Grapevine Canyon 2023

I’ve decided to start writing blogs of my experiences as a photographer. I was searching for “what makes a successful landscape photographer” when I found a video by Mark Denney in which he stated he has been writing blogs consistently to provide value to those interested in his work. I do enjoy writing and haven’t done so in a long time so I figure why not?

I do post vlogs of my experiences but video is not a strength of mine nor was it originally a passion. Currently I’m looking at building a new computer as my current computer is outdated. It is lacking the computing power to use the most updated software and large file sizes produced by my new camera: the Canon R5. Video at times seems to sometimes get in the way of photography and the experience of it. Shooting video means extra gear, weight, time, and thought put into every outing. I’m going to try to recollect my photography experiences of the year so far.

The beginning of 2023 was off to a slow start. I visited some local spots that I’ve been to many times before and did not find any new compositions. My first trip of the year however went a little better. My sister and I visited Grapevine Canyon in southern Nevada. She wanted to take the dogs on the trail and vlog the experience. I made a vlog as well. Grapevine Canyon is known for petroglyphs and its granite mountains. It was just a day trip away for us and the weather had not warmed up too much yet.

There were many other people there that day in the parking lot at the trailhead. Filming is awkward in front of a large group of people but once we were on the trail other hikers were fairly dispersed. The trail was a mix between being a wash and at other times being more like a canyon. The more canyon-like areas had the petroglyphs of course. Most of the petroglyphs were at the start of the canyon and wrapped around to the outside of the canyon. Many hikers explored the outside of the canyon to see these petroglyphs that were hidden from the main path.

In the center of the canyon was a large boulder wedged between the sides of the canyon. It was difficult to pass underneath the boulder with the dogs. We found a way around by hiking up the left side of the canyon. We then approached the boulder once we were on the other side to get a better look at it. Underneath it was some small pools of water. I couldn’t find a composition that I liked from this side. There was no ideal place to stand for a photo to my liking and having a wider angle lens would have helped too. We continued up the wash. The petroglyphs appeared less and less but we knew from the description of the trail that there is a waterfall at the end of it. The path we followed was mostly at the bottom of the wash where it was overgrown with what we believed to be the grapevines (hence the name), but it was not the right time of the year for wild grapes to be growing. There was two areas along the path we followed where I had to crawl a short distance on my hands and knees to make it through the tunnels of dry vegetation.

As we ventured farther up the wash the more alien like it appeared. Most of the landscape consisted of smooth granite rock in all shapes and forms. The granite mountains that surrounded us were shaped like round mounds but featured holes, cracks, indentations, pillars, and boulders stacked on one another The skies were clear and the sun was high above which meant the worse kind of conditions for photography but I captured the landscape anyways.

The only wildlife we saw were birds: phainopeplas, American robins, crows, red-tailed hawks, and small blue birds that kept a far distance away. Farther up the trail we came across a small granite slot canyon. I decided to wait until later to photograph the canyon. Finally at the end of the wash we reached the waterfall. It is a dry waterfall, it only runs when there is rain but there was however some water at the bottom of it pooled up in the granite. I wanted to capture the whole waterfall but the only way to do so would be to get higher up and across from it. The hill in front of the waterfall was steep with loose gravel. I made my way partially up the hill and turned back around. I could have probably made it farther up but I knew getting back down could be risky.

I also tried climbing up the sides of the waterfall but parts of it was smooth and steep. Getting to the top was possible but yet again getting back down might have been tricky. Sara made it to the top of the waterfall and recorded it.

She was only able to film just parts of the waterfall. Due to its twists, turns, and curves, it was difficult to capture the entire waterfall from any one point of view.

It was on our way back when I captured an interesting formation found within the granite slot canyon we had passed through earlier. This form was a giant “wave” of granite. Though the sun was still hours away from setting, the lighting within the canyon was still colorful. Parts of it lit by the sun glowed warm colors which turned to cooler colors as the light faded out into the shadows. This ended up being my favorite image from the trip. When the image of a slot canyon comes to mind, it is usually that of a skinny sandstone canyon with deep reds, oranges, and purples created by sunlight and shadows. A granite slot canyon is not something I had thought existed until that day. It made me wonder if there were others in the area nearby.

As we made back to the trailhead I noticed the moon up in the sky. It gave me the idea to try to capture the moon and the petroglyphs together in one image. Using my telephoto lens I found the perfect set of petroglyphs for this composition and captured my final image of that trip.

At the end of the trip Sara and I grabbed some tacos from a small Mexican restaurant off the side of the highway. I thought about our hike and whether or not I would one day return to the canyon. I know if I did return I would go on a cloudy day and bring a wide angle lens. It wasn’t until we got home I did some research on the history of the canyon and its petroglyphs. The petroglyphs are believed to tell a tale of creation. Spirit Mountain is located just north of Grapevine Canyon which is believed by the Yuman Indians to be the birthplace of all life. That belief makes sense considering the area. The white granite, fresh water springs, and wildlife of that area makes that part of the desert feel much more alive than the surrounding, unforgiving desolation of the Mojave Desert where the only other life source nearby is the Colorado River.