Photo-exploring the Walker River

A day of discovery, getting in focus with the spirit rocks

Taking advantage of the record breaking warm temperatures in the autumn of 2017, on the first day of December I traveled up to the higher elevations in Mono County, California. Turning on Highway 395 North, I ended up in Bridgeport which is a quaint town that welcomes the adventure minded, out-door enthusiast and has some of the best trout fishing too!

The Bridgeport Reservoir is just past the town and to the north.  Its deep blue water holds plenty of brown and rainbow trout. The snow capped peaks of Yosemite National Park and eastern Sierra Mountains accent the sky in the background. 

Seven miles further to the north on Highway 182, the East Fork of the Walker River flows under the road.  On its 95 mile run the Walker River cuts through mountains, canyons and valleys to finally terminate in the high desert of Walker Lake, Nevada.

In many areas along its banks are wetlands and riparian habitat that provide ideal conditions for much wildlife including the brown and rainbow trout. 

Following a dirt turn-off from Highway 182, I noticed a most intriguing out-cropping of boulders.   

A closer view revealed rocks that were lying askew in various layers.  I began to marvel at the artistry of nature and felt a preview back in geological time with signs of glacial activity, volcanism and fault movements. 

Some of rocks were topped with tall, pointed pinnacles.

Other boulders had been eroded to form hoodoos.  Hoodoos or “fairy chimneys” are sediment pillars of rock that are created from weathering and erosion in desert climates.   As I stood and quietly observed, various forms began to materialize on the hoodoos.  A tall hoodoo at first seemed to have a mushroom shape.  But then with longer observation it took on a human facial silhouette with the hair tied back.    To the left, a hoodoo resembling a dog was watching the humanoid form.

Looking further to the right and the statue of a warrior caught my attention as it appeared to be screaming out a warning not to deface any of these natural monuments. 

My imagination was running wild while I was so caught up in the moment.  There is a belief that the spirits of ancestors dwell in rock formations like these at the Walker River. 

 What an inspirational and peaceful day this had become.  So many times I have a yearning to go to an area in hopes of get interesting photos.  What I sometimes receive is a sensory journey back in time and become caught up in that moment.  I am left with an even deeper appreciation of the magical awareness of being there and focusing on the image through my camera.  It is in the stillness and solitude that I become one with the environment as I focus on the wonders of nature.  

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level. 

Follow me as I continue on more of my photo-explorations and see where the next adventure is! 

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level. 

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Listen, Watch, Follow the Wind

The desert sings her lonely song

Deserts can bring solitude and oneness with the environment but can also be some of the loneliest places on the planet. Most often all I encounter is the tracks of some small living creature and hardly ever a living soul.  

Walking across undisturbed paths, it seems like the soil has remained untouched for eons.  Just the desert winds and a rare rainstorm is all that have left traces across this barren no man’s land.  

Once in a lifetime sun bleached bones give away secrets to what might have called this remoteness a home.  

A weather torn shack still stands out in the middle of nowhere. Its rusted siding tells of a legacy from long ago.  Might it have been a water source for long departed dwellers?   

On closer observation, the puzzle of cracked dried earth leaves clues that this was perhaps a catch basin for water which in the desert can be more precious than gold. 

Layers of clear weather clouds gather atop the mountains, ominous weather with very strong winds could be on the horizon.   

Feeling so alone in this abandoned land, it is only the wind that brings me a feeling of comfort.  Maybe the long ago spirits come in with the wind to ride again across this desolate landscape.     

 

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level. 

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Tarantulas Wandering Through the Desert

Hairy Casanovas out looking for a mate!

Rarely do I cross paths with a big hairy tarantula that is unless it happens to be mating season in early autumn or late summer.  

During this year of 2017 on the second week in November I encountered two of these large arachnids passing through my yard. It seems that the warm temperatures we have been experiencing up here in the high desert of Central Nevada have brought on their courtship later than usual.   

When male tarantulas are on the move, they are erroneously thought to be migrating.  The females are home bodies and remain in their burrows.  So the wandering Casanovas may search for a distance of four miles with the anticipation of finding a willing mate. 

The average lifespan of the female is 25 years while the male is around 8, if he is not eaten by the female after copulation. 

Most tarantulas range in size of 2 to 2.5” (50-60mm) for the abdomen and 4” (100mm) with the leg span. 
Tarantulas are most often harmless to humans but if threatened or harassed will shoot sharp spiky hairs from their abdomens which are painful on contact with the skin and especially in the eyes.  

People who share the desert with these large hairy spiders try to protect them because they are interesting to watch and good for the natural environment.  Their diet consists mostly of pesky insects that are ambushed near the burrow.    

I bid these hairy Casanovas safe passage through my yard and hope they will find a willing mate.  

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level. 

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Lundy Lake an Autumn Retreat

 Mountains, a clear lake with an iconic tree and sunny aspens!

What better way to spend a warm autumn day than at a quiet lake near the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains?  Lundy Lake was my photo destination for this Indian summer day.  The 7858 feet (2395 m) elevation lake is located in Mono County near Lee Vinning California.

