enough to actively grow. Most speleothems inside Carlsbad Cavern would have been much more active during the last ice age-up to around 10,000 years ago, but are now mostly inactive. This panorama was stitched from 6 overlapping photos.
    1404NM-5163-68pan_Carlsbad-Caverns-N...jpg
  • Sharp stalactites, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, in the Guadalupe Mountains, Chihuahuan Desert, southeast New Mexico, USA. Hike in on your own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the visitor center. Geology: 4 to 6 million years ago, an acid bath in the water table slowly dissolved the underground rooms of Carlsbad Caverns, which then drained along with the uplift of the Guadalupe Mountains. The Guadalupe Mountains are the uplifted part of the ancient Capitan Reef which thrived along the edge of an inland sea more than 250 million years ago during Permian time. Carlsbad Caverns National Park protects part of the Capitan Reef, one of the best-preserved, exposed Permian-age fossil reefs in the world. The park's magnificent speleothems (cave formations) are due to rain and snowmelt soaking through soil and limestone rock, dripping into a cave, evaporating and depositing dissolved minerals. Drip-by-drip, over the past million years or so, Carlsbad Cavern has slowly been decorating itself. The slowest drips tend to stay on the ceiling (as stalactites, soda straws, draperies, ribbons or curtains). The faster drips are more likely to decorate the floor (with stalagmites, totem poles, flowstone, rim stone dams, lily pads, shelves, and cave pools). Today, due to the dry desert climate, few speleothems inside any Guadalupe Mountains caves are wet enough to actively grow. Most speleothems inside Carlsbad Cavern would have been much more active during the last ice age-up to around 10,000 years ago, but are now mostly inactive.
    1404NM-5132_Carlsbad-Caverns-NP.jpg
  • Large columns, in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, in the Guadalupe Mountains, Chihuahuan Desert, southeast New Mexico, USA. Hike in on your own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the visitor center. Geology: 4 to 6 million years ago, an acid bath in the water table slowly dissolved the underground rooms of Carlsbad Caverns, which then drained along with the uplift of the Guadalupe Mountains. The Guadalupe Mountains are the uplifted part of the ancient Capitan Reef which thrived along the edge of an inland sea more than 250 million years ago during Permian time. Carlsbad Caverns National Park protects part of the Capitan Reef, one of the best-preserved, exposed Permian-age fossil reefs in the world. The park's magnificent speleothems (cave formations) are due to rain and snowmelt soaking through soil and limestone rock, dripping into a cave, evaporating and depositing dissolved minerals. Drip-by-drip, over the past million years or so, Carlsbad Cavern has slowly been decorating itself. The slowest drips tend to stay on the ceiling (as stalactites, soda straws, draperies, ribbons or curtains). The faster drips are more likely to decorate the floor (with stalagmites, totem poles, flowstone, rim stone dams, lily pads, shelves, and cave pools). Today, due to the dry desert climate, few speleothems inside any Guadalupe Mountains caves are wet enough to actively grow. Most speleothems inside Carlsbad Cavern would have been much more active during the last ice age-up to around 10,000 years ago, but are now mostly inactive.
    1404NM-5119_Carlsbad-Caverns-NP.jpg
  • Large columns, in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, in the Guadalupe Mountains, Chihuahuan Desert, southeast New Mexico, USA. Hike in on your own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the visitor center. Geology: 4 to 6 million years ago, an acid bath in the water table slowly dissolved the underground rooms of Carlsbad Caverns, which then drained along with the uplift of the Guadalupe Mountains. The Guadalupe Mountains are the uplifted part of the ancient Capitan Reef which thrived along the edge of an inland sea more than 250 million years ago during Permian time. Carlsbad Caverns National Park protects part of the Capitan Reef, one of the best-preserved, exposed Permian-age fossil reefs in the world. The park's magnificent speleothems (cave formations) are due to rain and snowmelt soaking through soil and limestone rock, dripping into a cave, evaporating and depositing dissolved minerals. Drip-by-drip, over the past million years or so, Carlsbad Cavern has slowly been decorating itself. The slowest drips tend to stay on the ceiling (as stalactites, soda straws, draperies, ribbons or curtains). The faster drips are more likely to decorate the floor (with stalagmites, totem poles, flowstone, rim stone dams, lily pads, shelves, and cave pools). Today, due to the dry desert climate, few speleothems inside any Guadalupe Mountains caves are wet enough to actively grow. Most speleothems inside Carlsbad Cavern would have been much more active during the last ice age-up to around 10,000 years ago, but are now mostly inactive.
