The Road to Nevada

June 14, 2018
|In Blog
|By Dennis Ducklow

In early June I drove to Nevada with my photo buddy Joe Facey to photograph wild horses and raptors. We had great success in seeing the horses (thanks to our guide) and finding owls, hawks and more. I took four days to drive there while Joe took almost as long to fly (he doesn’t want to talk about that!). On the way, I chose the secondary highways because there is so much more to see and photograph. I was struck by the amount of desert land there is as well as the number of derelict old towns, still supporting a dozen or two people. Lots of interesting stops along the way. Here are a few. The wild horses and raptors will be another post.

Palouse waterfalls with brown water
My first stop on the way was in the Palouse, which is a famous destination for photographers because of the beautiful rolling hills covered in farmland. I didn’t take the time to photograph the hills but was eager to see the Palouse Falls, above. My idea was to photograph them with stars in the sky but Mother Nature said no! Not only did she say no, but she sent a load of mud down the river, turning the falls into a chocolate milkshake. I saw photos taken the night before with clear blue water. This shot was taken with my fisheye lens which explains the curvature on the horizon. Notice the other photographer on the edge to my left. As you can see, the cliff edge is definitely unforgiving!
abandoned farmhouse
When I saw this old home, I walked across a large field to get into position, aware that some farmer may come and chase after me. The house still had someone’s furniture inside, now enjoyed by pigeons and owls.
Old tree on farmer's field.
I can’t pass up old snag trees like this one. The hawk on the branches was a gift. Only thing to add is a full moon.
Threatening sky over desert
The next day, I continued south through Oregon. Hour after hour, the landscape looked like this. Later in the day, when the clouds accumulated in the distance, I was struck by the heavy presence of sky over the land. 
desert scene, heavy sky
The sky continued to impress me with it’s oppressive presence over the Road to Nowhere.
rain on the desert.
The road led me for a few hours through Idaho before getting to Nevada. The rain over the desert was quite heavy for a while and I was so glad for the protection of my car, and not the motorcycle. Taken from the front seat of the car, the mountains still reveal their beauty and colour through the rain.
Lake Tahoe shoreline
My friend Joe was delayed by the airlines so I had time to explore a bit of Lake Tahoe while waiting to pick him up. My first view of the lake did not disappoint. The ice age left huge boulders along much of the shoreline, great for photography.
rocky shoreline of Lake Tahoe
Continuing to explore the shoreline, I found many interesting rock groupings.
rocky shoreline lake tahoe
Like silent creatures, the rocks watch you as they dabble their toes in the cool waters of Lake Tahoe.
moonlit Lake Tahoe
To get this picture, I parked on the road above the lake. It was quite dark and, with my flashlight, hiked down a steep hill for about 1/2 hour. I had no idea what I’d find except for water and I assumed there must have been a reason for the trail. The full moon came over the mountains on my left, illuminating the scene for me.

 

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