AlishaV's Blog

I have thousands of pictures that I've taken, most of them on various field trips through California or other parts of the west. Though we went to some wonderful places full of great possible shots, I rarely get the best pictures since we hurry from place to place and my short legs make it hard to keep up anyways without stopping to take pictures, so most of my photos are taken as I'm hurrying along or even out of the window of the field trip vans. Thus, they aren't the greatest they could be, but there have been some accidents where I got a few pictures that turned out nicely even without planning and tripods and proper equipment. These are a few of my favorite pictures.

This was a boring shot of the Trona Pinnacles, carbonate towers near Trona, California that are similar to those at Mono Lake. It was early morning, but a bit past the best time to take a picture so the area was really heavily shadowed with many bright spots. I played with the picture using photo-editing software and brought out that natural glow that was hidden by the glare. I liked the picture a bit, but wasn't really into it until I set it as my desktop background for a while. The different tones the picture takes on as the computer boots up, then warms, then as it gets turned off, makes the picture turn from earliest dawn to sunset at various points and I've just fallen in love with the variations.

Sunday (70) Originally uploaded by AlishaV Red-tinted pools of saltwater in Searles Dry Lake, Trona, California during Gem-O-Rama. We waded through these pools to collect Halite crystals and they may look like blood but they stink horribly. The algae that gives them the red color and the salt mix and makes a terrible smell. The crystals are worth it though :)

Alabama Hills and Moon Originally uploaded by AlishaV Camping at the Alabama Hills in California near Death Valley. Though the place has a stunning feel to it, it is extremely difficult to capture that sense of wonder in a picture. I love the color of this shot and the moon in just the right spot about some of the boulders that make up the area.

Double Arch in Arches National Park, Utah. The two arches creat all sorts of wonderful shadows and a great little cavity beneath them. I actually have a better picture of it that I'll try to load up later.

100_3628 Originally uploaded by AlishaV Bryce Canyon, Utah in May. There was a light snow falling, and one day I hope to get back there and be able to get a shot with the red sediments glowing under a bed of white.

Creek Dividing the Pacific Plate and the North American Originally uploaded by AlishaV Near Parkfield, California, standing on a bridge looking at a creek flowing down the San Andreas Fault, which is the border between the North American and Pacific tectonic plates. There were swallows swooping all around us and the sun was warm yet gentle. Plus I was hoping for an earthquake :)

Hiking through the Pinnacles National Monument in California. You walk for a distance through dark caves that contain endangered bats and a whispering creek, and then come around the corner to this stairway up into the light. Get more info on this, one of my favorite places: Pinnacles National Monument

Hiking to Red Rock Canyon 4 Originally uploaded by AlishaV Our paleontology group hiking through Red Rock Canyon north of Reno. I love the colors there and the verticalness of this shot.

Creek Wandering into the Lake Originally uploaded by AlishaV On our trip up Highway 395 north of Reno, we stayed at a pretty little campground on Frenchman Lake. There was snow all along the edges and this creek and baby grass along the lakeshore. We got snowed out the very next day.

Walking Down to the Beach Originally uploaded by AlishaV Another picture from our trip to Point Reyes last Spring. Walking down the trail to the beach I always take tons of pictures, I love the flowers and little creek that runs along the side, but my favorite part of the trail is when you come around the last bit of the trail and the sea reveals itself.

Chicken Tractors at Pt Reyes Originally uploaded by AlishaV Movable chicken shelters called chicken tractors or arks, sitting in fields at Point Reyes, California. I took this picture because I love chicken tractors, but looking at it later, loved the clouds coming in off of the ocean over the hills.

This is a picture from our trip to Gem-O-Rama in Trona, California last October. These people are scrubbing Hanksite crystals free of the mud they grew in using a saltwater/brine solution. This is one of the best places to get crystals and see geology, as long as you don't mind getting really messy. The crystals grow underground amidst the mineral-laden mud, and to get these specific crystals they scoop big piles of the mud up and let people dig through them. It's kind of crazy. See more info on it on my page about the event: Gem-O-Rama in Trona, California