Friday, September 14, 2012

Joshua Tree, the West Entrance

We usually go into Joshua Tree National Park via the east entrance (from 29 Palms), but in my opinion, the west entrance (through the town of Joshua Tree) is more scenic. It's at higher elevation, and you immediately see the otherworldly Joshua Trees and boulder formations. That's the route we took last weekend. It was a good weekend for photography, because we had some wonderful clouds to make things interesting.
We decided to head up to Keys View, which can be very hit or miss from a photography point of view. Sometimes the haze can be bad, but it turned out to be a good day, with clear skies and great clouds.
Looking Southwest from Keys View
Looking southeast from Keys View.
I processed this one to give it a watercolor look. What do you think?
Here's the original photo:


Linking with Skywatch Friday. Check it out to see beautiful skies! Have a great weekend, and get out there and take some photos!
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27 comments:

  1. CarlettaSeptember 14, 2012 at 7:20 PM

    Wow! I sure envy those beautiful scenes!
    Lovely photography!
    The watercolor edit - well done.

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  2. BarbSeptember 14, 2012 at 7:33 PM

    I was in the park 2 weekends back and also caught some great cloud shots. We only got as far as Hidden Valley and it took us 3 hours to get that far!! From the west entrance! That's what happens when you're with super enthusiastic camera buffs who've never been to the park before, lol.

    I particularly love the first shot from keyes view with the sun flare in it. Awesome.

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  3. Nancy JaniolaSeptember 14, 2012 at 8:13 PM

    wow, you must have a knack on photography. I love how you took most of the shots - very dramatic especially the second and the third ones.

    Thanks for visiting D'TOUR!

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  4. HeatherSeptember 14, 2012 at 8:38 PM

    Had never heard of this park, but it looks like it would be an interesting place to visit. Love the photos shared here, and like the watercolor effect you gave the one vertical pic. Thanks for visiting!

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  5. A Colorful WorldSeptember 14, 2012 at 9:07 PM

    Fantastic photos! You hit the park at just the perfect time, it appears! I love the watercolor one!

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  6. JoyfulSeptember 14, 2012 at 9:22 PM

    The photos are spectacular!

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  7. LadyD PianoSeptember 14, 2012 at 9:24 PM

    Great series of photos from an amazing place! Have a great weekend!

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  8. GattinaSeptember 15, 2012 at 12:18 AM

    Brings back memories ! We have been there in the 90th, what a beautiful park !

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  9. Karen @ Pieces of ContentmentSeptember 15, 2012 at 12:32 AM

    I think they ALL look amazing! How do you manage to catch so much sky as well as land in these???

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  10. s.cSeptember 15, 2012 at 3:25 AM

    Truly amazing pics but i prefer the photo before the watercolor effect.

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  11. NancySeptember 15, 2012 at 3:49 AM

    Just beautiful -- the watercolor effect is a fun edit. :)

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  12. AnonymousSeptember 15, 2012 at 3:56 AM

    I always love the watercolor look on photos...it softens a photo so dramatically. Although this area is fun to visit I just have to have more green in my environment...it is one of the reasons why we didn't retire in Arizona. We loved living there while my husband was stationed there and gave thought to retiring there...but at the end of his tour I was so ready to have some green landscape in my life :) Thankfully I can enjoy the beauty of the desert through your wonderful photos.

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  13. JudySeptember 15, 2012 at 5:57 AM

    Incredible scenery!! I prefer the original, rather than the watercolour, but that is such a personal choice...

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  14. ShirleySeptember 15, 2012 at 6:08 AM

    I really like the effect of the watercolour! Fabulous photos and such a gorgeous area.

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  15. LizSeptember 15, 2012 at 6:34 AM

    Wonderful shots! I love the first one. Happy sky watching.

    Skywatch

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  16. Gail DixonSeptember 15, 2012 at 8:27 AM

    Beautiful shots! The one of the sky edited is awesome, but so is the original! I'd love to go visit Joshua Tree some day.

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  17. AlSeptember 15, 2012 at 12:09 PM

    Wonderful photos - I need to make time for this park next time I'm in that part of the country.

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  18. NelliesSeptember 15, 2012 at 2:05 PM

    Wow, it must be wonderful to live so close to the desert. The colors and clouds you see in the sky are amazing! I sure don't see anything like that from my window :-).
    Have a wonderful weekend.

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  19. BarbSeptember 15, 2012 at 7:36 PM

    Cannot beat those enchanting skies - the clouds seem to tell a story.

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  20. joySeptember 15, 2012 at 9:53 PM

    Wow! Really beautiful place!

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  21. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2012 at 5:06 PM

    What an amazing series of shots, the skies are outstanding!

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  22. BetteySeptember 17, 2012 at 1:27 PM

    Amazing photos, very dramatic. Thank you for stopping by my blog. Hope to see you there again sometime :)

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  23. Sallie (FullTime-Life)September 18, 2012 at 4:22 PM

    I love these pictures so much -- we are among those who "get" Joshua Tree NP -- the stark other-worldly beauty and the gorgeous skies, you capture it all beautifully. That really was a beautiful day to be at Keye's View -- I remember that it isn't always that clear. Thank you~ Great pictures, great memories.

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  24. Red Nomad OZSeptember 18, 2012 at 10:35 PM

    A photographer is never disappointed with clouds downunder, either! There's a lot of similarity between Joshua Tree and parts of the OZ Outback so your photos really struck a chord. Especially love the watercolour!!

    Red Nomad OZ
    Amazing Australian Adventures

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  25. AnonymousSeptember 20, 2012 at 6:32 AM

    Wow - stunning shots.

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  27. TexWisGirlSeptember 21, 2012 at 1:54 PM

    just wonderful!

    ReplyDelete

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