It was John Muir himself that gave the Sierra Nevada Mountains their most appropriate nickname – the Range of Light. The Alabama Hills just outside Lone Pine, CA in the Owens Valley stand in stark contrast to Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the Sierras and the lower 48 states. It’s hard to imagine that the rounded, softened Alabama Hills are made from the same tough granite as the sharp, angular crags behind them.

This was a day to explore all the side canyons and dirt roads I had promised myself for years as I would speed up US 395 in a rush to get to another spectacular destination. This was a day to satisfy curiosity and discover the extraordinary.