Kevin Palmer

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  • The hills around Lake Elsinore were filled with blooming poppy wildflowers. There were hundreds of people lined up on Walker Canyon Road taking pictures and picking the orange wildflowers.
    California Poppy Trail
  • In December I spent a few days exploring Joshua Tree National Park. Compared to the hustle and bustle of most of Southern California this desert park is roomy, quiet, and peaceful. Even though I grew up fairly close, this was only my second time visiting. A mile above sea level in the Little San Bernardino Mountains, Keys View is one of the best viewpoints in the park and a great place to watch the sunset. A hidden trail leads up to Inspiration Point where this was taken. Far below on the floor of the Coachella Valley the infamous San Andreas Fault is visible. Over 10,000 feet above that is the snowcapped San Jacinto Peak. Few mountains in the US have a steeper rise. Higher still is San Gorgonio Mountain on the far right, which is the very top of Southern California at 11,500 feet.
    Overlooking Coachella Valley
  • A fiery sunset fills the sky above Laguna Beach, California.
    Laguna Beach Sunset
  • The crescent moon shines through the colors of sunset over the Pacific Ocean. The seaweed was rising and falling with the waves as they splashed around the rocks. This was taken in Dana Point, California.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/27/11
    Moon Over Tidepools
  • The sun sets over a tide pool in Laguna Beach, California. Underneath the water are hermit crabs, sea anemones, and other sea creatures stranded until the waves rise again. I came here at low tide during a full moon, so the tide doesn't get much lower than this. Normally this part of Victoria Beach would be difficult to access as much of it would be underwater. Both low and high tide occur twice a day approximately 6 hours apart. During a full moon or a new moon the tides are especially high and low. The gravitational force of the sun and the moon combine to generate more of a pull on earth's oceans. This is called a spring tide. But during a quarter moon, the moon is at a right angle with the earth and the sun and there is less variation between high and low tides. This is called a neap tide.
    Laguna Tidepool Reflection
  • Normally I like to explore a location during the day before taking pictures there at night. But the Southern California traffic robbed me of the time to do that here. Arch Rock was a little bit hard to find in the dark, but it wasn't too bad. I just had to be careful to avoid rattlesnakes. The 30 foot long arch is located near the White Tank campground in Joshua Tree National Park. The eastern part of the park has very dark skies the farther you get from the desert cities. To illuminate the scene, I shined my headlamp on the rock wall opposite the arch. A soft, warm light was reflected backwards. I was grateful the skies cleared up long enough to see the milky way. A few minutes after this clouds started to cover the sky as monsoon thunderstorms moved past the area.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 19, 2014
    The Opening
  • Borrego Palm Canyon is found where the San Ysidro Mountains meet the Sonoran Desert. This arid region of San Diego County receives only 6 inches of rain annually. But this place is vastly different than the surrounding terrain. Fed by underground springs coming to the surface, lush plants fill the canyon and colorful wildflowers are found around every corner. Even though the water flows year round, it disappears a short ways downstream. Numerous waterfalls tumble over the boulders and I had to be careful not to step on the many frogs hopping around. The dozens of fan palms that grow here are some of the last remaining naturally occurring palms left in California. This cool and shady oasis is the perfect place to visit on a hot afternoon and it's the most popular hike in Anza Borrego Desert State Park.
    Borrego Palm Canyon
  • On my last morning in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, I drove to Fonts Point to shoot the sunrise. To get here you have to drive up a dry wash while avoiding the sandy areas. The colors were amazing, even 45 minutes before the sun rose, the clouds in the east were lit up with an intense red glow. The clouds are reflected in the Salton Sea, California's largest lake. The lake was created in 1905 when engineers accidentally diverted the flow of the entire Colorado River for 2 years.
    Sliver of Gold
  • On my last morning in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, I drove to Fonts Point to shoot the sunrise. To get here you have to drive up a dry wash while avoiding the sandy areas. The colors were amazing, even 45 minutes before the sun rose, the clouds in the east were lit up with an intense red glow. The clouds are reflected in the Salton Sea, California's largest lake. The lake was created in 1905 when engineers accidentally diverted the flow of the entire Colorado River for 2 years.
    Salton Sunrise
  • Above the 10,000 feet level in the Panamint Range grows one of the oldest organisms on earth. Some of the bristlecone pines here in California's Death Valley National Park are estimated to be 3,000 years old. Even hundreds of years after dying, these tough trees remain standing, like ancient sentinels watching over the Mojave Desert miles below. The views from Telescope Peak seem to go on forever, which is how it got it's name. Nowhere else can you see both the lowest point in the western hemisphere (Badwater Basin) and the highest point in the continental US (Mount Whitney). The quarter moon helped to light up the trail as I hiked the 8 miles back after watching the sunset from the summit.
