Bonnie Rannald's Photo-Explorations in focus with nature. : Buffington Pockets

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Buffington Pockets, Out of This World Terrain!

An extra-terrestrial landscape in a hidden desert pocket!

After watching the exciting Falcon Heavy Test launch I realized that one of the aspects that fascinated me so much while exploring in the Southwestern Desert, was it sometimes looks as if I’m on a different planet. Unusual rock formations, strange shape of trees and multicolored desert floors and can definitely give an out of this world appearance.

One of my favorite areas with extra-terrestrial features is Buffington Pockets in Southern Nevada. Buffington Pockets is just off Interstate 15, in the Muddy Mountain Wilderness Area of Nevada and not too far from Valley of Fire State Park.

As I approach Buffington Pockets, I begin to see colorful outcroppings of rounded boulders in light orange hues that appear to have been carefully stacked on top of each other. I begin to wonder is this an American type of Stonehenge?

A curve in the road and almost hidden out of sight I spot a towering eagle shape in the sandstone rock. Could it be a sentinel watching over to protect this wondrous area?

One of the most striking outcroppings is a vast prominence of orange and white layered domes that appear to be laid out like a bakers’ tray of cinnamon rolls. The dark gray Muddy Mountains can be seen towering in the distance to the right.

On a mild day in February, I specifically made a return visit to this area of Buffington Pockets to catch the moon in its early phase over this grouping of rocks.

Over the eons, nature’s creativity with complex uplifting and faulting, followed by extensive erosion, developed this unworldly landscape. However, it is fun to just imagine that I could be off exploring on one our neighboring planets. We are blessed with such a diverse and wondrous home on our planet, Earth.

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.

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"

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http://www.bonnierannald.com/

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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Nature's Artistry with Rocks

Familiar Shapes in Rocks

Rock formations and clouds share a common bond because interesting shapes and images are often found in them.

Perceiving images in objects like rocks and clouds is a psychological phenomenon termed Pareidolia. Many of the master artists including Leonardo da Vinci were aware of pareidolia and used the imagery for artistic expression.

One thing we do have plenty of in the Southwestern Desert is rocks, which most of the time are more numerous than clouds.

Some of my favorite rocks that are great examples pareidolia are as follows:

Natural Bridge in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah stands out against the snow and the Ponderosa forest and is actually an 85 foot (25.908 m) arch. The rusty-orange flying buttresses of Natural Bridge were formed over millions of years by wind, water, and chemical erosion.

Bell Rock in Sedona, Arizona has a distinctive shape and is one of the favorite tourist attractions. Standing at 4,919 feet (1499 m), Bell Rock is actually a butte, composed of horizontally bedded sedimentary rock.

The red and white sandstone of Calico Hills accents the desert landscape in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (RRCNCA) with peaks that extend up 4870 feet (1484 m). Towering in the distance behind Calico Hills at 6324 feet (1928 m) is the famous Turtlehead Peak which is the only limestone formation in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

The Chief, wearing a full headdress watches out from a volcanic cliff at the entrance to Wilson Canyon, Nevada. The two mile long (3.2 km) Wilson Canyon gorge was cut by the Walker River many years ago.

An elephant rock sits atop what was once the lakebed of Walker Lake. During the last Ice Age, the prehistoric Lake Lahontan covered much of northwestern Nevada, as the climate dried, the lake receded, leaving behind unusual tufa based outcroppings.

A colorful outcropping of sandstone resembles an eagle at Buffington Pockets which is an area of unusual rock formations and canyons near the Valley of Fire State Park in Southern Nevada.

In most of the areas where these unique rock formations are located, traces of early humans can be found who left their stories carved in the desert varnish on the faces of these ancient boulders. Over the millennia, many different cultures have lived and hunted through these canyons and along the streams.

Today as I walk on the trails, I feel these ancient spirits that still dwell within the rocks. As I look closely I catch a glimpse of the former inhabitants through the pareidolia that stand out in the rocks. Maybe that is why I feel so drawn to spend countless hours just gazing at rocks. And when the gentle breeze touches my face at dusk, I know that they are there watching over their sacred home.