(This is part 1 of a 3-part series, be sure to check out part 2, featuring Yellowstone wildlife, and part 3 from Grand Teton National Park!)

Yellowstone National Park, our first national park, is a marvelous landscape of mountain ranges, lush forests of lodgepole and whitebark pine, valleys of sagebrush, winding rivers, geothermal features in a spectrum of colors and sizes, and of course, an array of wildlife. Part of Yellowstone National Park lies atop the Yellowstone Caldera, with the grounds acting essentially as a cap to a massive reservoir of molten lava.  Potential death and destruction aside, the molten lava is responsible for providing the energy to the various geothermal features found throughout the park, from the far northwest Mammoth Hot Springs to the most famous geyser and thermal feature of them all, Old Faithful.  In addition to the explosive eruptions,  the hot springs create mineral deposits and allows thermophilic bacteria to thrive resulting in an array of colors and textures throughout the lands of the park.

Since the area is so diverse, I decided to break up the trip into two separate blog posts to appreciate the unique features of the park. In this first part of a two (maybe 3?) part series, you'll see the colors and textures of the vast expanses, deep canyons, rushing waterfalls, big skies, autumn leaves, thermophilic bacteria, travertine terraces, and geyser basins, of Yellowstone National Park.

Hope you enjoyed the photos, be sure to stay tuned for the next part of the series!

Update: They're here! Check out part 2, featuring Yellowstone wildlife, and part 3 from Grand Teton National Park!

In late April, Julie and I explored the desert landscapes of the Great Basin, Sonoran, and Mojave deserts in the Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks.  Expecting late spring desert climates, we were greeted to 50mph winds, a chilly 45F sunset, and rain in Joshua Tree, followed by overcast skies and a light rain in Death Valley as well.  I can't say I'm disappointed we didn't experience standard desert weather though.

Joshua Tree is a great place to get a glimpse of the desert lifestyle and a fun weekend place to traverse through.  If the climbing/bouldering scene is your thing (not mine, at the moment at least), then it's definitely a place not to miss (though you probably already knew that).  Just watch out the cholla cacti and the apparent Africanized Bee population.

Death Valley on the other hand is simply too vast to be seen in one trip.  We've barely begun to scratch the surface when it comes to exploring the park.  Being the largest National Park in the lower 48, the area presents you with a geological menagerie of salt flats, sand dunes, badlands, and snow capped mountain ranges open for your exploration.  I'm looking forward to the next Death Valley adventure, but until then, enjoy the photos from this most recent stint.

What is there to say about Yosemite that hasn't already been said?  Just a handful of hours away from San Francisco and Los Angeles puts you in this valley of granite monoliths.  Every trip here is better than the last and it's always a pleasure to photograph.

I hope you enjoy this swath of images consisting of gently flowing rivers, gristly granite, snowy trails, rainbow waterfalls, spectacular sunrises and sunsets, star-filled night skies, our new four-legged friends, and Julie obliterating a snowman.

If you're interested in seeing photos on a more regular basis, follow me on instagram @trunglife!