Patterns in the sand are always changing. No two moments will ever be the same. I felt very fortunate to have a few days to spend exploring the Great Sand Dunes National Park of Colorado. Seeing the golden grains at sunrise and sunset was worth the effort of climbing from one apex to the next. Did you know that the Great Sand Dunes National Park is the highest elevation sand dunes in the world? The dunes exist at just over 9,000 feet above sea level. They are ringed by a Colorado mountain range that tops out at over 14,000 feet. 180827_MAC_2752-HDR.dng
I took my mom to visit New Zealand on her first ever international vacation. For two weeks we drove around the south island taking in the amazing landscapes and culture. One day, while driving to Arthur's Pass, I saw these rocks covered in red algae set against alpine blue waters. Captivated by the colors, I pulled the car to the side of the road to investigate. Thankfully mom is a patient lady because I spent more than an hour testing different angles of this landscape to find interesting compositions. New Zealand is famous for its vast, sweeping landscapes and imposing mountain ranges. However, for this particular moment, the beauty I found was on a smaller scale.
Every spring people come to New Zealand to see the brilliant Lupine blooms. Here, on an early morning at Lake Tekapo, this patch of flowers caught my eye because of the stunning background.