    Ancient Sentinel
  • A colorful sunset fills the sky over the Pacific Ocean. This was taken at Crystal Cove State Park in California during low tide. Many of the tide pools were exposed and hermit crabs, anemones and other sea creatures could be seen. Both low and high tide usually occur twice a day approximately 6 hours apart. During a quarter moon, when the moon is at a right angle with the earth and the sun there is less variation between high and low tides. This is called a neap tide. But when there is a full moon or a new moon the tides are especially high and low. The gravitational force of the sun and the moon combine to generate more of a pull on earth's oceans. This is called a spring tide.
    Reflected Tidepool
  • Fueled by hot, dry weather and gusty winds, it only took a day and a half for the Apple Fire to explode to 32 square miles. As the forest went up in flames, the plume of smoke ballooned to 25,000 feet. That's more than twice the height of San Gorgonio Mountain, Southern California's highest peak seen in the middle of this photo. The behavior of this fire is extreme enough to make it's own weather. Pyrocumulus is a type of cloud formed when intense heat creates an updraft similar to a thunderstorm. Pyrocumulus lofts embers high into the air, creates strong unpredictable outflow winds at the surface, and in rare cases even generates lightning. The same phenomena is seen in volcanic eruptions. All of this hampers firefighting efforts and causes the flames to expand even more. But even in the devastation, there was beauty. From my vantage point northwest of the blaze, the smoke plume took on a deep red glow at sunset before the 97% full moon rose above it.
    Pyrocumulus Moon
  • Death Valley in California is a land of extremes. On my last morning there I shot the sunrise from Dante's View. From this incredible viewpoint Badwater Basin can be seen, which at 282 feet below sea level is the lowest place in North America. The basin is also consistently the hottest place on Earth. High's in the 120's and lows in the 90's are not uncommon here in the summer. Even in November it was 95°F while I was here. The average annual rainfall is less than 2 inches. In the distance beyond the extensive salt flats rises the Panamint Range up to the 11,049 feet high Telescope Peak. From valley to summit, only one other mountain in the continental US has a greater vertical rise (Mt. Rainier). The previous evening I shot the sunset from Badwater Basin, and the evening before that from the summit of Telescope Peak.
    Dante's View
  • It was a beautiful time of year in southern California. After an unusually wet winter, the hills are verdant, the mountains are snowcapped, and wildflowers are abundant. Chino Hills State Park is one of my favorite places to hike in the area. Even though it's surrounded by millions of people, its surprisingly quiet and uncrowded. Of course the main reason I only saw 2 other people here was probably because this particular trail (Scully Ridge) was severely overgrown. At times I was hiking through a tunnel of brush 10 feet high, which covered me in pollen. But I made it to this viewpoint just in time to catch the last wispy colors of sunset over Mount Baldy to the north. Even though I didn't capture the more popular poppy blooms this year, these golden wildflowers are almost as nice.
    Verdant Hills and Sunset
  • In December I camped out at Joshua Tree National Park. Just because it’s a desert doesn’t mean it can’t get cold here. The temperature dropped to the teens on this crystal clear morning. The cholla cactus is one of many unique plants found in the deserts of California. This subspecies is the teddy bear cholla, so called because of the soft fuzzy appearance at first glance. But they are not very cuddly. The fringes of the cholla take on an amazing golden glow when backlit by the sun low in the sky. As the plants age, the lower joints turn brown and fall to the ground. That is how they reproduce and most cholla plants in a stand are clones of one another. Another name it goes by is “jumping cholla.” If you even slightly brush up against it, the sharp quills will attach to your skin or clothing and are very difficult to remove. The park service keeps a first aid kit at this trailhead for those visitors unlucky enough to need it.
