Devil's Postpile

Carol Freshley October 8, 2018

Devil’s Postpile sits along the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. It is a small national monument, as they go, with just 800 acres set aside to preserve a columnar basalt formation that was begun about 82,000 years ago. It all started with a volcanic event. This particular lava flow was ideally suited for columnar formation as it was thick, had a consistent mineral composition and cooled slowly and evenly. As the lava cooled, it contracted and split into symmetrical, vertical, hexagonal columns.

Somewhere between 12,000 and 20,000 years ago, a glacier flowed down what is now called the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River. It rode over the fractured lava formation and carved away one side of the postpone, revealing columns 60 feet high.

Over time, erosion and earthquakes broke off some of the columns that now lie fragmented below the postpile.

Here the columns become horizontal! This is seen on the backside of the pile and on the way to the top.

There are no guardrails up here! Kids running around made me nervous as it was a looooong way down to a pile of rocks.

Part of the 0.8 mile loop hike around the postpile.

The meadow where the San Joaquin River runs. Not much water there now but I suspect it is much more interesting in the spring.

The road into this National Monument is very narrow and windy, sometimes down to just one lane. During the heavy tourist season, people wanting to visit the Devil’s Postpile must take a shuttle from the ski area of Mammoth Lakes. In the fall, cars are allowed to drive in . . . but it can be a bit scary! This site is close to Rainbow Falls but we were not prepared to hike the relatively short distance to the falls, our feelings made better by the Ranger telling us there was not much water coming down!

Colorado National Monument

Carol Freshley September 18, 2016

What a surprise this find was! I had never heard of the Colorado National Monument but this 31 square mile park easily rivals, in my opinion, other more famous parks like Canyon de Chelly, Arches, and Monument Valley. The sandstone spires, tall rock formations and colorful canyons kept us happy photographing a full day. There were not too many people and parking, overall, was not a problem.

Independence Monument (the middle spire) was once part of the a longer ridge of rocks that you see on each side of it.  Erosion of softer rocks left this part of the ridge to stand 'independently'. — Independence Monument (the middle spire) was once part of the a longer ridge of rocks that you see on each side of it. Erosion of softer rocks left this part of the ridge to stand 'independently'.

There were lots of cyclists tackling the curves and steep inclines.

There were lots of pull outs so many times one could get a view from one side of a spire and then drive down the road and get a different view.  Plus, we drove the whole route in the morning from the Fruita entrance and then turned around to ge… — There were lots of pull outs so many times one could get a view from one side of a spire and then drive down the road and get a different view. Plus, we drove the whole route in the morning from the Fruita entrance and then turned around to get the afternoon light. This would be the morning view.

This is the afternoon view from the same location, but different focal length.

My fish eye lens put to use trying to show how these canyons lay out.  The run pretty much south to north.  The river you may occasionally see is the Colorado River.  The communities in the background are Fruita and in some images you… — My fish eye lens put to use trying to show how these canyons lay out. The run pretty much south to north. The river you may occasionally see is the Colorado River. The communities in the background are Fruita and in some images you may see part of Grand Junction.

This set of spires is called the Coke Ovens.

This is Fallen Rock.  Rather than toppling over, this huge chunk of rock simply slid down and landed upright about 300 feet from the back rock.  It took its top with it.  From a distance the top looks like a group of people grouped on… — This is Fallen Rock. Rather than toppling over, this huge chunk of rock simply slid down and landed upright about 300 feet from the back rock. It took its top with it. From a distance the top looks like a group of people grouped on a ledge.

If you ever got tired of spires and ledges you could take a hike through areas that looked like this!

This can be seen at the Visitor Center.  It is a tribute to John Otto, the man who championed the creation of the area as a National Monument.  He was the first person to climb Independence Monument, a practice that is continued today with… — This can be seen at the Visitor Center. It is a tribute to John Otto, the man who championed the creation of the area as a National Monument. He was the first person to climb Independence Monument, a practice that is continued today with a tradition of others climbing to the top every July 4th and placing the American flag at the summit.

We hope you enjoyed the trip!

White Sands National Monument

Carol Freshley March 9, 2016

One of my favorite places to explore light with a camera, White Sands never fails to deliver. Steve was with us on this trip, his first encounter with white sand. He noted it was a lot like snow and he has a lot of experience with photographing snow. "Just warmer!", he said.