Snow Drifts, Sand Dunes, and the Open Road

For the better part of the last 8 days I've been on another incredible photo journaling road trip through Nevada, California, and Arizona. Specifically, the deserts of western Nevada, the mountains of the California interior, and the winding canyon passes of Arizona.

While my previous road trips have had some memorable landscapes, I don't think I've ever experienced so much variation over the course of a single week. On one day, for example, I spent the morning in the snow around Lake Tahoe, ended up surrounded by palm trees and vineyards near Sacramento that afternoon, and was back in a parka in the mountains near Yosemite that evening. From snowy mountain passes in the Sierra Nevadas to expansive desert vistas in the Mojave, it was pretty easy to find visual inspiration on this road trip. 

More than just landscapes though, my goal was to explore a number of unique roadside attractions along the way - and there were a lot! Mountain monuments, State Capitols, historic mansions, desert artwork, museums, wild west towns, and even abandoned structures along Route 66 all added to the variety of the journey. You can expect to see a number of new additions to my growing Roadside California and Middle America photography series' in the months ahead. And as always, there will be plenty of previews on my Instagram too.

Stay tuned for new photo sets from Reno, Lake Tahoe, Carson City, Sacramento, Yosemite, Fresno, Barstow, Death Valley, Kingman, Las Vegas, and more!

Hoover Dam at the Nevada / Arizona Border

Constructed between 1931 to 1936, the Hoover Dam (once the Boulder Dam) was an engineering feat and a massive undertaking when it was built during the Great Depression. Over 5,000 people worked on the project, and the town of Boulder, Nevada had to be established to house them all. Spanning the border between Nevada and Arizona, the Hoover Dam is still a hugely popular landmark and stop along the Colorado River.

These images are a combination of two visits I made to the Hoover Dam in 2008 and 2010. During that time I saw the construction and completion of the Hoover Dam Bypass project (Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge), which rerouted the interstate from crossing the dam to a brand new bridge spanning the canyon.

Located just a short drive from Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam also resulted in the creation of Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States. Water demands and drought have taken a toll, and as of 2016 the lake has reached its lowest level since being filled in the 1930's. There are very real concerns, as in addition to water supply, the Hoover Dam is still a massive generator of hydroelectricity providing power to nearly 8 million people in Arizona, southern California, and southern Nevada. The "bathtub ring" around Lake Mead shows the devastating drop.  

Construction of the Hoover Dam Bypass project in 2008.

Inside the tunnels of the Hoover Dam.

Completed Hoover Dam Bypass in 2010.

Arizona Corridor: Indio Outio

Day Two (08.24.09) On route to Las Vegas from Salt Lake, I-15 briefly cuts through the northwest corner of Arizona before leading into Nevada. While I didn't think much about this when reviewing the map before going, I was amazed at just how significant this stretch of road really was.

This brief section of interstate through Arizona was only about 30 miles long, an unexpected surprise between Utah and Nevada, but pretty much as soon as we hit it, the canyons and cliffs appeared. On the way down, this was actually a brief section of the road trip that I drove. It was incredible.

Dave and I rolled the windows down, the heat radiated through the car immediately, and I cranked up Vega4 on my iPod as we weaved through the towering rocks. It was exactly what you'd expect Arizona to look like, hinting at how spellbinding the Grand Canyon must be, and ultimately lasting no time at all.

I shot this video on our way back through (with Dave driving obviously) and it proved to be one of the most scenic stretches of interstate that we saw on the entire trip. Leaving Arizona and entering Nevada the terrain shifted immediately once again. The canyons stopped and a vast desert appeared before us.