Stovepipe Wells

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While at Death Valley, Stovepipe Wells was our base of operations. It gets its name from the old well out near the dunes that was marked with a length of stovepipe. It's close to the Stovepipe Wells sand dunes and away from the congestion of Furnace Creek (the center of most tourist activity). It's a great place to sleep, but does have some drawbacks. For example: the rooms have comfortable beds, but no phone, TV, or drinking water (I found 2 payphones on the property and there was drinking water just outside our room); there is only one dining room with a modest menu (they make wonderful blueberry pancakes and a great stir-fry); the only store ran out of Diet Coke and caramel corn by the end of the weekend. Joking aside, I would chose to stay here again (all that is important is a comfortable bed and electrical outlets). Our itinerary included a sunset and sunrise shoot on the nearby dunes. We elected to shoot sunrise on the dunes the day we left as well, but by then there had been a lot more foot traffic on the dunes. I've included a number of shots on the dunes.

Click on images for enlarged view.

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon PE 45-90mm f/4-5.6, Fuji Velvia (converted to black & white in Photoshop)

Dunes before Sunrise

There really wasn't much color in this picture as exposed, just the forms and shadows. I decided to try converting it to black and white and like it better this way.

Canon D60, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L, ISO 100

First Light on the Dunes

The sun is just catching the peak in the background. There is enough light to give detail to the patterns in the sand as well. The bushes as well as the sand patterns lead into the image.

Canon D60, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L, ISO 100

Sunrise on the Dunes

The beautiful color of the first rays of the sun light up this sandy ridge. The dunes are a beautiful place at this time of day. It's amazing how quickly things change. I'd like to just freeze time at this point for an hour or so.

Canon D60, Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 IS L, ISO 100

Flowing Sand

In this image the dunes look more like flowing water. I'm amazed by the variety of shapes and patterns to be found here.

Canon D60, Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 IS L, ISO 100

Sand Mountain

The sun is still low enough to give great definition to the dunes, but already, it is losing the golden glow. I like the shapes and the shading.