    Teddy Bear Cholla
  • Southern California is never more beautiful than right after a winter storm. It left the air very clear with snow on the mountains and greened up the Chino Hills.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: February 24, 2015
    Snowcapped Green
  • This morning in Joshua Tree National Park was unlike any other. Distant thunderstorms passed by throughout the night. Then around 5 am, it started raining. When the sun rose an hour later, it shined through a gap in the clouds which created a dramatic sight with vivid red and orange everywhere. To top it all off, this giant rainbow appeared. I know my photos did not do the scene justice. It was amazing how fast the light changed. One minute the sky was nearly colorless, then it exploded in color, and a few minutes later the display ended when the sun went behind a cloud. I felt blessed to see rain, considering I was only there for about 18 hours. Joshua Tree receives barely over 4 inches of rain in a normal year. When you consider that California is currently experiencing its worst drought ever recorded, this is a rare sight indeed.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Magical Morning
  • It is no wonder that lenticular clouds often get mistaken for UFO's. This kind of cloud forms often in the California deserts as strong winds lifts air up and over mountain ranges. The air then condenses to form a cloud that stays in the same area for quite awhile.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 19, 2014
    Flying Saucer
  • The stars Aldebaran, Rigel, Orion, and Procyon along with Jupiter formed a pentagon in the sky. In the middle is the star Betelgeuse with Orion's belt and nebula to the right. Thin clouds were causing halos to form around the brightest points of light. This view was seen looking up from my campsite in the Mojave National Preserve, which has some of the darkest skies in Southern California.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/30/14
    Winter Pentagon
  • In the desert within Mojave National Preserve you can find some of the darkest skies in Southern California. It was dark enough to see the zodiacal light, which was visible 2 hours after sunset in the west. The light is made up of dust particles within our solar system illuminated by the sun. Beneath the ghostly light you can see evidence of light pollution from cities to the west.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/30/14
    Mojave Zodiacal Light
  • Normally I like to explore a location during the day before taking pictures there at night. But the Southern California traffic robbed me of the time to do that here. Arch Rock was a little bit hard to find in the dark, but it wasn't too bad. I just had to be careful to avoid rattlesnakes. The 30 foot long arch is located near the White Tank campground in Joshua Tree National Park. The eastern part of the park has very dark skies the farther you get from the desert cities. To illuminate the scene, I shined my headlamp on the rock wall opposite the arch. A soft, warm light was reflected backwards. I was grateful the skies cleared up long enough to see the milky way. A few minutes after this clouds started to cover the sky as monsoon thunderstorms moved past the area.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 19, 2014
    Arch Rock Galaxy
  • These little lenticular clouds repeatedly formed over the same area as seen from Keys View. Lenticular clouds form when strong winds encounter a mountain range. The air is forced upward where it condenses into a cloud. These strange disc-shaped clouds form often in the California desert.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 19, 2014
    Little Lenticulars
  • The sun sets over tidepools at Laguna Beach. I came here at low tide during a full moon, so the tide doesn't get much lower than this. Normally this part of Victoria Beach would be difficult to access as much of it would be underwater.
    Victoria Beach Sunset
  • This image shows the stars apparent motion caused by the rotation of the earth. I setup my camera point at my tent while I camped in Anza Borrego.
    Anza Borrego Night
  • Colorful wildflowers surrounded the oasis in Borrego Palm Canyon.
    Burst of Color
  • This rippled sand is found near the campsite for Kelso Dunes. These dunes are among the tallest in the United States. When the conditions are just right, the dunes emit a low booming sound that sounds like thunder. The sunlight was only out for a few seconds, but it brought out the texture of the sand.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/31/14
    Rippled Dunes
  • There were many sharp agave and cholla plants on the summit of Coyote Mountain in Anza Borrego Desert State Park.
    Agave and Cholla
  • This was the view from the lower slope of Coyote Mountain with Clark Dry Lake and the Santa Rosa Mountains in the distance.
    Above Clark Dry Lake
  • I got an early start climbing Coyote Mountain in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. It was going to be a very hot day, but the temperature was much more pleasant in the morning. The just past full moon set in the west while I climbed a ridge in between 2 canyons.
    Coyote Mountain Bloom
  • A chukar bird is lit up by the early morning sunlight in Death Valley National Park near Dante's View.
    Death Valley Chukar
  • I came to Laguna Beach to photograph the milky way. But the marine layer had other plans and only a few stars were visible in between clouds.
    Hole in the Sky
  • San Antonio Falls is a 100 foot high waterfall in the San Gabriel Mountains. It flows year round from springs higher up the mountain. I passed this waterfall on my hike up Mount Baldy.
    San Antonio Falls
  • A wave crashes against a rock as the clouds in the west start to light up at Crystal Cove State Park.
    Crashing Sunset
  • San Diego skyscrapers are reflected in a harbor on San Diego Bay.
