Delaware Mountain Wind Turbines

The Delaware Mountains are due south of of the Guadalupes. They drop off steeply to the west and are very windy.

That wind has drawn the interest of alternative energy and the summits are now lined with wind turbines.

Flying home from El Paso late in the day, I saw the turbines as little white sticks as we fly over the Delawares. The turbines are huge in reality but so small out the window so we must already be up over 25,000'.

Dozens of turbines spinning and generating clean quiet power.

Closed Canyon-Dry

Closed Canyon in Big Bend Ranch State Park is a true hidden gem. It shares alot of characteristics with what one might find in Utah. I would even go as far to say it often reminds me of the Narrows in Zion National Park minus the running water.

Even though it is dry, the signs of past rains and flood are readily visible. The walls are mostly red and rough, but the bottom 6 feet or so is gray-white and smooth. Yes, the water has roared through here 6 feet deep or so. Rocks, gravel, and sand occasional are found along the bottom.

The sun rarely strikes down this deep in the canyon making it cool. It only adds to the sense that water has, can, and will wash this canyon clean. It is only dry temporarily.

Closed Canyon

Closed Canyon is a narrow canyon found in Big Bend Ranch State Park. The rock is reddish. The walls are high. The canyon is sometimes 15-20 feet across. It looks more like something you would find in Utah rather than Texas.

It is a great hike anytime but especially cool on a hot day. It is also a great place for the sleep in photographer as the best photography light is closer to mid day.

One morning I photographed the sunrise in Big Bend National Park, caught breakfast, and then went over to hike Closed Canyon in the mid day.

Normally I put the cameras away between 9am and 4pm, but with the reflected light bouncing off the canyon walls opened up new daytime photo possibilities.

I liked this place so much, I made a second trip back the next day. Go see it. It is that neat.

Brokeoff Mountains

The Brokeoff Mountains are really hills that spill west of the Guadalupes near the New Mexico state line.

One afternoon on a flight into El Paso I got a great view on the approach.

It is empty and dry looking but it also looks to have great potential to explore.

Salt Flats

The salt flats west of the Guadalupes are flat and almost plantless.

On the same cold morning I could see the Sierra Diablos I turned to see the moon setting and the pink glow of the clear sky and just took this quick snap.

The powerlines add leading lines by mere chance. Talk about luck.

Sierra Diablo Dawn

The Sierra Diablo are a range southwest of the Guadalupes. The are dry and on private land. Your best chance to get a good view of them are to drive on Hwy 54 or US 180.

One cold winter morning that was severe clear I was on the salt flats off US 180 and watched the light strike the Diablos. I liked the way the flatness of the salt gives way to the warm reddish light on the distant range.

The road to Van Horn

As you leave the Guadalupes and drive south towards Van Horn you pass through this great valley.

To your east is the Delaware Mountains. To your west is the Sierra Diablo. Behind you to the north is the great prow of the Guadalupes.

As I was driving to Van Horn and breakfast at Chuy's I saw some mules and a few horses near the road. I stopped to see if I could get a picture of them with the Sierra Diablo. Well when I stopped they came over toward the fence and I was able to get an image with the Guadalupes and the Patterson Hills behind them.

As you can see this is dry desert country, but wow what a view. It's almost like being on the set of a John Ford movie.

The Prow

This is the prow of El Capitan as seen from the Salt Basin Overlook trail in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

The hike around the mountains is rocky, open, and very deserty. There is no shade and it is easy to get sunburned, wind burned, and drenched.

I got all three on a single afternoon. On a late summer afternoon I hiked out around the basin overlook trail. It was sunny and windy at first but the clouds kept building and on the hike back it rained pretty heavy.

This image is on the way back a few minutes before the sky opened up.

The Guadalupe Grasslands

The eastern side of the Guadalupes is a high grassland. The mile high elevation is a bit cooler and a bit wetter than the lower western deserty side. They can be quite lush at times of rain, or just dry yellowy grass. I was here in late August and found the grass to be rather lush.

One early predawn I was out on the grassland watching the stars above the peaks. At first I was photographing star trails but as the light was slowly starting to signal the end of night I got a few images when the camera would record the sky, the stars and put a hint of color in the clouds.

El Capitan rises sharply on the left. Guadalupe Peak (highest point in Texas) is the first highpoint to the right of El Cap(the camera angle makes does not show its true height). This is the heart of Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

El Cap

The Captain is one of neatest photographs in Texas. Jutting out like a wedge (or maybe the prow of a ship) from the Guadalupe Mountains it looms over the desert below.


