RED ROCK CANYON, NEVADA

Spent four days in Las Vegas so I could attend the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Convention with a good friend and fellow VJ.  We had some down time on day three and took a road trip over to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Here’s a description of the area from the Bureau of Land Management site:

Red Rock Canyon was designated as Nevada’s first National Conservation Area.  Red Rock Canyon is located 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip on Charleston Boulevard/State Route 159.  The area is 195,819 acres and is visited by more than one million people each year.  In marked contrast to a town geared to entertainment and gaming, Red Rock offers enticements of a different nature including a 13-mile scenic drive, more than 30 miles of hiking trails, rock climbing, horseback riding, mountain biking, road biking, picnic areas, nature observing and visitor center with exhibit rooms and a book store.

The unique geologic features, plants and animals of Red Rock represent some of the best examples of the Mojave Desert. In 1990, special legislation supported by the Nevada congressional delegation, changed the status of the Red Rock Recreation Lands to a National Conservation Area (NCA), the seventh to be designated nationally. This legislation provides the funding to protect and improve the area. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is enjoyed by the local population as well as visitors from the United States and many foreign countries. One million visitors each year enjoy the spectacular desert landscape, climbing and hiking opportunities, and interpretive programs sponsored by the BLM.

The BLM is the largest administrator of public lands in the West. It adheres to the policy of multiple use, thereby providing recreational opportunities, protection for cultural sites, and the management of natural resources, including wildlife.

That’s the government’s version.  My description is summed up by saying  it is AMAZING, and one of the most beautiful natural settings I’ve visited that sits so close to a major city.

By the end of the day, after watching the afternoon shadows stretch across the landscape, I was in love with Red Rock Canyon.

This place is beautiful.  If you’re ever in Vegas, make sure to take some time to visit.  If hiking is too much of a challenge, just drive the 13 mile loop, and then pick a spot and watch the sunset.    I only had my tiny SD palm camera with me, but took this hour long video of the shadows blanketing the hillsides. It’s condensed into a :30 second clip.

An added treat on your return trip to Vegas is, it’s dark and the city is lit up in all its Vegas glory… that’s another story.

More information on Red Rock Canyon here: http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/

 

 

NATURE’S PAINTBRUSH

Mother Nature is using the rain and wind as her paintbrush today.  Grabbing the camera and heading out to explore.  I have a thing for  monochromatic colors, so the light outside (or lack of it), along with a wet landscape is providing a perfect opportunity to go find something in that spectrum.

I’VE REWORKED MY PRO WEBSITE

http://kathleennewell.com/header-shots/

Header Shots

My header/banner shots at the top of my KathleenNewell.com website will change from time to time when something new catches my eye and I’m compelled to put it up top– front and center.

I’ll post a bit of background on the shots on this page too, and since the shots are cropped to fit the banner, I’m posting the entire image (click on it to enlarge).  I’ve taken artistic liberties with some of the images and will label those images as renderings.  Since I can’t draw or paint worth a dang, digital imaging is my medium for artistic expression.  My blog klncreations is all about using digital imaging as a creative outlet.

September 2012: Leafy Stuff

This ‘Leafy Stuff” rendering was taken just outside of the Ishi Wilderness Area in Northern California in 2010.  The tiny creek was in the middle of desolate country.  The photo on the right is the area  looking east towards Lassen.   “Leafy Stuff” was a throw-away shot due to it being too dark.  On a whim, I started playing with it and ended up with this mysterious looking rendering.  For some reason, it’s gotten under my skin.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

http://kathleennewell.com/header-shots/

Supermoon

This was shot in El Dorado County California at 8:15 p.m. 5.5.12 on the Ponderosa Road overcrossing at HWY 50 (right by the recent meteor explosion and meteorite dusting back on April 22, 2012)

Per NASA:
Another “supermoon” is in the offing. The perigee full moon on May 5, 2012 will be as much as 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than other full moons of 2012.
Dr. James Garvin, chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, answered questions regarding the supermoon phenomenon in a 2011 interview.

Question: What is the definition of a supermoon and why is it called that?

‘Supermoon’ is a situation when the moon is slightly closer to Earth in its orbit than on average, and this effect is most noticeable when it occurs at the same time as a full moon. So, the moon may seem bigger although the difference in its distance from Earth is only a few percent at such times.

It is called a supermoon because this is a very noticeable alignment that at first glance would seem to have an effect. The ‘super’ in supermoon is really just the appearance of being closer, but unless we were measuring the Earth-Moon distance by laser rangefinders (as we do to track the LRO [Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter] spacecraft in low lunar orbit and to watch the Earth-Moon distance over years), there is really no difference. The supermoon really attests to the wonderful new wealth of data NASA’s LRO mission has returned for the Moon, making several key science questions about our nearest neighbor all the more important.

Are there any adverse effects on Earth because of the close proximity of the moon?

The effects on Earth from a supermoon are minor, and according to the most detailed studies by terrestrial seismologists and volcanologists, the combination of the moon being at its closest to Earth in its orbit, and being in its ‘full moon’ configuration (relative to the Earth and sun), should not affect the internal energy balance of the Earth since there are lunar tides every day. The Earth has stored a tremendous amount of internal energy within its thin outer shell or crust, and the small differences in the tidal forces exerted by the moon (and sun) are not enough to fundamentally overcome the much larger forces within the planet due to convection (and other aspects of the internal energy balance that drives plate tectonics). Nonetheless, these supermoon times remind us of the effect of our ‘Africa-sized’ nearest neighbor on our lives, affecting ocean tides and contributing to many cultural aspects of our lives (as a visible aspect of how our planet is part of the solar system and space).
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/supermoon_2012.htm

Pleasant Valley Drive

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I had an hour to kill this afternoon before going to an evening event in town, so I took the long way into Placerville from Shingle Springs via Pleasant Valley Road and Newtown Road.  Big puffy clouds and fresh green pastures dominate the drive.  Stopped in the community of Pleasant Valley to take these pics.  If curvy country roads and old barns are your thing– this is a good road tour for you.   These old oaks are huge and were more than likely around when the first gold miners showed up back in the 1800′s.  If trees could talk…

Herrick Building

Volunteering for a local group who are trying to restore the historic Herrick building in Placerville… also known as the Hangman’s Tree site.  Here are some photos of yesterdays tour with several restoration contractors.  It would be great to save it. The California Preservation Foundation, the owner of the building,  and other local citizens  have brought in experts to begin a Scope Of Work needed to restore it.

Note: First black and white photo shows the Herrick building in late 1800′s (aprox). It’s the building on left side of pic.  The photo is from an unknown source. It was emailed to me from someone who did not know where it came from.  Perhaps El Dorado County Historical Museum   UPDATE... Thanks Doug Noble for tracking down the old photo.  Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Lawrence and Houseworth Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USZ62-123456]

Click on images to see full size

Guardian Art

Found an old story I did with Roseville, CA granite sculptor artist Gene Chapman.  Quite a visionary… you’ll see his granite artwork around Roseville and Rocklin California.

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