I was hoping to catch some color changes in the aspens up in the higher elevations but this autumn of 2017 the weather has been so mild for the central areas of California and Nevada. 

Arriving at the 100-acre lake, I was excited to see that the trees were accented in various hues of color.

Lundy Lake which was formerly know as Mill Creek lies in Lundy Canyon near the towering edges of Yosemite National Park.

With its clear water, the lake is a popular spot for trout fishing. 

Rather not go fishing, then how about a picnic by the calm water in shade of a tree surrounded by the serenity of nature? 

The trunk of a bare cottonwood tree stands in the shallow water near the shore and has become a symbolic icon to the natural beauty of Lundy Lake. 

 

Driving on past the lake and the dirt road is lined with aspens, some are still green and many are turning brilliant shades of yellow. 

Further along, the serenity of autumn envelopes the scene as the colorful aspens shroud the landscape. 

As daylight winds down shadows grown long, time has come to make my departure from this autumn retreat.  

What an inspiring photo-adventure this trip has been.  Standing on the shore and looking across the deep blue water of this pristine lake, I am alone in the moment feeling the solitude of nature.  There’s just something about the season of autumn that stirs my soul but brings such a feeling of peacefulness too.  

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level. 

---

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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The Pronghorn, Nevada's Fastest Land Animal

 Neither an antelope nor a goat but an iconic symbol of North America's Grasslands

How often does the quest for adventure compel you to just follow a hunch?  Thus was the feeling I had on a warm autumn Sunday. 

I took a different road not knowing what to anticipate when suddenly I noticed several pronghorn antelope in the tall grass just off the roadside.  Fearing that they would run away if I pulled over too close, I drove past and stopped on the opposite side of the road.  

In the few minutes it took me to gather my camera and walk across the road, a few more pronghorn wandered over closer.

 I realized this was a family group or “nursery” of fawns with the mothers.  

When I looked up from my camera, I noticed the buck standing off with watchful eyes in the near distance.  The herd or band is comprised of a buck and his harem of females.  The buck will protect his harem from other male pronghorns.    

The Pronghorn Antelope is not a true antelope, however it was so named by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  The Pronghorn Antilocapra Americana is the only surviving member of the Antilocapridae family and is native to North America for over a million years!

Pronghorns are named for their branched two point horns made of bone which are shed and re-grown each year.

With my telephoto lens, I was able to keep my distance.  I was wearing muted colors that blended in with the desert but a few of the pronghorns were becoming curious.  Their big eyes and large ears help to detect predators so I was surprised that I all this time I had not been seen as a threat.  

Off in the distance I heard a noise and the herd went of the alert.  I was able to catch several frames as they began to run away.  Pronghorns are the fastest North American land animal, running at speeds of 65 MPH.

A barbed wire fence along the roadside kept the pronghorns from running toward me.  Unlike deer these animals are not good at jumping and will climb under a fence if space allows. 

What a beautiful sight to watch these graceful pronghorns running free across the desert landscape.

 Follow my blog and check back often to read where my next Photo-adventures will take you!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level. 

---

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Autumn Day Trip to Convict Lake

A glacier carved lake with an interesting legacy

With the changing season and autumn finally here, I took a photo adventure to a lake named Convict Lake.  Such an ominous sounding name for a lake nestled up near the Sierra Nevada Mountains made me curious to go check it out.  

On this warm Indian summer day when I arrived at the 7,850’ elevation lake I was completely astounded with its pristine beauty.  In no way did it reflect its namesake.   

On first glance was the green, clear water framed in warm hues of golden aspens with towering mountains in the background.  I had been concerned that the trees might not be taking on any color since the weather for the autumn season of 2017 had been so fickle with cool spells, followed by warmer than usual days.  

Walking out on the boat dock, Laurel Mountain stretched tall in the background with its rugged features a reminder of the glacier action that carved this 140’ deep Sierra Nevada Lake.

   

To the left side of the lake lies a walking trail that wanders through natural vegetation that was turning warm colors of autumn.  This trail continues around the lake for 3 miles and eventually connects with the Sierra Crest.  

Convict Lake is known for its trout fishing and the Convict Lake Resort offers hospitality for a family vacation or a romantic getaway. 

You might be wondering how such a lovely, inviting lake would be named for convicts?  Years ago back in 1871 a group of convicts escaped from Carson City, Nevada and were trapped here at what was known as Monte Diablo. There was a gun fight with the posse and two of the local men were killed.  The prisoners were eventually apprehended and the lake’s name changed to Convict as a tribute to the fallen posse members. 

Just after I had packed away my camera gear and was about to get in my truck, a Bald Eagle flew right over my head and landed in a near-by tree.  I had the greatest urge to grab my camera and rush over to get a photo.  However, my intuition took hold and forced me to just enjoy the experience and be in the moment.  The eagle was so close as it flew over, its white head and tail glistened in the warm sun.  I felt that this was a prelude and peek into what I might find for my next visit.   And when I do return, I will plan on spending an entire day just relaxing at this awesome crystal clear lake.  My camera will be ready if this eagle should make another pass right over my head!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level. 

---

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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