One of the cool aspects of exploring Ten Thousand Islands in Everglades National Park is the plethora of Mangroves that are present there. The Gulf of Mexico is very shallow in the area and tides can expose large expanses of beach when they recede. Trees can thrive out in these sections as long as the top of their roots remain exposed to the air. This presents some interesting opportunities for unique subjects in photography that are not available in other locations.
Sunset Peaking through Clouds on Tiger Key
Listening to the waves roll on to the white beach and looking up through the mangroves to see the sunset happening on Tiger Key was a fabulous moment. Everglades National Park has numerous locations to get away from Florida’s crowds and just absorb nature's beauty. Ten Thousand Islands is a prime location to experience the setting sun dip below the Gulf of Mexico.
Beauty of a Crashing Wave
I sat on Tiger Key Beach and watched the evening waves crash into the sand and this stump. I was fascinated by the water drops shooting up from the waves as it hit the immovable object. The sound of the waves and the sight of the crash was so cool. Having lived my whole life in the desert southwest, I am seduced by the ocean and sauntering on the gulf coast.
Tranquil on the Beach
It was relaxing exploring Tiger Key in Everglades National Park. We spent several nights camping on the key during our kayak trip into Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands. I was heartened by many sights like the one captured here. It was wonderful to sit in the soft sand and daydream about the many different people who visited this key and saw sights similar to mine and may have felt their souls soothed as I did.
Traildog Sauntering to Fisher Towers
It was a fantastic view hiking up to Fisher Towers outside of Moab, Utah. The Fisher Towers contains layers of sedimentary rock in various shades of red-brown, red-purple, and maroon. The colors are a result of varying amounts of hematite (an iron oxide).
Mt. Wilson through the Joshua Trees
Teig and I made an excursion trip to Red Rock Canyon outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. We were thrilled we made that choice. The mountains there are exquisite with bright red and orange faces on the sheer cliffs. I was surprised to see these mountains a stones throw from Vegas. I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to get a photo of Mt. Wilson through the Joshua Trees… I do love colorful mountain faces and Joshua Trees!
Pueblo Pintado Two Story Ruins
Hidden on the Navajo Reservation in northern New Mexico is the Pueblo Pintado historical ruins. 16 miles east of Pueblo Bonito, Pueblo Pintado is the easternmost of the Chacoan great houses in the immediate Chaco Canyon area. Archaeologists call Pueblo Pintado a “Chacoan great house,” a civic and ceremonial center utilized by many surrounding communities. The structure is a massive L-shaped building, open to the SE. The building is terraced, from 3 stories on the outside corner to the single-story enclosed kivas (round, semisubterranean ceremonial chambers) on the interior corner. About 20 single-story rooms enclose the plaza and a large enclosed kiva. The entire great house contained 90 groundfloor rooms, 40 second-story rooms, and 5 third-story rooms. A hundred feet southeast of the building is a subterranean great kiva 58 feet in diameter. Most of the construction occurred at A.D. 1060-1061, during Chaco’s peak construction period, with a later reoccupation in the 1200s.
Shadows in the Bisti Badlands
We experienced this wonderful landscape exploring the Bisti Badlands on the Navajo Reservation in northwest New Mexico. The rock formations are mesmerizing and a saunter out into the wilderness can create a sensation of freedom. Teig and I love this area and the serenity it allows for us and there is a plethora to explore that you can spend a week and constantly experience a new landscape on every turn.
Rio Puerco Volcanic Necks
Cabezon Peak is one of the best-known and most visible landmarks in northwest New Mexico. This giant volcanic plug is visible for tens of miles in all directions. Cabezon means “big head” in Spanish, and it is aptly named. It is the largest of several dozen widely scattered rocky monoliths, called the Rio Puerco necks. Rising above the Rio Puerco valley floor, they are some of the best-preserved examples of volcanic necks in the world. The craggy black peaks stand in sharp contrast to the sparsely vegetated, buff-colored lowlands from which they emerge.The Jemez Mountains are visible to the north. This starkly beautiful landscape is unique in New Mexico. At an elevation of 7,786 ft, Cabezon Peak towers more than 1,100 ft above its base, and 2,000 ft above the Rio Puerco nearby.
Exploring Anasazi Nogales Cliff House Ruins
Nogales Cliff House in the Santa Fe National Forest in northern New Mexico. Our hike led us up a steep hillside to a hamlet of minimally excavated Anasazi Gallina houses as well as a series of garden terraces. The residents of this settlement must have enjoyed their rooms with a view over the Llaves Valley. Teig definitely enjoyed the hike and we had this awesome view along the long forgotten garden terraces to the larger cliff dwellings. It is so exciting to be able to explore the hidden archaeological treasures.