When viewed from the top of Guadalupe Peak, it is like looking over the bow of a ship. Hence the name.

When viewed from east, west, or south it is visible from many miles away. It truly stands out. It also has no bad side. It looks good morning and evening.

This image is a morning view from the east side. When the light first strikes the rock it glows with a wonderful orange. I never tire of visiting this park and watching the sunrise and sunset on these cliffs.

The Fiery Past

Volcanoes in Texas? Yes. In the fiery past of the geologic history of Texas there was a time when the western part of Big Bend National Park was alive with active volcanoes.

Today the remnants of that time for fire can be seen as one traverses the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. The highlight is probably the sheer sides of Cerro Castellon and the amazing Tuff Canyon.

However, there are other equally scenic area where one can see the remains and signs of this volcanic activity.

While exploring a nondescript area between Sotol Vista and Cottonwood Campground I ran across this scene in late afternoon light. The reddish rocks and hills you see here all from volcanic activity. They could be plugs from vents or the remains of a magma dome that solidified and the surrounding rock has eroded away over the intervening mellenia.

I like this area of the park. It is wild and scenic. It is also left alone as everyone seems to race past this area to the chasm of Santa Elena Canyon. Don't get me wrong, I love the view at Santa Elena, but I also love finding these other locations.

Those hidden in plain sight locations-where fire once was.

Christmas Mountains

The Christmas Mountains lie just outside Big Bend National Park. They are a dry desert range like many of the others in this part of the state.

They are visible from several locations within the park although they are easy to "overlook" with all the incredible sights and views in the park.

This image was taken early in the morning on my way to the Terlingua Ghost Town. I had been up early photographing star trails and the sky was clear. When the night faded it was cloudless. I had friends waiting for breakfast at the ghost town so I started driving. From the top of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive I saw this view and there were now even a few clouds. I made a few images and drove on. By the time I got to Terlingua, the sky was completely overcast. .

They are also at the center of a controversy in the state right now. The Christmas Mountains were under private ownership. A foundation gave the entire range to the state of Texas with the thought it would either be added to Big Bend Ranch State Park or Big Bend National Park. Apparently the state land commission decided to sell them. To say that stirred up a hornets nest is putting it mildly. There are alot of people upset over the state selling something that was donated for inclusion in a park.

With any luck this range can be added to the national park.

Tule Mountain

Tule mountain is in Big Bend National Park. It is on the western side of the park between the Chisos and the town of Study Butte.

The geology of the region and it'd basins, ranges, and faulting has somewhat isolated Tule from the other mesa like features of the area. It helps give it a look of being alone.

I have tried to photograph it on several occasions and I feel most of my images (this one included) are rather plain. I think it has potential to be great. I am just still waiting for the right light and conditions to make it right.

Here is Tule on an overcast day. The flat desert between me and it is plain but still very interesting. There are many ocotillo here and while they seem just a cactus (they are not) they have a wonderful bloom in the spring and take on leaves in the rainy season.

The mountain shape still draws me in even in the flat overcast light of this day. I hope to one day find it in the right conditions and make a really good photograph.

Rocks and Ridges

The mountains and deserts of west Texas are my favorite part of the state. The vast empty out there is so big and lonely. The sky even seems bigger there.

The Guadalupe Mountains rise up to well over 8,000 ft above sea level here. They contain the highest peak in the state. They contain big pines and colorful maples. They are surrounded by boulder, salt flats, sand dunes, and grasslands.

As a photographer they truly are something special.

Here are rocks, ridges, and the higher part of the Guadalupe range. While I normally include the magnificent El Capitan in images from this area and these boulders, I thought just showing the rocks and ridge lines in the area had as much merit for showing what this corner of the state looked like.

I like the lonely, dry, and rocky landscape here.

The Guadalupes

The Guadalupe Mountains of far west Texas are both the highest point in the state as well as a national park. They are spectacular for many reasons, not the least of which is the great variety of incredible views.

Here is one of my favorite. These pure white gypsum sand dunes sit in a deep valley west of the peaks. The mountains rise over 5000' above them in most dramatic. This is one of the most remote and quietest places in the state.

It is both a park and a place in the park I always look forward to going back to.

Texas-Like a Whole Other Country

This blog will all be images from Texas. Mostly landscapes of Texas at that. And most of those will be from west Texas.

On occasion it will be something else, but I expect to have quite a few images from west of the Brazos.

I will add at least an image a week. Texas is a big place and there is alot to photograph.

Hope y'all like.