    1404NM-5110_Carlsbad-Caverns-NP.jpg
  • Mist is backlit by the Natural Entrance of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, in the Chihuahuan Desert, southeast New Mexico, USA. Hike in on your own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the Carlsbad Caverns National Park visitor center. Geology: 4 to 6 million years ago, an acid bath in the water table slowly dissolved the underground rooms of Carlsbad Caverns, which then drained along with the uplift of the Guadalupe Mountains. The Guadalupe Mountains are the uplifted part of the ancient Capitan Reef which thrived along the edge of an inland sea more than 250 million years ago during Permian time. Carlsbad Caverns National Park protects part of the Capitan Reef, one of the best-preserved, exposed Permian-age fossil reefs in the world. The park's magnificent speleothems (cave formations) are due to rain and snowmelt soaking through soil and limestone rock, dripping into a cave, evaporating and depositing dissolved minerals. Drip-by-drip, over the past million years or so, Carlsbad Cavern has slowly been decorating itself. The slowest drips tend to stay on the ceiling (as stalactites, soda straws, draperies, ribbons or curtains). The faster drips are more likely to decorate the floor (with stalagmites, totem poles, flowstone, rim stone dams, lily pads, shelves, and cave pools). Today, due to the dry desert climate, few speleothems inside any Guadalupe Mountains caves are wet enough to actively grow. Most speleothems inside Carlsbad Cavern would have been much more active during the last ice age-up to around 10,000 years ago, but are now mostly inactive.
    1404NM-5019_Carlsbad-Caverns-NP.jpg
  • Abstract white ceiling pattern marbled with yellow in Caverns of Sonora, Sutton County, Texas, USA. The world-class Caverns of Sonora have a stunning and sparkling array of speleothems (helictites, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, coral trees, and other calcite crystal formations). National Speleological Society co-founder, Bill Stephenson said, after seeing it for the first time, "The beauty of Caverns of Sonora cannot be exaggerated...not even by a Texan!" Geologically, the cave formed between 1.5 to 5 million years ago within 100-million-year-old (Cretaceous) Segovia limestone, of the Edward limestone group. A fault allowed gases to rise up to mix with aquifer water, making acid which dissolved the limestone, leaving the cave. Between 1 and 3 million years ago, the water drained from the cave, after which speleothems begain forming. It is one of the most active caves in the world, with over 95% of its formations still growing. Sonora Caves are on Interstate 10, about half-way between Big Bend National Park and San Antonio, Texas.
    1403TX-439_Caverns-of-Sonora_Texas.jpg
  • Abstract white ceiling pattern marbled with yellow in Caverns of Sonora, Sutton County, Texas, USA. The world-class Caverns of Sonora have a stunning and sparkling array of speleothems (helictites, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, coral trees, and other calcite crystal formations). National Speleological Society co-founder, Bill Stephenson said, after seeing it for the first time, "The beauty of Caverns of Sonora cannot be exaggerated...not even by a Texan!" Geologically, the cave formed between 1.5 to 5 million years ago within 100-million-year-old (Cretaceous) Segovia limestone, of the Edward limestone group. A fault allowed gases to rise up to mix with aquifer water, making acid which dissolved the limestone, leaving the cave. Between 1 and 3 million years ago, the water drained from the cave, after which speleothems begain forming. It is one of the most active caves in the world, with over 95% of its formations still growing. Sonora Caves are on Interstate 10, about half-way between Big Bend National Park and San Antonio, Texas.
    1403TX-438_Caverns-of-Sonora_Texas.jpg
  • A sharp tooth shape appears in a rocky mouth of Caverns of Sonora, Sutton County, Texas, USA. The world-class Caverns of Sonora have a stunning and sparkling array of speleothems (helictites, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, coral trees, and other calcite crystal formations). National Speleological Society co-founder, Bill Stephenson said, after seeing it for the first time, "The beauty of Caverns of Sonora cannot be exaggerated...not even by a Texan!" Geologically, the cave formed between 1.5 to 5 million years ago within 100-million-year-old (Cretaceous) Segovia limestone, of the Edward limestone group. A fault allowed gases to rise up to mix with aquifer water, making acid which dissolved the limestone, leaving the cave. Between 1 and 3 million years ago, the water drained from the cave, after which speleothems begain forming. It is one of the most active caves in the world, with over 95% of its formations still growing. Sonora Caves are on Interstate 10, about half-way between Big Bend National Park and San Antonio, Texas.
