Lake Crowley

[Timmeh]

I've been out to this spot eight times with the clouds disappearing early or clouds skunking. This sunrise was finally the winner with a Sierra Wave and intense color. All comments welcome!

Tim

#1 White Cliffs of Crowley

#2 Natural Doric Columns

#3 Sierra, Sierra Wave, Waves

 

[BlackRockArt]

Wow, Tim, this is magnificent ! Love the clouds, you were at right place, right time ! How is the road to the Crowley columns ? I was there in the Summer, the steep upward stretch was really hard to drive on.

 

[AlanLichty]

Great timing on this sunrise - all the right ingredients. I find those little columns along the shoreline quite fascinating both at a distance in #1 and up close in #2. Nice perspective with that image. The first image is the show stealer for my eyes - beautiful glow on the distant peaks and pleasing cloud shapes and colors.

 

[Jameel Hyder]

That first one has some great light. Interesting formations in the second image. The first and last images are a nice contrast in how this gives such a different look with change in lighting.

 

[JimFox]

Very cool Tim! I am glad things turned out for you this time.

Those columns out at Crawley are so cool and unique, I really like how you captured them.

 

[Jim Dockery]

Great sunrise spot. I've never seen shots of that place and you did it proud. The last one is my favorite with the line of clouds, mountains, shore, and esp. the reflexion in the water leading back into the distance.

 

[MonikaC]

You got some nice colors/light. I'd not heard of those cliffs/columns -- pretty cool formations.

 

[Douglas Sherman]

Fascinating and beautiful images, Tim. I can picture waves splashing against the cliff and the water dripping down to create the columns.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Really nice series. I have never seen the Doric columns even though I have been all arounds Crowley.

 

[Timmeh]

Thanks for the comments everyone!

Wow, Tim, this is magnificent ! Love the clouds, you were at right place, right time ! How is the road to the Crowley columns ? I was there in the Summer, the steep upward stretch was really hard to drive on.

Thanks Oliver! Both roads in are still steep and rutted, and it doesn't seem like anyone is going to bother with fixing them. I tried to go up both sides two years ago, and haven't bothered since because I don't want to risk breaking an axle. I just do the 2ish mile hike.

Fascinating and beautiful images, Tim. I can picture waves splashing against the cliff and the water dripping down to create the columns.

Thanks Doug! Here's the most recent determination on their formation: https://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-adv-volcanic-columns-mystery-20151115-story.html

Really nice series. I have never seen the Doric columns even though I have been all arounds Crowley.

Thanks Ben! These are the best formed columns though I added the Doric part myself since it's the simplest column in Greek architecture.

 

[Sunny Sra]

Your perseverance paid off big time. The colors are stunning in the 1st one ..and that 2nd one..had no idea it had formations like that. i've driven by it so many times but never stopped to take photos there. your work has changed that now.

 

[Douglas Sherman]

Thanks for the article, Tim. I committed the error of talking about something that I had no knowledge about. Had I been there I would have known that this was an ash flow tuff and would have come up with a completely different interpretation. It is common for ashflow tuffs to develop fumaroles (tubes venting steam) as a means of cooling. The most famous example is the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes at Katmai National Park in the Aluetian Islands of Alaska. The fumaroles emit mineralized steam which cements the ash on the inside of the fumarole or vent. As erosion occurs, the uncemented portion of the ash around the fumarole is easily eroded away leaving the tube exposed.

What is interesting about the fumarole remnants at Lake Crowley is that there are so many. I suspect that this is due to the fine- grained homogenous nature of this tuff. In examples at Crater Lake National Park, the tuffs are heterogeneous and thus have many larger chunks and more irregular shapes as can be seen in the image below. This leads to more irregularly shaped fumaroles.

Again, I apologize for my "off the cuff" interpretation without any knowledge of the geology of the site.

Doug

 

[Timmeh]

Thanks for the detail Doug! No need to apologize for the off the cuff interpretation. You offer so much of your expertise that I'm trying to find a good geology course to take since it remains a gaping hole in my science education.

Tim