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The Big Sur coast of California has stunning rugged scenery of boulder covered beaches and jagged rocks emerging from the
sea. It's a pleasure to spend
a day driving south from San Francisco and stopping frequently along the way to enjoy the
scenery. California also has one of the world's premier scenic
areas in Yosemite National Park, located several hours
drive east of San Francisco. In the desert east of Los Angeles there exists a dense collection of
Joshua Trees in Joshua
Tree National Park. And if you like desert, there is the must-not-to-be-missed desert of deserts at Death Valley National
Park.
Perhaps not always the hottest place in the world, but certainly one of them - it has the record for highest
recorded temperature and is the lowest place in North America. Somewhere between the
heights of Yosemite and the depths
of Death Valley is the beautiful scenery of Pinnacles National Monument. This page has photos of them all -
Yosemite, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Pinnacles, and Big Sur. Larger version of these photos of California can be viewed
by using a mouse rollover, or using the Slideshow below. See all TheWorldinLight has to offer
at Destinations and Topics.
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Yosemite Climber
This photograph of a rock climber was taken at Yosemite National Park in California.
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Half Dome #26
Half Dome is one of those famous landmarks that defines a place - in this case, Yosemite National Park.
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Yosemite #5-31
This photo shows some of the colors of autumn at Yosemite National Park - a beautiful place in every season of the year.
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Pinnacles #362
Pinnacles National Monument in California is full of unusually shaped boulders that were created by volcanic activity.
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Pinnacles #363
Pinnacles National Monument is particularly beautiful in the spring when the sharp contrast between the green
vegetation and boulders is highlighted.
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Stones in Spring
Pinnacles National Monument rises dramatically out of unlikely surroundings consisting of gently rolling hills,
now covered in vineyards just outside of Soledad, California.
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Mysterious Rocks #47
This photo shows the mysterious moving rocks of Death Valley National Park. These rocks, which clearly move
and leave deep ruts in their wake, are located in a remote region known as the Racetrack Playa - an ancient,
dried lakebed. To get there requires a long, rough drive recommended for 4WD vehicles.
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Death Valley 2005
Death Valley is the lowest, hottest, and driest place in North America. It is typically a stark place with
little life revealing itself. In the spring of 2005, Death Valley had more wildflowers blooming than had been
seen there in fifty years.
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Barker Dam
An early morning visit to Barker Dam in Joshua Tree National Park provides a view of a calm and beautiful reflection
of the surrounding boulders.
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Joshua Tree Sunset
Joshua Tree National Park is famous for - of course - Joshua Trees. But there are also the interesting Cholla
Cacti and some of the most beautiful sunsets to be seen anywhere.
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Chollas At Sunset
Joshua Tree National Park has an extensive "garden" of Cholla Cactus.
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Barker Dam #2701
This is a photo of Barker Dam in Joshua Tree National Park in California.
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Big Sur #3
The Big Sur coast is a beautiful area of Pacific Ocean seashore just a few hours south of San Francisco.
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Big Sur #4
The Pacific coast south of San Francisco is absolutely beautiful. Highway 1 along the coast provides many turnoffs
that provides visitors striking views of cliffs falling into beautiful deep blue ocean.
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Big Sur #7
The views along the Big Sur shoreline constantly change with the weather. If you're visiting San Francisco, this
area deserves a day of exploration.
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Dunes at Sunset
The sand dunes at Death Valley are at their most beautiful when the sun is low, either at sunrise or sunset.
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Mysterious Rocks
These are the mysterious moving rocks of Death Valley t hat are found on the Racetrack Playa. The Playa is
an ancient, dried lakebed that is almost perfectly flat for several miles. These rocks tumble from the slope of
the surrounding hills and then apparently move across the lakebed when the Playa is wet. The evidence for this is that
the pattern of cracks in the mud in the wakes of the rocks is different from the pattern of the cracks in the
mud seen elsewhere on the Playa. No one has ever witnessed these rocks moving, but it's thought that they are blown
by strong winds racing across the Playa.
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Desert Gold
In the spring of 2005, after an unusually wet winter, Death Valley had more wildflowers blooming than at any time seen
there in fifty years.
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Sequoia #0303
Giant Sequoias loom immensely over anyone standing nearby.
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Sequoia #0346
Many of the large Giant Sequoia Trees have been given names. The largest has been
named the General Sherman.
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Sequoia #0355
Many of the Giant Sequoia Trees in Sequoia National Park are easily accessible via
short trails.
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Sensuous Sand
The wind-blown sand dunes of Death Valley sometimes take on smooth sensuous curves.
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Desert Bloom
This is a photograph of Death Valley National Park taken during the spring of 2005.
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Rippling Sand
Distances are deceiving in the desert. These sand dunes were several miles from the nearest road.
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Sand Dune Sunset
The setting sun cast an orange glow across these sand dunes in Death Valley National Park in California.
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Sand #494
I'm fairly sure this question mark in the sand would not have been there a day earlier or later. Or would it?
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Moonrise Over Death Valley
While hiking back from distant sand dunes after sunset in Death Valley, I witnessed this
beautiful moonrise.
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Golden Gate in Moonlight
This Golden Gate Bridge photo was not taken in moonlight, but in daylight and digitally altered
to give it the appearance of night and reflected moonlight from the bay. See more such photos in the
Abstract Photo Gallery.
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The Photography of:
Robert D. Stephens
TheWorldinLight Photographic Gallery
TheWorldinLight-at-aol-dot-com
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All photographs are the property of Robert Stephens and TheWorldinLight Photographic Gallery. Unauthorized reproduction or use is prohibited by US
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