Desert Sunrise (gasp!) Photos

I'm totally not a morning person. I've convinced myself that sunset shots are way better than sunrise shots, and that I'm not missing anything. However, with my granddaughter being an early riser and sunrise times being so late before we "fall back", I found myself in the desert last weekend actually awake before the sun was up! I know, shocking, right? Imagine my surprise when I saw these incredible skies!!

No time to get my granddaughter properly dressed for a photo. Just a "quick, stand here" before we lose this incredible sky!

Gotta love those cowboy boots! (they were her idea). Looking closely at the photo, I'm pretty sure they were on the wrong feet!

Rusty paint can.

Wild-looking sky in the early morning! Not sure... does this qualify as a fence shot??

That's our modest little "Twin Tanks" homestead cabins, and the never ending trailer project!

View to the northwest and the town of Joshua Tree. Love those purple skies!!

My wife and granddaughter under desert skies! Maybe I need to get up early more often?

Linking with Theresa's Good Fences and Skywatch Friday.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Hunter Moon

Before I share my moon shots from earlier in the week, it occurs to me I have some unfinished business from a couple of posts ago. I asked you "what looks weird" in the photo (below)? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think anyone got the answer (or you chose to ignore the question!).

The correct answer (besides making me look way too skinny) is that my shadow is leaning into the sun! I took two photos while standing out on the highway, one into the sun and one in the opposite direction (with my long, skinny shadow). I liked them both so combined them into this composite image.

On to the Hunter Moon. First impressions were that I wouldn't be able to get any moon shots because of the thick cloud cover. But later in the evening, I noticed the moon was just visible behind the clouds.

It would disappear, only to reappear a few minutes later. The clouds were moving quickly.

Added some color saturation to this shot.

It's been a while since I've taken moon shots, so I had some fun with this!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

Malapai Hill, Joshua Tree

This is a photo of Malapai Hill in Joshua Tree National Park(a 2-image pano shot). The photo doesn't really do it justice. As you drive south along Geology Tour Road, you pass the twin peaks of Malapai Hill. The hills really stand out because the rocky material is much darker than the surrounding area. Malapai Hill is thought to be part of an ancient volcano which spewed out lava into an area of lighter-colored granite. Malapai is an Americanization of the Spanish word malpais, which translates to "bad terrain" or "badlands". 

Linking with Skywatch Friday.
Click on the link to check out great skies from around the world!
Thanks for stopping by!!

Searching for an Old Desert Mine (B&W Version)

You might recall from my last post that we were recently out in the middle of the desert searching for a mine I had read about (the Carlyle Mine complex). We never made it to the mine because the sand was too deep and soft. Even my Jeep would have gotten stuck (it nearly did prior to turning around), so we parked and had a little picnic and photo shoot. There are other ways to reach the mine which I will try in the future.

Highway 62, about 25 miles east of 29 Palms, is a really remote area. Nothing out here, and nothing nearby. Does anyone notice anything weird in the photo above? Ha, looks like I've lost a little weight, too!

Lonely desert shots. I really prefer b&w for these photos. Just a personal preference, I guess. What's your preference?? Click here for the color version.

Sand sculpture!

Old Water Tank

 

Old Desert Fence

Not much left of this old desert fence. You can see the two strands of barbed wire on the ground, and the post looks ancient. Wonder why they needed a fence here in the first place??
 

Hope you enjoyed my b&w photos!

Linking with Skywatch Friday and Theresa's Good Fences.
Thanks for stopping by!!