A view of Charleston Peak, as seen from the Fletcher Canyon Trail at Spring Mountains National Recreational Area outside of Las Vegas, Nevada.  With temperatures in Las Vegas reaching 70°-80°F, it is an odd sight to find snow only a 45-minute drive away. Photo taken 7 November 2010.

A view of a wide expanse of desert, as seen from Desert View Overlook in the Spring Mountains National Recreational Area. To the far left, behind the distant peak, is the Nevada Test Site.  In the 1950s, the first atomic bombs tested on American soil were detonated here; prior to this time, most tests were conducted in the Pacific.  Between 1951 to 1962, a total of 126 atmospheric tests of atomic weaponry were conducted on the Test Site. Phot taken 7 November 2010.

Big bluestem grasses (Andropogon gerardii) stand tall before a waning sunset at Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Photo taken 16 August 2011.