As a photographer, I’ve found no better cave than Carlsbad Caverns to visit and shoot. Its huge expanse of beautifully lit formations sets the stage. However, what really sets it apart is the freedom the National Park Service gives you to roam at your own pace, to set-up tripods and to take pictures. I’ve now visited four times and I most certainly plan to return. A gallery of pictures is forthcoming … but not today, I’ve got a road trip to continue!
A snow storm hit New Mexico when last I visited. This of course didn’t affect Carlsbad Caverns which lies 750 feet underground but it sure affected the National Solar Observatory at 9,500 feet in elevation! Sunspot, as its known, is an observatory dedicated to studying the sun with its many telescopes. At this elevation, at this latitude, with this weather it’s an ideal spot to study the sun. Here are some of the telescopes to be seen.
In this region of the country I’ve found personal favorites that I return to. White Sands National Monument is one of those. Several times I’ve visited at sunset to watch the light of the setting sun perform magic on the white sands. While I did visit again this evening, I thought I’d share a new perspective on this amazing stretch of geography from high above at Sunspot. The white in the valley below is the great wave-like dune fields of gypsum sand which engulf 275 square miles of desert and form world’s largest gypsum dune field.
Just for fun, I have this picture from the reverse perspective too. 🙂
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