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Lens-Artists Challenge #295 – Rock Your World

A lone climber challenges an ascent in the Garden of the Gods at Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Next week, April 22, we celebrate Earth Day. Donna’s challenge focuses on the day that honors our home planet. For the challenge, she writes, “Join us to showcase anything from rocky landscapes to cobblestone streets. Are you a collector, a climber, or a creator of rock art? Maybe geology is on your mind, or maybe your motivation will come from local conservation efforts as Earth Day was intended.” Her post gives responders the freedom to interpret the challenge as they wish. You can read her entire challenge post here.

Over the years, we’ve traveled through many mountain regions and found many examples of rock formations that would qualify as meeting Donna’s Challenge. I’ve chosen eight photos from my gallery that reflect upon the literal meaning of “rock” and some figurative interpretations. On our first visit to the Garden of the Gods, several climbers challenged the large rocks with their climbing skills. I captured the opening image as a silhouette to emphasize the size of the climber’s challenge compared to his stature.

Chapel on the Rock

A Catholic Church, Saint Catherine of Siena Chapel, is constructed on a rock outcropping near Rocky Mountain National Park in Allenspark, Colorado. The Biblical phrase, “Upon this rock, I will build my church,” inspired its construction in 1936.

Tent Rocks in New Mexico.

Tent Rocks, officially known as Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, is a geologic wonderland about 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The monument’s name comes from the Keres language, spoken by the nearby Pueblo people, and translates to “white cliffs.” The unusual cone-shaped rock formations were sculpted by volcanic eruptions 6 to 7 million years ago.

The City of Rocks.

Another favorite place for rock climbers is located in south-central Idaho. City of Rocks National Reserve is known for its dramatic granite rock formations, which rise from the high desert plains. These formations were created millions of years ago by volcanic eruptions and erosion.

Devils Tower, Wyoming.

This tower in northeastern Wyoming is a unique volcanic remnant. It is thought to be the solidified remains of an ancient volcano. Unlike a typical volcano, however, it never erupted. Instead, molten rock pushed upwards through the Earth’s crust but never broke through the surface. Over time, erosion wore away the softer surrounding rock, leaving the resistant volcanic core exposed as the tower we see today.

Flaming Gorge.

The views from the top of this gorge are spectacular, high above the Green River that separates Utah and Wyoming. Just be careful where you walk. The area’s namesake is the Flaming Gorge, a deep canyon cut by the Green River over millions of years. The canyon walls are composed of colorful sedimentary rock, including vibrant red, orange, and yellow shades.

Stonehenge II in Texas.

Surprisingly, there are two replicas of Stonehenge in Texas. This is the more famous replica, located on the Hill Country Arts Foundation campus in Ingram, Texas. It’s about two-thirds the size of the original Stonehenge and not oriented towards the sun like its British counterpart. It’s of concrete construction and features two additional 13-foot Easter Island head replicas, adding a quirky touch!

Arches National Park.

On our first visit to Arches National Park, we hiked along several trails to capture the many rock formations in the park. As we hiked, I snapped many photos of the beautiful reddish formations. When I got home from our trip and reviewed the images, I wondered why this spire appeared excited about something.

Of course, I could drag you through family photos of my wonderful wife, our children, and our grandchild, but the love of family truly has rocked my world. Instead, I will focus on personal discoveries. The following three photos focus on personal discoveries that have shaped my life.

Photography rocked my world.

While in high school, I discovered the world of photography. For many years, other than family photos, I resisted any urge to make it my life’s work. This display of a Nikon F camera was at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It is the gear used by Baron Wolman, the Chief photographer for Rolling Stone Magazine (1967-70).

My first airplane ride.

I was introduced to aviation as a high school student. At an air show in Long Beach, California, I somehow lucked out to get a ride on a home-built experimental aircraft. That’s me in the yellow shirt hanging onto the seat for dear life. I don’t remember the year, but I genuinely remember the event in the late 1960s. I am thankful that a stranger who happened to take a photo still happened to be around when we returned to the airport. I asked if he would send me a copy of the image, and he obliged.

Volunteer photographer and pilot for Civil Air Patrol.

