Half Dome From Cooks Meadow, Yosemite National Park Mist in the meadow separates the warm glow of the meadow grasses and the clouds. I love the way nature creates special moments in Yosemite Valley. The dew on the grasses helps to saturate their colors. John Muir referred to Half Dome by its Awahnecheee Indian name Tissiack. The face of Half Dome was thought to look like the face of an Indian woman laced with tears.
Freycinet Peninsula and the Hazard Mountains, Tasmania We love this spot on the Freycinet Peninsula on the east coast of Tasmania, and have had two opportunities to visit it. This sunset on my second visit lasted a long, long time here in the far southern latitudes. And just as we thought the sunset was over, the full moon arose over to the left. Coles Bay is in the middle ground with the granite peaks of the Hazards in the background. The Hazards were named for an African-American whaling ship captain, Albert “Black” Hazard.
Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii It's worth the long drive up to get here before sunrise. The colors in the old lava flows change as the sun moves higher in the sky. Up here at 10,000 feet, the sun seems perfectly tuned to showing of this volcanic landscape. "House of the sun" is the English translation of the Hawaiian name -- and it fits.