The Flickr Nevadalandscape Image Generatr

Dramatic sandstone formations display stunning layers of red and orange rock against a vivid blue desert sky.

This is my third installment of this series that I took back in 2021. I've trying to set some of record for most time elapsed between the publication of photos taken in a 20-minute period. I've got about three or four more of these, so at this rate I'll have finished publishing the series by around 2030.

That was a joke, by the way. I'm not actually trying to do that.

Here's the backstory: This was taken in what I believe is an old mining ghost town in the Great Basin. About an hour before this photo was taken, my friend and I were getting gas at a fairly crowded gas station at the closest nearby town when a chorus of phone alerts--mine, my friend's, at least half a dozen of the people who were also at the gas station--went off, warning us of an impending weather event headed toward us involving high winds and a dust storm. It was like an Amber alert for weather, something I'd never experienced before.

Having nowhere to go other than our intended destination, my friend and then drove to this ghost town where we'd planned on camping nearby. As it turned out, the storm mostly passed to the east of us and we escaped the worst of it on this hillside. But it made for some pretty wild light for a while.

Thanks for taking a look!

Humboldt County, Nevada

Humboldt County, Nevada

Fall Foliage Lamoille Canyon Nevada

© Avi Das | Ebony 45s + Schneider SS 80mm f5.6 XL on Kodak E100VS

Stokes Castle is a three-story stone tower located near Austin, Nevada. It was built by Anson Phelps Stokes, a mine developer, railroad magnate, and banker. Intending the building as a summer home, Stokes began building the castle in 1896, completing it in 1897.

The castle is patterned after a tower that Stokes had seen and admired in the Roman Campagna in Italy. The castle is built of hand-hewn native granite, and the stones were hoisted into place with a hand winch and held in place with rock wedging and clay mortar. The kitchen and dining room were on the first floor, while the second floor contained the living room and the third floor housed two bedrooms. Each of the floors had a fireplace, and the second and third floors each had a balcony. The roof had a battlemented terrace.

The family occupied the Stokes Castle for a short time. The family traveled west in June 1897 with friends and spent about a month in the castle. They spent a few more days in October 1897. They returned in the summer of 1898, but they sold their mine, the milling equipment, and the castle, and never returned to the town.

St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in Austin is Nevada’s oldest Catholic church building (1866).

Built into solid granite on a prominent hill in Austin’s narrow canyon, its stately appearance is dominates the view. The wood and tin-clad spire rises 75 feet in th narrow Gothic Revival style. The granite used in construction came from the old Austin quarry and its bricks from brickyard that flourished in the 19th century.

Davis Creek Park Pond was originally part of the 4,000 acre Winters Ranch, which was known in the second half of the 19th century for its thoroughbred horses. Winter’s Ranch used the area to harvest ice in the summer. The park was opened to the public in 1969. In 1995, portions of the movie "Bonanza: Under Attack" were filmed here.

Davis Creek Park Pond was originally part of the 4,000 acre Winters Ranch, which was known in the second half of the 19th century for its thoroughbred horses. Winter’s Ranch used the area to harvest ice in the summer. The park was opened to the public in 1969. In 1995, portions of the movie "Bonanza: Under Attack" were filmed here.

Davis Creek Park Pond was originally part of the 4,000 acre Winters Ranch, which was known in the second half of the 19th century for its thoroughbred horses. Winter’s Ranch used the area to harvest ice in the summer. The park was opened to the public in 1969. In 1995, portions of the movie "Bonanza: Under Attack" were filmed here.

Davis Creek Park Pond was originally part of the 4,000 acre Winters Ranch, which was known in the second half of the 19th century for its thoroughbred horses. Winter’s Ranch used the area to harvest ice in the summer. The park was opened to the public in 1969. In 1995, portions of the movie "Bonanza: Under Attack" were filmed here.

Walker Lake is one of the last remnants of ancient Lake Lahontan and is the ancestral home of the Walker River Paiute Tribe. Although the Walker River flows into the lake, Walker Lake is known as a terminal lake, meaning that the lake elevation is low and there are no natural outflows other than evaporation. Walker Lake is a lasting remnant of glacial Lake Lahontan, an ancient sea that covered most of northwestern Nevada. Today, Walker Lake and Lake Lahontan State Recreation Area are some of the only lasting portions of what was once a massive, prehistoric ocean.

Walker Lake is one of the last remnants of ancient Lake Lahontan and is the ancestral home of the Walker River Paiute Tribe. Although the Walker River flows into the lake, Walker Lake is known as a terminal lake, meaning that the lake elevation is low and there are no natural outflows other than evaporation. Walker Lake is a lasting remnant of glacial Lake Lahontan, an ancient sea that covered most of northwestern Nevada. Today, Walker Lake and Lake Lahontan State Recreation Area are some of the only lasting portions of what was once a massive, prehistoric ocean.