Param Sandhu, Escalante, UT (2026)

06/06/2016

Miners Castle - Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan. The turret like rock formation lends this site it's name. There was a second similar turret just next to the surviving one till it collapsed in 2006. The views are great from the multiple observation platforms on land and awesome from the water, whether you are on a kayak or the cruise boat. A very popular summertime picnicking spot for families. The fog over Lake Superior on this day could easily be mistaken for smoke from the several barbecue pits.

05/30/2016

Memorial Day at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery is somber reality check. Continuing with the tradition thousands of boy and girl scouts made quick work of placing a flag at each of the 190,000 graves.

05/28/2016

Taking in the view from Sunset Arch. Located in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument you can get to Sunset Arch from the Forty Mile Ridge dirt road. A nice big arch that frames Navajo Mountain. As the name implies it's best shot at sunset.

There is no established trail to the arch, the preferred path is a little over a mile long cross-country walk across a featureless expanse of desert brush. With GPS coordinates in hand there was no hesitation that my phone would get me there, and it did that just fine. Once the sun had set it was time to head back to the coordinates of my Jeep but the problem was the phone just would not get a position lock. Tried all sorts of stuff without success. The phone has worked so well for the past year helping me navigate much longer trails in more difficult terrain that rarely have I felt the need for a backup plan.

The light was fading quickly so had to get moving in the general direction I knew, the road was just a mile away so I felt pretty confident that no mater what eventually my path will cross the road. About 25 minutes later it was dark and I was hitting multiple obstacles which were not there on my way in like a tall hill I had never descended. Clearly I was off track but there wasn't a lot I could do now other than keep moving ahead. Finally found the road on top of the hill but off course there was no sign of the Jeep and had no clue whether to go left or right. I picked right and started walking, after what seemed like a long time filled with many moments of second guessing my decision I reached the hill descent from where it was possible to see the road in the distance. Flashing my headlamp into darkness at last there was that beautiful sight of reflectors twinkling back at me. Wohoo found it! As much as I would like to believe I played it cool my down jacket drenched in cold sweat divulged something else.

In what was supposed to be just one mile of straight line walking I had strayed half a mile off track. Shocking but a lot worse is possible, just search up this weeks news story on the missing Appalachian hiker if you haven't read it already. Lesson learnt have a fall back navigation strategy.

05/16/2016

Fantasic Sunday at the Sprit of St. Louis Air Show 5/15/2016. Some pics.

05/14/2016

Fifty Foot Falls - For the past year I have been enamored by the red rock country of the southwest, just can't get enough of it. Within the vast desolate landscape are hidden gems; Havasu Canyon is certainly one such place. A desert oasis which has cradled humankind for millennia. The beauty of this place is simply beyond belief. These particular falls are not even the main attraction, most people seemed to bypass them so I had the entire place to myself for the evening. This is just a teaser, stay tuned for more from this magical land.

05/07/2016

Maze petroglyph panel is the best example of ancient rock art in the Vermillion Cliffs, at least in my personal opinion. Having missed seeing these in couple of prior excursions it was particularly gratifying to finally see and photograph this fascinating work of Ancestral Puebloan people.
The name obviously is a reference to the captivating maze etching but there is a lot more going on. The human figure with earrings apparently playing some sort of instrument stands out. There is also a plethora of wildlife. I'm no expert to interpret what all is going on in these depictions but there is little to no information available on the web.

One wonders if the people hammering away at their rock canvas ever dreamt that hundreds of years later people from all over the world will trek out to seek a peek at their work. We will never know but having captured their creation on a digital canvas and spreading it across the cyber world I do ponder how long will this digital version persist and where all will it travel.... We will never know.

04/30/2016

Yes, I was part of the madness. Those who were there know exactly what I mean. Even though I managed to get higher than most people, certain aspects of the day were just a downer.

In case you don't know what you are looking at then this is Horsetail Falls in Yosemite National Park. A seasonal waterfall with a drop of over 1500 feet (480 m) yep those granite walls are massive. For about a week in February the sun alignment is such that for a few minutes before sunset only the waterfall is perfectly illuminated while the adjoining granite walls go in shade. It creates an illusion of the waterfall being falling lava. It does indeed look like this photo. Off course seeing it in real life is believing.

