Scenery and Landscapes

Lone juniper tree in the rocky west desert of Utah.

Out on a slope of rock, sagebrush, and short grasses in western Utah, a lone Juniper tree stands tall against a partly cloudy sky. The juniper trunk has split, looking as if it is two different trees growing together.

Shade. Single tree in open, hot desert in western Utah

A single isolated juniper tree stands over hte desert of western Utah. Below the tree is a black basalt rock, some sage, and short green and yellow grasses.

Solo juniper standing over vast desert valley in western Utah

A single juniper tree stands out among hte flat desert grasses and sage brush of the west desert of Utah.

Dirt road trail through desert sagebrush toward small peak in the distance.

A narrow dirt road and trail head through the sagebrush and juniper trees of the Utah West Desert. In the distance is a small mountain with white, whispy clouds in the sky.

Small peak above arid desert grassland with blue sky overhead.

In the desert of western Utah, this small peak rises sharply from the vast fields of sage and grasses in the arid landscape. Above, a small cloud forms near the peak in the otherwise clear blue sky.

Aspen trees with green leaves in summer reflected in beaver pond in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

A short hike on the Willow Heights trail reveals a beautiful beaver pond with a grove of aspen birch trees on one side. The pond, when calm, makes a perfect reflection of the trees

Stream running through mossy green rocks in Utah wilderness

A small stream cascades over several mossy green rocks with other plants growing around it.

Footprints in deep soft sand curve to the right.

Footprints in soft mud and sand near the Great Salt Lake in Utah curve ahead and right in the frame.

Scenic drive through the snowy mountains of Utah

Winding paved road through Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City, Utah. The road runs under a ski trail on the left and bare aspen trees on the right. Large snow covered peaks stand in the distance

Shallow pink bacteria-filled water of the Great Salt Lake

Brine and bacteria of the Great Salt Lake sometimes give the water a pink color, seen here with cloudy foam-like puffs floating in the water

Mountaintop Reflection

The top of a high mountain peak, still patched with snow cover in July, is reflected in a small pool beside a large, calm river lined with evergreen trees in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Grand Teton Through Wildfire Haze

Smoke and haze from autumn wildfires block the clarity of the Grand Teton and add a bit of mystery to the large peak. The Grand Teton stands behind a field of grasses and sagebrush with a wooden fence running through the foreground.

Oxbow Bend

Mount Moran stands above several bright orange and yellow aspen trees over the Snake River at Oxbow Bend in Grand Teton National Park.

Hot Spring Waterfall

A small waterfall from a hotspring in Yellowstone National Park flows down a rock formation - stained many colors from the minerals and algea - into the Yellowstone River.

Tent By Lake and Wildflowers

A small 2-person backpacking tent sits in a beautiful campsite by a lake surounded by many types and colors of wildflowers in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. A row of aspen trees are reflected in the small lake that is rippled by wind.

Waterfall Near Mt. Timpanogos

A small watefall on the side of the trail to Mount Timpanogos in Utah Valley. The waterfall runs over several tiers of rock cliffs and a long exposure has smoothed the water into a silky stream.

Hot air balloon over river in Colorado

Trees are starting to turn yellow in autumn as a hot air balloon floats above a calm blue river near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Recently harvested hay bales on farmland in Colorado

Large round hale bales lined up in a field after being harvested in Colorado. Trees on a mountain in the background are turning yellow and snow has dusted the larger peaks signaling the coming winter.

Crystal Mill with Autumn trees changing yellow

The old abandoned mill near Crystal, Colorado has been restored and is a popular tourist attraction, despite being miles out on a rugged, rocky dirt road. The mill sits on a steep cliff, and was formerly powered by water redirected from the river through the building and down the wooden chute on the other side.

Dirt road through trees with fall colors

A dirt road leading to Keebler Pass, Colorado passes through many aspen trees turning yellow and orange in fall.

