Russ Bishop Photography | Nature Photo Blog

March 26, 2021March 26, 2021

Worlds Away on Hawaii’s Big Island

Umauma Falls along the lush Hamakua Coast, Hawaii

The Big Island of Hawaii is well-known for its active volcano, black sand beaches, and magical Kona sunsets, and that’s more than enough reason to visit this island paradise. But what many may not realize is that the eastern side of the island is a lush tropical landscape of cascading waterfalls and jungle-lined valleys in a primordial setting.

Traveling north from Hilo on the old Mamalahoa Highway is a journey back in time. Passing countless sugar cane fields, the primary industry here during the last century, the landscape soon enters the dense jungle as the road winds along the rugged Hamakua Coast. With constant views of the Pacific on the right, the highway passes countless verdant chasms lined with an amazing variety of plants and trees that fill every available space with green. Needless to say, you soon find yourself looking for every available pull-out.

Akaka Falls State Park is one of the highlights of the coast. A short nature trail leads through giant bamboo forests and tropical cascades before arriving at its namesake waterfall. Further north, just before the highway turns west towards the town of Waimea, a spur road leads through the sleepy hamlet of Honoka’a to the spectacular Waipio Valley. The overlook at the end of the main road provides stunning views of this valley of the kings and the dramatic cliffs of the north coast, but traveling into the valley down the 25% grade (reported to be the steepest in the US) requires several hours and a guide or 4-wheel drive vehicle.

Boasting 4 out of the 5 major climate zones in the world, and 8 out of 13 of the sub-zones, the Big Isle really does have it all! Unlike the other Islands, which require less travel time, it takes a bit of planning to fully experience the largest of the Hawaiian Islands – but this is one part you don’t want to miss.

March 11, 2021March 11, 2021

Chaco Canyon

Interior doorways at Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Culture National Historic Park, New Mexico

Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico is the largest concentration of ancient pueblos in the southwest. At its center, Chaco Canyon was a major cultural center of the Anasazi or Ancient Pueblo People between AD 900 and 1150, and contains the most impressive ancient ruins north of Mexico.

Situated high on the Colorado Plateau at over 6,000 feet, the Anasazi were skilled masons and built fifteen major structures at Chaco. Called Great Houses, they included the impressive 650 room Pueblo Bonito (a world heritage site) using stone and timber brought in on a network of roads from up to 15 miles away. They also practiced astronomy and experts believe their buildings were aligned to capture the solar and lunar cycles. Many of them remained the largest buildings in North America until the 19th century.

No one knows exactly why this powerful culture suddenly disappeared in the late 12th century, but they left behind a lasting legacy in stone.

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020

Glacial Waters

St. Mary Falls, Glacier National Park, Montana

Glacier National Park in northern Montana is a world carved by ice. Known to Native Americans as the “Shining Mountains”, canyons flow down from this alpine environment along the Continental Divide that were formed a millennia ago when mastodons roamed the earth.

Moving just inches a year, the glaciers fill the rivers and streams below with silt giving them their unique turquoise hue. And set against the red and green sedimentary rock (the oldest in the entire Rocky Mountain chain), the colors provide a visual feast while the chill in the air is a constant reminder that the ice is not far above.

Glacier is recognised as an International Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site, and preserves more than a million acres of forests, alpine meadows, lakes, rugged peaks and glacial-carved valleys. Though evidence shows that within thirty years all of the ice may be gone, rangers are quick to point out that the park was named as much for the forces that formed it as the glaciers themselves.

A trip to this magnificent park should be on anyone’s bucket list to North America, but it’s frozen remains are just one facet of the many awe-inspiring sights waiting to explored.