Fine Art Photographs, Printed Big And Signed.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Golden late-day light sets sandstone buttes and cliffs ablaze against a dark, storm-laden sky from the Wahweap Bay shore of Lake Powell near Page, Arizona, with desert sage and sand stretching down to the lake's deep blue water. Key Features: The Reservoir: Formed by Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River, Lake Powell is the second-largest reservoir in the United States by total storage. The Setting: The lake straddles Utah and Arizona within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Wahweap: Just north of Page, its overlooks are known for sunsets that deepen the red and orange of the Navajo sandstone. The Weather: Storm clouds and shifting light make the glowing rock stand out against the dark sky.

Gunsight Butte Lake Powell

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Gunsight Butte, the sandstone sentinel of Gunsight Bay on Lake Powell near Page, Arizona, glows deep amber in low sun against a moody, storm-dark sky, rising sharply from a pale talus apron above the calm lake and distant mesas. Key Features: The Butte: An island formation of mostly Entrada Sandstone, towering nearly 1,000 feet above Lake Powell when the reservoir is full. The Bay: Gunsight Bay, named for the butte, is a popular anchorage ringed by sheer red rock walls and sandy coves. The Location: Within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, northeast of Page. The Light: A brief break of evening sun ahead of a desert storm lights the rock against the darkened sky.

Utah Arizona Border Near Page, Arizona

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Pale sandstone domes rise from a quiet bay of Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona line near Page, Arizona, with layered red cliffs glowing behind them as a desert storm gathers overhead. Key Features: The Reservoir: Glen Canyon Dam backs up the Colorado River into Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the United States by total storage and one of the Southwest's great water playgrounds. The Setting: The lake runs from northern Arizona across the border into southern Utah, within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The Rock: The pale domes and striped red walls are Navajo sandstone, ancient dune fields later cut by the river and flooded by the lake. The Gateway Town: Page grew up while Glen Canyon Dam was being built and is now the main gateway to Lake Powell.

Wahweap Bay On Lake Powell

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Castle Rock rises above Wahweap Bay on Lake Powell near Page, Arizona, its layered cliffs catching the last warm light of sunset as a departing storm trails deep blue clouds overhead and distant red mesas glow toward the Utah border. Key Features: Castle Rock: A prominent sandstone butte in Wahweap Bay, one of the most photographed formations on this stretch of the lake. Lake Powell: A reservoir on the Colorado River, formed by Glen Canyon Dam beginning in 1963, known for red rock canyons and sapphire water. Glen Canyon Country: The cliffs and mesas around the bay are Navajo and Page sandstone, carved over millions of years. Weather and Light: Storm clouds against sunset color are the dramatic desert light of this region.

Open Sage Flats Of The Colorado Plateau

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Across the open sage flats of the Colorado Plateau near Page, Arizona, the towering escarpment of the Vermilion Cliffs rises in bands of red, orange and rust from talus slopes to a sheer wall beneath billowing clouds. Key Features: The Rock Layers: The cliffs are the resistant red sandstone beds of the Lower Jurassic Moenave and Kayenta Formations, capping older Triassic rock. The Monument: The escarpment lies within Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, managed by the Bureau of Land Management in far northern Arizona. The Reach: The cliffs run roughly from Page southwest toward the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The Scale: They climb as much as 3,000 feet above the desert floor, dwarfing the sagebrush flats in front.

Vermilion Cliffs In House Rock Valley

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Layered red and orange sandstone bands stretch for miles along the Vermilion Cliffs above House Rock Valley, seen from the sagebrush flats along U.S. Highway 89A, with scattered scrub and rolling slopes leading up to the sheer rock face under a wide sky of billowing cloud. Key Features: The Cliffs: Resistant red sandstone beds of the Lower Jurassic Moenave and Kayenta Formations give the rock its vivid color. The Coloring: Silt and desert dunes, cemented by carbonates, were stained deep red by iron oxide and other minerals. The Highway: U.S. 89A follows the base of the cliffs through House Rock Valley. The Scale: Along the southern edge of the Paria Plateau, the cliffs rise 3,000 feet above the valley floor.