Fall colors on deciduous trees in Keebler Pass, Colorado

Many aspen trees make up a dense forest near Keebler Pass, Colorado. The leaves of most the trees have changed yellow and began falling, while others are still green

Back road through mountains with changing trees of Colorado

Fall in the high elevations of Colorado. A road runs through many aspen trees and light snow has already fallen on the peaks above. Clouds create shadows and highlights mixed throughout the scene

Small cascade under larger waterfall on creek in Colorado.

A small river or creek runs through a rocky area in Colorado. In the background a waterfall pours over a cliff, and a small cascaderuns through the rocky creek bed in the forground. A long exposure smooths out all the flowing water into soft white ribbons

Small cabin in the wilderness between Durango and Silverton, Colorado.

A rough four-wheel-drive road leads to a tiny cabin in a meadow below large peaks of Colorado. The few deciduous trees have turned yellow and are losing their leaves, and snow has dusted the larger peaks above.

Dirt road beneath desert plateau in Arizona

Dirt road through the desert and sagebrush of Arizona. Above, a large plateau sits against a lightly cloudy sky

The Candlestick formation in Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona.

Deep in a slot canyon in Arizona, the walls of red Navajo Sandstone curve and weave with light from above

Sand falling from wavy sandstone in slot canyon

Deep inside a slot canyon in Arizona, sand placed on a shelf of rock slowly slides down and pours to the canyon floor. A long exposure creates a smooth waterfall-like effect in the falling sand

Looking up a narrow slot canoyn

Orange and red sandstone canyons cut by floods form beautiful wave like features in narrow channels, smoothed by running water over thousands of years

Flood debris caught on arch in narrow slot canyon

An arch in a narrow slot canyon in Arizona captured a mess of flood debris when a flash flood swept through the canyon. The debris has since dried up and is stuck against the arch and the canyon wall

Pink and white layers in sandstone.

Layers of sandstone in Southern Utah, eroded into stripes of pink and white waves and curves.

Yellow leaf on red and white sandstone layers

A small yellow leaf rests on a slab of red and white layered sandstone rock in Southern Utah.

Layered rock on pink and white layers

A small sandstone rock resting on a large slab of layered pink and white rock. Shallow depth of field leaves the small rock in focus and the background softened.

Window to Temple Mountain

A window through an old, partially collapsed building, left over from the days of heavy uranium mining, looks on at the craggy summit of Temple Mountain in Southern Utah. It is believed that during her visit to the mines sometime in the early 1900's, Madame Curie herself stayed in this cabin. Much of the ore produced in the mines in the San Rafael Swell was sent to France for Madame Curie's expirements with Radium.

Temple Mountain

The around Temple mountain is rich with uranium ore, and was mined heavily in the early 1900's. Much of the ore was sent to France for testing with Madame Marie Curie.

Temple Mountain Uranium Mine Camp

A Camp left over from the 1900's Uranium mine boom in Southern Utah. Two buildings along with a more recent fire ring are left below the steep cliffs of Temple Mountain. It is thought that Marie Curie visited the area and slept in the larger building on the left during her stay.

Small building and juniper tree below Temple Mountain.

Small building between a boulder and large juniper tree below Temple Mountain in Southern Utah. The mining camps in the San Rafael Swell area produced ore that was sent to France for Madame Curie's expirements in radium research.

Road to Temple Mountain

A washed out dirt road leads to the base of Temple Mountain. in the early 1900's hundreds of mining claims dotted the area around Temple Mountain in the San Rafael Swell of Southern Utah.

Temple Mountain Sunset

Last light before sunset illuminates the steep cliffs of Temple Mountain. The peak is the highest point in the San Rafael Swell of Southern Utah. Many uranium mines were active in the early 1900's throughout the Swell.

Alpenglow on Temple Mountain

Temple Mountain glows pink with the last light of the sunset over Southern Utah. In the early 1900's Temple Mountain was the site of thousands of uranium mining claims