Tag: Death Valley
Day 13: From Death Valley To Palm Springs, what I saw on the road
by Kinan Faham on Jan.14, 2010, under Travel, photography
On Day 13, I left Death Valley and headed to Palm Springs using Highway 127. I wanted to capture Amargosa Opera house before leaving. On my way, I saw a mining field near Tecopa Hot Springs so I made a stop to capture the place!
Day 11: BadWater Basin, Last moonrise of 2009
by Kinan Faham on Jan.13, 2010, under Hiking, National Parks, Nature, Parks, Travel, meetup, photography
After hiking Golden Canyon, we hit Badwater for a few while the sun was still shining.
On our way back to Texas Springs Campground, the moon had started ascending the sky and was well worth ending the year with.
Day 11: Golden Canyon: How Zabriskie Point, Gower Gulch & Red Cathedral looked on the last day of 2009
by Kinan Faham on Jan.13, 2010, under Hiking, National Parks, Nature, Parks, Travel, meetup, photography
Golden Canyon is a short gorge that cuts into brightly colored sandstone rocks in many glowing shades of orange, gold and red, with the ever-present deep blue sky above making the hues seem especially sharp and intense. Once there was a paved road running up the whole length but this has long been disused and most sections have eroded away. According to the hike guide, the road eroded back in 1976 when a massive flood came along.
Hiking is the only option in the Canyon, and it is quite popular (we saw many groups with kids on the trails). The trail gains elevation as it reaches towards Red Cathedral(a group of high sandstone cliffs). We decided to take Zabriskie point trails to go through the multicolored rock formations(they looked like Chocolate layers). The path started by climbing an exposed slope of whitish sandy ground to a panoramic area where you could see the Red Cathedral, Furnace Creek and other canyons surrounding the area.
The last part of this trip(video 4) took us through Gower Gulch canyon, It starts very wide and narrows down gradually and becomes more rocky and steep as it descends. We passed through a number of tunnels, relics of Borax and calcite mining and crystals(I managed to film one of those tunnels as I was walking through it). The rocky section then ends with a drop and reaches the main valley. You could then follow the skirt of the hills overlooking the highway to go back to Golden Canyon’s trail head where the parking lot is located. All in all, this was one of the most spectacular hikes I have had so far.
Days 10 & 11: A mining town that went bust, the story of Rhyolite Nevada
by Kinan Faham on Jan.11, 2010, under Hiking, Travel, meetup, photography
I stayed in Beatty, NV while visiting Death Valley. Beatty is around 40 miles from Furnace Creek and is considerably cheaper in terms of accommodation than lodging inside the national park.
Near Beatty lies the ghost town of Rhyolite, which was established in 1905 to support the mining efforts during the Gold rush at the time. It peaked around 1907 with an opera house, railroad, school and a stock exchange. By 1911, the town was closed due to decreasing mining output and the displacement of the workers who occupied the town.
Today, it is a ghost town perfect for those interested in photography and ghost matters!
It even houses the Goldwell Open Air Museum which features artwork made a few Belgian artists and is astounding as you could see in the photos below!
Day 10: Meet the “Hebes”!
by Kinan Faham on Jan.11, 2010, under Hiking, National Parks, Nature, Parks, Travel, meetup, photography
Ubehebe(pronounced YOU-bee-HEE-bee) crater is the largest of a series of craters in the Northern end of Cottonwood Mountains, Death Valley National park. Its smaller incarnations are referred to as “little Hebes”.
Day 10: Racetrack Playa, The Sailing Stones
by Kinan Faham on Jan.10, 2010, under National Parks, Nature, Parks, Travel, photography
Here is the link to the Wikipedia article mentioning the racetrack.
The name comes from the tracks left on the dry sandy ground which used to be a lake bottom long time ago. The rocks are supposed to move with no human or animal intervention but rather due to slides guiding them to the ground level first from surrounding hills and then sliding over the mud(when it rains) dragged by gusty winds. A typical track lasts 3 to 4 years on average according to Wikipedia. The rocks are called Sailing Stones.
Day 9: Death Valley’s Sand Dunes
by Kinan Faham on Jan.10, 2010, under Events, National Parks, Nature, Parks, Travel, photography
Just across the street from Mosaic Canyon, Sand Dunes was our second destination after we returned from the Canyon.
Day 9: Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley National Park
by Kinan Faham on Jan.10, 2010, under National Parks, Nature, Parks, Travel, photography
This was the first hike/walk with the SF Bay Area Geology hiking group. Lee did a great job explaining possible theories regarding the formation of this canyon. Enjoy!
-
The Silent Camera
Always fascinated by the odds of the world we live in, I keep my camera at close range all the time just to capture anything my eyes see and like.
This blog will document journeys to places unknown(to this fella at least) and show you around through his eyes.
My long term goal is to visit all of the 392 national parks in the United States and hopefully many more interesting places.I hope you like how I see our world.
Feel free to send me your shouts & murmurs either by leaving a comment or through the contact page.
Ciao!
More of the same!
elsewhere on the web