Lazy Day In Lake Tahoe

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

A lone visitor in a wide-brimmed hat sits on a quiet shoreline bench at Lake Tahoe, back to the camera and framed by lakeside shrubs, looking out across brilliant blue water to the Sierra Nevada peaks ringing the far shore on a clear day. Key Features: The Lake: Famous for its blue, Lake Tahoe straddles California and Nevada and is North America's largest alpine lake. The Depth: At 1,645 feet at its deepest, it is the second-deepest lake in the United States, after Crater Lake. The Color: Tahoe's blue depends largely on how little algae it holds; the less algae, the bluer the lake. The Setting: Ringed by peaks and clear mountain air, it is one of the country's most scenic places for a quiet moment by the water.

Lake Powell Stretches

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Orange Navajo sandstone bluffs rise from the blue-green water of Lake Powell below Page, Arizona, with pale desert mesas and distant buttes framing the far shore and Wahweap Marina and part of the town tucked among the cliffs beyond. Key Features: The Bathtub Ring: The pale band along the shore is calcium carbonate left on the rock where higher water once stood. The Reservoir: Glen Canyon Dam held back the Colorado River to form Lake Powell, one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the United States. The Setting: Red and white sandstone canyon country on the Arizona-Utah line around Page. Changing Water: Snowmelt and drought make the lake rise and fall, reshaping the bare rock along its edges.

Vermilion Cliffs

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

The Vermilion Cliffs rise above the desert floor near Page, Arizona, a massive escarpment of red and white sandstone stretching for miles toward the Utah border, seen from the valley floor along Highway 89A with scrub desert in front and billowing clouds drifting across a deep blue sky. Key Features: The Formation: Resistant red sandstone beds of the Lower Jurassic Moenave and Kayenta Formations. The Coloring: Silt and desert dunes, cemented by carbonates and stained by iron oxide and other minerals. The Protected Land: Vermilion Cliffs National Monument protects nearly 300,000 remote, unspoiled acres of the Colorado Plateau. The Wildlife: California condors, reintroduced to the region, are often seen soaring along these cliffs.

Horseshoe Bend Near Page, Arizona

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

A slab of weathered Navajo Sandstone shows its wavy, cross-bedded layers on the rim above Horseshoe Bend near Page, Arizona, where the Colorado River carves a tight meander through Glen Canyon, the canyon dropping away behind it toward distant cliff lines under a moody, cloud-streaked sky. Key Features: The Rock: The wavy layers are the remains of ancient sand dunes turned to stone, now the Navajo Sandstone. The Canyon: Horseshoe Bend is a deeply entrenched meander in the short stretch of Glen Canyon that remains above water, and one of the most photographed places in Arizona. The Setting: The bend lies in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area at Page, with the Navajo Nation bordering the overlook area.

Horseshoe Navajo Sandstone

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Weathered blocks of Navajo sandstone lie scattered along the rim above the Colorado River at Horseshoe Bend near Page, Arizona, their cross-bedded layers glowing orange-red beneath a bank of dark storm cloud as the sheer walls of Glen Canyon fade into hazy violet beyond the sagebrush and wind-sculpted sand. Key Features: The Sandstone: Navajo sandstone formed from ancient dunes, carved by wind and water into rounded, layered blocks. The Canyon: Below, the Colorado River makes its huge horseshoe-shaped loop, one of the most photographed bends on the river. The Geology: The red rock is Jurassic in age, shaped over millions of years into the canyon seen today. The Setting: Sparse shrubs and drifting orange sand mark the dry Colorado Plateau of northern Arizona.