    1403TX-435_Caverns-of-Sonora_Texas.jpg
  • Puff-ball speleothem panorama in Caverns of Sonora, Sutton County, Texas, USA. The world-class Caverns of Sonora have a stunning and sparkling array of speleothems (helictites, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, coral trees, and other calcite crystal formations). National Speleological Society co-founder, Bill Stephenson said, after seeing it for the first time, "The beauty of Caverns of Sonora cannot be exaggerated...not even by a Texan!" Geologically, the cave formed between 1.5 to 5 million years ago within 100-million-year-old (Cretaceous) Segovia limestone, of the Edward limestone group. A fault allowed gases to rise up to mix with aquifer water, making acid which dissolved the limestone, leaving the cave. Between 1 and 3 million years ago, the water drained from the cave, after which speleothems begain forming. It is one of the most active caves in the world, with over 95% of its formations still growing. Sonora Caves are on Interstate 10, about half-way between Big Bend National Park and San Antonio, Texas. This panorama was stitched from 6 overlapping photos.
    1403TX-385-90pan_Caverns-of-Sonora_T...jpg
  • Halo Lake panorama, Caverns of Sonora, Sutton County, Texas, USA. The world-class Caverns of Sonora have a stunning and sparkling array of speleothems (helictites, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, coral trees, and other calcite crystal formations). National Speleological Society co-founder, Bill Stephenson said, after seeing it for the first time, "The beauty of Caverns of Sonora cannot be exaggerated...not even by a Texan!" Geologically, the cave formed between 1.5 to 5 million years ago within 100-million-year-old (Cretaceous) Segovia limestone, of the Edward limestone group. A fault allowed gases to rise up to mix with aquifer water, making acid which dissolved the limestone, leaving the cave. Between 1 and 3 million years ago, the water drained from the cave, after which speleothems begain forming. It is one of the most active caves in the world, with over 95% of its formations still growing. Sonora Caves are on Interstate 10, about half-way between Big Bend National Park and San Antonio, Texas. This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1403TX-364-366pan_Caverns-of-Sonora_...jpg
  • Fantastic shapes and patterns adorn Caverns of Sonora, Sutton County, Texas, USA. The world-class Caverns of Sonora have a stunning and sparkling array of speleothems (helictites, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, coral trees, and other calcite crystal formations). National Speleological Society co-founder, Bill Stephenson said, after seeing it for the first time, "The beauty of Caverns of Sonora cannot be exaggerated...not even by a Texan!" Geologically, the cave formed between 1.5 to 5 million years ago within 100-million-year-old (Cretaceous) Segovia limestone, of the Edward limestone group. A fault allowed gases to rise up to mix with aquifer water, making acid which dissolved the limestone, leaving the cave. Between 1 and 3 million years ago, the water drained from the cave, after which speleothems begain forming. It is one of the most active caves in the world, with over 95% of its formations still growing. Sonora Caves are on Interstate 10, about half-way between Big Bend National Park and San Antonio, Texas.
    1403TX-306_Caverns-of-Sonora_Texas.jpg
  • People explore pathways in Caverns of Sonora, Sutton County, Texas, USA. The world-class Caverns of Sonora have a stunning and sparkling array of speleothems (helictites, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, coral trees, and other calcite crystal formations). National Speleological Society co-founder, Bill Stephenson said, after seeing it for the first time, "The beauty of Caverns of Sonora cannot be exaggerated...not even by a Texan!" Geologically, the cave formed between 1.5 to 5 million years ago within 100-million-year-old (Cretaceous) Segovia limestone, of the Edward limestone group. A fault allowed gases to rise up to mix with aquifer water, making acid which dissolved the limestone, leaving the cave. Between 1 and 3 million years ago, the water drained from the cave, after which speleothems begain forming. It is one of the most active caves in the world, with over 95% of its formations still growing. Sonora Caves are on Interstate 10, about half-way between Big Bend National Park and San Antonio, Texas.
    1403TX-257_Caverns-of-Sonora_Texas.jpg
  • Boulders erode and split from the top of Enchanted Rock. Explore a large pink granite dome at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, between Fredericksburg and Llano, Texas, USA. Enchanted Rock is a fascinating exfoliation dome (with layers like an onion), rising 425 feet (130 m) above its surroundings to elevation of 1825 feet (556 m) above sea level, in the Llano Uplift. Geologically, the exposed rock (monadnock or inselberg, "island mountain") is part of a pluton (bubble of rock slowly crystallized from magma) within the billion-year-old igneous batholith, Town Mountain Granite (covering 62 square miles mostly underground), which intruded from a deep pool of hot magma 7 miles upwards into the older metamorphic Packsaddle Schist. The overlying sedimentary rock (Cretaceous Edwards limestone) eroded away to expose the prominent domes seen today: Enchanted Rock, Little Rock, Turkey Peak, Freshman Mountain, and Buzzard's Roost.
