Sunday, August 08, 2010

The View from Castle Valley








Above: Utah's high desert, where Mormon colonizer Brigham Young and his followers sought pastures for their cattle in the 1870s, despite warnings from Indian tribes. Rainfall is so rare, its arrival seems to bring miracles.

Saturday, August 07, 2010

The View from Route 292




Above: Nevada's Route 292 runs just three miles south from a desolate Oregon border.

Friday, August 06, 2010

The View from Crooked River









Above: Oregon's Crooked River Highway follows its namesake along a watershed that supports river otter, redband trout, golden eagles, prairie falcons, and pronghorn antelope, among other wildlife. Farther south, a weathered oasis in the town of Brothers seems transplanted from another century.

Monday, August 02, 2010

The View from Olympic Peninsula



















Above: views from the peninsula's Dungeness Spit, where Indian paintbrush blooms alongside dandelions, and a ferry ride to the Emerald City.