Cove Of Lake Powell

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Storm clouds break into shafts of light over layered red rock buttes above a cove of Lake Powell near Page, Arizona, pale cliff walls rimming the still water below and wind-sculpted sandstone in front. Key Features: The Bathtub Ring: The pale band on the canyon walls was left by minerals when the lake stood higher. The Reservoir: Lake Powell began filling in 1963, when Glen Canyon Dam held back the Colorado River. Its Scale: The second-largest reservoir in the United States by total storage. The Setting: Page sits at the edge of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, where Navajo sandstone buttes and slot canyons surround the lake's many coves.

Horseshoe Canyon Navajo Sandstone

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

A large, fractured slab of Navajo Sandstone balances on sweeping slickrock near the rim on the trail to Horseshoe Bend, just south of Page, Arizona, its deep rust and cream bands catching the light under a streaked blue sky, with open high desert and a wooden trail fence in the distance. Key Features: The Rock: Navajo Sandstone, known for its cross-bedding and iron concretions, is exposed all around Horseshoe Bend. The Formation: The rock began as a vast field of sand dunes that hardened into sandstone over millions of years. The Trail: Walking the rim's slanted slabs gives different views of the bend. The Location: Horseshoe Bend lies on the Colorado River just south of Page.

Horseshoe Bend

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

The Colorado River wraps nearly all the way around a massive sandstone butte at Horseshoe Bend, just south of Page, Arizona, seen straight down from the rim overlook, with layered red cliffs stretching to the horizon under a moody, clouded sky. Key Features: The Formation: The river cuts a 270-degree curve through 1,000 feet of Navajo sandstone, an entrenched meander exposing rock about 190 million years old. The Overlook: Visitors look about 1,000 feet down into Glen Canyon and across a sweep of red sandstone cliffs. The Setting: Horseshoe Bend lies 5 miles downstream of Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell, about 4 miles southwest of Page. The Nickname: It is sometimes called the east rim of the Grand Canyon.

Beehive Formations Near Page, Arizona

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

A cone-shaped dome of the Beehive formations glows deep orange in late-day light against a stormy sky near Page, Arizona, its cross-bedded Navajo sandstone striped with curving bands and a dark, shadowed cleft near the summit, just past Glen Canyon Dam. Key Features: The Beehive Trail: A short loop near Glen Canyon Dam and Wahweap Marina winds through sculpted sandstone domes and wave-like ridges. The Wave in Miniature: The swirling, banded rock is often compared to the famous Wave in nearby Coyote Buttes. The Geology: Like the Wave, these patterns were carved by trickles of water running downhill and long spells of very high wind. The Light: Sunset is the time to come, when the colors of the petrified dunes come alive.

Wild Bison Grazing In The Yellowstone National Park In Wyoming

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

An American bison grazes on an open valley floor in Yellowstone National Park, surrounded by rolling hills and sagebrush plains. Key Features: The Subject: The American bison (Bison bison). Yellowstone is home to the oldest and largest public bison herd in the United States. The Habitat: Grassland valleys ringed by pine-dotted mountains are prime grazing ground for the park's thousands of bison. The Light: The warm, golden glow across the sky and land comes at the edge of the day, when wildlife in these valleys is most active.

Keystone Wye Interchange, A Famous Architectural Landmark Located In The Black Hills Of South Dakota

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

The Keystone Wye is a three-level interchange in the Black Hills of South Dakota, joining U.S. Route 16 and U.S. Route 16A just north of Keystone on the way to the area's best-known sights. Key Features: The Architecture: Built in 1967 and 1968, the interchange is known for its two interlocking bridges carried on massive glued-laminated timber (glulam) arches. The Design: The engineers chose timber so the structure would blend into the evergreen forest of the Black Hills National Forest. The Road: Driving under the arch along this road takes you southwest toward Keystone and Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

Coastal Village Of Craighouse On The Isle Of Jura In Scotland

by Rick Billings, M. Photog., Cr.

Across the bay of Loch na Mile, the white-painted stone cottages of Craighouse line the waterfront, with the conical quartzite peaks known as the Paps of Jura rising behind them. Craighouse is the main village on the Isle of Jura, home to the Jura Distillery, the island's only hotel and its local shop.