    1403TX-175_Enchanted-Rock_Texas.jpg
  • Explore a large pink granite dome at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, between Fredericksburg and Llano, Texas, USA. Enchanted Rock is a fascinating exfoliation dome (with layers like an onion), rising 425 feet (130 m) above its surroundings to elevation of 1825 feet (556 m) above sea level, in the Llano Uplift. Geologically, the exposed rock (monadnock or inselberg, "island mountain") is part of a pluton (bubble of rock slowly crystallized from magma) within the billion-year-old igneous batholith, Town Mountain Granite (covering 62 square miles mostly underground), which intruded from a deep pool of hot magma 7 miles upwards into the older metamorphic Packsaddle Schist. The overlying sedimentary rock (Cretaceous Edwards limestone) eroded away to expose the prominent domes seen today: Enchanted Rock, Little Rock, Turkey Peak, Freshman Mountain, and Buzzard's Roost. This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1403TX-132-134pan_Enchanted-Rock_Tex...jpg
  • Branches cast shadows on a dirt road/trail at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Fredericksburg, Texas, USA.
    1403TX-123_Enchanted-Rock_Texas.jpg
  • Tall tree in Slot Canyon. See fantastic hoodoos and a great slot canyon in Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, in New Mexico, USA. Hike the easy Cave Loop Trail plus Slot Canyon Trail side trip (3 miles round trip), 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, on the Pajarito Plateau. Distinctive cone-shaped caprocks protect soft pumice and tuff beneath. Geologically, the Tent Rocks are made of Peralta Tuff, formed from volcanic ash, pumice, and pyroclastic debris deposited over 1000 feet thick from the Jemez Volcanic Field, 7 million years ago. Kasha-Katuwe means "white cliffs" in the Pueblo language Keresan.
    1403NM-1192_Kasha-Katuwe_Tent-Rocks-...jpg
  • Slot Canyon Trail. See fantastic hoodoos and a great slot canyon in Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, in New Mexico, USA. Hike the easy Cave Loop Trail plus Slot Canyon Trail side trip (3 miles round trip), 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, on the Pajarito Plateau. Distinctive cone-shaped caprocks protect soft pumice and tuff beneath. Geologically, the Tent Rocks are made of Peralta Tuff, formed from volcanic ash, pumice, and pyroclastic debris deposited over 1000 feet thick from the Jemez Volcanic Field, 7 million years ago. Kasha-Katuwe means "white cliffs" in the Pueblo language Keresan. This panorama was stitched from 7 overlapping photos.
    1403NM-1174-80pan_Kasha-Katuwe_Tent-...jpg
  • See fantastic hoodoos and a great slot canyon in Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, in New Mexico, USA. Hike the easy Cave Loop Trail plus Slot Canyon Trail side trip (3 miles round trip), 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, on the Pajarito Plateau. Distinctive cone-shaped caprocks protect soft pumice and tuff beneath. Geologically, the Tent Rocks are made of Peralta Tuff, formed from volcanic ash, pumice, and pyroclastic debris deposited over 1000 feet thick from the Jemez Volcanic Field, 7 million years ago. Kasha-Katuwe means "white cliffs" in the Pueblo language Keresan.
    1403NM-1147_Kasha-Katuwe_Tent-Rocks-...jpg
  • Hoodoos. See fantastic hoodoos and a great slot canyon in Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, in New Mexico, USA. Hike the easy Cave Loop Trail plus Slot Canyon Trail side trip (3 miles round trip), 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, on the Pajarito Plateau. Distinctive cone-shaped caprocks protect soft pumice and tuff beneath. Geologically, the Tent Rocks are made of Peralta Tuff, formed from volcanic ash, pumice, and pyroclastic debris deposited over 1000 feet thick from the Jemez Volcanic Field, 7 million years ago. Kasha-Katuwe means "white cliffs" in the Pueblo language Keresan.
    1403NM-1102_Kasha-Katuwe_Tent-Rocks-...jpg
  • Slot Canyon Trail. See fantastic hoodoos and a great slot canyon in Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, in New Mexico, USA. Hike the easy Cave Loop Trail plus Slot Canyon Trail side trip (3 miles round trip), 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, on the Pajarito Plateau. Distinctive cone-shaped caprocks protect soft pumice and tuff beneath. Geologically, the Tent Rocks are made of Peralta Tuff, formed from volcanic ash, pumice, and pyroclastic debris deposited over 1000 feet thick from the Jemez Volcanic Field, 7 million years ago. Kasha-Katuwe means "white cliffs" in the Pueblo language Keresan. This panorama was stitched from 5 overlapping photos.