    San Diego Skyline
  • Montezuma Valley Road is the steep, winding highway that leads to Borrego Springs. After shooting the sunset from this pullout I waited until it was dark enough to take a long exposure. With cars both coming up and going down the mountain this was my favorite frame.
    Montezuma Valley Road
  • Colorful wildflowers cover the desert floor in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. I was on my way to Panorama Outlook which is the short hill on the left.
    Borrego Bloom
  • The moon glows above the salt flats at Badwater Basin during twilight.
    Badwater Moon
  • The Mesquite Sand Dunes are located near Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley.
    Mesquite Dunes
  • The last light of the day illuminates the summit of the 11,049 feet high Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park.
    Telescope Summit
  • I did not expect to find fall foliage in Death Valley National Park. But these golden trees were clustered around a spring in Emigrant Canyon in the Panamint Range.
    Emigrant Canyon Trees
  • The last light of the day illuminates the summit of the 11,049 feet high Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park.
    Telescope Peak Aglow
  • A soft pink glow hangs in the east as seen from Telescope Peak, the top of Death Valley National Park. The views from this 11,049 feet high mountain are outstanding. Nowhere else can you see both the highest and the lowest point in the continental US. On the upper slopes of the Panamint Range grow bristlecone pines, a tree with a lifespan measured in millennia. The pink glow in the sky is known as the Belt of Venus, and it's caused by the backscattering of reddened light from the setting sun. The blue band beneath it is the shadow of the earth projected out onto the earth's atmosphere. If I had taken a panorama you could see that this shadow is curved, matching the curvature of the earth. This phenomena can be seen on any clear evening in the east after the sun sets (or in the west before the sun rises). But the colors were especially vivid here, above all the dust and aerosols in the lower atmosphere. I wanted to stay on the summit to watch the stars come out, but I still had to hike 8 miles and descend 3600 feet to get back to the Thorndike Campground where I started.
    Highest to Lowest
  • Complete silence surrounded the 11,049' summit of Telescope Peak as the colors of sunset faded away and twilight deepened. This peak at the top of Death Valley National Park is so named because "You could see no further with a telescope." Endless ridges, mountains, sand dunes, and salt flats stretched out in every direction. In the valley on the left is Badwater Basin. Nowhere in North America is lower or dryer, and it lays claim to the hottest air temperature ever measured (134°F). Despite being only 18 miles away, the weather and environment up here at this altitude is vastly different. Temperatures can be as much as 60°F cooler, and a lot more rain and snow falls here than in the surrounding desert. This sustains a forest of bristlecone pines, the oldest species of tree on Earth at up to 5,000 years old. Staying on the summit for the sunset meant descending 8 miles in the dark, but the incredible views were worth the longest dayhike I've ever done.
    Could See No Further
  • Underneath a volcanic field in the Mojave Desert there is a lava tube that is fascinating to explore. The cave is not very big, about the size of a house. The ceiling has 5 skylights which lets in sunlight, illuminating the walls of the cave. Throwing dust into the air made the sunbeam even more visible, and created this shape that resembles an angel.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/31/14
    Angelic Beam
  • The northern milky way shines bright above the Kelso Sand Dunes in the Mojave National Preserve. At the top left is the Andromeda Galaxy. Clouds were moving across the sky quickly on this windy night.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/30/14
    Kelso Night
  • I liked the way the USS Midway was lit up at night. The battleship has a long history and was at one time the largest ship in the world. Even my widest lens wasn't enough to capture it since I couldn't back up any further.
    USS Midway
  • This bright and obvious halo appeared around the nearly full moon in San Diego. The lights at the bottom are from the Coronado Bridge.
    Halo and Goodnight
  • The sunrise filled the sky with color as seen from Font's Point in Anza Borrego Desert State Park.
    Across the Sky
  • On my last morning in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, I drove to Fonts Point to shoot the sunrise. To get here you have to drive up a dry wash while avoiding the sandy areas. The colors were amazing, even 45 minutes before the sun rose, the clouds in the east were lit up with an intense red glow. The Borrego Badlands look similar to those found in South Dakota.
    Fonts Point Sunrise
  • I headed up into the San Ysidro Mountains above Borrego Springs to shoot the sunset. It appeared the sunset would be a bust but then these clouds lit up briefly to the north.
    San Ysidro Afterglow
  • As I was approaching the saddle just south of the Coyote Mountain summit, I started hearing a loud thud sound. There were only two things I could think of that would make that sound: either a rockfall or bighorn sheep. Sure enough as I came over the hill I saw this herd of 9 in a grassy area staring at me. I never actually saw them ramming their horns together, but only heard them. They soon took off running.
