Picture of the day - June 4, 2008

The stark beauty of Death Valley

Photo courtesy of Stuart Smith. The mere mention of the desert region of the western United States known as Death Valley sends chills up the spine. After all, the extreme heat and scarcity of water in this most unforgiving of lands has claimed the lives of countless humans and animals over the millennia. But as today's picture clearly demonstrates, the Death Valley landscape can be just as beautiful as it is deadly. Photographer Stuart Smith braved the heat of this arid desert in order to capture its beauty in all its glory, and the following is his story behind the resulting image: "This photo was taken at the sand dunes just outside Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley, California. It was shot at 6:30pm on May 25, 2008. I rode my motorcycle out to Death Valley and spent two days riding around shooting pictures. I had to hike out to the middle of the dunes and set my tripod up on the crest of one of the taller dunes to frame this shot. It was a nice way to end a long day (400+ miles) of riding my bike around the desert."    --Stuart Smith     Visitor Comments...   Name: Phyllis Helton Town: Bristol, VA Starkly beautiful!     Name: Ron Trees Town: Spokane, WA Really nice picture today of the Death Valley landscape!! Very well done.   Click here to comment on this picture.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!                                 Place the "Picture of the Day" on your website, for free! Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"