    1403NM-1081-85pan_Kasha-Katuwe_Tent-...jpg
  • Hoodoos. See fantastic hoodoos and a great slot canyon in Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, in New Mexico, USA. Hike the easy Cave Loop Trail plus Slot Canyon Trail side trip (3 miles round trip), 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, on the Pajarito Plateau. Distinctive cone-shaped caprocks protect soft pumice and tuff beneath. Geologically, the Tent Rocks are made of Peralta Tuff, formed from volcanic ash, pumice, and pyroclastic debris deposited over 1000 feet thick from the Jemez Volcanic Field, 7 million years ago. Kasha-Katuwe means "white cliffs" in the Pueblo language Keresan.
    1403NM-0996_Kasha-Katuwe_Tent-Rocks-...jpg
  • Slot Canyon Trail. See fantastic hoodoos and a great slot canyon in Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, in New Mexico, USA. Hike the easy Cave Loop Trail plus Slot Canyon Trail side trip (3 miles round trip), 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, on the Pajarito Plateau. Distinctive cone-shaped caprocks protect soft pumice and tuff beneath. Geologically, the Tent Rocks are made of Peralta Tuff, formed from volcanic ash, pumice, and pyroclastic debris deposited over 1000 feet thick from the Jemez Volcanic Field, 7 million years ago. Kasha-Katuwe means "white cliffs" in the Pueblo language Keresan. This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1403NM-0899-901pan_Kasha-Katuwe_Tent...jpg
  • Slot Canyon Trail. See fantastic hoodoos and a great slot canyon in Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, in New Mexico, USA. Hike the easy Cave Loop Trail plus Slot Canyon Trail side trip (3 miles round trip), 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, on the Pajarito Plateau. Distinctive cone-shaped caprocks protect soft pumice and tuff beneath. Geologically, the Tent Rocks are made of Peralta Tuff, formed from volcanic ash, pumice, and pyroclastic debris deposited over 1000 feet thick from the Jemez Volcanic Field, 7 million years ago. Kasha-Katuwe means "white cliffs" in the Pueblo language Keresan. This panorama was stitched from 4 overlapping photos.
    1403NM-0881-884pan_Kasha-Katuwe_Tent...jpg
  • Petroglyphs above Una Vida, in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico, USA. Una Vida is a Chacoan great house (monumental public building) with 100 rooms and kivas plus a great kiva enclosed in a plaza, built starting around AD 850 for over 250 years. Chaco Culture National Historical Park hosts the densest and most exceptional concentration of pueblos in the American Southwest and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chaco Canyon is in remote northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington, USA. From 850 AD to 1250 AD, Chaco Canyon advanced then declined as a major center of culture for the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Chacoans quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from great distances, assembling fifteen major complexes that remained the largest buildings in North America until the 1800s. Climate change may have led to its abandonment, beginning with a 50-year drought starting in 1130.
    1403NM-0724_petroglyphs_Chaco-Cultur...jpg
  • Ancient timbers in stone kiva. Casa Rinconada, occupied about AD 1140-1200, is an isolated great kiva (out of four in Chaco Canyon), built 63 feet (19 m) in diameter with a circular inner bench, masonry firebox, masonry vaults, 34 niches, four large pits for seating roof supports, plus an unusual 39-foot (12 m) passage dug underground through sandstone and shale. Chaco Culture National Historical Park hosts the densest and most exceptional concentration of pueblos in the American Southwest and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chaco Canyon is in remote northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington, USA. From 850 AD to 1250 AD, Chaco Canyon advanced then declined as a major center of culture for the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Chacoans quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from great distances, assembling fifteen major complexes that remained the largest buildings in North America until the 1800s. Climate change may have led to its abandonment, beginning with a 50-year drought starting in 1130.
    1403NM-0699_Casa-Rinconada_Chaco.jpg
  • Casa Rinconada, occupied about AD 1140-1200, is an isolated great kiva (out of four in Chaco Canyon), built 63 feet (19 m) in diameter with a circular inner bench, masonry firebox, masonry vaults, 34 niches, four large pits for seating roof supports, plus an unusual 39-foot (12 m) passage dug underground through sandstone and shale. Chaco Culture National Historical Park hosts the densest and most exceptional concentration of pueblos in the American Southwest and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chaco Canyon is in remote northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington, USA. From 850 AD to 1250 AD, Chaco Canyon advanced then declined as a major center of culture for the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Chacoans quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from great distances, assembling fifteen major complexes that remained the largest buildings in North America until the 1800s. Climate change may have led to its abandonment, beginning with a 50-year drought starting in 1130. This panorama was stitched from 5 overlapping photos.
