慰靈塔 (Soul Consoling Tower)

100,000 people, 100,000 stories. Here in Manzanar, those stories were truly some unfortunate ones. When World War II broke out, tens of thousands of Japanese, mostly Japanese-American, were forced to leave their homes and live in Manzanar (in the middle of nowhere).

Sunrise @ Mono Lake

Because I spent the sunrise shooting at the Convict Lake, the same light passed when I arrived at Mono Lake 25 miles later.

Devil's Elbow

After enjoying a well deserved stayover in the Curry Village, I looked around for some morning shots in the Yosemite Valley. Then I discovered the Devil's Elbow. When I got there, a professional photographer (I assume) was conducting a workshop. Although the workshop was fairly fundamental, I saw some very fancy equipment (full frame digital, red/gold ring) were used by the participants. I also joined them along the shoot and got some amazing photos. Here's another shot with a perfect reflection on still water.

Valley View

After spending a night at the Curry Village in almost freezing temperature, I drove around the Yosemite Valley the next morning for different scenes. Because the valley is surrounded by tall mountains, lighting was a really challenging issue.

Devils Postpile

When I found out that Devils Postpile would close starting in November, I knew right away the Eastern Sierra trip must realise. Located beyond the skiing area of the Mammoth Lakes, the ride to the Devils Postpile was a pleasant one in a comfortably warm afternoon. The end of autumn also meant uncrowded traveling in the Mammoth Lakes, a popular skiing area in the winter.

Bristlecone Pine Tree

The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine trees, grown between 9800 to 11000 feet above sea level, can be found in the Ancient Pine Forest in the White Mountains in eastern California. Most significantly, the Methuselah, a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine that is more than 4750 years old, is located in the Methuselah Grove trail.

Convict Lake

After visiting Devils Postpile, I backtracked my way to the 395 Highway, going south to observe the afternoon light in Convict Lake. In fact, it was the one iconic image that I was going after -- the reflect of the mountains in the water.

To the Road Less Traveled

This is a year of much traveling for me. Earlier this year I visited Alaska interior, New York, Joshua Tree National Park, and multiple trips to Bay Area, but just now I've come back from another major road trip (1000 miles!) along the Eastern Sierra.