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In Search of Tulips

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Spring has arrived, but the Pacific Northwest hasn't been informed of it. Cold damp conditions continue to persist, and sunlight barely manages to peek out through the dense cloud cover. The long halcyon days of warm sunshine that took over a few weeks ago seems to have gone back to hibernation mode, a cue that up in the mountainous Northwest, cold unpredictable weather is always around the corner.

I went around in search of colorful tulip fields of Skagit Valley opening up their buds to the embracing grace of morning light, but that was not to be. The reversal of the weather fortunes seem to have delayed the opening by a few more days. This image from last year was what I was hoping to find this year, but I never made it.

Skagit County

WA USA

A Blue Oasis

I stepped away from the main thoroughfare of Chefchaouen, a long wide alley lined with shops selling tourist curios and colorful spices that wound its way through the dense hillside town. The alleys were crowded with early spring tourists and residents going about their daily routines, and I wanted to explore the more remote parts of this village. The blues continued on however, a never-ending fabric of paint that coated the city.

Chefchaouen was this magical oasis of blue in the brown dusty hill-slopes in north-eastern Morocco. The medina had gained its blue hues in the late 15th century as it received its first influx of Jewish migrants, and it stuck to this ever since. And the blues doesn't feel overwhelming, as the subtleties in the different shades of blue ensure that one alley looks different from the other. One would be hard-pressed to escape from the blue until you step out of the medina, but there are spots where the underlying brown bricks become visible, as it was in this narrow residential alleyway, complete with a tall ladder also painted blue.

Chefchaouen

Morocco

The Gold Tomb

Not many of us are honored enough to enjoy an afterlife in a gold tombstone. But if you were Amir Timur, the Turco-Mongol conqueror and the founder of the Timurid empire of Persia and Central Asia in the 14th century, you are definitely worthy of that honor. This beautiful mausoleum in Samarkhand, the capital of the emperor's empure, is a precursor to the great tombs of the Mughal era, including the famous Taj Mahal in India.

Walking inside, what struck me were the ornate decorations, the colorful mosaics, gold filigree and the beautiful inlaid tiles reflecting the rich hues the empire brought together in its vast and storied history. It must have certainly been a wonder in the era it was built. And even though it fell to disrepair during the 17th and 18th century, it has been dutifully restored during the Soviet era, almost back to its original glory.

This tomb, while being overshadowed by the even more famous attractions in Samarkhand, is one of the many reasons to visit this city steeped in history.

Samarkhand

Uzbekistan

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Sunstars

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While a part of my weekend time is spent looking at my photo archives for jogging my memories, a part of it is also spent gathering inspiration for future travel. And sometimes, looking at my archives can motivate me to seek new destinations.

This was one such archival set - a backpack I did into the coastal range of British Columbia into the heart of Garibaldi Provincial Park. While exploring opportunities to shoot by the lake at sunset, I found a small patch of fireweed catching the fire of the last light. This inspired me to start booking backpacking trips in this beautiful part of Cascadia.

Garibaldi Provincial Park

BC Canada

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Morning by the lake

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I could see my own breath condensing in the fresh cold air. The faint October sun had still not penetrated the towering peaks and deep valleys, leaving me shivering even with the layers I had adorned. Across the lake, the fringes of the conifers caught this cold morning light, glowing with a vibrant gold color.

All around, the morning forest was waking up. A thick scent of mountain pine and earthy tones permeated around. Songbirds, eagerly awaiting their winter migration, started their wake-up calls. And a lone kayaker took off from the tiny dock, hoping to get a lucky catch. This poignant scene lasted for but a moment. The roaring sounds of a dozen vehicles soon echoed through the valley - early morning hikers eagerly dashing off to the trailhead on a beautiful fall day in the North Cascades National Park.

I am eagerly awaiting the summer hiking season in this gem of a National Park so close to home.

North Cascades National Park

WA USA

The high and the low

The journey from the highest point in Death Valley to its lowest point spans ~11,300ft or ~3,450m. That journey takes one from the freezing snow-capped peak of the Panamint range to through rocky canyons down through the alluvial fans onto the lowest point in the lower 48 states - 250ft below sea level. And being able to witness this gradual transition of altitude, terrain, and climate, in one single glance is not possible anywhere else except at Dante's View in Death Valley National Park

I had arrived at the 5,500ft summit of Dante's view at sunrise, hoping to witness the first light on the mighty spine of the Panamint range. And after a colorful sunrise, pockets of warm light began to shine on the dynamic terrain of the Badwater basin and the stunning landscape all around. This was one such view capturing a well-lit alluvial fan that drained the Panamint range behind a hardy shrub that survives the harsh climate of Death Valley.

Death Valley National Park

CA USA

Blessed by the crescent

In the pre-dawn light, the landscape around was ethereal. Long rows of bright yellow daffodils stretched to the horizon, culminating in bare birch trees. A low-lying fog hovered above the horizon, lending a mystical aura to the pastoral scene.

I sleepily dawdled outside from the warm confines of my car into the crisp cold atmosphere. I had left home at a time when most of the city was still sleeping, or recovering from shenanigans of a Friday night. But that meant I had this scene entirely to myself. But misery deserves company, and hence I pinged Chris Gering Photo to join me there.

While waiting for the sun to rise up, I found the crescent moon waiting above the field with a tinge of pink morning glow hovering above the horizon.

Skagit Valley

WA USA

Wildflower Season

The longer days of warm sunlight and the rising temperatures of spring leads to the remarkable transformation that is the vast California wildflower display. Tiny seeds in the rolling hills, meadows and open grasslands all over the golden state await for the right conditions before sprouting with early spring shoots and young buds that lead to colorful displays of wildflowers every year like clockwork. Colors range the specturm, from the vibrant orange state flower (the California Poppy) to the bright yellow of the Coreopses and the blues of the Gilias and baby blue eyes.

I long for the days when I would go hunting for wildflowers during its month-long migration northward, and where I would sense joy in seeing nature come alive in a grand spectacle for the birds and insects that pollinate the tiny plants. Here is one such memory from the Antelope Valley Poppy preserve from a bloom a couple of years ago

And if you want to ensure that future generations get to see this amazing spectacle, please give these hardy plants a little space and lots of care when you go to admire them.

Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve

CA USA

Leading Away

Death valley. The name conjures up an image of a vast desolate wasteland where life struggles to survive, where time stops ticking, and where the no one in their right mind would want to visit. And it may have certainly kept that image were it not for the contrivances of modern civilization: paved roads and automobiles that zoom across the desert landscape in a matter of hours.

While one can still plenty of peace and quiet in this park, trying to do so at sunset time along the dunes is probably an exercise in futility; throngs of tourist scramble all over this sandy center of the park hoping to find their perfect spot.

As the last light crept through the clouds, I had to make do with dunes already imprinted by the footsteps of a previous passerby.

Death Valley National Park

CA USA

Land of diverse landscapes

I am excited to be going back to the dry deserts of Death Valley National Park after over 7 years. While the name conjures images of isolation and desolation, this place is anything but. It is a tumultuous landscape interspersed by dry salt lakes and towering mountains, where the sinuous curves of smooth sand dunes stand side by side with colorful jagged rock formations. It is a place where sunrises are magical, sunsets are spectacular, and where the night sky is sublime.

Looking at photos from a trip years past brought back many nostalgic memories of scurrying along dusty back roads and hiking in jaw-dropping terrain. This one is from a hike to Zabriskie point early one winter morning.

Death Valley National Park

CA USA