    1403NM-0692-698pan_Casa-Rinconada_Ch...jpg
  • T-shaped passage into ancient stone kiva. Casa Rinconada, occupied about AD 1140-1200, is an isolated great kiva (out of four in Chaco Canyon), built 63 feet (19 m) in diameter with a circular inner bench, masonry firebox, masonry vaults, 34 niches, four large pits for seating roof supports, plus an unusual 39-foot (12 m) passage dug underground through sandstone and shale. Chaco Culture National Historical Park hosts the densest and most exceptional concentration of pueblos in the American Southwest and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chaco Canyon is in remote northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington, USA. From 850 AD to 1250 AD, Chaco Canyon advanced then declined as a major center of culture for the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Chacoans quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from great distances, assembling fifteen major complexes that remained the largest buildings in North America until the 1800s. Climate change may have led to its abandonment, beginning with a 50-year drought starting in 1130.
    1403NM-0690_Casa-Rinconada_Chaco.jpg
  • The fun Pueblo Alto Trail overlooks Pueblo Bonito, a monumental public building (Puebloan Great House) occupied from around 828 to 1126 AD, now preserved at Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico, USA. The huge D-shaped complex of Pueblo Bonito enclosed two plazas with dozens of ceremonial kivas, plus 600 rooms towering 4 and 5 stories above the valley floor. The functions of this building included ceremony, administration, trading, storage, hospitality, communications, astronomy, and burial, but few living quarters. Chaco Culture NHP hosts the densest and most exceptional concentration of pueblos in the American Southwest and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in remote northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington. From 850 AD to 1250 AD, Chaco Canyon advanced then declined as a major center of culture for the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Chacoans quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from great distances, assembling fifteen major complexes that remained the largest buildings in North America until the 1800s. Climate change may have led to its abandonment, beginning with a 50-year drought starting in 1130. This panorama was stitched from 2 overlapping photos.
    1403NM-0412-413pan_Pueblo-Bonito_Cha...jpg
  • The fun Pueblo Alto Trail overlooks Pueblo Bonito, a monumental public building (Puebloan Great House) occupied from around 828 to 1126 AD, now preserved at Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico, USA. The huge D-shaped complex of Pueblo Bonito enclosed two plazas with dozens of ceremonial kivas, plus 600 rooms towering 4 and 5 stories above the valley floor. The functions of this building included ceremony, administration, trading, storage, hospitality, communications, astronomy, and burial, but few living quarters. Chaco Culture NHP hosts the densest and most exceptional concentration of pueblos in the American Southwest and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in remote northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington. From 850 AD to 1250 AD, Chaco Canyon advanced then declined as a major center of culture for the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Chacoans quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from great distances, assembling fifteen major complexes that remained the largest buildings in North America until the 1800s. Climate change may have led to its abandonment, beginning with a 50-year drought starting in 1130. This panorama was stitched from 4 overlapping photos.
    1403NM-0373-376pan_Pueblo-Bonito_Cha...jpg
  • Kin Kletso Great House was built around 1120-1130 AD (based on tree-ring dates) with 65 rooms and five kivas, but was abandoned by the 1150s AD. Chaco Culture National Historical Park hosts the densest and most exceptional concentration of pueblos in the American Southwest and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chaco Canyon is in remote northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington, USA. From 850 AD to 1250 AD, Chaco Canyon advanced then declined as a major center of culture for the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Chacoans quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from great distances, assembling fifteen major complexes that remained the largest buildings in North America until the 1800s. Climate change may have led to its abandonment, beginning with a 50-year drought starting in 1130. This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1403NM-0354-356pan_Kin-Kletso_Chaco-...jpg
  • Walk inside Pueblo Bonito, a monumental public building (Puebloan Great House) occupied from around 828 to 1126 AD, now preserved at Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico, USA. The huge D-shaped complex of Pueblo Bonito enclosed two plazas with dozens of ceremonial kivas, plus 600 rooms towering 4 and 5 stories above the valley floor. The functions of this building included ceremony, administration, trading, storage, hospitality, communications, astronomy, and burial, but few living quarters. Chaco Culture NHP hosts the densest and most exceptional concentration of pueblos in the American Southwest and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in remote northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington. From 850 AD to 1250 AD, Chaco Canyon advanced then declined as a major center of culture for the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Chacoans quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from great distances, assembling fifteen major complexes that remained the largest buildings in North America until the 1800s. Climate change may have led to its abandonment, beginning with a 50-year drought starting in 1130. This panorama was stitched from 4 overlapping photos.