    Bighorn Stampede
  • This small waterfall is just beyond the grove of palm trees in Borrego Palm Canyon.
    Flowers and Hidden Falls
  • Shadows recede across Badwater Basin  as seen from Dante's View.
    Above the Salt Flats
  • This was my first time seeing a fallstreak (or hole punch) cloud. It had a tail that it made it look like a sting ray. It appeared for a short time above the bluffs at Crystal Cove State Park.
    Crystal Cove Fallstreak
  • In the northeast corner of Mojave National Preserve lies the largest and densest grove of joshua trees in the world. Most of these strange looking trees are quite short but some of them reach 25 feet high. In this picture, the last light of the day was shining on Kessler Peak a few miles away.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/31/14
    Kessler's Last Light
  • The weather changed quickly on this windy morning in Mojave National Preserve. It looked like it was going to stay sunny for awhile. But then the clouds descended and obscured the Granite Mountains.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/31/14
    Obscured Granites
  • The first light of the day illuminates the Borrego Badlands while the moon sets in the west. This is looking towards Borrego Springs from Font's Point.
    Fonts Point Morning
  • Most of the ocotillo plants in Anza Borrego had already lost their flowers. But I found this one on Coyote Mountain just as the sun was rising.
    Ocotillo First Light
  • Telescope Peak and the Panamint Range glows in the early morning sunlight as seen from Dante's View. A fighter jet and a B-2 stealth bomber can be seen flying in front of the mountains.
    Telescope Morning
  • The golden colors of sunset are reflected in the salt pool at Badwater Basin. At 282 feet below sea level, this is the lowest point in North America.
    The Lowest Sunset
  • The San Gabriel Mountains tower 10,000 feet above Los Angeles. This is the view from just below the summit of Mount Baldy. Normally in February deep snow would cover the peaks. But warm temperatures and a drought meant only a small amount of snow remained on north-facing slopes. Down in the valley the blue skies were obscured by smog. But up here the air was clear and clean. This was a challenging 11 mile hike but the views were well worth it.
    Above the Desert
  • Early morning light shines on a yucca plant and a large cholla cactus. The foothills of the Providence Mountains are partially obscured by a low cloud. The road in between is Kelbaker Road.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/31/14
    Yucca and Cholla
  • These desert plants at the base of Mastodon Peak were looking nice in the early morning light.
    Blooming Yucca
  • Two hikers make their way up Mosaic Canyon near Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley National Park.
    Mosaic Canyon
  • In the northeast corner of Mojave National Preserve is the largest and densest grove of joshua trees in the world. You can see them up close while hiking the trail to Teutonia Peak. There are a lot of old mine shafts in this area. But they are all covered to reduce the danger of someone falling in.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/31/14
    Teutonia Trail
  • Devil's Golf Course in Death Valley is filled with these sharp and jagged salt formations. In the distance the planet Venus can be seen setting over the Panamint Range.
    Devil's Golf Course Night
  • San Juan Hill in the Chino Hills provided a great view of the valley with the snow capped San Gabriel Mountains in the distance.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: February 24, 2015
    Baldy Green Hills
  • While climbing Ryan Mountain, I got a great view of a distant thunderstorm, along with shadows and sunlight. The road at the bottom is Park Boulevard.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Ryan Mountain Panorama
  • Distant flashes of lightning kept me awake much of the night at Joshua Tree National Park. Finally at 4am, I got up to try to photograph it. I never got any bolts because the lightning was too sporadic. In this image a flash of lightning behind me lit up the rocks, while a smaller storm moves under the moon and stars.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Night of the Monsoon
  • I went on an early morning hike so I could watch the sunrise from Mastodon Peak. It's not a very high peak, but it does provide a great 360° view of the southern part of Joshua Tree National Park. There is also an abandoned gold mine below the mountain.
    Light On Mastodon
  • In December the constellation Orion rises in the east immediately after sunset. While camping in Joshua Tree National Park, I picked a campsite that faced a boulder formation in that direction. When clouds moved in, I wasn’t sure I would get any pictures. But then a small gap appeared, leaving halos around the brighter stars. The red supergiant star Betelgeuse is visible in the center. It is one of the largest stars in the Milky Way, 1400 times the size of the sun. It's also a variable star, which means the brightness changes regularly. But in recent days it has been attracting attention because it’s currently dimmer than ever recorded before. Betelgeuse is at the end of its stellar life cycle and when it goes supernova its brightness in Earth's sky will rival that of the full moon. Since the star is 640 light years away, it may have already exploded centuries ago. But the likelihood of seeing a supernova anytime soon is still very small and they remain unpredictable.
