Results: Mini Challenge #335: Loving our National Parks

bfluegie

Thank you to everyone who participated in this challenge. Wow, this was definitely a hard one. I really enjoyed everyone’s entries and I now have a lot more places on my must visit list—my ulterior motive is revealed.

@JAG, I really liked all three of your entries. You definitely caught Kīlauea in a different mood than my photo and the abstract watercolor appearance of Denali is great. But for sheer landscape drama I think my favorite is the Grand Canyon photo.

@moose135, I really like your photo of Horseshoe Bend, but I think my favorite is the Blue Ridge Parkway. The combination of the graceful curves of the road, the bright fall colors, and the misty blue mountains works perfectly.

@pegelli, I really like all three of your entries, but my favorite has to be sunset from the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Great light.

@DavidRGillespie, I definitely did say anywhere in the world and I appreciate the international entries. As I said, they’re all great. The iguana photo from the Galapagos Islands is interesting, and I think a few of them are giving you some serious stink-eye. I like the history aspect of the Sierra Nevada photo, and the red kayaks really stand out in the otherwise muted glacier photo, but I think my favorite is the iguanas. They remind me of the way I have seen sea lions pile up on the beaches of California and Oregon. I got some stink-eye from them, too.

@Cavalier, I really like all your photos. The photo of the Mammoth Hot Springs terraces is great, and I have always liked the Olmstead Point view of Half Dome—it just looks so different than the classic view. I think my favorite is the Blue Mesa Trail in the Petrified Forest National Park. That winding path through the such a beautiful but forbidding terrain is just somehow compelling.

@sapphire73, I really like the Grand Tetons photo. I like how the line of trees mimics the line of the mountains, and the haze makes the trees stand out more. And of course Yosemite is always great. But my favorite is the Sabino Canyon photo (which I decided fits the theme since it’s a recreation area in a National Forest). The colors just make me smile.

@grandmaR, I think I’m jealous that you got a clear day at Haleakalā. All I got this past March was clouds. Lots of clouds, all directions, nothing but clouds. I do like the picture of the sequoia, and the black and white treatment of the zebras works well. But my favorite is the Haleakala photo with the beautiful colors and otherworldly appearance. And I had to smile at the tunnel pictures. Somewhere in my father’s photos are pictures of that tree he took a couple of years before it fell. When I first visited Yosemite maybe 15 years later I walked back to it and got to see pieces of it lying on the ground. Thanks for the time warp.

@sarasphotos, thanks for posting, even if it is just for sharing. I think my favorite is the Dolomites Bike Day. There is just something joyous in that photo that really appeals.

I’m giving an honorable mention to my favorite from each person.
Third place @moose135 for Blue Ridge Parkway
Second place @sapphire73 for Sabino Canyon Recreation Area
First place @grandmaR for a clear day at Haleakalā National Park

DavidRGillespie

Thanks Barbara @bfluegie for a great comments and a well-run and interesting mini with lots of wonderful images. Congratulations to @moose135 , @sapphire73 for third and second, and to @grandmaR for first.

moose135

Thank you, Barbara! Congratulations, @sapphire73 and @grandmaR !

grandmaR

Thank you for the first place. I went to Haleakala again thise past February and there were wispy clouds. The bus driver said that it was an unually clear day. I really am surprised to win because I thought everyone's photo were terrifiv

pegelli

Thanks @bfluegie for an interesting mini, nice comments and with lots of wonderful images lured here by a great subject. Congratulations to @moose135 for third place, @sapphire73 for second place, and @grandmaR for first, well deserved among the strong set of entries. And @bfluegie, I think my favourite from my own set is the badwater picture, but I'm probably biased since my then GF, now wife, is in that photo . But the light of the setting sun in the Grand Canyon was also a magical moment where the picture can't even show all the magic I felt at that time.

JAG

congrats to the winner and runner ups! Thanks for a great challenge, Barbara!

bfluegie

Pieter @pegelli, of course the Badwater photo is your favorite, as it should be. And I do like the muted colors and the trails leading off toward the mountains. The light in your Grand Canyon photo reminded me of a visit to Yosemite when I was at Glacier Point and stayed a bit after sunset. I was treated to the most amazing alpenglow I have ever seen. It was the same color as the light in your photo,. Unfortunately I wasn't as careful as you in storing my slides and when I look at them now they are dark and spotted. But still I have my memories, and your photo made me think of that evening again.

sapphire73

@bfluegie Thank you for the fun challenge! I enjoyed seeing all those great photos! Congrats to @grandmaR for the winning photo and @moose135 on your photo as well. And Barbara, thank you for the second place!