From Las Vegas, it was time to cover some new territory for me.  This is my first visit to Death Valley National Park. It is known for being the lowest, driest and hottest spot in North America.  Back on July 10th of 1913, Death Valley set a record for the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth at 134 degrees!  That record still stands today.  Part of the reason why it is so hot is that it is actually below sea level.  Badwater Basin, inside Death Valley National Park, is the lowest place in North America.  At this spot, the elevation is as low as 282 below sea level.  Death Valley does not receive much rainfall and it is the driest location in North America.  However, what little water does fall can collect enough that sometimes there can be some standing water in this little spot after a recent rain.  You are more likely to see water here during the winter and spring. 

There is a lot of salt deposits here in the lowest elevations of Death Valley.  One of the large salt pans with a rough texture in Death Valley is aptly named The Devil's Golf Course.  Back in 1934, a National Park Service guide book stated that "Only the devil could play golf" on its surface.   Who would want to hit a golf ball out of this!?  Those aren't rocks. They are large clumps of dirt with a crust of salt crystals.  

Devil's Golf CourseRough land formations called the Devil's Golf Course at Death Valley National Park.

As you can see there was not a cloud in the sky that afternoon in Death Valley.  It can often make for "boring" daytime pictures, particularly when the sun is high in the sky.  However, it can make for outstanding night photography to photograph a sky full of stars.  With this in mind, I thought visit the nearby ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada on that clear moonless night. There are only a few remaining structures, but one building is a rather large ruin of what was a bank.  Hard to imagine that an estimated 4,000 people lived here around 1907 during the height of the gold rush in the nearby hills.  Rhyolite disappeared about as fast as it sprung up...most of its citizens left by 1920.  

I am starting out my 13 day trip of the Desert Southwest.  The first destination is to Las Vegas.  While Las Vegas is known for its urban fun along "The Strip", there is also some scenic beauty within an hour of the city.  I joined a guided jeep tour with Las Vegas based Pink Jeep Tours that offers 6 hour trips to Valley of Fires State Park.  The first stop was to the petroglyph site at Atlatl Rock.  An atlatl (rhymes with battle) is a hunting device used for launching a spear.  The ancient Indians used these weapons and they are depicted in the petroglyphs located at Atlatl Rock.  This area has outstanding petroglyphs that should not be missed.  

Petroglyph ArtPetroglyphs at Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada

While there is plenty of ancient history at Valley of Fires State Park, my favorite area is the colorful drive along White Domes Road.  This scenic drive features spectacular eroded rocks of many colors.   

At the end of this scenic drive, is a hiking trail with an up close look at the multi-colored rocks.  Many of the rocks contain yellow and orange, but you will also find some bands of other colors such as white, pink and red.  

The midday light was someone flat on this tour under an overcast sky.  I can imagine these scenes can be even more dramatic when you are here just after sunrise or just before sunset.  Imagining this makes me want to return to this state park again.  Now it was time to had back to Las Vegas for some nighttime photography on Las Vegas Boulevard, better known as "The Strip".  From a pedestrian bridge at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue, looking north you can see The Cosmopolitan, The Bellagio, Caesars Palace and The Mirage. This image was a 5 second exposure that gives the blurry motion of the cars.  

Las Vegas Strip At Night

I have returned from Telluride.  Earlier this week, I attempted to take pictures of the full moon setting.  There was some high, thin cloud cover...just enough to make the moon fuzzy most of the time.  However, as it was getting close to Little Cone Mountain, there was enough of a gap in the clouds to get a clearer shot of the moon.  

With a temperature of 17 degrees (at least it was +17 degrees that morning!), it was time to focus on the approaching dawn and its array of colors in these high, thin cirrus clouds.   In my opinion, these cirrus clouds are best for comes to sunrise and sunset colors, often spectacular just before sunrise or just after sunset.   Here, you can see an array of pink, blue and purple as light begins to hit the bottom of these clouds.  That is Wilson Peak, southwest of Telluride.  

Here is a close up of the pink sky behind Wilson Peak.  

While on my way back from Telluride, I also spent a half a day at Mesa Verde National Park.  There are advantages and disadvantages to visiting Mesa Verde in January.  Some of the ruins and hiking trails are closed in winter.   However, the crowds are light this time of the year.  There were times were you felt like you had the park to yourself.  Here is a picture of the Far View Ruins with some snow on top.

Walls at Mesa VerdeMesa Verde National Park

Leaving the park around sunset had a great view of the last light hitting the cliffs known as The Knife Edge.  

After spending the night in Central New Mexico, freezing fog overnight created this beautiful scene on Interstate 40 near Clines Corner, New Mexico.  Rime ice is formed by water droplets in the fog that freezes to surfaces of objects. When you have this low hanging fog while temperatures are in the teens or 20s, this phenomena can be seen on the windward (wind-facing) side of tree branches.