Sierra Nevada | Russ Bishop Photography | Nature Photo Blog

February 18, 2011November 5, 2015

Bristlecone Pines

Ancient Bristlecone pines in the Patriarch Grove, White Mountains, California

California is a land of superlatives and nowhere is this more pronounced than along the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. From the lofty summit of Mount Whitney at nearly 15,000 feet (the highest point in the lower 48) to the barren plain of Badwater in Death Valley at 282 feet below sea level is a distance of just over 100 miles.

The Owens Valley, which lies between them, is the deepest chasm in North America, and to the east on the barren upper slopes of the White Mountains the oldest living trees on earth cling to life in this other-worldly landscape.

January 14, 2011March 30, 2018

Horsetail Fall

Every February something special happens in Yosemite Valley if the conditions are right. At some point during the month the setting sun aligns perfectly with the canyon walls to the west for several evenings creating a longer than usual glow on the granite walls. And if the winter snowpack is substantial and the temperature warms enough to start the spring runoff, a wonderful cascade forms on the southeast side of El Capitan aptly named Horsetail Fall.

Of course all of this along with the rest of Yosemite’s splendor would be enough to satisfy anyone visiting the valley this time of year. But in addition (as if mother nature is trying to outdo herself) for only a few minutes each evening the alignment of the sun also illuminates the falls from behind creating a brief firefall that is truly amazing. When I made this image, the sky had been rather drab all day and as the magic time approached it looked as if nothing would happen. Then suddenly the clouds parted to the west, the falls began to glow and I had only moments to make a couple of exposures before the light was gone.

October 8, 2010June 10, 2015

The Wild Wild West

The ghost town of Bodie in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Bridgeport, California is perhaps the best preserved icon of the gold rush days of the American West. Kept in a state of arrested decay by the California State Parks, this national historic landmark is a rich source of photographic inspiration and a colorful step back in time.

In its heyday of the 1880s Bodie’s population grew to nearly 10,000 and an estimated 100,000 million dollars of gold was culled from the surrounding hills. Gunfights occurred regularly in the streets after long days working the mines, the gambling halls and brothels thrived, and the bad men from Bodie quickly became legend across the country.

Today Bodie is quiet except for the occasional tumble weed blowing down Main Street and the creaking buildings that look as if they may collapse at any moment. But as you look through a window at the stocked shelves of the Boone Store or the open books in the school-house it’s not hard to imagine the challenging life of the pioneers who flocked to this remote valley in pursuit of that precious metal.