The explorer...

I remember taking this photo bright early in the morning when there were just me, Rudi and 275 square miles of white sand dunes laying silently in front of us...  At the time, taking this shot was just for fun, nothing more than pure fun.  But after going through over 1,000 photos, it kind of grew on me - I have to say I love this picture!

-- It reminds me of how overwhelmingly massive the world is to each and every single one of us;

-- It reminds me of how everything in life, including beauty and wonders, is to be discovered with our innate curiosity and strong desire to know and to experience;

-- It reminds me of how insignificant human lives are, and yet, how we should all make the best of it during our limited time on this planet;

-- It reminds me of how lonely life's journeys may be sometimes;

-- And more importantly, it reminds me of how, in a way, we can choose the roads we travel to reach the point we desire...

Life is good.  Never stop exploring, experiencing and enjoying it!

White Sands National Monument

New Mexico

November 29, 2014 

    

The White Sands

The largest gypsum dune field in the world is located at White Sands National Monument in south-central New Mexico. This region of glistening white dunes is in the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert within an "internally drained valley" called the Tularosa Basin. The monument is about 4000 feet above sea level, and the dune fields are approximately 275 square miles. 

This dune field is very dynamic, with the most active dunes moving to the northeast at a rate of up to 30 feet per year, while the more stable areas of sand move very little. The pure gypsum (hydrous calcium sulfate) that forms these unusual dunes originates in the western portion of the monument from an ephemeral lake or playa with a very high mineral content. As the water evaporates (theoretically as much as 80" per year!), the minerals are left behind to form gypsum deposits that eventually are wind-transported to form these white sand dunes.

Many species of plants and animals have developed very specialized means of surviving in this area of cold winters, hot summers, with very little surface water and highly mineralized ground water.

White Sands National Monument

New Mexico

November 28, 2014

Picture 1 = white sands at sunrise

What I learned is - during sunrise and sunset, the white sands look very similar to regular (yellow) sand dunes due to the low angle of sunlight.  Only when they are under direct sunlight, you'd see their pure white color.  So, against all photography teachings, I took some wonderful shots in the middle of the day under the bright sunlight.  Throw away your photography books and ENJOY life!

Morning Symphony

We spent 5 days during Thanksgiving in New Mexico.  Our initial focus was to go visit White Sands National Monument.  Spent 3 days there, and then we went to a wildlife refuge and spent 2 days watching the annual snow geese migration.  To my surprise, the snow geese touched me so deeply that I went back and visited them 4 times during a 2-day period.  The visits involved 2 early morning ordeals to arrive at their lovely home (a cozy little pond) before 6 AM in 26F weather.  Sunrise with snow geese is spectacular.  These little birds would sing and dance and circle around the skies to create this incredible morning symphony for the world.  The event is overwhelming and stunning to say the least.  After putting out the magnificent show of the day, the snow geese would finally take off and start their day in the free world, where only the sky is their limit...

When you think about it, these little guys each looks rather ugly.  But together, they bring so much beauty to the world -- they show us the power of unity! 

Morning Symphony 

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
New Mexico

December 1, 2014

A Philosophical Concept

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Zion National Park, Utah

So, get this - I drove by this famous bridge where 20+ photographers lined up waiting for something. I know it's an usual sunset spot. But given the weather, you would think people can apply common sense to conclude that there wouldn't be sunset tonight, right?  NO!! They were all standing there as if they knew what they were doing... Finally, around 6:15 pm, I couldn't help to ask: "Could you educate me on what you're waiting for?" One guy replied: "Sunset! The rock would glow and the clouds would turn red..." "But there will be no sunset tonight." I said. He replied: "We are just hoping there will be..." Do you find this encounter interesting???

At 6:26 pm, I was the first person leaving the precious spot on the bridge, and 2 people immediately took my spot. This is an interesting philosophical concept. All of us, in one way or another, blindly follow others. And when our rational minds tell us we should do otherwise, our emotions would still question our logical decisions. I can tell you I am one of those fools! When I left my spot tonight, somehow I was led to believe that I would miss something significant. Close your eyes, and I am sure you can relate to what I am talking about!

Life is like a box of Chocolate... (3)

I got my favorite chocolate yesterday...

Sunday night was really cold.  When I woke up yesterday morning, the entire canyon valley was filled with fog and low clouds -- they were literally everywhere, moving and dancing around the canyon peaks.  I immediately entered into a frantic mode trying to capture the magical moments.  But for future reference, don't even try to ran around and chase nature's wonders with a camera.  No matter how good of a photographer you are, the true beauty of mother nature can never be recorded 2-dementionally!

The morning clouds left me much sooner than I had hoped.  Honestly, the disappointment of not being able to adequately capture those moments was enormous.  But I decided to let it go and move on with the rest of my day.

I spent more time with my little Virgin River.  She was so lively and full of unpredictable beauty...  Here are 2 images I captured for you just so you can meet her!!

Pictures 1 and 2 = Let The River Sing...

Zion National Park, Utah

November 3, 2014

     

Life is like a box of chocolate... (2)

The chocolate I picked for today was bittersweet.

It rained on and off all day.  There were times I wish I brought my rain gears; there were times I wish I could just forget about the heavy camera gears and be fully in the moments; there were times I literally told myself it's okay to NOT work, it's okay to simply sit by the river and listen to the river sing...

All in all, it's been a great day to be in the canyons -- to walk deep into the trails and reconnect with my lovely little Virgin River.  Even when raining, the air was so fresh, the leaves were so bright, the water was so clear -- in light gold, pure green, reflective red and bondy blue colors. 

It's a wonderful place for soul cleansing!

Life is like a box of chocolate... (1)

So, I have been traveling for the week and decided to drive to Zion for the weekend. 

I have to tell you, the world of desert is unpredictable!  As always, the morning drive involved high drama where I went through gusty winds, desert sand storms, amazing golden sunrise, rain storms, rainbows, double rainbows...  And the canyon mountains were covered by thick clouds, thin clouds and dancing clouds! 

All of this was not in my plan.  I came here with one thing in mind -- follow the calm, lovely little Virgin River and capture the golden leaves in the canyon valley along the river under the warm sunlight.   

It reminded me of what Forrest Gump's mom told him: Life is like a box of chocolate, you just don't know what you're going to get.  It is so very true!  But one of my friends wisely told me today: "It's a box of chocolate, whatever you get, it can't be too bad.  So, just enjoy it!"

With that, I thoroughly enjoyed my first day at Zion.  I love autumn, and I especially love Zion's autumn -- the mix of golden leaves with red rocks holds special beauty of this world!

Rain in the forecast for tomorrow, and it will be colder than today -- but the chocolate is STILL going to be sweet.