Other than time of year; your chances of seeing this natural phenomena are largely dependent on the amount of water flow. Horsetail only flows when there is good snow melt. Prevailing drought conditions in California don't help. 2016 was by far the best year in recent memory. Many were able to strike it off their bucket list but I have a feeling a larger number have now added it to theirs. If you are one of later then I wish you good luck!

04/23/2016

Spring Snow on the Ranch - Are there times while driving around something catches your eye and you just struggle with making a decision; should I stop? no keep going? can I stop? There must be something interesting that attracted you and something interesting is definitely desirable for a photo.
US route 89 is surely one scenic road with numerous sights which tempt one to take out the camera. The section thru southern Utah is particularly enchanting with small towns, farms and mountains. Add some unexpected spring snow and it's like driving thru a fairyland. It took me a couple of miles going past this scene to make up my mind to turn around and go back. The result good or bad at least no regrets about not taking the shot when I could have.

04/17/2016

Zion Canyon view from Angels Landing - What's the most amazing trail that you have hiked? Angels Landing will often find a place on recommendation lists of most iconic hikes. Those who complete it are rewarded with spectacular views of Zion Canyon.

For most of the year the trailhead is accessible only by the park shuttles (spot the bus down there?) Last Labor Day I took the first bus of the day in hopes of making it to the top for sunrise. Being my first attempt I had no good sense of how much time I had so as soon as the bus stopped it was a dash in the dark. Not for long though, the steep ascent would soon grind down my progress to a slow breathless walk. Every ounce of non essential stuff in the backpack now biting me in the butt. Once there was enough ambient light I even ditched my headlamp in some bushes so loose some weight. Thankfully it's a relatively short 2.5 miles and I find heights thrilling so the last half mile was a lot of fun and reinvigorating. Rest of the story and more shots up ahead...

04/09/2016

Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse - How many wooden lighthouses have you seen? I don't mean miniature art deco pieces but an actual lighthouse. You can see this one in Munising in Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It's really old too, put into service way back in 1868 and decommissioned in 1908. That's over a century of being essentially abandoned. The good condition of the lighthouse can be attributed to restoration work carried out by volunteers in the early 2000's.

Another factor I guess helps protect it is that people can't get to it easily. It's on a island in Lake Superior with a population of less than 50 people. Most travelers see it from the Pictured Rocks boat cruises which operate from Munising harbor during the summer months. Kind of touristy but for most folks the only way to see the amazing national lakeshore. 👍Recommended.

04/02/2016

Lone Elk Sunrise - A beautiful sunrise at the Lone Elk Park lake. You might have seen the black and white version of this photo in the past, which turned out to be quite popular. Certainly color can be an important element in determining the "potential" of a nature / landscape scene and influence how one goes about capturing and presenting it in a photographic medium. It's covered in my grading system for landscape photography I like to call the "fundamental four's". Still a work in progress hopefully I will publish it on my blog in the near future. Off-course the working of the inter-webs is a whole different mystery and often the quality of the work does not equate to how well it does.

Anyhow hope you guys like this color version too and have a good weekend.

03/26/2016

Pikes Peak - Americas Mountain

Take the cog railroad or drive up the toll road or hike all the way; the view from the 14,115-foot summit is breathtaking. The road is well known to auto racing enthusiasts all over the world as home of the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race which takes place in June. The goal for competitors is simple, race up the 12-mile road boasting 156 turns, while climbing 4,720 ft. in the shortest time.
What goes up must come down. The year I took my motorbike up there was the last year they still had about 3 miles of gravel track (it's a fully paved road now). When coming down they had a check station where a ranger would inspect brake temperature before letting you proceed on to the gravel section. They just flagged me to go thru without checking anything! Heavy bike, sub optimal braking strategy, bad tires, loose gravel, steep gradient all meant I was doomed. It's still surprising how quickly I lost almost all braking. Gut curdling but ultimately I was able to hang on to negotiate the final couple of turns before a flat stretch allowed me to pull over. A few minutes to cool off the brakes and I was able to ride off into the sunset!!

Param Sandhu

06/06/2016

05/30/2016

05/28/2016

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05/14/2016

05/07/2016

04/30/2016

04/23/2016

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04/09/2016

04/02/2016

03/26/2016

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