Old Faithful geyser, sunrise. Reaching up to 185' in height and lasting up to 5 minutes, Old Faithful geyser is the most famous geyser in the world and the first geyser in Yellowstone to be named, Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

 John Moulton barn at sunrise with Teton Range, on Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

John Moulton barn at sunrise with Teton Range, on Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

 Sky Rock petroglyphs near Bishop, California. Hidden atop an enormous boulder in the Volcanic Tablelands lies Sky Rock, a set of petroglyphs that face the sky. These superb examples of native American petroglyph artwork are thought to be Paiute in origin, but little is known about them

Sky Rock Petroglyphs, Volcanic Tablelands, Bishop, California.
Water falling from the fluke (tail) of a humpback whale as the whale dives to forage for food in the Santa Barbara Channel, Megaptera novaeangliae, Santa Rosa Island, California

Humpback whale waterfall, Megaptera novaeangliae, Channel Islands, California.

 Mono Lake sunset, tufa and clouds reflected in the still waters of Mono Lake

Tufa and clouds reflected in the still waters of Mono Lake.

 Freediving photographer in a cloud of salps, gelatinous zooplankton that drifts with open ocean currents, San Diego, California

Freediving Photographer In A Cloud Of Salps, San Diego
Mono Lake sunset, Sierra Nevada mountain range and tufas, clouds reflected in the still waters of Mono Lake

Mono Lake Sunset
Old Faithful geyser. Reaching up to 185' in height and lasting up to 5 minutes, Old Faithful geyser is the most famous geyser in the world and the first geyser in Yellowstone to be named, Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Old Faithful geyser, Yellowstone National Park

 Sunset over Patriarch Grove and White Mountains. An ancient bristlecone pine tree at sunset, White Mountains, Inyo National Forest

Sunset on Ancient Bristlecone, Patriarch Grove and White Mountains, California.

 T.A. Moulton barn with Teton Range, on Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

T.A. Moulton barn at sunrise, on Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
Panorama of the Teton Range, in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The Teton peaks are seen together at center with Mount Moran to the right. The Snake River lies unseen in the valley below

Panorama of the Teton Range, in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The Teton peaks are seen together at center with Mount Moran to the right.
Convict Lake sunrise reflection, Sierra Nevada mountains

Convict Lake Sunrise Reflection

 Common dolphin at the edge of the ocean, Delphinus delphis, Santa Barbara, California

Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) cresting a wave.

 Common dolphin leaping from the ocean, Delphinus delphis, Santa Barbara, California

Common dolphin leaping from the ocean, Delphinus delphis, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
Water falling from a blue whale fluke as the whale dives to forage for food in the Santa Barbara Channel, Balaenoptera musculus, Santa Rosa Island, California

Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) raising its fluke to dive, Channel Islands, Santa Barbara, California.

 UCSD Library glows at sunset (Geisel Library, UCSD Central Library), University of California, San Diego

UCSD Library Glows At Sunset, University Of California, San Diego

 Teton Range and Antelope Flat wildflowers, sunrise, clouds, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Teton Range And Antelope Flat Wildflowers, Grand Teton National Park
Dana Fork of the Tuolumne River, near Tioga Pass, Yosemite National Park, California

Dana Fork Of The Tuolumne River, Yosemite National Park

 Ancient bristlecone pine tree, rising from arid, dolomite-rich slopes of the Patriarch Grove in the White Mountains at an elevation of 11,000 above sea level, White Mountains, Inyo National Forest

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Tree, White Mountains, Inyo National Forest

 Dana Fork of the Tuolumne River, near Tioga Pass, Yosemite National Park, California

Dana Fork Of The Tuolumne River, Yosemite National Park
Blue whale fluke (tail) lifted high above the water as the whale dives in the Santa Barbara Channel, Balaenoptera musculus, Santa Rosa Island, California

Blue whale fluke, Balaenoptera musculus, lifted high above the water as the whale dives in the Santa Barbara Channel.

 Scarring of this humpback whale's fluke allow researchers to identify this particular whale from season to season, Megaptera novaeangliae, Santa Rosa Island, California

Extensive fluke scarring on humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) makes this fluke ID photograph valuable for researchers capture/recapture study.

 Perfect view of the ventral surface of a humpback whales fluke, as the whale raises its fluke just before diving underwater. The white patches and scalloping along the trailing edge of the fluke make this whale identifiable when it is observed from year to year, Megaptera novaeangliae, Santa Rosa Island, California

Humpback whale fluke ID photograph, the white patches and scalloping along the trailing edge of the fluke make this whale identifiable in capture/recapture studies. Channel Islands, California.
Humpback whale blowhole, showing twin nares (nostrils) which have a few small parasites clinging to the whale's skin around the blowhole openings, Megaptera novaeangliae, Santa Rosa Island, California

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) blowhole, showing twin nares (nostrils) which have small parasites clinging to the skin around the blowhole openings. Channel Islands, California.

