Today, I walked in the footsteps of apes and Shatner as I journeyed to the Trona Pinnacles, famous location destination for Hollywood sci-fi films such as Planet of the Apes and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Unfortunately the place was overrun by dirt bikes and dune buggies, which all contributed to a hazy mess around the Pinnacles. I got fed up and left after just a few shots.
One of my favorite parts of the hills that surround Ridgecrest. 
They make me feel like I’m on the moon.
The sun was pretty intense through the gorge today. I’ll have to go back when there’s a bit of cloud cover. These are the two best of the day:
I stink at hawk identification, so excuse me if I don’t give one to this guy. He swooped in during a windstorm today for a quick rest in my neighbor’s backyard. Also please excuse the poor quality. I was shooting through window glass and moving foliage, haha.
Same bush, probably same hummingbird, but I can never get enough of these flying gems.
Today I ventured over to Red Rock State Park. I was having a great time, taking pictures, staring in awe at what nature can do, until I tripped and scraped three inches of flesh from my knee and wrenched my ankle. 
That said, here are the photos I got before that happened.
This was the speedy little guy I photographed yesterday. He kept hiding behind bushes, but eventually came out so I could get this shot.
This was my first weekend trying to find birds. Today, I saw a huge flock of snow geese (with one in its blue phase), a roadrunner, and this little guy who let me get about 5′ away from him. I think I’m going to like it here.
Ethel M, the chocolate factory in Las Vegas, puts on an amazing light display every Christmas. This year I was lucky enough to get to see it.