    1403NM-0304-307pan_Pueblo-Bonito_Cha...jpg
  • Four doorways connect rooms at Pueblo Bonito, 828-1126 AD Great House, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico, USA. Pueblo Bonito is a monumental public building (Puebloan Great House) occupied from around 828 to 1126 AD, still standing in Chaco Canyon. The huge D-shaped complex of Pueblo Bonito enclosed two plazas with dozens of ceremonial kivas, plus 600 rooms towering 4 and 5 stories above the valley floor. The functions of this building included ceremony, administration, trading, storage, hospitality, communications, astronomy, and burial, but few living quarters. Chaco Culture NHP hosts the densest and most exceptional concentration of pueblos in the American Southwest and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in remote northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington. From 850 AD to 1250 AD, Chaco Canyon advanced then declined as a major center of culture for the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Chacoans quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from great distances, assembling fifteen major complexes that remained the largest buildings in North America until the 1800s. Climate change may have led to its abandonment, beginning with a 50-year drought starting in 1130. Two images were combined (stitched) to increase depth of focus from near to far doorways.
    1403NM-0294-295stitch_Pueblo-Bonito_...jpg
  • Kivas for Puebloan religious rituals. Chetro Ketl was a massive stone building (Puebloan Great House) occupied from 950-1250s AD, now preserved at Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico, USA. This park hosts the densest and most exceptional concentration of pueblos in the American Southwest and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chaco Canyon is in remote northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington, USA. From 850 AD to 1250 AD, Chaco Canyon advanced then declined as a major center of culture for the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Chacoans quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from great distances, assembling fifteen major complexes that remained the largest buildings in North America until the 1800s. Climate change may have led to its abandonment, beginning with a 50-year drought starting in 1130. This panorama was stitched from 7 overlapping photos.
    1403NM-0169-175pan_Chetro-Ketl_Chaco...jpg
  • Eroded badlands of Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, south of Farmington, in San Juan County, New Mexico, USA. This fantasy world of strange rock formations is made of interbedded sandstone, shale, mudstone, coal, and silt. These rock layers have weathered into eerie hoodoos (pinnacles, spires, and cap rocks). This was once a riverine delta west of an ancient sea, the Western Interior Seaway, which covered much of New Mexico 70 million years ago. Swamps built up organic material which became beds of lignite. Water disappeared and left behind a 1400-foot (430 m) layer of jumbled sandstone, mudstone, shale, and coal. The ancient sedimentary deposits were uplifted with the rest of the Colorado Plateau, starting about 25 million years ago. Waters of the last ice age eroded the hoodoos now visible. The high desert widerness of Bisti is managed by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
    1403NM-0096_Bisti_De-Na-Zin-Wilderne...jpg
  • Eroded badlands of Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, south of Farmington, in San Juan County, New Mexico, USA. This fantasy world of strange rock formations is made of interbedded sandstone, shale, mudstone, coal, and silt. These rock layers have weathered into eerie hoodoos (pinnacles, spires, and cap rocks). This was once a riverine delta west of an ancient sea, the Western Interior Seaway, which covered much of New Mexico 70 million years ago. Swamps built up organic material which became beds of lignite. Water disappeared and left behind a 1400-foot (430 m) layer of jumbled sandstone, mudstone, shale, and coal. The ancient sedimentary deposits were uplifted with the rest of the Colorado Plateau, starting about 25 million years ago. Waters of the last ice age eroded the hoodoos now visible. The high desert widerness of Bisti is managed by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1403NM-0064-66pan_Bisti_De-Na-Zin-Wi...jpg
  • Hike Negro Bill Canyon to Morning Glory Bridge, on BLM federal land near Moab, Utah, USA. The Navajo Sandstone of Morning Glory Natural Bridge spans 243 feet, making it the sixth largest rock span in the United States. This panorama was stitched from 7 overlapping photos.
    1403UT-402-08pan_Morning-Glory-Bridg...jpg
  • Corona Arch Trail is spectacular, on BLM federal land near Moab, Utah, USA. Hike 3 miles round trip up Bootlegger Canyon to the half-freestanding Corona Arch, also called Little Rainbow Bridge, which has an impressive opening of 140 feet wide by 105 feet high. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior that administers American public lands. This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1403UT-286-88pan_Corona-Arch.jpg
  • The sun backlights Corona Arch, on BLM federal land near Moab, Utah, USA. Hike 3 miles round trip up Bootlegger Canyon to the half-freestanding Corona Arch, also called Little Rainbow Bridge, which has an impressive opening of 140 feet wide by 105 feet high. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior that administers American public lands.
