Thursday, August 17, 2006

My Beautiful Sierras




Since my childhood,
the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California/Nevada has always been my ultimate icon of the earth's beauty. Something rather strange happened to me on this latest camping trip though.

As I was sitting up at the lakes edge, admiring the beautiful white domes of granite stretching far away up the distant piney canyons, unbidden a picture of Iceland popped into my head - one of stark, wide open, miles-long vistas, with nothing to block the view.

I was at once chagrined and ashamed, that I would even for a moment compare another place to my bar of beauty, the Sierras.

It was disconcerting to know just how high on the scale of splendor I really do place that little country in the Northern Atlantic...

6 comments:

Minka said...

I think that little country deserve sa lot of praise for its natural beuaty. But, I have been sent some pictures from California with mountian ranges and I have uttered this sentence, to my utmost surprise: "It looks like Iceland!"
I guess it is hard to see the one without thinking of the other, if one has seen both.

Trée said...

Such brilliant eye candy. Terry, your blog has become a feast for the eyes. I really, really like that top photo. Very dramatic lighting contrast. Powerful image.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your comment on my photoblog!
You have realy a very beautiful blog. Very nice pictures of nature.
Great eye for details! I like that.

Lindsey said...

You've seen so much! They're all beautiful.

tsduff said...

Monika, you are right. I never thought of anywhere else when I looked at my mountains until I laid eyes on Iceland. Now I can't help but compare.

Thanks Trée! I love the drama of the wild weather and even wilder landscape. Tame doesn't work for me.

Actonbell - Like most photos, these only give a glimpse of the true experience. You can't feel the biting wind, or hear the claps of thunder echo up the canyons...

Hey Bart - welcome back! Thanks for the kind words.

Linny, I love your comments - rare as they are. Thank you for stopping by :-D

:P fuzzbox said...

Those are just beautiful.