Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Vermillion Cliffs and Victim

V.

Victim of Time and Ravages by the Elements
(Click on the photographs for best viewing)
by Martha

You know how Martha likes B/W. I think she did a good job on the B/W,
considering it was heavy overcast with rain and not much contrast.

It was photographed at
Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Deschutes National Forest
Oregon

In November of 1990, Newberry National Volcanic Monument was created within the boundaries of Deschutes National Forest. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service, this monument provides a unique opportunity to view the Lava Lands of central Oregon.

Newberry National Volcanic National Monument includes 50,000+ acres of lakes, lava flows, and spectacular geologic features in central Oregon. The highest point within the Monument is the summit Paulina Peak (7,985 ft.), showcasing views of the Oregon Cascades and across the High Desert. The summit area of Newberry Volcano holds two sparkling alpine lakes full of trout and salmon.


Vermillion Cliffs
by Troy

The above photo is a composite of two photographs to produce the panorama. Notice Highway 89A in the bottom right hand corner for perspective and scale. This route by the cliffs is the only east route of get to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

The Vermilion Cliffs are the second "step" up in the five-step Grand Staircase of the Colorado Plateau. Reddish or vermilion-colored cliffs are found along U.S. Highway 89 and U.S. Highway 89A near Kanab, Utah (and near Navajo Bridge in Arizona).

We stopped at Navajo Bridge to photograph the rafts on their way down the river. We were also looking for the California condor. They had been seen in this region. We didn’t see one here but we did see and photograph one on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was a small dot on the photo, but we did get a look with our binoculars.

The Cliffs extend from a location near Page, Arizona and west for a considerable distance, in both Arizona and Utah. 112,500 acres (455 km²) of the region were designated as the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness in 1984, and an even greater area was proclaimed Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in 2000. Famous locations in the cliff area include Lee's Ferry, Glen Canyon (a national recreational area), The Wave, Coyote Buttes, and others.

The cliffs sat astride an important route from Utah to Arizona used by settlers during the 19th Century. The area was thoroughly explored by the Mormon pioneer and missionary Jacob Hamblin who started a ranch at the base of the cliffs in House Rock Valley. Modern U.S. Highway 89A basically follows the old wagon route past the cliffs through House Rock Valley and up the Kaibab Plateau to Jacob Lake.

The Vermilion Cliffs are made up of deposited silt and desert dunes, cemented by infiltrated carbonates and intensely colored by red iron oxide and other minerals, particularly bluish manganese. In the spring, after a good winter rain, the valley between Highway 89 and the Vermilion Cliffs will be covered with a carpet of desert mallow and other spring flowers.

To play, visit ABC Wednesday, mrsnesbitt's place. Click here.

Troy and Martha

28 comments:

Leslie: said...

LOVE your photos! And interesting dialogue about the cliffs and area. I had no idea you were connected to the Grand Canyon in this way! Well done and thx for dropping by.

Anonymous said...

Your b&w is really a dramatic photo. Lovely. And I loved reading about the geography of the Vermillion Cliffs.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photographs and the black and white is fabulous!

david mcmahon said...

That b/w shot is great. Perfect use of the timber and the conditions.

photowannabe said...

What beautiful shots . The cliffs are spectacular and that black and white is supurb. Very dramatic. Keep them coming.

Unknown said...

Very good 'V' post.

Love the vermillion cliffs.

Always an informative and interesting post.

Thanks

Gary
Bodge's Bulletin

Anonymous said...

great post and amazing b/w capture

Reader Wil said...

The black and white photo is like one taken of a monument created by nature itself! It's perfect! Thanks also for the informative post.

Marie Reed said...

Holy Moly! That is just breathtaking!

me ann my camera said...

Always educational, always interesting and definitely beautiful. I think black and white might be my favourite this time; the format always reminds me to try it but then I forget until I see your beautiful work again.

Thank you for your visit and comments on mine. You always write such nice comments.

Jane Hards Photography said...

Excellent to view and read as alwyas, but the b&w shot is my favourite.

Pappy said...

Love your travelogs. I want to make some driving trips into those same areas.

Dina said...

Beautiful photos. Wow, 50,000 acres of nature?! Only in America!

AphotoAday said...

Love Martha's shot of the gnarled wood -- Looks great in B&W...

And Oregon is interesting, isn't it, with all of that volcanic activity... Interesting post.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Troy: Love that B&W of the weathered tree. That is one artistic photo. Certainly a very nice capture.

kjpweb said...

Beautiful photography! BRavo!
Cheers, Klaus

Daryl said...

I love black & white and it suites Martha's V perfectly.

Your vista is vibrant and the color is perfect!

The two compliment and contrast one another as I suspect you and Martha do too

:-Daryl

Louis la Vache said...

You do a fine superb job of combining outstanding photos with very informative text! It is always a pleasure to stop by here!

"Louis" had warned you that his post would be Visions of Hell! - and he didn't even show the most violent of those panels!
"Louis" thinks they may have been done by the Gothic/Tattoo/Piercing crowd he sees hanging out in a skateboard basin fashioned out of concrete waste that had been dumped on Albany Point.

Neva said...

What great photos! reminds of my trip to the Grand Canyon....beautiful.
Mine is up here

mrsnesbitt said...

I tried to join two pictures together but with no success. For some reason the sky was different colours. Yours however is truly accurate and awesome!

Rune Eide said...

I have never seen vermilion cliffs before, thank you for showing!

I liked the B & W. For some work, especially if you want to emphasise certain emotions etc, there is nothing to beat it.

Petunia said...

Love the photos in this post. B&W is always nice:)


Petunia's ABC

Unknown said...

As usual great shots and educational post.

Kim said...

Great shots. Great job on the black and white :)

Katney said...

Some volcanic areas are difficult to photograph in any light. There is so much black lava rock in many of them, including this one if I recall correctly.

We pass by the Vermillion Cliffs every year as we visit the kids in Arizona at Thanksgiving. You have captured it well.

Shelley said...

The b&w was perfect - climatic!

Anonymous said...

like everyone else . . . I love the B&W photo!

Maggie May said...

Lovely photos ... came via David!