    Boulders of Orion
  • Purple wildflowers bloom in the verdant Chino Hills with the snow covered San Gabriel Mountains in the background.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: February 24, 2015
    Chino Hills Wildflowers
  • This was the 3rd time I've been to Chino Hills State Park and I've never seen it this green. Fresh snow on the mountains and clear air made for some great views. This was taken from the top of San Juan Hill.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: February 24, 2015
    Chino Hills Panorama
  • I don't know how much of this rain was hitting the ground. It was in the direction of Yucca Valley from Ryan Mountain.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Desert Rain
  • In the middle of the Mojave National Preserve lies the Cima Volcanic Field. The field covers almost 60 square miles and contains 40 cinder cones. The cinder cones vary in size, but the one pictured is the tallest. This would have been an amazing sight to see when the volcanoes were erupting.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/31/14
    Cinder Cones
  • After the sun went down over the sand dunes, the sky lit up with color in every direction. Located in Mojave National Preserve, the Kelso Dunes are among the tallest in the United States. 700 feet above the desert floor, the strong winds were blowing sand everywhere.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/30/14
    Crimson Wind
  • These desert plants at the base of Mastodon Peak were looking nice in the early morning light. The ocotillo was green with blooming flowers after rainfall a couple weeks ago.
    Morning Desert Flora
  • When the sun rose at Joshua Tree National Park, a vivid rainbow appeared. The rainbow was almost at a 90 degree angle to the ground. This can only happen right at sunrise or sunset.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Joshua Tree Rainbow
  • Keys View in Joshua Tree National Park is a great place to watch a sunset. You can see 5,000 feet below to the Palm Springs area, the Salton Sea, and the San Andreas Fault.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 19, 2014
    Keys View
  • I hiked up to Robber's Roost in the Anaheim Hills to watch the sunset. I could see all the way to the Pacific Ocean and Santa Catalina Island.
    Anaheim Sundown
  • Aside from the graffiti, this place doesn't look like Orange County at all. Black Star Canyon Falls is a 65' high waterfall found in the Santa Ana Mountains. The waterfall only flows in the spring and winter, and can be reached by hiking 4 miles. The route becomes more difficult at the end and requires climbing up and around boulders.
    Black Star Canyon Falls
  • The Lost Palms Oasis is found at the end of a 3.5 mile trail in Joshua Tree National Park. It has the highest concentration of native fan palms in the park and makes for a great hike in the winter.
    Lost Oasis Found
  • I was in Joshua Tree National Park when monsoon thunderstorms passed by throughout the night keeping me awake. Just before sunrise it started raining. With thick clouds above I was not expecting a very colorful sunrise. But then this happened. The rising sun highlighted the wisps of rain as they fell into the dry air. The clouds cast an orange glow across the desert floor as flashes of lightning streaked across the sky. And a minute later a spectacular rainbow appeared behind me. This entire light show only lasted a few minutes so I had to rush to capture it all. It was the most awe-inspiring sunrise I've ever seen and my pictures could hardly do it justice.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Raining Fire
  • Strong winds blow sand across the Kelso Dunes as the sun sets. Located in the Mojave National Preserve, the Kelso Dunes are among the tallest in the country.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/30/14
    Windswept Dunes
  • The rainbow was contrasting strongly with the dark storm clouds and sunlit rocks. But seconds later, it faded away as the sun went behind the clouds.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Sunlit Rainbow
  • Waves crashed around my feet as I steadied my tripod and counted down until 8:04PM. That's when the International Space Station (ISS) was going to appear. It was a perfect pass, rising straight up over the horizon, before moving overhead and outshining everything else in the sky. The ISS orbits the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 250 miles with a speed of 17,000 mph. At a cost of over $150 billion, the ISS is the single most expensive item ever constructed. The space station has been continuously occupied for 19 years by astronauts, who get to experience 16 sunsets and sunrises a day. The ISS is easily visible from Earth when sunlight reflects off of it's massive solar panels. Finding a spot in Orange County, California, that's dark enough to see the milky way is not easy. But at this time of year it's possible to look southwest over the darkest part of the ocean, while the rest of the sky is filled with light pollution and few stars. It took the ISS about 5 minutes to pass through the sky. I combined the satellite trail from 9 images with a single image of the stars to make it clearer.
    Up From the Ocean