Google Earth Street View Turns 1-year-old

And to celebrate Google added a bunch of new cities and even more exciting are the new national parks!

• Everglades National Park (Florida)
  
• Florida Keys
• Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
  
• Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming/Montana)
  
• Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
  
• Joshua Tree National Park (California)
  
• Death Valley National Park (California)
• Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
  
• Sequoia National Park (California)
• Lake Tahoe (California/Nevada)

I'm off to check them out!!

Great Sand Dunes Redux

I added another image to my Recent Images Gallery.

This one is a B&W conversion of a dunes abstract I've titled "Pattern and Shadow." I love the dark line patterns leading into the image and the contrast between the hard lines in the foreground and soft shadows playing across the dunes in the background.

The location is mid-way up the Star Dune complex from Medano Creek - a steep and surreal hike.

It looks like a tranquil scene. But as is often the case on early summer afternoons, the wind was howling across the dunes - sand blasting my ankles and attempting to wreak havoc on my camera equipment. My tripod required some extra attention after returning home, but thankfully the rest of my gear escaped the dreaded grit.

Great Sand Dunes N.P.P. & The Crestones

I made a quick trip to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve last Saturday for some hiking and photography. I explored some new areas and was treated to a spectacular sunset. :-)