"Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley, California" So much of the time Death Valley, and yes it is hot, very, very HOT, is portrayed by the salt pans and sand dunes that are so predominant there. But there is another side, and I wanted to portray one of those less seen elements.
The day I was there, mid April, it was already well above 100 degrees before 10:00 in the morning, and truthfully I could not wait to drive out of the valley, and up to Lone Pine where it was much cooler. This short little canyon gave at least a little relief from the intense heat of the below sea level, desert floor.
Toyo 45A camera, 90mm Sinaron lens, #61 Dark Green filter, Kodak T-Max 100 Film
To see more of my work go to nathanmccreery.com
Nathan, nice image challenging to setup a 4x5 at least in April you shouldn't have had many other people up there.
Otherwise I hear you all the way. All though you are missing a lot of the park heading all the way to Lone Pine to escape the heat. I heard some years from Badwater on the 4th of July you can still see snow on Telescope Peak (11000 ft / 3352 m).
Honestly, Lone Pine was my destination. From my home I drive to Las Vegas, across Death Valley and then up to LP, then south to my mothers home near Barstow. But DV was actually 100+ on that day in April. I remember stopping at the store at Badwater to get an ice cream and a cold drink... just too dang hot! I would love to go up to Telescope Peak sometime. December or January - Not April. BTW, speaking of hot. I was in Big Bend once on Presidents Day and it was almost 100, so we have several locations in the US that are just unreasonably hot.
Oh, you were taking the scenic route to Barstow ;). I’m the same way I’ve tried to avoid Interstates most my life. One of my favorite philosophies is “Don’t let friends drive the interstate”.
You know what they say in the desert about 100+ “at least it’s a dry heat” try 110-117 with anything more that a light air or breeze (1-3 / 4-7 mph) and you understand names like “Furnace Creek” real quick.