"Arid and Austere Anza"

My recent vacation to Julian, which is about an hour east of San Diego, was very productive. Julian is located in the Cuyamaca Mountains and further east is the Anza Borrega Desert. I have never been, but I was pleasantly amazed by the austere beauty of this rugged region. The Sunrise Highway, which skirts the ridge at 6,000 feet above the desert, provides vast views of the high ridges and eroded mountains below and beyond. A firestorm in 2003 left the region charred, the remains of skeletal trees and bushes scattered across the windswept slopes. Below the burned vegetation, new growth has emerged. This combination of dead and alive makes for some interesting compositions. This bare Manzanita will someday disappear as the green understory replaces it from view. Perhaps then another firestorm will ravage the area and continue the cycle. It is a cycle that is inevitable in an area that receives scant precipitation. Meanwhile, it is a cycle that is necessary. A cycle that is as beautiful as the light that bathes the landscape at dawn. A cycle that commences and concludes all life!

This is beautiful, Mark!  Lovely composition and your exposure is spot-on.  All of the elements in the image are interesting and perfectly placed.  Well seen.  I'm glad you enjoyed your visit to A-B.  I have been there several times, but just never at times of day (or year) conducive to making photographs.  I hear that spring, after a wet winter, can be really fantabulous for wildflowers.  Nice work, Mark, and I appreciated the nice little riff you've provided on the importance of fire to this ecosystem.  Spot-on.  Cheers!  Chris

Very nice lighting and atmosphere.

Mark you have created an engaging image, the colors, composition and star burst from the sun work exceptionally well together. Regards. Bob

Very nice lighting, composition, beautiful foreground subject, a great image.

Cheers.

Bela