Earth Almighty
Taking Up Residence
We live here. We die here. We only exist here. It is the only planet we all will ever be on. In the enormity of all that is the universe, our earthly existence will only be known by us (unless proven otherwise).
I don’t often get to see the beauty and vastness of our planet in its natural state as a city dweller. On those days I ventured into that vastness, the feeling of being one with it all was incredible—though it was and is only temporary. I photographed as a reminder of humanity’s temporary stay here. Sharing to help expand our connection to the planet.
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↑ I arrived at Ubehebe Crater late in the day. The setting sun behind me. In awe at the depth of the crater (c.600ft./182.8m), and the beauty of the geological striations I was seeing. My intent to descend delayed until the next morning.
↓ Before sunrise the next day, I packed the tent and provisions then made my way back to the edge of the crater. What a difference a day, and time of day makes. The angle of the sun caused a drastically different appearance of the striations on the crater’s slope.
↑ The trek down brought about such spiritual awe. With every step, wondering if those whose everyday life is working in nature, ever lose their sense of awe, inspiration, or spiritual connection.
↑ Stepping onto the bottom, a sense of being in the desert southwest of the U.S. was uniquely palpable. Weeds and all.↓
My original intent with this particular newsletter was to explore multiple natural wonders. In piecing this all together, it became clear that with the extensive time spent at the crater—this should primarily be about that (except the first photo at Yosemite).
↑ The view leading up to the edge of the crater. Cinder field as large as one could see. (link →) Ubehebe is a maar volcano. Last eruption about 2100 years ago.
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Here’s a newsletter from last January exploring nature (including Ubehebe)
Til next time…
Cheers!
Beautiful, Ken! Would love to see more of your landscape / travel photos.
It always amazes me the big changes that climate causes nature to change. Beautiful photographs.