Gallery 7

2010 Photo Gallery

Kokopelli

This was not exactly a nature trip since my wife and I were accompanied by people who were interested to see some of the most famous places of the Southwest including Las Vegas (I abhor this place), San Francisco, and the Pacific coast. Therefore a few photos show sceneries and objects familiar from calendars and posters. The RAW image files supplied by the camera (Nikon D200) were processed with RawTherapee 2.41 and The Gimp 2.6.

RawTherapee was used to adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, color temperature, and sharpness, and to convert the RAW files to the PNG format. Afterwards The Gimp was used to remove unwanted objects (dust speckles, vapor trails, wires, cars), correct perspective distortion, and convert the PNG files to the JPG format. Both open-source programs proved to be extremely useful.

Blooming Desert, Death Valley NP, California

Eroded Hills, Zabriskie Point, Death Valley NP, California

Manly Beacon, Zabriskie Point, Death Valley NP, California

Mono Lake, California

Tufa Columns, Mono Lake, California

Clouds, San Francisco Bay, California

Horseshoe Bay & Fort Baker, Marin County, California

Pier 41, Forbes Island, Alcatraz, San Francisco, California

Pacific Coast from Pigeon Point, California

Pigeon Point Lighthouse, Pacific Coast, California

Trees, Pacific Grove, California

Point Piños Lighthouse, Pacific Grove, California

Pebble Beach, 17 Mile Drive, Pacific Grove, California

Lone Cypress, Pebble Beach, 17 Mile Drive, Pacific Grove, California

Cypresses, Pescadero Point, 17 Mile Drive, Pacific Grove, California

Pacific Coast near Big Sur, California

Pacific Coast with Bixby Creek Bridge, Big Sur, California

Point Sur, Pacific Coast, California

Morro Rock, Morro Bay, California

Seagulls at Sunset, Morro Bay, California

Sunset, Morro Bay, California

Grand Canyon, Arizona

Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Arizona

Checkerboard Mesa, Zion NP, Utah

Dead Wood, Checkerboard Mesa, Zion NP, Utah

Rock with Tree, Zion NP, Utah

Wash, Zion NP, Utah

Vicinity of Zion NP, Utah

Bryce Canyon NP, Utah

Rocks, Bryce Canyon NP, Utah

Bryce Arch, Bryce Canyon NP, Utah

The Hunter, Bryce Canyon NP, Utah

Calf Creek Canyon from Hwy 12, Grand Staircase - Escalante NP, Utah

Landscape, Burr Trail, Capitol Reef NP, Utah

Waterpocket Fold, Capitol Reef NP, Utah

Sulfur Creek Canyon, Capitol Reef NP, Utah

Lake Powell from Hwy 95 Turnout, Utah

Monitor Butte & Merrimac Butte near Canyonlands NP, Utah

Colorado River from Shafer Trail, Canyonlands NP, Utah

Buck Canyon Overlook, Canyonlands NP, Utah

Green River Overlook, Canyonlands NP, Utah

Candlestick Tower, Green River Overlook, Canyonlands NP, Utah

Distant Rain Shower, Pothole Point, Canyonlands NP (Needles District), Utah

Rocks, Pothole Point, Canyonlands NP (Needles District), Utah

Rock Landscape, Pothole Point, Canyonlands NP (Needles District), Utah

Tree and Rocks, Canyonlands NP (Needles District), Utah

Church Rock from Hwy 191, Utah

The Organ, Arches NP, Utah

Sheeprock, Arches NP, Utah

The Three Gossips, Arches NP, Utah

La Sal Mountains seen from Arches NP, Utah

On April 19, 10:00 a.m. MDT, I noticed a halo while I drove from Moab to Monticello, Utah. This optical phenomenon looks like a circular rainbow of 22° semidiameter with the sun at its center. It is caused when sunlight is refracted by small hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the upper atmosphere. The halo was visible for approx. 1 hour.