Aviation has rocked my world for more than a quarter of a century. In 1996, at the young age of 47, that aviation bug bit hard, and I started training to become a private pilot. When I got my pilot’s license in 1997, I looked for some way to turn my interest into a public service. I joined the Civil Air Patrol as a volunteer pilot, flight crew member, and aerial photographer. Eventually, I would become Commander of the North Dakota Wing, responsible for leading the membership, setting the wing’s direction and goals, and maintaining the state’s aircraft fleet. The image above is a self-portrait from 2011. I was sitting in the back seat on our way to a photographic mission, and I noticed my reflection in the mirror on the wing strut of our aircraft. If you’d like to pixel-peep at the HD versions of these photos, my Flickr album is here.

Thanks to Donna for a challenge focusing on our love for Mother Earth and whatever else Rocks our World. I loved seeing everyone’s edits in last week’s Before and After challenge. Next week, Ritva hosts. Follow her site here to find out next week’s challenge topic and join in. If you’d like to join us and aren’t sure how to get started, check here for details.

John Steiner

51 comments

  6. I loved the stories and photos you shared, John. Devil’s Tower, City of Rock, Tent Rocks, and all those places are fascinating. You made them even better with the stories behind the photo. We saw that spire at Arches, too. I wonder why they never named it. 😉

    Reply

  10. I’ll just skirt right past Arches. lol This was a grand interpretation of what rocks your world John . I am one of the lucky ones who have had the chance to meet you in person, and enjoy your wisdom of a life well lived and the interesting life you keep on living. You know the meaning of “let’s just go here” and you do it! You are hard to keep track of, so I am glad you had some time in AZ, again.

    Interesting info about Devils Tower, Chapel on the Hill and replicas of Stonehenge.I think a favorite this week might be your feature, and the perspective of the rock and climber, but the chapel is a gorgeous photos.Hope you are enjoying your family as you make your way home.

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  11. Loved this one John, especially the insights into what floats your personal boat. You couldn’t pay me enough to ride in that home built plane! And my first serious camera was a Nikon F – I still have it😊. A true antique now, like me LOL. Terrific post.

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  12. I love the header photo, the Chapel on the Rock (and the Christian symbolism is perfect), and learning more about your twin interests of photography and aviation. Devil’s Tower is one of our favorite places in Wyoming and we stopped often on the way to or from our cabin when we lived in Ohio and, later, Illinois, as it wasn’t far out of our way. It’s an amazing place.

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  13. I sure enjoyed seeing so many iconic rocks featured here, John! I would love to see Devil’s Tower–I never had heard of it until the movie Close Encounters. Our wonderful Earth really does rock it’s rocks. Kudos to you for hopping into photography in high school. Sure has come a long way and we all appreciate your advice and how-tos on the blog 🙂

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  16. Great selections John. Google Frank Sanders, Devil’s Tower. We stayed at his B&B/lodge a couple of decades ago, with a window view of the Tower from our bed. Idyllic. We hiked around the base but declined the offer from Frank to climb up.

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  17. Hi John,
    what a interesting collection of rocks. We don’t climb rocks but nevertheless find it interesting to watch rock climbers. We travelled a lot in the Swiss Alps where you see rock climbers everywhere.
    Thanks and Cheers
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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  18. You have some extraordinary things in the US – Devil’s Tower! Tent Rocks! What fabulous photos too, and your stories are always fabulous too.

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  23. Wonderful post, John. I always think you excel with landscapes and you really mastered them on this challenge. I’d never seen the Devils Tower before and that is so impressive. I love the composition on it too, great work.

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  24. I didn’t know you were a pilot, or maybe I just forgot, but how cool that you were in the CAP. I think you and Lynn rock friendships, too. Thanks for being part of our lives. 🙂

    Reply

    • I still maintain my CAP membership, though with my traveling, I am no longer very active in the service.
      Blogging has brought us so many friends in the last decade, you and Vince are among them.

      Reply

      • Thank you! We feel the same way. Sometimes Vince wishes he had stayed with the Navy longer. He had other priorities at the age of 19 or 20, and then was busy raising his son as a single parent for most of his life. 🙂

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