Artist's Palette - Death Valley National Park

Artist's Palette is on the face of the Black Mountains along Artist's Drive in Death Valley National Park.

As the name would suggest, it broadcasts an aray of attractive colors in its rock. The colors are brought on by the oxidation of different metals; red, pink and yellow is from iron salts, green is from decomposing mica, and the purple is from manganese.

The Artist's Drive area provides evidence of one of Death Valley's most violently explosive periods, though this is not the predominant thought on your mind while viewing these colors of the rainbow.

Geology and history aside, Artist's Palette is a darn right beautiful place! The contrasting palette of colors attract photographers and tourists alike, especially toward evening as the sun begins to set. This is when the colors start to pop as the light grows ever softer.

A great vantage point is on a bluff just south of the main parking lot. It's also accessible from the road shortly before the Artist's Palette turnoff.

This bluff serves as an excellent place to catch sunset over the Panimint Range as well. And if you are lucky enough to catch clouds in the sky, the reward can be excellent!

Arist's Drive is a scenic one-way loop located about halfway between Furnace Creek and Badwater, accessed from Badwater Road. It rises up to the top of an alluvial fan fed by a deep canyon, and includes many sharp curves and deep dips - much like a roller coaster.

These images were all captured with my 70-200mm lense, often in tandem with a 2x telenconverter. This setup was particularly useful in isolating the patterns and colors of the rock.

Special 'Thank You' to FONP and ONP

Last Thursday I had the honor to be the guest speaker at the Friends of Olympic National Park's annual meeting in Port Angeles, and enjoyed giving a narrated slide show presentation to a packed auditorium in the Olympic National Park Visitors' Center.

I really had a LOT of fun sharing my experiences in the park; everything from coast trips to extended backpacks into the interior, to the Bailey traverse and ascents of Mount Olympus. Of course, I shared many humorous stories from these trips as well!

The audience included the likes of Don Stoneman, Dave Skinner, and many other names of trail notoriety over the last several decades. I also got to meet new Deputy Superintendent of ONP, Todd Suess - a very nice guy who is bringing a fun attitude and wealth of experience to his new position.

Talking with the likes of Don Stoneman after the event was a real honor and treat for me. I also enjoyed learning more about the park from Larry Baysinger, whom I will have to take up for a guided trail ride with my family soon! Of course, the icing on the cake was seeing Dave Skinner arrive and getting a chance to catch up with him (and poke some fun with during my presentation!). I called Dave a week prior with an invite. He received my message only an hour before the event and still found time to attend!

I have so many people I would like to personally thank, beginning with Rod Farlee of FONP who really made it all happen, and who's efforts have gone far beyond this event. I would also like to thank FONP President Larry Stetson, Vice President Greg Halberg, Secretary Karen Jenson, and Treasurer Dan Peacock. All were very nice people who went out of their way to welcome me and acquaint me with their group. If I am forgetting anybody (and I probably am), I apologize.

Finally, a very special Thank You to ONP staff members Greg Marsh and Chris Eckard for their hands-on help in setting up the equipment for my presentation and making sure everything ran smooth. Chris in particular was a great help during my presentation.

The picture of Mount Angeles above was taken the next morning during a drive up to Hurricane Ridge. I followed it up with a drive out to the coast and to the Hoh Rain Forest, capping off a wonderful trip to the peninsula.