    1403UT-256_Corona-Arch.jpg
  • Bowtie Arch, along Corona Arch Trail, on BLM federal land near Moab, Utah, USA. Hike 3 miles round trip up Bootlegger Canyon to Bowtie Arch and adjacent Corona Arch. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior that administers American public lands.
    1403UT-253.jpg
  • Corona Arch Trail, on BLM federal land near Moab, Utah, USA. Hike 3 miles round trip up Bootlegger Canyon to the half-freestanding Corona Arch, also called Little Rainbow Bridge, which has an impressive opening of 140 feet wide by 105 feet high. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior that administers American public lands.
    1403UT-248_Corona-Arch.jpg
  • Partition Arch, Devils Garden Trail, Arches National Park, near Moab, Utah, USA. A thick underground salt bed underlies the creation of the park's many arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths. Some 300 million years ago, a sea flowed into the area and eventually evaporated to create the salt bed up to thousands of feet thick. Over millions of years, the salt bed was covered with debris eroded from the Uncompahgre Uplift to the northeast. During the Early Jurassic (about 210 million years ago) desert conditions deposited the vast Navajo Sandstone. On top of that, about 140 million years ago, the Entrada Sandstone was deposited from stream and windblown sediments. Later, over 5000 feet (1500 m) of younger sediments were deposited and then mostly worn away, leaving the park's arches eroded mostly within the Entrada formation.
    1403UT-194_Partition-Arch_Utah.jpg
  • Partition Arch, Devils Garden Trail, Arches National Park, near Moab, Utah, USA. A thick underground salt bed underlies the creation of the park's many arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths. Some 300 million years ago, a sea flowed into the area and eventually evaporated to create the salt bed up to thousands of feet thick. Over millions of years, the salt bed was covered with debris eroded from the Uncompahgre Uplift to the northeast. During the Early Jurassic (about 210 million years ago) desert conditions deposited the vast Navajo Sandstone. On top of that, about 140 million years ago, the Entrada Sandstone was deposited from stream and windblown sediments. Later, over 5000 feet (1500 m) of younger sediments were deposited and then mostly worn away, leaving the park's arches eroded mostly within the Entrada formation.
    1403UT-193_Partition-Arch_Utah.jpg
  • Partition Arch hikers, Devils Garden Trail, Arches National Park, near Moab, Utah, USA. A thick underground salt bed underlies the creation of the park's many arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths. Some 300 million years ago, a sea flowed into the area and eventually evaporated to create the salt bed up to thousands of feet thick. Over millions of years, the salt bed was covered with debris eroded from the Uncompahgre Uplift to the northeast. During the Early Jurassic (about 210 million years ago) desert conditions deposited the vast Navajo Sandstone. On top of that, about 140 million years ago, the Entrada Sandstone was deposited from stream and windblown sediments. Later, over 5000 feet (1500 m) of younger sediments were deposited and then mostly worn away, leaving the park's arches eroded mostly within the Entrada formation. This panorama was stitched from 2 overlapping photos.
    1403UT-169-170pan_Partition-Arch_Uta...jpg
  • Landscape Arch, on Devils Garden Trail, Arches National Park, near Moab, Utah, USA. A thick underground salt bed underlies the creation of the park's many arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths. Some 300 million years ago, a sea flowed into the area and eventually evaporated to create the salt bed up to thousands of feet thick. Over millions of years, the salt bed was covered with debris eroded from the Uncompahgre Uplift to the northeast. During the Early Jurassic (about 210 million years ago) desert conditions deposited the vast Navajo Sandstone. On top of that, about 140 million years ago, the Entrada Sandstone was deposited from stream and windblown sediments. Later, over 5000 feet (1500 m) of younger sediments were deposited and then mostly worn away, leaving the park's arches eroded mostly within the Entrada formation. This panorama was stitched from 6 overlapping photos.
    1403UT-162-167pan_Landscape-Arch_Uta...jpg
Prev Next
View: 100 | All
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Portfolio of Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com

  • Portfolio
  • BLOG | PhotoSeek HOME
  • ALL IMAGES + captions
    • Worldwide favorites
    • ALL GALLERIES
    • CART
    • Lightbox
  • SEARCH
  • ABOUT
  • How to buy my images
  • Camera reviews + sales