Nature and Photography
Meteorite hunting in the USA can take place in many different environments. A new fall may take you to the dairy land of Wisconsin, the wine country of California, or the rugged mountains of northern Nevada, Pennsylvania or anywhere else. Looking for a cold find will likely take one to the arid deserts of the Southwest. Wherever one finds him or herself, there is sure to be plenty of natural wonders to take in! I’ve always been a lover of the wild things and meteorite hunting often times puts me in the middle of it all.
I have a particular interest in precariously perched boulders, in case you wonder what’s up with all the pictures of balancing rocks. If you think about it, it’s not a coincidence that I encounter them so frequently. One of the tricks to finding meteorites is to hunt in areas that are in a state of deflation. This same deflationary process is what produces most of these perched rocks.
Please be advised that some of the images on this page might not be suitable for everyone. I encounter a lot of dead things out in the field, it’s just part of the deal. Some of these carcasses, skulls and antlers hold a certain beauty and or disgust, and are interesting enough for me to photograph. On this page you will find the unsavory side of Nature. There are dead animals, like a coyote with burro feces on it, a mountain lion skeleton, dead cows, snakes, and other images that some might find in poor taste. I don’t apologize, it’s part of the big picture. The aesthetic side is here too.There are pictures of flowers, plants, animals and sunsets, something for everyone I hope. Please enjoy!
My canine companion of 14 years, Phoebe Stardust, looks out over the Bullhead City Strewn Field.
Pack rats have quite an interesting strategy when it comes to home building. Just pile up a bunch of cholla and assorted thorny vegetation!
This vehicle was abandoned quite a while ago I’d guess! Battle Mountain.
Mountain Lion tracks in camp, 2 feet from my tent. The cat was only 150 yards away when I got out of my tent. The next night it had Robert Ward pinned on top of his Humvee.
A big pentagram out in the desert near Indian Butte. If I had to guess, I’d say it was made by a local to scare away the illegals coming across the border and passing through their neighborhood. But who knows!
A big female snapper down the street from my house in Michigan. I moved her to the other side of the road after taking her picture. I help 20+ turtles cross the roads around my house every spring as they make their way to sandy, south facing slopes to deposit their eggs.
Snakes have been a lifetime fascination as well. In all the time spent in rattlesnake country I’ve only had to kill 2 of them. One was on order from the landowner in Sutters Mill that told me to “Kill it! The shovel’s in the barn! That thing has already bitten one of my horses and my dog!” So I dispatched it. When I hit it with the shovel it wheeled around and sank its fangs into its own body! It bit down on itself and didn’t let go. When I pulled the body free from the mouth, venom dripped off the fangs! Yikes! Did I mention this was the bad type of rattle snake, it wouldn’t rattle at all, giving no warning to any passerby. That snake had to go.
A stream in Sutter’s Mill California looks inviting, but wait! That green leafy stuff is poison oak!
At ~6500 ft elevation the Cacti grow very low, often times flush to the ground. Battle Mountain Nevada.
Phoebe Stardust, a purebred Weimaraner. The best dog I ever had. She gave me 14 years I will never forget. We miss you Phoebe!!!
The next two images need some explaining. I left my camp in Bullhead City for a couple days. When I returned, I found that the ever clever Burro’s had come in and ransacked my camp, disturbing and defecating in my fire pit. These beasts are very interesting!
Is it possible that the burros killed this coyote? They sure have disgraced it after death, defecating on it and pawing the ground all around it. I wonder if any other prey type animals practice this behavior?
Burro droppings all over it, I’m completely amazed at this apparent grudge the burros hold. Maybe it’s a message for the other dogs, look out!
Wild Burros in Bullhead City desecrate a Coyote skull. They seemed to gather around it, pawing at it and defecating on it.
Another View. Note the disturbed ground all around. These Burro’s do not like even dead white coyote skulls.
A ghastly grin.
Looking South from the Nevada side you can see the original, Arizona side of the Gold Basin Strewn Field! It’s the distant valley at the top of the image.
This multi ton boulder appears to defy gravity! Bullhead City Az.
A predatory animal has defecated on the carcass of what I think is a a Turkey Vulture.
Another balancing act. Bullhead City Az.
Deflation at it’s best! Bullhead City Az.
I’m not sure what this is.
Bullhead City Residents. Descendants from the old days.
Jumpin’ Cholla. As lobes fall off some will take root. This image shows a good example of reproduction in action, very, very slow action.
I think this is the skull of a juvenile Big Horn Sheep but I’m not sure. Bullhead City Az.
Dead birds in a mine claim marker. Whenever I see the PVC pipes sticking up in the distance I go straight to them and pull them down. I don’t care if it’s legal or not, it’s not right. I urge all to do the same. Birds are rare enough in the desert. They need all the help they can get.