 Krill. Likely Euphausia pacifica. A thin cloud of pink krill gathers at the ocean surface, where it is likely to be preyed upon by sharks, fish, birds and whales, San Diego, California

A cloud of tiny pink krill gathers at the ocean surface, where it is likely to be preyed upon by sharks, fish, birds and whales. Likely Euphausia pacifica.

 UCSD Library glows at sunset (Geisel Library, UCSD Central Library), University of California, San Diego

UCSD Library Glows At Sunset, University Of California, San Diego
Teton Range reflection, in window of old barn in Grand Teton National Park

Teton Range Reflection, Grand Teton National Park

 Bacteria mats and Grand Prismatic Spring. The orange color is due to bacteria which thrive only on the cooler fringes of the hot spring, while the hotter center of the spring hosts blue-colored bacteria, Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Bacteria Mats And Grand Prismatic Spring, Midway Geyser Basin

 Sky Rock petroglyphs and storm clouds over the Eastern Sierran Nevada, near Bishop, California. Hidden atop an enormous boulder in the Volcanic Tablelands lies Sky Rock, a set of petroglyphs that face the sky. These superb examples of native American petroglyph artwork are thought to be Paiute in origin, but little is known about them

Sky Rock Petroglyphs and Storm Clouds, Volcanic Tablelands, Bishop, California.
Colonial planktonic pelagic tunicate, adrift in the open ocean, forms rings and chains as it drifts with ocean currents, San Diego, California

Colonial Planktonic Pelagic Tunicate, San Diego

 T.A. Moulton barn with Teton Range, on Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

T.A. Barn with Teton Range, on Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

 John Moulton barn at sunrise with Teton Range, on Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

John Moulton Barn At Sunrise With Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park
Panoramic photo of the Teton Range, reflected in the still waters of Schwabacher Landing, a sidewater of the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Panoramic photo of the Teton Range, reflected in the still waters of Schwabacher Landing, Wyoming.
White Dome Geyser, rises to a height of 30 feet or more, and typically erupts with an interval of 15 to 30 minutes. It is located along Firehole Lake Drive, Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

White Dome Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

 Wildflowers on Mount Washburn, on the north side of Dunraven Pass near Tower Junction, Helianthella uniflora, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Wildflowers On Mount Washburn, Yellowstone National Park

 Steam rises at sunrise in Norris Geyser Basin. Located at the intersection of three tectonic faults, Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest and most active geothermal area in Yellowstone National Park

Steam rises at sunrise in Norris Geyser Basin. Yellowstone National Park.
Gibbon River meanders through Gibbon Meadows, sunrise and clouds reflected in the calm waters, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Gibbon River meanders through Gibbon Meadows, sunrise and clouds reflected in the calm waters, Wyoming.

 Steam rises at sunrise in Norris Geyser Basin. Located at the intersection of three tectonic faults, Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest and most active geothermal area in Yellowstone National Park

Steam rises at sunrise in Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

 Yellowstone Falls viewed from Lookout Point with a rainbow. Lower Yellowstone Falls cascades 308' in a thundering plunge into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Yellowstone Falls Viewed From Lookout Point With A Rainbow, Grand Canyon Of The Yellowstone
Mono Lake sunset, Sierra Nevada mountain range and tufas, clouds reflected in the still waters of Mono Lake

Mono Lake Sunset
Dana Fork of the Tuolumne River, near Tioga Pass, Yosemite National Park, California

Dana Fork Of The Tuolumne River, Yosemite National Park

 Mammoth Peak in the Yosemite High Country, reflected in small tarn pond, viewed from meadows near Tioga Pass, Yosemite National Park, California

Mammoth Peak In The Yosemite High Country, Yosemite National Park

 Tufa towers rise from Mono Lake, with the Eastern Sierra visible in the distance. Tufa towers are formed when underwater springs rich in calcium mix with lakewater rich in carbonates, forming calcium carbonate (limestone) structures below the surface of the lake. The towers were eventually revealed when the water level in the lake was lowered starting in 1941

Tufa Towers Rise From Mono Lake
Dana Fork of the Tuolumne River, near Tioga Pass, Yosemite National Park, California

Dana Fork Of The Tuolumne River, Yosemite National Park