Figurines called Sand Tufa’s (pronounced toofah), gradually jettison up from salty floors as freshwater springs percolate through briny lake-bottom sand. Intricate sand tubes and columns become exposed as winds strip away their sandy coverings, and cast reflections off the shoreline of Mono Lake, CA. According to research data, this shallow lake basin is probably 1-3 million years old; making it among the most ancient lakes in North America. Embracing roughly 400 recorded vertebrate species within its watershed, Mono Lake and its surrounding areas encompass one of California’s richest natural resources. Coupled with the Milky Way’s expanse; it gives the viewer a sense of an ecosystem struggling for survival.
Crater Lake National Park, located high within the Cascade Mountains, provides visitors with knowledge and beauty the way her volcanic eruption produced lava 7700 years ago—steadily flowing with periodic bursts of insight and wonder. Her indigenous allure aroused deeper exploration, so I detoured off the grid and slowly trudged into the forested abyss. Just beyond the icy caldera rim, America’s deepest lake mirrored the prodigy of the night and created a liquid snapshot of man versus nature.
