Sand Hollow

Sand Hollow State Park in Southern Utah was a wonderful accidental find. On the drive toward California from Monument Valley, we needed a nice place to rest for the night and found it in a google search.  It ended up being one of our favorite spots of the trip.  It didn't hurt that it was beautiful and warm with a crisp blue sky.  

Desert Drive

On our recent road trip across the west, we had some long days on the road between locations.  Driving through southern Utah and northern Arizona we were pressed to keep on schedule, but still took some time for shooting on the drive between Monument Valley and Sand Hollow Park.

Red Rock Park

One of our favorite accidental discoveries was Red Rock Park in Gallup NM.  After an aborted attempt to camp at another park that left a lot to be desired, Sarah's keen eye caught a sign for Red Rock from the highway.  The folks running the park were friendly and full of stories and the setting among the, you guessed it, red rocks was spectacular.

Mauna Kea Observatories On An Empty Tank

If you've never driven up to the observatories on the top of Hawaii's Mount Mauna Kea, I suggest you do so.  The 4,200 meter (13,800 feet) high summit of Mauna Kea houses the world's largest observatory for optical, infrared, and submillimeter astronomy. 

If you do decide to make the drive, I have two pieces of advice for you.  First, even if you are wearing shorts and t-shirts because the weather at the beach is so warm, once you reach the summit at nearly 14,000 feet, it is a hell of a lot colder.  I'm not saying you need to take a coat on your Hawaiian vacation... actually that is what I'm saying.  Second, make sure you have a full tank of gas before starting your drive.  I was making the trip with my assistant in our rental Jeep Wrangler.  I had nearly 3/4 of a tank of gas when we started the journey so I was not at all worried.  By the time we reached the summit, the tank was nearly empty.  I wasn't sure if AAA works on island mountain tops and I didn't want to find out.  Luckily, there was a mountain to come down, so gravity was on my side.  Once  I got the car going a few miles an hour, I killed the engine and put it in neutral.  Then I just coasted down the mountain with my foot on the brake.  When I finally rolled into a gas station, the jeep was on fumes.  Was it worth risk? Of course! But next time, I'll fill up first.

The Desert Is Not Entirely Deserted

Thes are some images from a trip to the desert of New Mexico.  I went there on assignment and was looking for scenes showing the spatial relationships between the natural world and humans, or things that are man-made.  There ended up being a wealth of subjects to shoot.  These are a few of my favorites.  Let me know what you think.